onspec

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  inter 2012/2013

  Canadian magazines are inviting.

  Not to mention enjoyable. That’s why we publish hundreds of titles, so you know there’s one just for you. Al you have to do is head to the newsstands, look for the Genuine Canadian Magazine icon marking truly Canadian publications and start reading. It’s that easy.

  Visit magazinescanada.ca/ns and newsstands to fi nd your new favourite magazine.

  vol 24 no 4 #91

  on spec winter 2012/2013, vol. 24 no. 4 #91

  Publisher:

  The Copper Pig Writers’ Society

  Managing Editor:

  Diane L. Walton

  Art Director:

  Diane L. Walton

  Poetry Editor:

  Barry Hammond

  Production Editor:

  Cat McDonald

  sponsors & inancial supporters

  Fiction Editors:

  Robin S. Carson

  Barb Galler-Smith

  Thanks to Alberta Culture, Alberta Multimedia Development Fund; and Alberta Human

  Ann Marston

  Susan MacGregor

  Diane L. Walton

  Cat McDonald

  last year invested $24.3 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada. Nous Publisher’s Assistant:

  Jennifer Laface

  remercions de son soutien le Conseil des Arts du Canada, qui a investi 24.3 millions de Copyeditor & Twitter:

  Brent Jans

  Cover Artist:

  Kenn Brown

  supporters & patrons

  On Spec is published quarterly through the volunteer efforts of The Copper Pig Writers’

  Danica LeBlanc, Jennifer Laface, Isaac Calon, Heather Price Ferguson, Laurie Penner, Society, a registered non-proit society. Annual subscriptions are $24.00 in Canada for individuals, and $35.00 for institutions (price includes GST). GST# 123625295. Full and volunteers. Special thanks to everyone behind the Pure Speculation Festival.

  subscription rates are on page 2 of every issue, and our website: www.onspec.ca

  behind the scenes support

  Send all mail (letters, submissions, subscription requests or queries, art samples, advertising rate card, etc.) to On Spec, P.O. Box 4727, Edmonton, AB T6E 5G6. Phone 780-628-7121. Email: onspec@onspec.ca. Please note: we do NOT read unsolicited noniction or long iction (e.g. novels, novelettes). Non-iction pieces are commissioned only.

  Library, and our dedicated Editorial Board.

  See our website for contributors, guidelines, payment schedule and ordering information: Magazine Publishers Association, Magazines Canada, and The Edmonton Arts Council.

  www.onspec.ca

  Copyright belongs to the author or artist by-lined, and no portion of this magazine may be reproduced without consent from the individual author or artist. On Spec is a licencee of Access Copyright.

  Publication and promotion of this issue have been made possible by inancial assistance from The Canada Council for the Arts; Alberta Culture, Alberta Multimedia Development Fund; and Alberta Human Services (Summer Temporary Employment Program). On Spec is a member of The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association and The Edmonton

  Arts Council. Our special thanks goes out to Clear Lake Ltd. and Jena Snyder for 16 years of dedication and support.

  On Spec is a member of Magazines Canada, and is also distributed in Canada by Magazines Canada. Printed in Edmonton, Canada, by Capital Colour Press. Postage paid at Edmonton, AB, Canada.

  PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40063520, REGISTRATION NO. 08148

  RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:

  ON SPEC: P.O. BOX 4727, EDMONTON, AB T6E 5G6

  email: onspec@onspec.ca

  ISSN 0843-476X

  © 2013 On Spec

  winter 2012/2013

  #91 vol 24 no 4

  iction

  10 Things I Know About Jesus

  13

  Steven Popkes

  Let There Be

  20

  JD DeLuzio

  Sharali

  28

  Gaie Sebold

  Palimpsest

  44

  Kevin Cockle

  Ghost Ride

  64

  Leslie Claire Walker

  One Shoe Highway

  76

  Kim Neville

  The Devil’s Eyes

  87

  David Gordon Buresh

  noniction

  The Proof is in the Reading

  4

  Editorial by Diane L. Walton

  Apocalypse: It’s the End of the Word As We Know It

  7

  Op-Ed by Allan Weiss

  Kevin Cockle: Grist for the Mill

  56

  Author Interview by Roberta Laurie

  Kenn Brown

  99

  Artist Interview by Cat McDonald

  poetry

  Delta Theta Alpha Beta

  62

  William B. Robison

  www.onspec.ca

  Read the Digital Edition of On Spec!

  On Spec is currently working on having a digital version available

  that can be ordered directly from our website. We’ll keep you

  updated!

  In the meantime, for digital subscriptions, please visit

  http://magazinescanada.zinio.com and ind us under the

  “literature” section. Rates vary depending on your region, and

  are available online.

  Keep in touch with On Spec!

  Our Facebook page “I Read On Spec” has moved! We look

  forward to hearing from previous and new members!

  Follow our Tweets: http://twitter.com/onspecmagazine

  Visit Edmonton’s Pure Speculation Festival: purespec.org

  Comments and questions? Voice messages can be left for us

  at 780-628-7121, or you can email onspec@onspec.ca for

  more information.

  Thank You!

