Author: Stuart Conover

Anthology / Events / Flash / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: The Morning After

Deadline: June 1st, 2025
Payment: AU 1c/word
Theme: What happens to a person after a major transformation

Submissions open until 1st June 2025

The Morning After is an anthology about what happens after a sudden transformation. This could be an individual person transforming into something new or a mass change that effects humanity as a whole. How does this person or society react to no longer being human?

As an editor, I am keen to see how people react in this unique situation. Focus on struggles and adaptation to new forms are highly encouraged.

Despite the name of the anthology, the story does not need to begin with waking up in this new reality – but it should start shortly after the transformation has taken place.

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Anthology / Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Token Payment

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Taking Submissions: Hellbound Books’ Anthology of Pandemic & Outbreak Horror

Deadline: June 30th, 2025
Payment: $5
Theme: Plagues, pandemics, original takes on zombies, outbreaks, and everything related!

The HellBound Books team felt enough time has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic to warrant an appropriately themed anthology. We are looking for horrific tales of diseases ravaging mankind, viruses, bacteria, and fungal spores infecting and threatening to eradicate all of humanity – and, yes, we would love to see your terrifying, unique takes on the zombie trope!

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Anthology / Flash / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Patterns

Deadline: May 31st, 2025
Payment: $0.01 per word
Theme: Dark stories with the theme of patterns

PATTERNS

Submission window now open.

Deadline: May 31st 2025

We’re looking for dark stories (2-4k words) on the theme of patterns.

Please interpret this theme however you like. Write us a quiet mood piece or an action-packed powerful, character-driven story. Make it humorous or as dark as the night. Send us your best speculative, horror, dark fantasy or dark sci-fi stories, as long as it’s full of the feels. We are not, however, the market for violent, bloody, racist, homophobic, or masochistic fiction. And no poetry please, just short fiction.

Some ideas: the pattern could be in the narrative technique (fragmentation, mirror writing, foreshadowing, meta-fictional repetition), the thematic composition (think cycles of death and birth, family curses, sin and retribution) for example. Or how about incorporating chants, supernatural rituals, or echoes in your prose? A story with temporal patterns in it might float our boat (although be careful, we don’t want our inbox flooded with time loops and cyclical stories, unless done exceptionally well or with a novel twist). Seasonal patterns, recurring times, patterns in nature, patterns in objects which feature in your tale, geographical patterns, repetitive architecture, patterns in weather, behavioural ticks, recurring nightmares, obsessions…any tenuous link will do, just make it your best work and give it a good edit prior to sending it our way. You get the idea. Surprise us.

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Articles

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Honoring Excellence: Lee Murray Appointed Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit by King Charles III

Honoring Excellence: Lee Murray Appointed Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit by King Charles III

We are overjoyed to share some truly remarkable news from the world of speculative fiction! Celebrated Kiwi author Lee Murray has been appointed by King Charles III as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in the 2025 New Year Honors. This prestigious accolade recognizes her extraordinary contributions to literature, particularly in the realm of speculative fiction, and cements her legacy as a visionary force in the genre.

Equivalent to royal honors in other Commonwealth nations, the New Zealand Order of Merit celebrates individuals who have made distinguished contributions to their field. Murray is not only the sole honoree in literature for 2025 but also one of the rare few to receive such recognition specifically for speculative fiction—an accomplishment that speaks volumes about her impact on the genre.

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Articles / For Readers / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Creatures of the Night: Vicious Vampire Tales by Simon Clark, Kevin J. Kennedy, and Gord Rollo

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Creatures of the Night: Vicious Vampire Tales
Authors: Simon Clark, Kevin J. Kennedy, and Gord Rollo
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Genre: Horror
Release Date: August 9, 2024

Synopsis: Immerse yourself in a world of terror and darkness with three vampire horror novellas.

“Return of the Blood-Feeders” by Simon Clark: Viking vampires, and their latest vicious recruits, swarm through tunnels beneath the present-day town of Leppington. The Norse gods have created a Vampyrrhic army to wreak vengeance on people that turned their backs on Odin. Just two fragile humans stand in their way—a down-at-heel drifter who is struggling to recover from a severe head injury, and a dreamer with a drink problem. Together, they must become extraordinary. Together, they must defeat something that is much, much worse than vampires.
‘Return of the Blood-Feeders’ is set in the world of Simon’s Vampyrrhic series of novels.

“Perspective” by Kevin J. Kennedy: “This is a story of my re-awakening, and vampires.” A couple’s lives are thrown into turmoil when a body is dumped at their door. The vampires are catapulted into a blood-drenched journey to the gates of hell. Fortunately, they have some werewolf friends who want to come along for the ride.

“Beneath Still Waters” by Gord Rollo: On May 16, 2020, disaster struck the small Canadian mining town of Beckley, Nova Scotia. An explosion deep in Shaft 3 unleashed a massive torrent of water from an underground stream, quickly flooding the lower levels and dooming the workers below. Sixty-five people lost their lives that night, the tragedy one of the worst mining disasters in the province’s history. The Red Spruce Gypsum Mine would never reopen.

The town tried to turn the heartbreak into something positive, converting the flooded quarry into a natural swimming hole for people to cool off in during the hot summer months. But something has awakened from within the abandoned mine shafts and staked its territory in the deepest part of the lake. Something ancient. Something savage. Something hungry…

If you’re a fan of extreme horror books, gothic suspense, and supernatural terror, this collection is your gateway to fear. Dive into these suspenseful gothic horror novellas and discover why this horror anthology is a must-read for lovers of vampire fiction.

Don’t miss out on this dark adventure. Order your copy now and let the nightmares begin!

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing—Tales from the Darkest Depths.

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Articles

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Public Domain 2025: Characters, Books, and Films That Can Inspire Your Writing

Public Domain 2025: Characters, Books, and Films That Can Inspire Your Writing

As the calendar turns to 2025, a treasure trove of literary works, films, and iconic characters move into the public domain, sparking exciting possibilities for authors of speculative fiction. This milestone marks the liberation of creative content—works published in 1929, for instance—from copyright restrictions, making them freely available for use, adaptation, and inspiration. Public domain materials provide authors the opportunity to reinterpret, expand upon, or pay homage to these classics, offering fresh perspectives while building on time-tested foundations. For speculative fiction writers, this is a chance to infuse familiar stories with genre twists that breathe new life into beloved narratives and characters.

In this article, we’ll explore the opportunities public domain works provide for speculative fiction writers. From using classic novels and settings to finding inspiration for unique reimaginings of the newly-minted public-domain characters, we’ll guide you through the dos and don’ts of public-domain storytelling. Let’s dive into the specifics, including the exciting entries joining the public domain in 2025, the limitations to keep in mind, and creative ways to breathe new life into these works.

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Artwork / Events / Flash / Magazine / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Dracula Beyond Stoker Issue 7

Submission Window: May 1st – June 30th, 2025
Payment: .05/word plus contributor’s copies
Theme: Mina Harker

Issue 7: Mina Harker(To Be Published November, 2025)
Mina is teacher, a wife, and the heart and the hero of the novel. Her spirit and intelligence keep her resilient even when darkness closes in. But who is Mina beneath the surface? Did her experiences leave her haunted? How did her connection to Dracula affect her view of the world or her family? Whether it’s before, during, or after the events of the novel, let’s explore her strength, her struggles, and her secrets.

Submissions open May 1, 2025-June 30, 2025. Submissions received earlier will be read and considered but will not be responded to until the window opens.

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