Deadline: December 10, 2018
Payment: $5 for flash fiction (100-1,000 words); $10 for short fiction (1,001-10,000 words).
Note: Reprints Welcome
Note from the editor: While the anthology doesn’t fit squarely in the horror genre, we accept (and encourage) dark fantasy, and based on the 3 stories we’ve already accepted, there will definitely be a lot of horror elements sprinkled throughout. I’d love to have more horror authors submit!

Neon Druid: An Anthology of Urban Celtic Fantasy

Neon Druid is a forthcoming collection of fantastical tales set in cities of the past, present, and future, where the mischievous gods, goddesses, and monsters of Celtic mythology intermingle with unsuspecting mortals.

• Deadline: December 10th, 2018
• Payment: short stories = $10, flash stories = $5
• Reprints welcome.

Please read the submission guidelines below very carefully before submitting.

This anthology is open for submissions until December 10th, 2018.

All stories must be between 100 and 10,000 words. (Story title not included in word count.)

Writers will be paid a token, flat payment of $10 US for short stories (1,001 – 10,000 words) and $5 US for flash stories (100 – 1,000 words).

Writers may submit 1 short story OR up to 2 flash stories.

Stories must meet ALL of the following theme/genre criteria:

• Urban. Stories must take place in an urban setting, whether that’s 18th-century Boston, modern-day Dublin, or 28th-century Edinburgh. The time period is irrelevant. The important thing is that the city (or town) has a presence in your story and influences the behaviors of your characters.

• Celtic. Stories must take place in a world where Celtic* mythology is woven into the fabric of reality. Think Percy Jackson, but instead of Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Hades, and Heracles kicking about, you’ve got Lugh, Lir, Balor of the Evil Eye, Brigid, and Fionn mac Cumhail. Instead of gorgons and centaurs you’ve got banshees and selkies. You get the idea. (*Irish mythology, Scottish mythology, Welsh mythology, Cornish mythology, Manx mythology, and Breton mythology are all included under that “Celtic” umbrella.)

• Fantasy. This one’s pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll just add that dark fantasy is both allowed and encouraged. Cities can be wondrous havens of knowledge and enlightenment as well as decrepit dens of debauchery, so feel free to explore the full spectrum! Sex, drugs, violence, explicit language, etc. are fine provided they serve the story/reflect the mythology and aren’t used gratuitously.

Submit each story with the subject line NEON DRUID: [“Story Title”] – [Author Name] to [email protected]. (If submitting two flash stories, please send two separate emails.) Attach your story as a .DOC, .DOCX., or .RTF. Shunn manuscript format preferred. Please include the title and word count of your story in the body of the email as well as a third-person bio.

Typical response time: > 2 weeks.

We accept stories (written in English*) from writers anywhere in the world. *Original stories written in Celtic languages — Irish, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, etc. — will also be considered for acceptance provided their writers include English translations. (And yes, we’ll pay you for both versions!)

Writers need a Paypal account in order to receive payment.

Simultaneous submissions welcomed and encouraged. (Just give us a heads up if your story is accepted elsewhere!)

Mt. Misery Press will compile accepted stories in an anthology, Neon Druid, and publish in ebook, paperback (print on demand), and audio formats. We will continue to sell the anthology in these formats indefinitely.

Note: There will be no formal contract — by submitting you agree to give us first worldwide rights and electronic media rights for your original fiction (or non-exclusive reprint rights for reprints). You, the author, will continue to own the story: we’re just asking for the rights necessary to publish it in our anthology’s digital, print, and audio formats.

In addition to the token payment, all authors will receive a digital copy of the anthology prior to publication.

Sláinte!

Via: Mt. Misery Press.