As I receive contracts and final edits from authors, I’ll post a teaser from their story here and on our Facebook page. You know where to get the rest, right? Comments are welcome.
God in the Machine
By
by Charles Patrick Brownson
Sequestered in a tower rising far above the center of a groaning, gas lit metropolis, I sat upon my bed counting the rivets on the iron walls of my celestial cell. The distant creak of carriages clattering over cobblestone, the roar of train cars moving along elevated rails recalled the bustle of city commerce. I smoothed away wrinkles on my filthy, threadbare dress. All I must do to end this exile was confess the sin of heresy in front of Lord Drake and the British Inquisition. But though I grew weary and longed for human companionship, I would not relent. The integrity of my husband’s work depended on it. A steam whistle cut through the day, its disconsolate tone mirroring my own.
The sudden entrance of my friend, Marlow the marmot, startled me. Looking bleary-eyed and forlorn behind his spectacles, he announced that he was having trouble with his laptop. “It won’t turn on,” he said. “I think it may have a virus.”
So, why did we take this story? We were hoping to get some steampunk for this issue, and this story delivered it in a very entertaining package. We had some issues with the opening and climax. Charles blew those worries into oblivion with his rewrite and a subsequent tweak. The original was 4900 words; the rewrite came in at 5400 words; final edit is 5200 words.
Tune in tomorrow for our next tease. The full Table of Contents is here.
YES, talking animal sidekick!