Welcome to the very first issue of The Lovecraft eZine!  I’m glad you’re here.  This online magazine is a labor of love for me; I’ve been a fan of H.P. Lovecraft for many years.

I’d like to take a moment to answer a couple of questions I’ve been asked lately:

Why an online magazine?  Why not something more traditional, like a “real” magazine, or a book collection? Several reasons: First, because while there are some great traditional HPL collections out there, there really isn’t much online that people can read for free.  This website has a mobile version, and I like the thought of fellow Lovecraftians being able to read these stories while waiting at the doctor’s office or at a boring business meeting.  Second, being online means lower overhead, which means I can always pay my writers and can keep the magazine going indefinitely.  And third, but not least, I think “Grandpa” would have approved.  I seem to remember S.T. Joshi talking about the effect amateur journalism had on Lovecraft, and his opinion that it quite possibly saved his life.  I view this online magazine as the 21st century equivalent of the amateur journals HPL submitted to and edited.

Is this magazine really going to last?  It’s a great idea, but most ezines fizzle out. A valid concern.  All I can say here is that I finish what I start.  I’ve been in business for myself for over 15 years; I don’t give up easily.  Recently, my chronic illness has forced me into semi-retirement.  I consider this online magazine my full-time job now.  It’s going to be around for a very long time… and that’s a promise.

Enough introduction — on to the good stuff!  I’ve got four great Lovecraftian stories for you in this issue.  Click each title to read the story.

Sledding and Starlings, by Bruce L. Priddy. Bruce has had short stories published in MicroHorror, among other places.  He lives in Louisville, KY with his son, cat and the raccoons that often hold MMA tournaments in his attics. He is the editor of EschatologyJournal.org, dedicated to apocalyptic and Lovecraftian flash-fiction. He will soon be writing a column on skepticism for the esoteric website BinnallofAmerica.com.

Rickman’s Plasma, by William Meikle. William is a Scottish writer, now living in Canada, with ten novels published in the genre press and over 200 short story credits in thirteen countries, the author of the ongoing Midnight Eye series among others.  His work has appeared in a number of professional anthologies.  His current best seller is The Invasion, a sci-fi alien invasion tale with mass carnage, plucky survivors, and last minute rescues. It has been as high as #2 in the Kindle science fiction charts (and #4 in Kindle horror ).  Click here to view and buy William Meikle’s books at Amazon.com.

The Brown Tower, by John Prescott. John lives in the deep southern woods of Mississippi with his wife Edie, son Grafton Caine, and their three cats. He loves to spend time with his son, take long walks, and draw, and he is, of course, an avid reader. He somehow finds time to umpire baseball and softball and be an art director. He also has a website dedicated to his writing at www.john-prescott.com, where he has a healthy growing forum and encourages anyone to sign up. John started taking his writing seriously two years ago and is about to publish his first book of short stories. He is currently at work on his first novel, Pray.  Click here to purchase John’s horror collection, Before Sunrise.

The Crane Horror, by Bruce Durham. While born in Toronto, Ontario, Bruce has lived most of his life in neighboring Mississauga. He spent over 30 of those years in the CATV industry in a variety of capacities, most recently as a consultant.  Though he has been described as ‘older than dirt’, the reality is that he’s 56 and has been happily married for 27 years.  His award-winning short story, The Marsh God, has been adapted into a graphic novel — view the Youtube video trailer here.

Enjoy the first issue!

Mike Davis
Editor, The Lovecraft eZine

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