Hi Readers –
For our agrarian ancestors, winter was a seriously scary
time of the year. The days grew shorter, and the nights
grew longer and colder. On December 21st the
shortest day and the longest night of the year occurred.
It made them worry. Would the sun come back? Would their
food stores hold out until spring? Would their animals
survive to reproduce? Would there be a spring?
It’s no wonder they started celebrating various
festivals of light at this time of the year. Festivals
where they got together in groups, wore new clothes, lit
fires, ate good things, drank lots of alcoholic
beverages -- and told stories. The stories they told
were stories about their lives, their fears, their
hopes, what had happened, what would happen, what could
happen.. Mostly the stories, like the fires they lit,
were a way to drive back the cold and the dark and the
doubts that winter engendered . They were a means to
forget winter and to help bring back spring.
Now, here we are. Entering the 11th winter
of the 21st century. This is a perfect time
to share festivals of light with friends and family . It
is also a perfect time to curl up with something good to
eat and something hot to drink, and to read a good
winter story.
For the Winter, 2011 Issue of 4 Star Stories,
we have four great stories for you to enjoy. Lou
Antonelli and Susan Sinor have written two very
different takes on Santa Claus and the season, Rhonda
Eudaly has written an entertaining public/parochial
school smack-down for you to enjoy,
while Libby Smith has a rather special "cow" she’d like to introduce to you.
Our Guest Artist for this issue of 4 Star Stories
is David Lee Anderson. He creates stunning Science
Fiction and Fantasy art. We’re certain you’ll enjoy his work.
So, relax, settle back with your favorite hot
beverage and enjoy the season and this issue of 4
Star Stories.
And we’ll see you in March, 2012.
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
.
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 Winter Issue of 4 Star Stories. See you for
the Spring, 2012 issue, coming March 21, 2012.
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.