  2 onspec winter 2012/2013

  Subscriptions

  Don’t miss a single issue of On Spec!

  Subscribe now and save!

  Canada USA Overseas

  1 year $24.00 CAD $25.00 US $35.00 US

  2 years

  $40.00 CAD $42.00 US $65.00 US

  3 years

  $54.00 CAD $56.00 US $90.00 US

  Institutional

  (per year)

  $35.00 CAD $40.00 US $45.00 US

  All prices include GST (Canada), shipping and handling.

  Payment Options

  Subscribe and renew online through PayPal: onspec.ca/

  subscribe. You can also email onspec@onspec.ca to request

  an invoice to pay without requiring a PayPal account.

  Send cheque or money order by regular mail to: On Spec,

  Box 4727, Edmonton, AB T6E 5G6 CANADA. You can also

  place your order by email (onspec@onspec.ca) or phone (780-

  628-7121).

  To pay by credit card, there are two options:

  1. Download, print, complete and mail to our address the

  merchandise order form. Available at onspec.ca/subscribe.

  2. Send an email, letting us know you wish to pay by credit

  card, provide your daytime phone number, and we will call you

  to get your card number, the expiry date, and the name as it is

  printed on the card.

  Please indicate whether you wish your subscription to begin

  with the current issue or the next issue.

  3

  The Proof is in the

  Reading

  Editorial by Diane L. Walton

  You don’t have to be an editor to cringe when you hear the oft-

  misquoted phrase “the proof is in the pudding”. We all know that the

  “proof” of the pudding is in the eating.

  In other words, something has to be experienced in order to determine

  just how good it is.

  We do this with On Spec all the time. We shamelessly try to entice new

  readers at conventions and trade shows, by waving a copy or a promotional

  item in front of them, and attempting to convince them that we offer a unique reading experience; one that is going to change their world view or

  improve their quality of life somehow. In this day and age, even $6.95 is

  dificult to part with. So what will it be? Copy of On Spec or a latté? In a

  perfect world, a copy of On Spec PLUS a latté makes an excellent pairing,

  but irst, we have to get past the “I have never heard of you” challenge

  (referred to in a previous editorial).

  So we do “the pitch”. Authors often come to us to pitch their story

  ideas, and similarly, we have to go to prospective readers to pitch the qualities of On Spec. You, who are reading this editorial, have already

  joined us on this magical mystery tour, and we hope you stay with us for a

  long ride. But in order to sustain this magazine and pay the piper, we need

  a constant supply of new readers─readers who demand proof that we can

  provide them with quality short iction over the long haul.

  Some people are easier to convince than others. You may recall I’ve

  mentioned the lady who had found some old On Specs at a yard sale, read

  them all, and then purchased a gift subscription for her son. This year, at

  4 onspec winter 2

012/2013

  the World Fantasy Convention in Toronto, we had another such moment that warmed the cockles of our hearts. A couple bought a copy of our Fall

  “Apocalypse” theme issue from our table in the Dealer room. (Note: we

  sold more than 50 copies over the WFC weekend!) As we later learned,

  during that day, the wife read the issue, cover to cover. Then she gave it

  to her husband to read. He, apparently, read the prize-winning story, ( All

  Them Pretty Babies, by Camille Alexa). The next day the couple came into

  the Dealer room and bought a one-year subscription! That is the kind of

  validation we live for. So for us, the proof of On Spec, like the proverbial

  pudding, is in the consumption of it. It’s all about the reading.

  We look for new ways to deliver On Spec to readers. People still

  enjoy our handy digest format, and we have no intention of ever going

  completely paper-less. In fact, it is already possible to subscribe and/or buy a single issue in pdf format through Zinio (see the link on our website).

  We are very happy to announce that soon you will be able to buy On Spec

  in formats that are compatible with your Kindle and other eReaders. We

  will be partnering with Weightless Books (http://weightlessbooks.com/) to

  provide (drm-free) a pdf version of On Spec, with mobi and epub versions

  to follow as soon as they are available.

  2012 was a busy year for us. Our Apocalypse story contest brought in

  90 entries, all from Canadian authors. It was a great pleasure to bring you

  the best of those stories packed into the Fall issue, and it has been selling

  very well. Our Summer issue, with the lovely Melissa Wartenberg (http://

  www.intheattic.co/) and one of her masks on the cover, has sold out of the

  print copies. Our appearances at both the Calgary and Edmonton Comic

  & Entertainment Expo events were very good for business. The World

  Fantasy Convention in Toronto brought us to the attention of a world-wide

  audience, and opened the door to new partnership opportunities. Stories

  published in On Spec have come to the attention of a movie director, and

  we are eager to see some of them brought to the big screen in the years to

  come. All in all, it was a very good year. As usual, we do depend on you,

  our faithful readers, to help spread the word about On Spec. Link to us

  from your website; Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter. Every

  little bit helps.

  This year may bring even more adventures. We have learned that some

  libraries in Canada and the U.S. have signed on with Zinio to provide

  free access to magazines electronically for their patrons, and On Spec is

  Editorial by Diane L. Walton 5

 

 

  Winter 2013-2013, Untitled

  Thanks for reading the books on GrayCity.Net