Who we are

At the moment, we are not so much a “we” as we are a me. But I really like calling myself “we.” So: We are a writer in Chicago who became a little fed up with the current state of smaller, genre-oriented publications. We were primarily concerned with these faults: 1) They too often seemed to have arbitrary restrictions (i.e. “no vampires,” “no unicorns,” “no humor”); 2) They occasionally seemed too tied to genre conventions and unwilling to stretch in new directions; 3) The information they give to writers that help writers manage their lives (such as when a story is going to be read, or if a story has been lost, or such things) is often pathetic.

So I dreamed up my ideal publication. It would have two main qualities: first, if I cracked it open, I would always be guaranteed of seeing something that would grab my attention. I would look forward to reading it like I look forward to reading the next volume of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire, or the next book from Mark Helprin. Second, the magazine’s editors would go out of their way to be nice and helpful to writers.

I haven’t found that magazine yet. However, in this internet age, any idiot with a computer and a web connection can start their own magazine. And I have a computer and a web connection, and I have been accused of being an idiot. Everything seemed perfect.

So I started Pale Fire Press, publisher of Pale Fire Fiction. When each issue comes out, it will have something that excites, amuses, delights, or otherwise interests me. Odds are good, I hope, that is will also excite, amuse, etc., others.