A Short FAQ with the Publisher
Q. First, who are you?
A. My name is Lyn Perry and I enjoy reading, writing, and arithmetic. Well, two out of three anyway. And because reading and writing speculative fiction is a strong interest of mine, I thought I’d contribute to the genre of faith-informed spec fic by offering other writers and readers of science fiction, fantasy, spiritual and supernatural thriller a quality venue in which to share their passion. You could say ResAliens is speculative fiction with a spiritual thread.
Q. So what's behind the name Residential Aliens?
A. Believers often consider themselves to be simply passing through this world on their way to a better land. The idea is that, although we're currently residents of earth, we're really citizens of heaven and thus pilgrims, or aliens on this planet.
Hebrews 11:13 describes it like this: "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth." (NIV)
Q. And the reference to the Seven Stars?
A. Our sub-title, Speculative Fiction from the Seven Stars, comes from Revelation 1:16 that describes Jesus in heaven: "In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." (NIV)
The seven stars, according to verse 20, are the seven angels or messengers of the seven churches. What this means is that God uses his messengers to share his message with the Church. My hope is that God would use this magazine to help announce his kingdom and purposes on this earth.
Q. So this is a Christian zine?
A. In that I am a believer and follower of Jesus, yes. The authors and audience, however, may or may not come from a position of faith. But what I think you’ll find here is a collection of quality stories with a moral or spiritual thread that appeals to the broad and varied interests of fans of speculative fiction.
In fact, we accept stories from people of all walks of faith or from none. From my submission guidelines: I'm looking for quality speculative fiction with a spiritual foundation. Submissions need not be religious in nature. However, we are looking for engaging stories that are truthful to the human experience while offering the reader something of the eternal.
Thanks for reading!
Lyn Perry (2012)