Hello Mythketeers. Holy heat wave! Yes, as I type this, I am melting into my couch. I am stationed in front of two fans, on the surface of the sun. So, as I melt into my keyboard, dotting my mouse pad with delicate droplets of sweat, let me welcome you to our milestone issue.
Can you believe we have made it to one hundred fifty issues? I started as Managing Editor on issue #69. January of 2019. There had already been 68 issues before me! I was impressed with that! Now we are sitting at 150. I have been editor for 81 issues. That's more than there were issues before me. I am blown away by the level of quality of submissions we have every month. The new contributors who submit their pieces for my perusal. The returning contributors who continually support our little magazine.
Then there is the team behind what you get every month. The Editor in Chief, myself, and the publisher/coder/uploader/poster/hoster/and amazing guy, David K Montoya. He started this magazine back in 2004, with a dream and a few stories, a few poems, and some art. This was his baby. He has put this baby in the hands of a few editors over the years. Some had a passion for the magazine, and some, well, they didn't last long. I have had the distinction for a long time.
I have attempted to quit the company, met with refusal, of course, but I never ever wanted to quit the magazine. It was suggested that I hire a managing editor to help me, and I tried that for a while, but it didn't work out. Maybe I am too much of a control freak; maybe I just expect someone who is helping me to have the same level of passion and dedication to the magazine and to the people to entrust their work to us. Maybe there is no one else like me. But every time I think about handing the magazine over to someone else, I have a mild panic attack.
So, you are all stuck with me.
This issue, the sheer size of it, shows the love that people have for it. The desire to be part of something special came out in a resounding yes when we put out a call. Not because we didn't have enough stories--we did, a full magazine worth--but because we wanted people to know it was a milestone for not only us, but for them, and to give them an opportunity to be a part of it.
The World of Myth Magazine has had its share of ups and downs, controversy and accolades. We've seen writers and artists come and go, we've had disagreements, and we've launched careers. But through it all, we have remained as steady as we can be. Yes, sometimes we are late, and life happens, and when you are putting out a magazine of this caliber and size each and every month, with just two people at the helm, it's sometimes hard to juggle life, responsibility, and other things. There have been sad times that we have had to get through and have put the magazine on pause, and there have been joyous occasions that we couldn't wait to get the issue out to share all the wonderful news.
For me, it has been a journey. I have learned how to be a better editor. I have developed relationships with people I call friends, who I have never met. I have honed my writing skills and fine-tuned my editing skills.
I have adopted the baby that Dave started 150 issues ago. This is now my baby too. I have loved it, nurtured it, worried over it, and watched it grow into the amazing thing it is today.
Thank you, everyone. Thank you to those who have worked on the issue over the years, those who have contributed, and those who read it. Like I always say, without you, there is no us.
Until next month
Stephanie J Bardy
Your Editor-in-Chief, Always.