Bewildering Stories welcomes...

Irene Maschke

Irene lives in Fürth, Germany. She has a degree in translating and works as a consultant for the police and judiciary in addition to a regular job. She enjoys traveling, photography and languages. A science fiction worldcon in the Hague stimulated enthusiasm for writing and participation in an amateur press asssociation.

“The Outage Effect” is the kind of story I call a “sleeper”: it’s like a secret agent you don’t know is there until after the fact.

Angie’s situation is grotesque but not absurd: jokes abound these days about “texters” who are absorbed in their virtual world and oblivious the real world around them. We see a day in Angie’s life where her virtual world is put on hold, so to speak, and yet she discovers that the line between virtuality and reality can become very blurred indeed. And that is the secret message: what does Angie’s experience imply in a larger context for herself and the society she actually lives in?

Irene Maschke’s bio sketch can be found here.

Welcome to Bewildering Stories, Irene. We hope to hear from you again soon and often!