Welcome to issue thirty-eight of Lightspeed!

Last month we failed to make note of it, but our June issue was actually our third anniversary issue! So happy birthday to us. But given it’s been three years now, we thought it was about time to do another reader survey. If you’d like to participate, we’d very much appreciate it, and to thank you for taking the time, one lucky (i.e., randomly selected) participant will win a free one-year subscription to Lightspeed. To fill out the survey (which should just take 10-15 minutes), please go to: lightspeedmagazine.com/survey. The survey ends July 31, 2013.

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The voting period for this year’s Hugo Awards closes on July 31, so there’s still time to participate in the process. The 2013 Hugo Awards will be presented in San Antonio, TX during LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention (Aug. 29-Sep. 2). Anyone who has a full membership of LoneStarCon 3 may vote, and if you don’t plan to attend LoneStarCon 3, you can still vote by purchasing a supporting membership. The online ballot is available at lonestarcon3.org/hugo-awards if you’re ready to cast your vote for your favorite nominated works from last year.

Lightspeed has the following horses in this race:

• Best Editor (Short Form): John Joseph Adams
• Best Semiprozine: Lightspeed Magazine
• Best Fan Artist: Galen Dara

Of course we hope you’ll vote for us, but no matter who you vote for, just vote!

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With our announcements out of the way, here’s what we’ve got on tap this month:

We have original science fiction by Benjamin R. Lambert (“Division of Labor”) and Carlie St. George (“This Villain You Must Create”) and SF reprints by Margo Lanagan (“Mulberry Boys”) and Ryan North (“Cancer”).

Plus, we have original fantasy by Adam-Troy Castro (“The Boy and the Box”) and Laura Friis (“Ushakiran”), along with fantasy reprints by Sophia McDougall (“Golden Apple”) and Ursula K. Le Guin (“The Stars Below”).

All that, and of course we also have our usual assortment of author and artist spotlights, along with feature interviews with bestselling authors Hugh Howey and Austin Grossman.

For our ebook readers, we also have the novella “The Wide, Carnivorous Sky” by John Langan and an excerpt of the new Shannara novel Witch Wraith by Terry Brooks.

Our issue this month is sponsored by our friends at 47North. This month, look for Interrupt by Jeff Carlson (of which you can read an excerpt in our ebook edition this month) and Romulus Buckle and the City of the Founders by Richard Ellis Preston, Jr. You can find more from 47North at www.apub.com.

It’s another great issue, so be sure to check it out. And remember, there are several ways you can sign up to be notified of new Lightspeed content:

• Newsletter: lightspeedmagazine.com/newsletter
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Before I go, just a reminder that our custom-built ebookstore I told you about recently is now up and running. So if you’d like to purchase an ebook issue, or if you’d like to subscribe directly from us, please visit lightspeedmagazine.com/store. All purchases from the Lightspeed store are provided in both epub and mobi format.

And don’t worry—all of our other purchasing options are still available, of course; this is just one more way you can buy the magazine or subscribe. You can, for instance, still subscribe via Amazon.com or from our friends at Weightless Books. Visit lightspeedmagazine.com/subscribe to learn more about all of our subscription options.

Well, that’s all there is to report this month. Thanks for reading!