Earlier this year, we had a conversation over wine. One where the words spill over, landing on the table as a tangled, twisting mass, the meaning, the obvious path to comprehension, ever elusive.
I say conversation; it was more a rant. A wail, a pathetic moment of self-pity that while literary magazines abound, there was no obvious home for my short stories.
‘If that’s true for you, it must be for other writers as well, no?’ My friend suggested.
That was the moment of realisation. This wasn’t a time to complain, it was a chance to seize an opportunity. As a group of writers, designers, and pr folk, we could create our own magazine, one which brought together our great loves of speculative fiction and Tartan Noir, that was unashamedly Scottish but open to all, and one that would seek to elevate the voices of new and seasoned writers alike.
That’s when we decided to set up Tangled Web Magazine.
We knew we were entering an industry that is suffering declining readerships, squeezed funding streams, and defined by the enormous, often thankless, effort of voluntary teams. A foolish venture, perhaps, but one we’ve not regretted for a second.
Thank goodness for wine, self-pity, and stubbornness.
Friends, we are so excited to bring you our first issue. It features seven short stories that share space with book reviews, a spotlight interview, and our regular column, The Rant.
From revenge to troubling technology, an unfortunate holiday to a racoon, we’ve brought you a wide range of short stories.
You may have read the work of some of our authors in the past, while some will be entirely new. We went out to select work on the merit of the piece. A strong voice, well-developed characters, and an interesting concept gets us going, and we think these stories have these attributes in droves.
So, enough from me. Get yourself comfortable, perhaps grab a glass of wine, and enjoy!
Until next time,
Craig Kelly
Editor-in-Chief