In this issue of the Zine Spotlight, I will be looking at a speculative fiction e-zine called Shadowkeep (http://www.shadowkeepzine.com)
It is free to view to the public.

I was very impressed with Shadowkeep's professional site. It loads quickly to a black background with subtle artwork at the top of the screen. I was pleased to see no moving ads. At first you might not think a black background with white or yellow lettering would be easy on the eyes. Surprisingly, it is much nicer to look at than the stark page I’m typing this on! Navigation on this site is very easy as well.

The content of Shadowkeep has a broad range. There is a little bit for everyone here. Feature stories, poetry and flash fiction can be viewed on the main page. For those of you who really don’t like to read online, you can download the issue in a PDF file to read at your leisure. The editorial on flash fiction is very interesting. It made me want to try to master the skill of writing a really short story. Their resident reviewer will review a book that is in print and also reviews movies and other writer’s works.

A great feature I haven’t come across before on other zines is a place where readers can click on the storyboard icon and participate in writing a story with other writers. It looks like a lot of fun. There is, of course, a message board and a good links page to other zines and market listings.

The submission guidelines are clear and concise, stating the kinds of work they are looking for and word maximums. They accept speculative fiction up to 8000 words, speculative poetry of up to 100 lines and flash fiction, which can’t be more than 750 words. An easy to use submissions form is provided or you may submit your work via email, for which there is a button provided. You are also given an example of what your submission should look like before you send it through.

Although Shadowkeep is not a paying market, it is a good place to show your work, or perhaps aim at getting some more of those all-important writing credits to your name. The quality of the writing on the site thus far is very good.

The overall appeal of this site is great. It is viewer and submitter friendly. I really liked this site and give it a rating of * * * * *

Bookmark this one! http://www.shadowkeepzine.com