Mad Scientist Journal: Autumn 2016

Edited by Dawn Vogel and Jeremy Zimmerman

by Loria Chaddon, Kate Elizabeth, E. B. Fischadler, Constance Flux, Saffron Grey, J R Hampton, Daniel Hudon, Mickey Hunt, Soren James, J. M. Kennett, Shane Landry, Church Lieu, Alanna McFall, Dana Mele, Alan Meyrowitz, Aaron Moskalik, David Perlmutter, Torrey Podmajersky, Michael Rettig, Laura Roberts, Diana Rohlman, Emma Tonkin, Darci Vogel, Deborah Walker

The end of the world, holiday letters, and the state of mad science in 2016. These are but some of the strange tales to be found in this book.

Mad Scientist Journal: Autumn 2016 collects fourteen tales from the fictional worlds of mad science. For the discerning mad scientist reader, there are also pieces of fiction from Saffron Grey, Diana Rohlman, and Deborah Walker. Readers will also find other resources for the budding mad scientist, including an advice column, horoscopes, and other brief messages from mad scientists.

Authors featured in this volume also include Darci Vogel, Aaron Moskalik, Alanna McFall, Mickey Hunt, Soren James, E. B. Fischadler, Daniel Hudon, J R Hampton, Church Lieu, Michael Rettig, Alan Meyrowitz, Dana Mele, Shane Landry, Emma Tonkin, Laura Roberts, David Perlmutter, J. M. Kennett, Loria Chaddon, Constance Flux, Kate Elizabeth, and Torrey Podmajersky. Art by Ariel Alian Wilson, Katie Nyborg, Shannon Legler, Amanda Jones, Errow Collins, Luke Spooner, Scarlett O'Hairdye, and Justine McGreevy.

About the Authors

Loria Chaddon

Loria Chaddon is a 40-year-old photographer and writer, with delusions of responsible adulthood. Due to her regular use of Madame Mortencia’s Anti-aging Cream, (which she introduced to her husband, as well) she is often mistake for a much younger 30.

A gentle soul with a heart of murderous darkness, she accompanies her beloved husband in their shared travels through a dubious reality (accompanied by four hyperactive Hell Hounds disguised as dachshunds), both dreading, and anticipating, the day the monsters buried beneath their kindly masks might burst forth, to the dismay of all. Or she might bake some cookies.


Kate Elizabeth

Kate Elizabeth lives in Melbourne, Australia. When she isn't working, she likes to write the occasional short story.


E. B. Fischadler

E. B. Fischadler has been writing short stories for several years, and has recently begun publishing. His stories have appeared in Mad Scientist Journal, Bewildering Stories, eFiction, Voluted Tales, Beyond Imagination Literary Magazine, and Beyond Science Fiction. In addition to fiction, Fischadler has published over 30 papers in refereed scientific journals, as well as a chapter of a textbook on satellite engineering. When he is not writing, he pursues a career in engineering and serves his community as an EMT. Fischadler continues to write short stories and is working on a novel about a naval surgeon. You can learn more about Fischadler and access his other publications at: https://ebfischadler.wordpress.com/


Constance Flux

Constance Flux is a librarian by day. At night, she feeds her overactive imagination by writing short stories, mostly unusual science fiction. Other than writing and reading copiously, she breaks all other librarian stereotypes. She kickboxes and speaks too loudly. You can contact her at theprocrastinatingmuse@gmail.com and read more of her work at theprocrastinatingmuse.wordpress.com.


Saffron Grey

Saffron Grey holds a BA in English Literature and is pursuing a Master’s in a yet-to-be-determined field. With interests in writing fiction and acting, Saffron spends her time storytelling in one form or another. She is also working on multiple novels and finishing none of them. Saffron lives in California with her mother, sister, and their dog, Pepe.


J R Hampton

J. R. Hampton is a writer based in Coventry, United Kingdom. His stories have appeared at Tethered by Letters, Flash Fiction Magazine, Hoot, and The Flash Fiction Press. He writes sci-fi, humor, and mysteries.


Daniel Hudon

Daniel Hudon is a product of the Big Bang, stardust, and evolutionary biology, in that order. He’s a pessimist on intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, and an optimist for finding intelligent life on Earth. He is going to keep writing prose and poetry, and posting links to danielhudon.com, at least until he finds his star. Then he's going to retire and watch soccer full time.


Mickey Hunt

Mickey Hunt explores the universe from his base in Asheville, North Carolina. His reports disguised as fiction have appeared in the Literary Hatchet, AntipodeanSF, the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, the Dark Mountain anthology, and elsewhere. Readers may learn more at chaoticterrainpress.blogspot.com.


Soren James

Soren James is a writer and visual artist who recreates himself on a daily basis from the materials at his disposal, continuing to do so in an upbeat manner until one day he will sumptuously throw his drained materials aside and resume stillness without asking why.


J. M. Kennett

J. M. Kennett studied Drama and Theatre, which somehow led her to finding the wonders of speculative fiction writing. She lives in Birmingham, UK, and is currently working on her first novel, which will be of the Gothic Steampunk variety.


