So Long, and Thanks for all the Issue Twenty-Fives

Well, this is it. The first and only quarterly issue of Jersey Devil Press, and the twenty-fifth and final issue with me as editor. From here on out, the magazine is in the gnarled, twisted, possibly blood-soaked hands of Mike Sweeney. May God have mercy on us all.

Giving up the editorship of Jersey Devil Press was not something I took lightly. There were some personal reasons, some professional ones. But a big factor — probably bigger than it should have been, given that this is an online magazine — was that I didn’t want to sever JDP’s Jersey roots. I could have carried on, sure — I am, and always will be, a Jersey son — but it wouldn’t have been right. You can’t run a magazine from the middle of the desert and call yourself Jersey Devil Press. And renaming it Chupacabra Press was completely out of the question. No, Jersey Devil Press needed to stay in New Jersey, even if it was only a technicality.

Choosing Mike Sweeney was much more than a technicality, though. He has always been one of my favorite writers, and he embraces everything Jersey Devil Press is about. He’s jumped into his new position feet first and guns blazing. Yes, that’s kind of a mixed metaphor, but that’s also exactly how awesome Mike is. And thankfully, he’s not alone. Samuel Snoek-Brown and Laura Garrison are cannonballing in along with him, blades drawn. With a little luck, the three of them will make it well past issue fifty. And possibly star in a new action blockbuster.

These past two-plus years have been great, and the magazine’s surpassed almost all my expectations. Thank you for helping with that, and for making Jersey Devil Press what it is today.

Speaking of what Jersey Devil Press is today, sic your eyeballs on the most panda-lovingest, vestigial tail talkingest issue we’ve come up with yet. The online version of Issue Twenty-Five is here and the .pdf is here.

Meet the New Boss

It is with pride and delight and other emotions I’m somehwat unfamiliar with that I announce to you that, starting in January 2012, the indomitable, unstoppable Mike Sweeney will be taking over as Online Editor of Jersey Devil Press. He’ll be making the final calls on content and helping to guide JDP on into the future.

But that’s not all! Helping Mike in his quest to create the best damn magazine on the internet, Samuel Snoek-Brown will be starting as Production Editor, making sure each issue looks at least as sexy as the last. Laura Garrison and Carol Deminski will continue as Readers, lending their eyes and opinions to the slush pile and winnowing it down into something less slushy. And Stephen Schwegler will keep on Schweglering, reading and lending a hand and making sure the plants don’t dry out.

Check out the new and improved About Us page for all their sordid details.

As for myself, I’m taking a back seat for a while. It’s been fun, but two straight years of doing all of the above takes it out of you. I need a little break.

Thankfully, though, Mike and Sam and Carol and Laura and Steve don’t. Which is why it is with great pleasure that I’m also announcing the return of Jersey Devil Press to a monthly format! Mike saw straight through my quarterly bluff and was all like, hell no, man. And I was like, but I’m tired, bro. And he was like, no way, dude. And I was like, way. And he was like, well, OK, fine then, I’ll do it myself! And here we are.

Where we also are is a little more than two weeks away from the holiday issue! Holy crap, you’re saying. That’s not much time! And you’re right. But don’t worry. This year we’re writing it ourselves. Consider it our gift to you.

So, to reiterate: new staff, we’re going monthly again, holiday issue. It’s a November miracle.

I Prefer Extortion – The X Makes It Sound Cool

the world's most flammable novelAre you there, internet? It’s me, Eirik.

I know you’re busy, what with your terabytes of donkey porn and bad-mouthing one another anonymously and everything, but I have a favor to ask: I need your money.

$25 gets you a paperback of Love Me — early, before the common folk can lay their hands on it — plus an e-book of Screw the Universe by Stephen Schwegler and myself. We’ll probably throw in some magnets, too, because, hey, why not?

Now, I know some of you have your own books you’re raising money for *cough*Dick Cheney Saves Paris*cough* but we’re flexible. If you can’t donate $25, donate $10 or $4 or a quarter. Every little bit counts. Every five bucks is one more review copy, every forty cents is most of a stamp. And every donation, regardless of amount, gets a free e-book of Screw the Universe.

Ultimately, though, this is bigger than just Love Me, or me or Steve, or possibly even Danger, this is about Jersey Devil Press as a whole. Quite frankly, we can’t afford to produce another anthology right now — or another novel or short story collection — and I know a lot of you want us to. We want to, too. But unless you buy Danger’s book, or our other books, or just toss us a couple bucks, it’s not going to happen.

So help us help you help Danger help us help you help our next author. Donate to Jersey Devil Press today.