A Letter from the Editor:



 

    I am going to have a nerve-wracking summer.
    As I write this, Dark of the Elvenwood is in the hands of Morris Press, the printers. The foreword,
by Dork Tower's own John Kovalic, is a delight! He's a wonderful guy, and everybody should rush out
and buy all the Dork Tower items they can get their mitts on (learn all about it and John's other projects
at Muskrat Central; if you are a gamer or fan of any sort, you will love it!).
    Speaking of Dark of the Elvenwood, it is going to be gorgeous! Cover and interior art by garg fandom's
own Christi Smith Hayden combine with a story that if I do say so myself, is much, much better than the
first book. Take a peek at the cover here.
    The plan is for the book to debut at the Gathering. Trouble is, we are absolutely down to the wire in terms
of getting it back in time, and thus it will be the aforementioned nerve-wracking summer while I wait and fret
and have panic attacks hoping the finished books arrive in time. But assuming that all goes well, I will be doing
a reading and signing on the Friday of the con, shortly before opening ceremonies. For those of you unable to
make it, we'll be taking orders online.
    But, aside from the book, let's talk about this issue of Avalon Mists! Last quarter, I stated a goal of increasing
submissions. And as the table of contents shows, we've got a terrific full issue for you! Lots of stories, some
great pics, and a gratifyingly delightful response to the Challenge of creating a Swimsuit Edition! We're pleased
to have Tana as our Featured Artist, more of Michael Heitz's wonderful cartoons, and many offerings from
new contributors. I'd like to take this moment to thank one and all, because this couldn't be done without you!
    On a more personal note, I have slowed down my fanfic progress to focus on The Gifted, my second horror
novel in Trinity Bay CA. It will feature some characters that may be familiar to readers of my fanfic. And one
bit of excellent news -- TimeFare Books has accepted Black Roses to be produced as an audio book! If all
goes well, it will be out in time for February's RadCon in Pasco, WA!
    Tim and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary recently. That's the "rubber" anniversary according to
my folklore book. But I gave him a stunt kite, and he gave me Galaxy Quest on video. I promptly watched it,
and then had to do something I suspected I'd have to do from the moment I first saw that movie in the theater.
    So here's a link to a scene from "Gathering Quest," because I just couldn't resist ; )

Christine Morgan
May 28, 2000
christine@sabledrake.com