Shane Landry

Shane Landry was born on the East Coast where driving is a full contact sport. He has a degree in Applied Physics and spent 13 months as a research assistant in the South Pole, Antarctica. When not writing, he conditions his body and mind for the zombie apocalypse, brews beer, and plays guitar so poorly the instrument filed a restraining order. Authorities report he is currently teaching English in Japan. You can visit his website at www.shanelandrybooks.com.


Church Lieu

Church Lieu is a Los Angeles native and Cal State Los Angeles student currently working towards his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy. He recently joined the staff of his school’s literary magazine, Statement, and he is an aspiring speculative fiction writer with a love of all things robotic.


Alanna McFall

Alanna McFall is an actor and science-fiction writer based out of the Bay Area in California. She has published pieces on Mad Scientist Journal, Escape Pod, Alliteration Ink, and many more, across a range of mediums. You can follow her work on her website at https://alannamcfall.wordpress.com or on Twitter at @AlannaMcFall.


Dana Mele

Dana Mele is a writer and attorney currently located in a remote corner of the Catskill mountains. She has a B.A. from Wellesley College and is presently a student at the UCLA Extension Writer's Program. Her fiction and academic writing have appeared in 101 Words and the Syracuse Journal of Science and Technology. She spends her time drafting wills and writing elegies for fallen logs, chasing her toddler in endless concentric circles, and avoiding bears.


Alan Meyrowitz

Alan Meyrowitz retired in 2005 after a career in computer research. His creative writing has appeared in California Quarterly, Eclectica, Existere, Front Range Review, The Literary Hatchet, The Nassau Review, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Shroud, The Storyteller, and others. In 2012 and 2015, the Science Fiction Poetry Association nominated his poems for a Dwarf Star Award.


Aaron Moskalik

Aaron Moskalik was supposed to be writing his doctoral dissertation. Instead, he found himself producing lexical doodles, odd scraps of poems, and pieces of stories. This compulsion subsided for the better part of a decade after graduation. Life happened, a wife, a day job, a daughter.

A few years ago he rediscovered the passion to write and decided to study the craft this time around and produce finished works that will be happily read.


David Perlmutter

David Perlmutter is a freelance writer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The holder of an MA degree from the Universities of Manitoba and Winnipeg, and a lifelong animation fan, he has published short fiction in a variety of genres for various magazines and anthologies, as well as essays on his favorite topics for similar publishers, including most recently SFF World.com. He is the author of America Toons In: A History of Television Animation (McFarland and Co.), The Singular Adventures Of Jefferson Ball (Chupa Cabra House), The Pups (Booklocker.com), Certain Private Conversations and Other Stories (Aurora Publishing), Orthicon; or, the History of a Bad Idea (Linkville Press, forthcoming) and Nothing About Us Without Us: The Adventures of the Cartoon Republican Army (Dreaming Big Productions, forthcoming).


Torrey Podmajersky

Delivered by time travelers to a newly-cooled Earth, Torrey Podmajersky spent her formative years in de facto world domination. Since her peaceful abdication, she and her knifemaking husband embroider the outskirts of imaginalia with monsters, tools, and words.


Michael Rettig

Michael Rettig is a left handed, red headed only child who sees shapes in clouds no one else does. Once when fired from a job, instead of getting drunk, he went alone to a room and read Orwell’s 1984 straight through. This is Mike’s second story for Mad Scientist Journal. His first story was "Chuck the Alien." After an insanely stressful career as a stockbroker, Mike writes short stories. He’s won a couple of short fiction contests and been a writing contest director. His writing critique group, "The Word Herd," meets frequently at the local Barnes and Noble.


Laura Roberts

Laura Roberts can leg-press an average-sized sumo wrestler, has nearly been drowned off the coast of Hawaii, and tells lies for a living. She is the founding editor of Black Heart Magazine, the San Diego Chapter Leader for the Nonfiction Authors Association, and publishes whatever strikes her fancy at Buttontapper Press. She currently lives in an Apocalypse-proof bunker in sunny SoCal with her artist husband and their literary kitties, and can be found online at Buttontapper.com.


Diana Rohlman

Diana lives in the Pacific Northwest, invariably spending the rainy days inside, writing, with a glass of wine nearby, and her dog offering helpful critiques. Her website can be found at: https://sites.google.com/site/rohlmandiana


Emma Tonkin

Emma Tonkin is an engineer with a PhD in computer science and a lingering fascination with classical studies. She is employed in a research project in the sub-basement of a University building. She likes to write fiction and sometimes even manages it on purpose.


Darci Vogel

Darci Vogel is a twelve-year-old girl who lives in Lockport, Illinois, with her younger brother and parents. When she’s not learning at her school, Vine Academy, she likes to read, philosophize, dance, bike, and most importantly, write. She dreams of becoming a professional author, but for now she writes as a hobby.


Deborah Walker

Deborah Walker grew up in the most English town in the country, but she soon high-tailed it down to London, where she now lives with her partner, Chris, and her two young children. Find Deborah in the British Museum trawling the past for future inspiration or on her blog: http://deborahwalkersbibliography.blogspot.com/. Her stories have appeared in Nature’s Futures, Cosmos, Daily Science Fiction, and The Year’s Best SF 18.