In We did it! Welcome to Proton Reader One.
From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to every single one of you who trusted us with your work. I was overwhelmed by the number, quality, and uniqueness of the stories we received. It really opened my eyes to just how much chance plays into story selection. As this is our inaugural issue, you, writer, took an even bigger risk with us, having no reference nor past issues to refer to when you were trying to figure out what we are looking for and how we operate.
We hope these four stories serve as a salient, though not necessarily complete, indicator of the voice of Proton Reader. All of these stories stuck in my head, though they were not at all the only ones that I still carry with me and think about. This first issue is and will always be free to read or download on our website, ProtonReader.com. Unfortunately, Jeff Bezos won’t let us put it on Amazon for anything less than $0.99, but its there as an option if that’s your jam.
We hope you, reader, love these stories as much as we do, and will put your trust in us for Proton Reader Two. I plan to have at least twice as many stories for that issue.
So come along, and take a quick dip in a moon ocean in Suck It Up by Claire McNerney. Then, sail around the Rekka Star with Estreia in A Mari Ad Astra by dave ring. Fun fact: A month before I opened submissions, I got a new “space mermaid” tattoo. (You can see this on Twitter!) So imagine my delight to come across this story of, well, a space mermaid. Downright serendipitous. After you’ve had your fill of joy, contemplate what you would do to save your child’s life in Of Infinite Ends by Emily Dietrich. Finally, before you go, see the death of the universe with Castor and Elara in The End of Forever by Amanda Cecelia Lang. This, above any other, was one I knew immediately I needed to share with as many people as I could. In just under 10,000 words, Amanda created a pair of characters that you fall in love with, and betrays you with a choice you beg them not to make. Or maybe you, too, fear the crippling loneliness enough that you instead celebrate them? Let me know.
I hope you enjoy what these talented people have created for you as much as I do.
Sami Lawson
April 2022