In the days immediately following Hurricane Sandy, I found myself both awed and saddened by the devastation I saw on the news. In the past, I’ve donated money for various relief efforts, but the gesture always felt somewhat hollow to me. Disasters have ripped apart people’s lives and homes, and here I am, sitting on my couch in my nice, warm living room, donating a measly fifty bucks.

I wanted to do more, to give more, but my familial obligations precluded me from physically going to help while economic constraints prevented me from giving more.

That’s when inspiration struck.

I’m an indie author (at the moment) and have enjoyed some relative success. In recent years, I’ve attended a few conventions as an author and made some wonderful professional connections. I reached out to a number of authors I knew, inquiring if they would like to donate a short story to an anthology, the proceeds of which would all go to Sandy relief.

A bunch said yes, emailed their contacts, and…well, things sort of took off after that. Turns out, people like helping people.

This anthology is our collective way of helping. We hope you enjoy.


---R.T. Kaelin

Includes stories by: Elizabeth Bear, Mark Lawrence, Robert Silverberg, Erik Scott de Bie, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Philip Athans , Michael Stackpole, Michael J. Sullivan, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Vicki Johnson-Steger, Ari Marmell, Jean Rabe, Rick Novy, R.T. Kaelin, Donald J. Bingle, Alex Shvartsman, Maxwell Alexander Drake, SM Blooding, Jaym Gates, Alex Bledsoe, Stephen D. Sullivan, T.L. Gray, Tobias Buckell, C.S. Marks, Marian Allen, Bryan Young, Bradley P. Beaulieu, Sarah Hans, Janine Spendlove, Bryan Thomas Schmidt, C.J. Henderson, Steven Saus, Addie King, Doris Stever, Matt Bone, Elisabeth Waters, Rob Rogers, Tracy Chowdhury, Gregory Wilson, Tim Marquitz, Timothy Zahn