In My Opinion

Hi Readers –

Summer: the season that is at the same time the hottest and the coolest. It is hottest in temperature and coolest in the fun you can have.

When I was a kid, summer and the school break was my time -- full of possibilities and freedom. It was the time for eating watermelon that was so sweet and juicy it had to be eaten out on the back porch where the sticky mess could be hosed away when we kids were done. It was the season for playing hard from first light on into the early night when we finished the day off by playing “Ghost” and “Kick-the-Can”. It was the season for chasing ice cream trucks and slurping on “Dreamsicles”.

And it was a time to read whatever I wanted to read and to day-dream. I spent one hot week of afternoons sitting in the crook of a tree while sailing down the Mississippi on a raft with Tom and Huck. I solved any number of mysteries with Trixie and Sherlock when it was too sultry to play. I went to Mars with John Carter where I met Michael Smith and learned to “grok”. I spent time on the Witch World; then I learned to mind-meld with mutant animals in a post-apocalyptic future. I went to France and to the bottom of the sea with Jules Verne. I had a terrible time in the future with H. G. Wells and the Morlocks. I met a horse named Blaze and a computer named Michael.

Summer was my break from school and regimentation. I played, I read, I thought new thoughts, and I grew. Each summer reading was a huge part of my fun.

This year, for your summer reading fun, 4StarStories Summer 2012 Issue has four terrific stories: The When of Gadgets by Chris Bauer; DEATHGLASS by Lee Killough; Forest of the Golden Acorn By Ethan Nahté; and Petal Attraction by Susan P. Sinor. Each one is a winner. So, chase down an ice cream truck, get yourself a Dreamsicle, chill out, and have some fun reading these imagination expanding stories.

Happy Summer 2012! Enjoy!

The Editors: M. Gray and D. Gray

P.S. We are open for submissions. If you are a serious writer and you have a story you think meets our criteria, send it along to us. We would like to read it.

At 4 Star Stories, we are looking for well-written, original Science Fiction and Fantasy short stories, preferably with an upbeat, positive attitude.

For all da' rules, checkout our Submissions page.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Oh, and writers, remember to self-edit and spell check every story before you send it to us, or to anyone else for that matter. Reading a clean, error-free manuscript makes editors happy, and a happy editor is more likely to publish your story.

Enjoy the Summer 2012 Issue of 4 Star Stories. See you for the Autumn 2012 issue, coming in mid-September, 2012.

Your Editor,

Gray

4 Star Stories is an online speculative fiction magazine that publishes 4 short stories, Science Fiction and Fantasy, 4 times per year. Come and join us each season. Tell your friends about us. Read the stories, look at the art, have some fun. We are. It's important.

Hearing from you is important too. We value your opinions. Click on Contact the Editors to send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

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