Number 22 · Summer 2008


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 SUBMISSION GUIDELINES | NEXT ISSUE | BACK ISSUES | ARCHIVE | INTERVIEWS | MT EDITOR | CONTACT MT
Of Darkness & Purgatory

Dante and the EagleI went with the purgatory reference for the summer issue because I guess this is where I've kind of been for the past six months in regard to the Midnight Times. I like the analogy of the dreaming Dante being transferred away in the grasp of the eagle, having no control over his fate. It feels appropriate as I'm sitting here trying to think of what to write to explain my current situation in relation to maintaining a presence in cyberspace.

   As I explained in the introduction to the last issue of MT (Spring 2008), obviously the problem is that I'm still in the midst of a major housing upheaval. It all started in early January with getting the old house ready to sell, then moving in April, and the latest is that I have way underestimated how much time it would take to do the home improvement thing in our new residence. At first it was really fun, but now, six months later, I'm pretty much exhausted--and Kelly and I are only HALF WAY DONE! UGH!!! So basically I've been unpacking, cleaning, painting, reinstalling baseboards, etc. etc. etc.
  (editorial continued in column to right)

FICTION

Jack Be Nimble by Bryan HeneryJack Be Nimble by Bryan Henery. Bryan grew up in a small mountain town in Southern California. He studied the martial arts from an early age and was fortunate enough to travel around Asia as a professional kick boxer. During his twenties he played around with several rather bohemian lifestyles: skydiver, surf bum, and back packer to name a few. At thirty he realized he had experienced enough and it was time to settle down and focus on his first love: writing. He is currently a student at California State University, San Bernardino.

Brad Parson was unreadable. It wasn’t just his unremarkable appearance, his generic twenty-something face, his plain brown hair, or his common brown eyes... (continued)


Fall of the Estrela by Erin O'RiordanFall of the Estrela by Erin O'Riordan. Staying up late on Fridays nights, eating junk food and watching films such as Satan’s Cheerleaders has influenced Erin O’Riordan. She reads obsessively and writes compulsively. Her short stories and articles have appeared in periodicals as diverse as The Saturday Evening Post, the literary magazines Wild Violet and Down in the Dirt, and the webzine Clean Sheets. Her favorite lycanthrope is Werewolf Flanders. Erin says, "Howl at ya girl at www.aeess.com, preferably at midnight while the moon is full."

Two weeks out from the Gold Coast, the Portuguese slaver Estrela was making good time... (continued)


Exchange Alley by Whitney LakinExchange Alley by Whitney Lakin. "Exchange Alley" was inspired by true events--Whitney Lakin does live across the street from an exceedingly creepy old house, and on nights when the stars shine brightest, she swears she can see a ghost lurking in the attic. When she’s not spying on her neighbors, Whitney teaches French at Tulane University in New Orleans, where she’s working on a PhD. She’s the author of the novel A Paintbrush in the Devil’s Toolbox. You can visit her at www.whitneylakin.com.

"In the city sky, the stars glowed like brand-new Mardi Gras beads. As he hung in the doorway Flint imagined their plastic smell... (continued)


Quantimo by Robert E. BuckQuantimo by Robert E. Buck. Bob was bitten by the writing bug the day he owned his first computer. Only then did he discover the ease and joy of writing. A career scientist, married and living in Central New York, he was published once before (Armchair Aesthete). Bob’s writings often reflect his interest in science, chess, tennis, nature, and music. Deeply in love with the coffee bean, he can be spotted frequently in coffee houses, revising stories with a brew in hand.

Nothing looked unusual in the off-campus apartment at 504 Collegiate Place. Football banners on the wall, dirty dishes in the sink, unmade bed, clothing on the floor... (continued)

First Class Corpse by Ryan PotterFirst Class Corpse by Ryan Potter. Ryan teaches middle school in suburban Detroit. His short fiction has appeared in Urban Ideas, Toasted Cheese, Mudrock: Stories & Tales, and Spoiled Ink. He was a past finalist in the Cape Fear Crime Festival's short-story contest, and the editors of Mudrock selected him as their featured author for a past issue. He's written three novels and recently landed an agent. Regarding "First-Class Corpse," Ryan says, "Yes, old people sometimes die in mid-flight. How can you not write about something like that?" Ryan's short story Dale's Night was published in the Fall 2004 issue of Midnight Times.

Todd Decker’s medication had stopped working and he was thinking about the explosion again. He’d just boarded the 747... (continued)


Manesgrove, OR by Robert T. KnightManesgrove, OR by Robert T. Knight. Robert has lived in Washington for most of his life. This is his first foray into the writing field, though he has fiddled with various longer plot lines. He enjoys the sense of wonder that reading and writing offers, and hopes that his story enables him to spread that sense to others. Robert says he's fond of all styles and genres of writing, and when not doing any reading he can be found traipsing through the wilderness with his wife.

Caitlin glanced at the dipping fuel gauge, swearing through her curls of red hair. Giving her head a brief thump against the steering wheel, she peered down the dark road ahead... (continued)


The Last Patient by Gia FarrellThe Last Patient by Gia Farrell. According to Gia, "The Last Patient" was inspired by a true story of an aging therapist, no longer able to conduct sessions effectively, who was gently led to an acceptance of death by a "patient" he did not know was sent to help him. Says Gia, "In my story, motives are not so benign, but, as we all know, truth can only be found in fiction!"

