Arachnophilia, short story

Arachnophilia appeared in the magazine HelloHorror (August 2014.) This was a story I'd worked on for most of that year. I was a little worried the subject matter, not to mention the length (a hefty 9.5K words) would cause most folks to pass. When editor Brent Amour accepted it I was floored, particularly as HelloHorror was only the second place I'd sent this story.
The cover for the August issue was another pleasant surprise. Brent swore it was a coincidence. Jenny Smith, an artist and a secretary in a Vancouver law office, sent in the painting as an unrequested submission and I'm glad she did. Apparently so is the editorial team at HelloHorror--her work appeared on the cover again in 2015.
That image of a woman stepping out of her own skin, the outer woman looking guarded and the inner woman looking shy but pleased (in my interpretation--follow the link and make your own) still comes to mind when I think of poor, beleaguered Joy and poor, stupid-in-love Peter.

http://www.hellohorror.com/JasonHowell_Arachnophilia.htm

http://www.hellohorror.com/JennySmith_Paintings.htm