It's Not the End

by Matt Moore

  A very special thanks to David Nickle, whose introduction begins this text. I met David almost a decade ago when CZP published his debut short story collection Monstrous Affections. Many know this book for its cover—the disturbing Sloan Man face that has become CZP’s mascot. But the work within Monstrous Affections was transformative for me—chilling, emotionally raw, stylistically confident, and utterly disturbing. “The Mayor Will Make a Brief Statement and Then Take Questions” from that collection is an unquestionably perfect short short story. (And made all the better if you've ever heard Dave read it in person.) I have often joked that David Nickle is the author I wanted to be when I grow up. His introduction to my debut short story collection brings things around, closing one circle and opening another.

  Then there are the editors and publishers I have come to know and work with. Again, in no order, my thanks and respect go to: Duff McCourt at AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review; Diane Walton and Susan MacGregor at On Spec (who purchased my first short fiction sale “Full Moon Hill,” which appears in this collection); Sean Moreland at Postscripts to Darkness; Eric Beebe and Paul Anderson at Post Mortem Press; Marc Ciccarone and crew at Blood Bound Books; and Christopher Jones, Nanci Kalanta & Tony Tremblay at HW Press. I hope to work with you all again!

  A special paragraph for writer, critic, and friend Adam Shaftoe-Durrant. Adam and I met over his review of my short story “Touch the Sky, They Say” (first published on AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review and included in this collection). His review was not kind, but not unfair. Somehow this set off a long friendship of bonding over Community, Rick & Morty, pop culture, and internet memes. Adam is one of the sharpest, most insightful critics I have read, and I hope he will be able to turn his laser-sharp focus to this work.

  Second to last, my thanks to the Ottawa speculative fiction writing community. Since I first started writing seriously ten years ago, our little city that fun forgot has assembled a powerful speculative fiction writing community. I am honoured and humbled to have been welcomed into your ranks.

  Lastly, thanks to you who is reading this. I know acknowledgements can be self-indulgent or dry or in-jokey, but if you’ve read this far: thank you! You are invaluable to the process of storytelling. Some think a story is complete when an author finishes writing it, but it’s not. A story can only truly exist in the mind of the reader. While every reader sees the same words on the page, each experiences a unique story. So I acknowledge you for letting these people, places, times, and events live within you. Even for a little while.

  About the Author

  Matt Moore has been writing stories since he could clutch a pencil and carve block letters into handwriting practice paper. His nonfiction, poems, and short fiction have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies. It’s Not the End and Other Lies is his first full-length work. When not writing, he organizes the Ottawa Chiaroscuro Reading Series, a professional reading series of speculative fiction.

  Raised in New England, a place rich with legends and ghost stories, he now lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

  Learn more at mattmoorewrites.com.