If unable to keep this appointment kindly give 24 hours notice otherwise charge will be made for time reserved... (continued)


You're Only as Jung as You Feel by Bill DeArmondYou're Only as Jung as You Feel by Bill DeArmond. Bill is a Professor of Mass Communication and Film at Southwestern College in Kansas. His writings have appeared in True Romance, Outer Darkness, USA Today, TV Guide, Galaxy Magazine, The Meridian Anthology of Poetry, Trail of Indiscretion, as well as 30 other publications. Bill has four books published by Lulu Press, his latest being The Quest for Rational Faith: Common Beliefs Across Sacred Traditions. He has been published in five anthologies, including Breaking Silences and Unlocking the Mysteries.

Judy Barton stared at her pale reflection in the mirror. She was a plain, though not unattractive, woman in her mid 30s... (continued)


POETRY

Staring Into the Abyss by Bill DeArmondStaring Into the Abyss by Bill DeArmond. Bill is a Professor of Mass Communication and Film at Southwestern College in Kansas. His writings have appeared in True Romance, Outer Darkness, USA Today, TV Guide, Galaxy Magazine, The Meridian Anthology of Poetry, Trail of Indiscretion, as well as 30 other publications. Bill has four books published by Lulu Press, his latest being The Quest for Rational Faith: Common Beliefs Across Sacred Traditions. He has been published in five anthologies, including Breaking Silences and Unlocking the Mysteries.

Private Garden and Tired by Ametha WilliamsPrivate Garden and Tired by Ametha Williams. Ametha was born in Senatobia, MS. She attended Northwest Mississippi Community College, then went on to attend the Univeristy of Mississippi where she received a BAEd (emphasis in English and History) and MEd in Elementary Education. Ametha has been teaching for two years. She enjoys writing and sketching in her down time. She loves reading and has been writing since she was twelve years old. Her first published work was a poem written for English class as a freshman in high school. The poem was published in her local newspaper, and spawned a weekly contribution from her high school known as "Kid's Corner."


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Click here for the MT Submission Guidelines.  MIDNIGHT TIMES PUBLICATION INFO

If you are a new or beginning writer interested in an opportunity to get published, and you have written work with a "darkness" theme, I encourage you to take a look at the MT submission guidelines. Previous contributing authors and their works can be accessed from the Fiction & Poetry Archive or the Back Issues page. Future contributing authors, publication deadlines, and special themes for upcoming issues can be found on the Next Issue page.

© All contributing authors retain full copyright ownership over their work.

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Jay Manning is Webhead
Jay Manning is Webhead


EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION CONTINUED FROM LEFT

for six months straight. Aside from the 40 hour paycheck job, dealing with the home front has been my entire life since early January.
   This home improvement purgatory that I have been in for the past six months has pretty much precluded me from doing anything else other than working my real job. In fact, I have taken quite a lot of time off from the real job just so that I can continue to make progress on the home improvement projects. It's extremely time consuming, especially considering the amount of space that is involved. So my schedule pretty much has consisted of go to work, get home from work, clean, prep, paint, install base boards, etc. etc. etc. Then the weekend is spent doing more home improvement work. I have only taken time out to pay bills and attend to other high level priorities that simply can't be neglected.
   Where do I fit in reading manuscripts or working on the next issue of MT? Well, that's certainly been a significant problem. As it is, I have only been able to read manuscript submissions through the month of February, and it still remains for me to respond to those submissions. Manuscript submissions and correspondence from March to the present remains unread. In other words, I'm so far behind that I'm sure some of you have given up on hearing from me. My plan is to get caught up by the end of this month. I see it as a critical, must do situation. So if you are still waiting for a response to a manuscript submission, please hang in there for a little while longer. I sincerely apologize for this horribly neglectful act on the part of my editorial responsibilities, but it just has been entirely impossible to keep up with MT, and keep my wife happy with the progress on the home situation at the same time. No matter how you add it up, there really are only 24 hours in a day, and I lack the ability to not sleep.
   Further complicating matters has been a horrendous situation with AT&T, my (former) Internet Service Provider (ISP). I have had the great misfortune to move from a location where I was receiving DSL broadband Internet (and was perfectly content with it), to a location where the only broadband option is satellite service that costs three times as much as DSL. At this point I will say that I had never previously had a problem with AT&T, but my recent move has led me to the realization that AT&T is essentially a real life incarnation of the Borg. They are a massively huge corporation that has only one objective, and that is to assimilate every possible other technology based company until the entire world telecommunications infrastructure is a vast Borg ship. Robotic service representatives speak in drone voices, reading from pre-transcribed scripts, and are entirely incapable of making actual, independent decisions or really doing anything at all useful to serve customers. I'm not going to go into all the horrific details of the whole situation--the
    (click here to continue)



  It was a dark and stormy night...

NEXT ISSUE:
The next issue of the Midnight Times is the Fall 2008 issue (October 1 publication date). Aside from the ongoing "darkness" theme (as always), I'm primarily looking for fantasy, science fiction and horror. For submission deadlines, publication dates, and a list of authors who will be published in upcoming issues, check the Next Issue page. Visit the Submission Guidelines page for detailed publication information.

LAST ISSUE:
The Spring 2008 Vampire Fiction Issue was published April 3. There is a Back Issues page as well as a Fiction & Poetry Archive listing all the past works by contributing authors.




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