Hi, Readers -

Welcome to 4 Star Stories issue 22!

This issue we are turning over the Editorial page to writer Jabe Stafford.

We invite you to enjoy, with us, this Guest Editorial.

Storytelling is the best way Jabe Stafford knows to improve lives. When reality hurts or negativity comes from everywhere, stories will always have adventure and positivity to give.

Storytelling is the best way Jabe Stafford knows to improve lives. When reality hurts or negativity comes from everywhere, stories will always have adventure and positivity to give.

Jabe is the author of the urban fantasy thriller Ales, Agents, & Alchemy, his debut novel, releasing in 2021. He has penned a short story for Kyanite Press V1 Issue 3 and is a regular guest on the League Of Villains writing podcast, where writing tips and fictional villainy abound.

His short story Perception Thief will be featured in an upcoming issue of 4 Star Stories.

Improving lives through storytelling is why I write; to give others a good time amid all reality’s chaos. When you need positivity, strength, and laughter, stories give it. Every time. Equating books and stories with food felt natural and positive. We pick our worlds to escape into in a similar way to picking dinner or groceries. Book covers are the food labels, heh.

                                                                        -- Jabe Stafford

The Allure Of Contrast And Change In Short Stories

by Jabe Stafford

Books, songs, comics, movies, TV, games, plays. All are valid and delicious storytelling forms. Whether or not every type of story medium satisfies a reader’s hunger equally, something about a character makes the reader want to gobble up the pages with their favorite character on them. That something makes the reader have to follow, need to watch what happens, crave seeing what emotions rush forth when they put time and trust into that character.

Everyone’s hunger is different. A reader’s hankerings change. So do a writer’s offerings. The change can be swift and surprising, or slow and filled with wonders. You, fellow reader, have a hunger for something right now.

How, then, can the storyteller and publisher provide new addictions when some readers might be so comfortable in their preferences that they choose not to follow the cues and discover new things?

With genre-bending.

With character-blending.

With clever wordplay and voiceplay.

And with a rich, enchanting atmosphere.

What do you do when you’re hungry for space opera or detective stories? You seek out books with covers featuring space ships or men and women with badges or uniforms. And when you want to taste a story like that? With a twist you might not know you wanted? You open your mind up to change, either a little, or a lot.

Space ships plus redneck antics might be exactly the flavor you’re craving, so you change. You move out of your comfort zone. You hunt down and devour new stories that entice your senses, savoring the blend of two or more genres like an Asian fusion dish or a sweet dessert with a spicy finish to it. Who would have guessed redneck space bumpkins with lasers would be so tasty to read? Genre bending widens the appeal and the scope, giving the story freedom to grow in unexpected directions.

The change makes the question “what happens next?” even tastier. Readers look forward to being blown away by a character’s unique voice, or an author’s clever wordplay, or the narrator’s vision of a character or a scene.

“Whoa! How did she see that?”

“It’s hilarious how he views things!”

“This scene’s so beautiful!”

A wordplay or voice change that amplifies that satisfaction turns a casual liking for stories into an, “I need my fix now,” addiction.

“Whoa! How did that amateur detective see that coming?”

“It’s hilarious how that alien masseuse views things!”

“This scene’ll be even more beautiful than the last ones were!”

You, fellow reader, have some idea of the things you already like when you walk into a restaurant. If you see a boring good-guy-versus-bad-guy cheeseburger on the menu, then you’re more motivated to pick the intriguing every-character-could-be-evil sampler plate. A familiar atmosphere that’s changed by the presence of a different one makes the story pounce off the page.

How do you know the way a story will make you feel? Maybe the author’s reputation is known before reading. Maybe the title makes promises. Or the cover does. A change in atmosphere is a risk worth taking. Embracing contrast and change sparks positivity and the desire to live in the world on the page.

Enjoying old, classic genres that blend with others to create new ones dazzles the mind and the spirit. Watching characters with mixed strengths and weaknesses make choices is like eye candy that only gets sweeter when the change they bring changes everything else too. Unexpected voices and wordplay that connect people in ways they never knew they wanted make the contrast even more drool-worthy.

There’s nothing like a story that sweeps you away because it’s such a change from the day-to-day that the feel of it sticks to your heart and makes you grin again and again.

You’re thinking of your favorite world right now, aren’t you?

You’ll discover more favorites deep within 4 Star Stories and Rogue Star Stories. These tales are presented to you by writers, editors, and artists who adore both the old-fashioned and what lies off the beaten path. They’re presented by people who absolutely love the moments that make you laugh, cry, or both, and wonder, “What’s next?”