Break out the bingo cards and the cribbage sets! We’re getting wild and crazy with a bunch of senior citizens who really know how to party…and get up to lots of mayhem, mischief, and perhaps even commit the occasional murder along the way. But you know the saying…what happens in the retirement home, stays in the retirement home. Right?
Hope you enjoy April’s 2024 tarot card reading for inspiration!
Perhaps this tarot card reading can inspire some deliciously dark tales of love, loss, and redemption (or revenge) this Valentine’s Day!
Deck: Oracle of the Trees by Francesca Romana Valente https://www.usgamesinc.com/oracle-of-the-trees.html
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Deadline: April 1st, 2024
Payment: Royalties
Theme: Speculative Fiction about Tarot
Tarot cards have long been looked upon as a window to the past and future of human existence. Fortune tellers of old have utilized the power within the cards to advise or warn away inquisitive souls from the potential folly of their choices. What happens when the power of the cards escapes into the realm of humanity with the desire to play out their core intentions on the unsuspecting?
A mortal once controlled the power of the past, present, and future. In his innocent desire for companionship, he made a mistake: he got too close to his creation and lost control. The foolish mortal’s artistic magic escaped the confines of the cards and trapped their maker to pursue their magical intent.
Submission Window: December 1st – 30th, 2023
Payment: ¢1 per word CAD
Theme: Horror that includes a wand, ideally in the realm of tarot or tarot-inspired meaning of the word
Note: The end date might be later, I’m seeing an end date of December 30th, 31st, and January 7th on the site. I’d stick with the 30th to be on the safe side.
Thank you for submitting to our Tarot Inspired Anthology Series!
This particular call is for the WAND
We are looking for great stories of horror in all sub-genres. The best thing about anthologies is the mix of voices and styles.
Although this anthology does represent the tarot suits, it does not mean your story has to contain the tarot element to be considered. Use the overriding ‘theme’ to weave your story.
Within tarot card meanings,
The Tarot suit of Wands — sometimes called Rods, Staves, or Staffs — represents the energy of movement, creativity, and invention. Wands represent ideas and innovation, and an entrepreneurial spirit. They are often related to your career or your sense of purpose in the world, but because of their connection to charm and desire, they can deliver strong love guidance, too.
The suit of Wands is connected to the spring season and the Fire element, so it carries many active messages of boldness, ambition, drive, competitiveness, and initiative. Whenever a Wands card appears, actions are being taken or suggested, and change is in the works. Wands are powerful and passionate cards that can urge you to make a bold move, or warn you when you’re moving too fast.
The more esoteric Tarot decks reveal the connection between the Wands and the life force, also known as Qi, Kundalini, or Prana — the animating energy that fills every living thing with vitality, without which nothing could live. Combined with its connection to Fire, the Wands Tarot cards represent the light that conquers darkness, whether it’s a candle in the window or the Sun at the center of the universe.
Although there can be some fantasy elements tossed in there, the overall feel of the stories must remain in the horror genre. Aim to scare.
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This reading is a little darker than usual (but fitting, of course, for us horror writers). I hope it inspires some delightfully terrifying tales!
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What sacrifice would you make to achieve the life of your dreams? What price would you pay to ensure you achieve personal and financial success, especially in artistic and creative fields? What would you give to be famous and talented? Would it be enough to satisfy your main character(s)? And, what lengths would they go to in order to preserve and protect that lifestyle?
What happens when a mirror world brushes up against another? Perhaps by way of a newly discovered portal, or a magic spell gone awry. What if our world was the shadow world for an innocent world free of strife and conflict? What would happen then? What if you threw in a pair of star-crossed lovers? How would you reinvent that trope?
Deck: The Unicorn Tarot by Suzanne Star and illustrated by Liz Hilton
Submission Window: September 1st – 30th, 2023
Payment: 1 cent per word Canadian
Theme: Blades/Swords
Welcome to our four-book series, dedicated to horror inspired by the Tarot.
Does the story have to be about Tarot Cards… NO. Think cups, knives, wands, and pentacles. We are looking for the theme to be the element, not necessarily the card itself, although we would love to read that as well.
Chalice – Pentacles – Blades – Wands
**Patron Members get an extended submission window**
March 1- 31: Chalice (Patron dates Feb 21 – April 7)
June 1- July 7 Pentacles (Patron dates May 23 – July 14)
Sept 1- 30: Blades/Swords (Patron dates August 24 – October 7)
Dec 1- 31: Wands (Patron dates November 23 – January 7)
Each book will have an overriding theme of a Tarot suit and be between 50k – 60k words in length. They will be stand-alone books but will make up a four-book series.
Word count: 1500 – 7000 firm.
Payment: Flat rate payment ¢1 per word CAD after approved edits.
Reprints? No
Multiple Submission? No 💀 Only one submission per author per theme/quarter.
Formatting:
Please use 12 pt Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, set auto-indent new paragraphs.
Add the story title to the top of the manuscript.
Do not include your name or email in the manuscript. These stories will be read “blind” by our reading team.
Title your manuscript “Title of Story – Theme” for example “Borderline Nuisance – Tarot Wands”
Please make sure the title of the story and the title on the manuscript match.
I’d like to take this time to give special thanks to our Patreon Sponsors who are at the Level 3 reward level and above!
– Ryan Benson.
– Jane Nightshade.
– Rebecca Rowland.
– James Aitchison.
– Robin Ginther-Venneri.
– Burial Books.
– Craig of Write my paper.
– Celltrackingapps.
