Deadline: August 1st, 2018
Payment: Royalties
Note 1: Canadians only!
Note 2: My apologies for the short window, was just notified of this one!

Open for submissions from

April 1, 2018 – August 1, 2018

 

SUMMARY

Canadian Dreadful will be a collection of short stories between 2,500 and 10,000 words, each one set in one of the provinces or territories of Canada. We are looking for horror stories written by Canadians that employ elements of dark fantasy or magical realism. We welcome new authors and well experienced authors.

Dark Fantasy combines fantasy and horror and creates a suspenseful, dread-inducing mood for the reader. A movie like “Pan’s Labyrinth” is an excellent example of this genre. You are welcome to utilize the darker elements of fantasy just as long as the story takes place the real world, not a mythical one.

Magical Realism or “The Unreliable Narrator” is a style of fiction where magical, fantastical, or supernatural elements are brought into the “real world” of the story—and by the end of it, your reader will have to decide whether or not the magical events actually took place or not. Is the narrator crazy, telling the truth, or deliberately lying? Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” is an example of this. So are the novels (and movies) “The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel and “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson. Another movie that employs magical realism is “Big Fish”, directed by Tim Burton. Tell us a horror story that leaves the reader questioning whether or not the narrator was reliable. Leave “clues” for the reader to interpret as either confirmations or negations of the narrative. And most of all, let your reader feel a weighing sense of dread from the first to the last page.

Another goal for this anthology is to educate readers about Canada—include content that somehow relates to Canada’s history, culture, politics, or geography as a crucial element to the plot. If you pique your reader’s interest and get them looking up references to learn more about your Canadiana, you’ve done your job. The idea is for your reader to not only be entertained (and scared), but also to walk away from your story a little smarter than they were before.

EDITOR BIO:

Born in Northern British Columbia, David Tocher now lives in Vancouver, BC, where he divides his time between writing professional fiction and working construction. He is well versed in short fiction horror and has a number of short stories in several anthologies, as well as numerous editing projects. He appreciates literature that explores the paranormal and the dark side of human nature. He also loves heavy metal music and tattoos.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

 Please do not query before submitting.

 Email all submissions to [email protected]

 To ensure your submission does not get deleted please place in the subject line

 Anthology Submisson – (Title of Story) and (Your Name)

 Submissions are ONLY open to Canadians and expat Canadians.

 Please do not describe or summarize the story in the email.

 Follow William Shunn’s manuscript format: https://www.shunn.net/format/story.html

Any variance away from this format will mean an automatic rejection.

 Keep your stories between 2,500 to 10,000 words.

 On the first page of your manuscript, tell us the province/territory the story takes place in.

 Despite the stories being fictional, there needs to be an element of truth, whether that is from a historical, cultural, geographical or political aspect, if your story contains any of these.

 No reprints. Original stories only.

 Payment: Unfortunately, we are unable to provide a one time, upfront fee for your story. We will be offering a royalty percentage to those who are selected for the anthology.

 Please use Canadian or British spelling, no American spelling.

If you have further questions about the anthology please contact [email protected]

Publication: Fall 2019 (trade paperback & e-Book).

Via: Dark Dragon Publishing.