The new double issue of Expanded Horizons is out, if you see any technical issues, let me know! I’ve only read 7 stories out of the 8 so far (before the launch; I also helped out with proofreading) but there were some real gems in there. Miss Lonelyhearts has to be the best zombie story I’ve ever read and I normally don’t even like zombie stories! It also reminded me of Fallout 3 in a good way (if you’ve played it, you’ll see what I mean). And Silver Veins is autism-related. Really, I could list half of the new stories as ‘do yourself a favor, read this now’.

We decided against having downloadables at launch, because every month there are a few minor after-launch changes  (authors find typos, formatting issues etc.) and it’s just inconvenient to reexport and reupload everything every time someone finds an extra comma. So we’ll probably upload the PDF and ODT files next week, and until then you can read the stories on the web… oh and if you find any typos, let us know

So, go off and read, I think this is a really strong issue. And if you have something to submit, send it in – I think at the moment EH is especially looking for essays, poetry and art. (yes, it is a paid venue.)

When I last promoted the magazine, some people asked me whether the following “count” as underrepresented groups in speculative fiction – I asked our editor and the answer is yes to all, so keep those submissions coming:

* Women authors
* People from Hungary
* People from the Balkans
* Jewish people
* Otherkin
* Occultists / Neopagans in general / Wiccans in particular

Note that this is not a “checklist”, so if you send something about Croatian Jewish otherkin that misrepresents these groups and is not well-written in general, it won’t stand more of a chance…  or any chance, really. (Also note that I’m not the editor. I don’t even see most of the slush pile, I just format and upload the content and wrestle WordPress into submission.)