These columns are supposed to be written by someone who's all excited and enthusiastic about what he or she is presenting, and normally I would be. We have some really great stuff in this issue. Heck, this month's article in the Rabbit's Hutch, by Phil Geusz, on writing good villains -- there's an oxymoron if ever I heard one -- is reason enough to run to your nearest computer and call up the issue. My editorial for this issue discusses some of the issues relating to writing a good story using magic.

And we have more good stuff, like For the Love of Life, my first -- and of course slightly skewed -- serialized attempt to write a story about the creation of a superhero. Then, there's Thanks for the Memories, a serialized story by Charles M. Bonanno that puts new meaning in the acronym ROTFL. Curtis Brookes is a new author that I hope to hear more from in the future. In A Degree in Lycanthropy, he offers us a story about the social aspects and courting rituals of your average English werewolf. Mark Van Sciver has generously permitted us to reprint his original story, the one that began the "Blind Pig" story universe, aptly entitled Tails of the Blind Pig. Finally, it's not quite ready yet, but we hope to have the final chapter in the Bennett City saga shortly, a story so huge and sweeping that it took three authors (and still counting) to complete. This concluding chapter, entitled The Wizard and the Angel, is brought to you by Jason Mitchell and Andy Hollis. I wonder if I'll get more than a walk-on in this one?

We've joined a new web ring, the Fictionmania Federation. We've also found a paying SF&F anthology being developed that's asking -- yes, asking -- for submissions in a setting where TFs could be a very real component of the story. Check out the guidelines here.

By the way, if anyone is interested, the characters in For the Love of Life are being placed in the public domain. That means, anyone is welcome to check out the guidelines and use them to write stories of their own. While not required, TSAT would appreciate first dibs on any stories written about Dr. Georgette LaPierre, Professor Carlton Waldorf Maldonado and company.

So why am I not the bundle of enthusiasm I should be here? Probably because I'm dead tired from working full time and moving a house full time. You know the old saying, "Little sleep and little fun makes Jeff a very grumpy editor." That's how it goes, right? Yes, TSAT will soon have a new home, assuming I survive the process. If we do, look for more great stuff like more contests, more surveys, more format changes and maybe even a name change. Wish us luck. And never, never ever, consider doing business with Wells Fargo Bank. For specifics, ask me directly.