Bøker av Jm Landels

In this issue, a giant feline swats us into the void with 'Space Cat' by Bronwyn Schuster. And feature author Kate Heartfield leads us on a daring escape through the universe in 'And in the Arcade, Ego'. Hitch a ride into the heat - and heart - of the desert with Kevin Sandefur's 'Out in the Sticks'. And it all goes up in flames in 'Paper, Candles, Hearts & Other Combustible Materials' by Anne Baldo. Natalie Harris-Spencer, in 'The Art of Ironing', and Cara Waterfall, in 'Vessel', illustrate ways of navigating relationships and bodily autonomy. And friendship transcends time and place in 'Fate of Chickens' by Krista Jane May. We delve into familial grief and sacrifice in 'Sap and Seed', by H Pueyo and Dante Luiz, and the opening chapters of 'Allaigna's Song: Chorale' by JM Landels, while 'Pale Pony Express' by Lulu Keating and 'The Echo of Light Footsteps on Parchment' by Kimberley Aslett explore memory and loss through storytelling. Strange science brings us 'The Magic Shuffling Machine' by Derek Salinas Lazarski but can't explain the tiny home intruder in 'The Switch Fairy' by Monica Wang or the supernatural occurrences in 'Pretty Lies: Eyes Full of Moon' by Mel Anastasiou.

Join us as we step into the blossoming spring with Superbloom, by cover artist Weiwei Xu, and disappear into future past with feature author Robert Silverberg's 'Chip Runner' and Leo X Robertson's 'Bar Hopping for Astronauts'. Take a deep breath and let the aroma of the blossoms permeate your senses because taste and scents infuse Michelle Goddard's 'Bhut', 'The Shepherdess: Merveilles' by JM Landels, and 'The Smell of Screaming' by SiWC runner-up Adrienne Gruber. We witness the powerful and varied effects of death and mourning in 'Life Supports' by Claire Lawrence, and in Raven Contest winner 'Good Intentions' by Nancy Ludmerer. We cross the fourth wall in Erin MacNair's Raven Contest runner-up 'It Can Be Done with Words', we cross the desert in Paige Elizabeth Wajda's rhapsodic 'Heaven or Las Vegas', and we cross dimensions in PG Streeter's homage to Shakespeare in 'The Earth Has Bubbles'. Phoebe Mol washes away her troubles in the graphic version of Edna St Vincent Millay's 'O World' while Marietta puts out fire with gasoline in the next chapter of Mel Anastasiou's The Extra, 'Frankie Ray and the Blazing Anubis'.

With A Foundations of Lies by cover artist Kris Sayer, we emerge from the dark woods with Tatterhood''s loyal goat Bokki. Sword in hand (or mouth!), and fierce battle won, we are ready to take on the varied landscapes of this issue, no passport required.In ''The Library Giant'' by feature author Shashi Bhat, the struggle with nature - human nature - rages deep within. Meanwhile, in British Columbia and Iceland, ghosts of grief wander with the living as KT Wagner, SL Leong, and Erin Wagner explore the rocky terrain of memory.And whether in a culvert or factory, but most certainly within one''s own mind, Mike Gillis and Brandon Crilly remind us how difficult it can be to navigate wreckage of the heart.Forest, river, mountain, ocean - Mother Nature has a starring role in the winning stories for the 2020 Hummingbird Flash Fiction Prize: ''The Weeping Pools'' and ''River''s Thousand-One Voice'' by Cadence Mandybura, and ''Glimpse of a Goddess'' by Laura Kuhlmann.Poets Abner Porzio, with ''Californian Illusion'', and Michael Penny, with ''Kalaloch Beach, WA'', introduce us to two very different wild west coasts.Next, take flight and soar above it all with part three of Joseph Stilwell and Hugh Henderson''s comic saga Blue Skies over Nine Isles.And finally, heroines Frankie Ray and Allaigna enter dangerous territory of their own as they search for clues to murder. In ''Sleuth With Star Quality'' by Mel Anastasiou, Frankie Ray dons a disguise and braves a brothel. And in ''The Killing Ground'', the second part of Allaigna''s Song: Oburakor by JM Landels, Allaigna buries the dead in a blood-soaked wasteland. 

Featured author Kelly Robson shows us that wine making is a labour of love, and sometimes hate, in 'Good for Grapes'.Matthew Hughes's magnum opus, What the Wind Brings, debuts aboard the Spanish galleon La Virgen, with an epic struggle brewing on the horizon.Stella Ryman is ready for new adventures in Stella Ryman and the Locked Room Mystery by Mel Anastasiou, while Allaigna must make hasty goodbyes in the final chapter of Allaigna's Song: Aria by JM Landels.It's a dog-eat-dog world - or wolf-eat-dog world - in Christian Walter's 'Wolf, Dog, Sun', and Zoë Johnson reminds us to take stock of everyday miracles in 'Inherited Love of Unexplainable Things'.Take a draught of heady poetry from Casey Reiland, Raluca Balasa, and Alison Braid.Lena Mahmoud breathes new life into an old Arabian folk tale with 'The Thieving Pot', and Josephine Greenland dissects a Thai myth in the Bumblebee Contest winner, 'Wife Giver'.Deborah L Davitt's protagonists hold out for as long as they can in 'On the Sixth Day'.Come and get the good stuff in Susan Pieters's 'Black Market', and see the dark(er) side of the financial district in Lola Street's 'Wall Street at Night' illustrated by Chaille Stovall.We have the two runners-up of the Surrey International Writers' Conference Storyteller Contest in this issue: 'Biophilia' shows us there's hope in Margot Spronk's post-apocalyptic world, but not necessarily for humans; while Deepthi Atukorala takes us down an emotional rabbit hole with 'White Rabbit'.Great reads for the price of a beer!

Dare to venture behind the intriguing cover by award-winning British artist Ben Baldwin and you'll find that … Feature author, Kristene Perron, asks us to savour the simple things in life and question the validity of tradition in 'Flavour of the Forsaken'. Those of you who admire magpies for their intelligence and unique beauty will find these qualities in this year's winners of the Magpie Award for Poetry, Kelli Allen, Christine Levickzy Riek, and Angela Caravan. Great-Great-Grandpa stops by for a visit 90 years after his death in 'Away Game' by Mitchell Toews, and for some reason, we're not at all surprised. 'Gross Motor' by Sara Mang takes us back to kindergarten, while the hardworking folks in Mitchell's Crossing contend with a nosy superhero and government officials in 'Small Town Superhero' by Dave Beynon. Epiphany Ferrell exposes the dubious talents of a ne'er-do-well townsman in 'Every Town Has One', and Susan Pieters challenges us to walk in someone else's shoes with 'Waking Up Black'. Love jewellery? We doubt you'll want one of the bracelets in Summer Jewel Keown's 'Indebted'. Alex Reece Abbott lands quick punches you won't flinch from with 'Alphabet Soup', while coffee lovers and dreamers beware of 'The Hub', SiWC's Honourable Mention by Erin Evans. Mel Anastasiou's graphic story 'Meat' involves a gargoyle who rises above his station, while the next instalment of Allaigna's Song: Aria by JM Landels takes us deeper into unknown territory.