The Fall Issue Is Up...

... and it's only a little past midnight on the final projected (admittedly worst-case) launch date -- Eastern Time, no less... That's progress! In fact, the issue was launched even before midnight, but I guess that doesn't count since I was probably the only one who knew it.

If a new issue drops in the cyber-forest, but no one is around to see it...

Yes, you must forgive me. I am very sleep-deprived, and functioning solely on coffee, more coffee, wine, and tepid leftover coffee.

Anyway, here it is:

Melusine 1.3

Hope you enjoy, and check back here in a month or so for the new, improved Melusine blog, with actual content...

Fall Issue Coming Soon

Just letting you all know it won't be long before the launch of our next installment, Melusine 1.3, possibly with a slightly new look for autumn... We're tentatively planning for the 20th or 21st of this month.

By the way, don't forget to send in your entries for Melusine's first annual poetry contest! The deadline is February 15, 2010 and details are here.

We're There!

Yes, at long last, your summer reading supplement has arrived.
You can't take this to the beach -- well, I suppose you could, but leaving questions of technology and lap damage aside, hope you enjoy Melusine's own take on summer reading:

Melusine 1.2: Summer 2009

Almost There (Summer Edition)

Yeah, that final stretch is always a killer... but each time a bit easier...
Everything is just about ready to launch -- just some last-minute details to iron out, but it must wait a bit longer since I'm heading out for the evening to wish some good friends bon voyage... So I will wrap things up tomorrow afternoon once I finish with the day job (yes, I work an early Sunday shift -- can be tough sometimes, although the free Fridays are a good trade-off.)
I'm getting kinda impatient myself to see it, so thanks for your patience!
Until then...

When to Expect Your Summer Installment...

... Melusine 1.2: It's looking like the last week of July for the second issue's launch. (Notice I'm learning not to offer precise dates ;)
But the weeks will fly by (especially for me, as time always flies when there's a deadline involved...) But as with the last one, the most fun will be watching as the issue coalesces out of all its separate parts (it's like making soup, kinda, which reminds me how hungry I am... not for homemade soup, though. It's too hot out and I've spent enough time in the kitchen today. Have got a date for Italian food, in a nice air-conditioned restaurant... and maybe a nice glass of wine, or two.)

Summer Issue Filled

All categories are now filled for the summer issue, and I've stopped requesting queries for reviews for this issue, although there are spots open in the fall issue if you have a book you've reviewed or would like us to review.
And please feel free to keep sending in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and art submissions for the fall issue, which will be appearing in October.
If you've been waiting more than two months for a response on your submission, it may be one that we're holding over to consider for the fall issue, and you should be hearing from us soon.

Summer Issue Update

The fiction, nonfiction, and art categories are now closed, and submissions in these categories will be considered for the Fall issue, appearing in October.
The poetry category is still open for the summer issue, but filling fast.
There's also room for one more review, if you'd like to send a query of a recent book you've published or have read and would like to review.

If you saw our ad in Poets & Writers...

... the best place to find info on submissions is now the Melusine site itself, which was launched earlier this month.
And while you're there, hope you enjoy our first issue!
Check it out if you're curious about the sort of work we're looking for.

IE Compatability Issue Resolved

So we had our first little technical "situation" here that's happily been resolved, at least according to our testing of all recent versions of IE.
We had tested Melusine in the recent releases of five major browsers, but a last-minute change disabled the IE compatibility workarounds, which would also affect some AOL users.
We should now be reconciled with IE... Sincere apologies to those affected!
If you are still not able to view the site, our web admin advises to clear your cache and restart your browser. And if that doesn't do the trick, please send an e-mail to melusine21cent@gmail.com.

http://www.melusine21cent.com

To AOL users who cannot view the above link even after clearing your cache, try the following one for now. The main address should be accessible in a day or two.

http://www.melusine21cent.com/mag/node/3

Live, at Last!

Thanks so much for your patience, everyone!
Knowing how first-time projects are and how hard it is to plan for all contingencies (especially the wind knocking out the cable for several hours today and the hosting site's server being down for an hour, bafflingly) I shouldn't have made that joke about Pacific Time (or so confidently used the word "Friday" in the same phrase as "at the latest") but it is indeed still Friday on the West Coast ;)
And, needless to say, I'm thrilled to finally announce the new link:

http://www.melusine21cent.com

Thanks for all your support so far, and hope you enjoy!

Almost there.

OK, well, what are deadlines for if not to push? My apologies... I had wanted to see Melusine out by the 31st, and that might still be possible (Pacific Time) with constant infusions of caffeine in place of food and sleep and an impromptu change in my work schedule, but I think y'all will understand if I push it just a couple days instead ;) I feel safe saying Thursday, or Friday at the latest.
In good news, it's looking pretty nice, thanks mostly to our talented web/design team, as well as this issue's artists, and it's reading pretty well, too, thanks to our talented contributors.
I'm looking forward to finally posting that link. Soon, soon.
Thanks so much for your patience.

Counting Down, 6 Weeks to Launch

Well, it's been a while since my last update, hasn't it? No, nothing is amiss in Melusine-land, just hectic. I apologize for the silence to any readers who've been checking here for updates. The journal is indeed proceeding pretty much on schedule. My original hoped-for launch date was March 20, but to be safe rather than sorry (this being my first journal and me not being the necessarily early-bird sort) I'm going to amend that to March 31, with a possibility it will come in a day or two earlier -- better to err on that side, right?

Proofs will be going out soon for the debut issue. I'm still reading and accepting submissions for the summer issue. This time, art is the only genre that is filled so far, but if you have art to send, feel free to submit it for the fall issue. I will start replying to submissions again after the Spring issue is out, although of course there is the occasional submission that will get a 24-hour acceptance if the stars are properly aligned.

So I look forward to announcing the site/issue launch in just six weeks. There's some rather awesome work in this first issue that I feel privileged to be publishing, and I'm pretty excited to share it with you all.

Until then...