Originally, Samhain marked the beginning of Winter in Gaelic Ireland. It was believed that the Lord of the Underworld walked the earth during Samhain, along with all his cohorts: ghosts, spirits, fairies, and many other creatures. How can you use this pagan holiday in your character’s lives? How can you bring a phantom into your story? Will the phantom be the lover come back from the dead? A new lover? Will your hero and heroine battle wraiths in the night? Will your characters face a seance? There’s a wide berth here. Have fun. Again, setting and tone are highly important. Samhain or one of its variants must be involved.

For more information on Samhain and its respective variations, check out this article.

• • We love diversity in all its forms. 

• • We love strong women with agency.

• • We enjoy historical, contemporary, and even futuristic tales. 
  • We appreciate lyrical prose and elevated storytelling, along with high-concept themes.

• • We most definitely want a good romance, which means a Happily Ever After or a Happy for Now ending.

• • • We are NOT looking for erotica or horror. 
  • Editors may request revisions.

• If you’re wondering what kinds of stories we’re looking for, we advise you to take a look at 2018’s anthology, Once Upon the Longest Night, which released on the winter solstice, 12.21.18. 

• • The work submitted must not have appeared in print or online anywhere before. We do not accept reprints, multiple submissions, or simultaneous submissions.

• • We do not accept fanfic.

• • All submissions must be in English.

• • Follow industry standard format, minus identifying information. We prefer Times New Roman, 12-pt font, double spaced. Use italics for emphasis, smart/curly quotes, and em dashes, not double hyphens.
• Your story should be in DOC or DOCX format.
• Your work will be instantly rejected if it does not meet our word-count length, does not contain a thread of romance, or does not meet the above guidelines.

Title: CLOSED TO SUBMISSIONS. Once Upon An Enchanted Forest: An Anthology of Romantic Witchcraft Stories

What would lurk in your enchanted forest?

The autumnal equinox, magical/witchcraft elements, and romance must be included in some manner, but remember that you have a ton of material to pull from. From the Celtic Connection: Druids call this time of year Mabon, Mea’n Fo’mhair, and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest. Various other names for this Wiccan Sabbat are The Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Feast of Avalon, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega, Italian), Alben Elfed (Caledonii), or Cornucopia. The Teutonic name, Winter Finding, spans from the Sabbat to Oct. 15th, or Winter’s Night, known as the Norse New Year. (“Information Categories.” What Is Wicca?, wicca.com/celtic/akasha/mabon.htm.)