I’m going to be upfront. When I accepted Ann Leckie’s invitation to become GNS editor in August 2019, I had no clue what I was getting into. I was working three positions in my dayjob with the promise that those would shrink to just one by the end of the year. I did not realize just how tough those remaining four months would be. And I certainly did not count on 2020 really screwing things up. It became a little overwhelming. So much that I decided to close submissions to our magazine (one of the perks of being an editor).

What kept me sane was these stories.

One story a month. That’s what we do here at GigaNotoSaurus. I figured that if I could publish at least one story a month, then that could be a little something. I’ve once been asked what it’s like to be an editor; I replied “I read a story I like so much, I publish it. That’s it. That’s all.”So that’s what I did for the past 16 months.

I published the stories that made me happy (Devil Squid Apocalypse, Miss Bulletproof). That made me cry (Air in my House Tastes Like Sugar, Songs of the Leviathans). That made me sit back and go ‘whoa’ (The Pandora, A Wild Divinity). Some stunned me with their beauty (Etiquette of Mythique Fine Dining, Le Jardin Anime (1893), A Long Tango). Some took me by surprise and shook me (Thin Red Jellies, Devoured Stars Over Dublin). And some were just gosh-darned good (The Mortal Shackles, Touchstone, A Wild Patience, Desert Locks, Purim of Philosophers).

I find the stories I really like and then I publish them. That’s it. That’s all.

My hope is that these stories will touch you the same way they touched me. That these stories will encourage you, motivate you, and love you with the same care that these writers created when they spun their words into being. All stories, in a way, are love letters from authors to anyone who will take time to listen.

So as we head into 2021, I look forward to bringing more stories to you. And the best thing is that we have caught up on all the slush, so I am announcing that we will officially open up GNS to submissions again on Monday, January 11. So get ready. I don’t know if 2021 will be a good year or bad year, but whatever happens, may we all have good stories to help us deal with life.