I saw a shareable, online platitude that goes something like, “Someone feels like HOME when they let you be your authentic self.”

Truth! Of course this is true! Don’t say FFO didn’t tell you about staying true to your authentic self.

But… Also true… We can’t help ourselves!

In the words of every hopeless romantic, “I can fix them!” In the words of Taylor Tomlinson, “Have you seen any good red flags lately?”

Not only do we love the idea of fixing someone else, we love the idea of changing the worst parts of ourselves to fit next to them. And me, personally—this is why I love the genre of romance. Romancelandia is where I began as an author, and every now and then I get a hankering to do an issue full of love (lost, found, dreamed of) and, of course, relationships in all their messy glory.

For a writer, relationships are like the toys you love to play with because they fall apart as easily as they can be put together. That’s one home-grown LEGO tower of a relationship. I love a relationship that’s its own character.

What does A plus B equal exactly? Two characters with all their unique idiosyncrasies come together to make something totally new and different. Just think of all the relationships you’ve been in, then assign an adjective or two or ten to each one.

As a writer, you can frankenstein two misfits into one heck of a creation and send it anywhere. You can send a relationship to wreak havoc on a small town’s holiday celebration. You can send a relationship to colonize space, to ride dragons, to solve mysteries. To the dystopic craters of today and the utopian edges of tomorrow. You can send a relationship anywhere, even to therapy.

In this issue, the FFO team has attempted to find relationships at various stages and forms. We actually begin this issue with the romancy-ist concept of them all—the Happily Ever After (aka HEA). Lisa Fox’s story “Textures” explores what happens to a bridal shop owner in the ever after part of the equation.

Lauren Kardos’ “The Body, Electric” also takes a science fiction lens to this concept by asking whether everlasting happiness can be truly everlasting.

This issue also has new beginnings and somewhat-helpful friends. Stephen Granade’s “Dislocated” champions finding your sense of home in a wacky-but-loveable teleportation sickness support group.

Underscoring my intro on authentic self, not all of these characters know who they are. Anna Clark’s “No Laughter in a Vacuum” follows the capitalist opportunities and dating mishaps of a personality vacuum. And later, we meet a 1970s divorceé flirting with her next chapter in “I Was Made for Loving You” by Angela James.

We end this issue on the other side of “I do” than where we began. We meet a Midwestern gal wondering how much of a man-pleaser she is. If you’re a fan of the show White Lotus, you’ll enjoy Eleanor Lennox’s “The Color of Things.”

Like the relationship between characters, we value our relationship with you—our readers. Thank you for your support! Happy reading!

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Ⓒ Rebecca Halsey