Introduction
David B. Coe
In 2015, I was fortunate enough to be an anchor author in a Zombies Need Brains anthology edited by Joshua Palmatier and Patricia Bray. The anthology had a wonderful origin story: Joshua had been in an airport and spotted a pay phone bearing a sign that read, “Temporally Out of Order.” Not “Temporarily Out of Order,” but “Temporally.”
And a themed anthology was born.
Last year, when I received a phishing email that tried to steal my private information by threatening me with the “temporal deactivation” of my bank account, my first thought was to suggest that Joshua put together another “Temporal” project, a follow-up to the first. As it turned out, Joshua had received the same email, and was struck with the same idea.
Before I knew it, we had agreed to co-edit the anthology.
This is my first foray into editing, and I have been helped immeasurably by my collaboration with
Joshua. His expertise, his insights, his eye for narrative and character and pacing, and, most of all, his infinite patience with a newbie editor still trying to figure out how all of this works, have made this first project both a joy and an education.
The process has been made that much easier by the amazing authors who have contributed to the collection. We have stories of whimsy and of gut-wrenching drama. We have epic fantasy, urban fantasy, science fiction, steampunk, and stories that defy easy classification. I guarantee you, though, that every one of them plays with some interpretation of “Temporal Deactivation,” and every one of them will keep you riveted.
So sit back, dive in, and enjoy!