Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Denis Bell, a.k.a. Arthur Pinte

Pen names can get pretty complicated, and this seems to be just such a case. Arthur Pinte is really Denis Bell. But for the purposes of the story “Time Lapse” a pen name is unavoidable for all practical purposes, hence “Arthur Pinte.”

Denis is originally from London, England, and is now a professor of Mathematics in Jacksonville, Florida. He likes football, i.e. soccer, music, and writing fiction.

A Review Editor has noted that “Time Lapse” is so realistic that it might be a fictionalized memoir. At least it reflects the experience of many writers seeking to place their works on the Net. “Arthur Pinte” receives from The McMuffin e-zine an acknowledgement of a submission. The message is more ornate than those sent by Bewildering Stories but is otherwise similar.

The story takes an eerie turn when “Arthur Pinte” notices that the acknowledgement was returned promptly, two days after his submitting the story, but was sent — as “Arthur” eventually learns — nine years earlier, shortly before the editor’s untimely demise. Such an event would cause any editor to look nervously over a shoulder or two and listen for ominous footsteps approaching from around corners in the corridor of time.

If any of our contributors send us submissions from the future, please include winning lottery numbers and the results of sporting events; we’d like to bet on a sure thing. And of course the contributor will receive a share of the jackpots — as a bequest.

Denis Bell’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Arthur... er, I mean Denis. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!