Editorial: Love, Freedom, Life

Last year, we were faced with a drought of reprints. It takes a lot of submissions to find just the right stories for the magazine because most subs don’t fit in some way or another. As you know if you’re a long-time reader or as you’ll see as you open this issue, we have a certain type of story we gravitate toward. We like strong character journeys, deep emotional resonance, and a complete plot–all in a thousand words or less. It takes a special author to fulfill our demanding requirements.

 

Because we were faced with not having enough to fill our pages, I turned to a group of people I knew would have a deep well of stories for us: previous authors. I sent an email asking them to submit something that fit the magazine, and boy, did they pull through! Because of my request, we almost hit the cap in our submission website, something we generally don’t come close to.

 

It was tough picking the stories we would buy. I went from not having enough to my cup runneth over.

 

This issue showcases some of those reprints we purchased. I was drawn to each and every one because of an ethereal quality to the story. There’s a deep yearning in each for love, for freedom, for life, and when you really compare them all, they seem the same need that comes from deep inside our humanity.

 

I hope you enjoy this month’s selections.

 

Samantha L. Strong, formerly S. L. Saboviec

Reprint & Senior Editor

Flash Fiction Online