Deadline: Febraury 28th, 2022
Payment: a flat fee of between $30 and $50 USD will be offered.
Theme: Speculative fiction that takes place in the wild west that has at least one main character belongs to the LGBTQ+ spectrum

I’ve written a Queer Weird West novel, titled Writ in Blood – and frankly I just haven’t had enough yet! Hence this call for submissions to a new anthology titled Queer Weird West Tales.

This hybrid subgenre requires three elements:

• Queer: At least one main character belongs to the LGBTQ+ spectrum, defined in whatever way seems natural to them.
• Weird: The story contains a speculative fiction element, drawing on fantasy, horror, or science fiction.
• West: The setting is the Old West – or the time and place of any other frontier.

If that strikes a creative chord with you, here are the details:

• Editor: Julie Bozza
• Content: Fiction and narrative nonfiction welcome.
• Sexual encounters are welcome, and can be explicit, but the focus must remain on character and story.
• Similarly, violence and the results thereof can be vividly described, but should always serve the story.
• Word count: Between 3,000 and 10,000 words.
• Royalties: A flat fee of between $30 and $50 USD will be offered.
• Deadline: Submissions due by 28 February 2022, either directly or via Duotrope.
• Publication: Planned for July 2022, in eBook and paperback formats.
• Enquiries: [email protected]

I would be happy to hear about what you have in mind for your submission, and to talk through any queries or concerns you might have along the way.

If you’re interested in my credentials, I’m proud to have edited the anthologies A Pride of Poppies (2015) and A Certain Persuasion (2016) for Manifold Press.

I’m looking forward to reading your bodacious tales!

Ideas and Inspiration…

If you’re looking to ponder the possibilities, here’s a random list of watching and reading material, both fiction and non. If you have other examples, I’d love to hear about them!

Wynonna Earp TV series for weird and queer content (hurrah!) in a contemporary Western setting. (Wikipedia, Bella Books article)

Godless TV limited series for women-centric and queer content in an Old West setting. (Wikipedia)

Cowboys & Aliens film for bringing science fiction to the Western. (Wikipedia)

Bone Tomahawk film for bringing horror to the Western. (Wikipedia)

“Bunfight at the O.K. Tea Rooms”, episode 512 of The Goodies, for weird (alternate history) content in a West (of England) setting. (Wikipedia) (Yes, all right, my tongue is mostly in my cheek re this recommendation. But honestly, when I was a kid I was, like, “The West…? They have cowboys in Cornwall?” That really puzzled the heck out of me. So, later on in my confused life, the Goodies just slayed me with their take on the notion.)

The Weird Wild West anthology for weird (and occasionally queer) content in (mostly) Old West settings. Editors: Misty Massey, Emily Lavin Leverett, and Margaret S. McGraw. (Goodreads)

The Buntline Special novel by Mike Resnick for a steampunk take on the Tombstone story, with Doc Holliday as the main character. (Goodreads)

“Love in Every Stitch” short story by me! A queer weird west tale available for free. (juliebozza.com)

“The Rise and Fall of the Western” article by Katie Moench on Book Riot. (bookriot.com)

“Under fire: how cinema’s new breed of cowboys are taking aim at the old west” article by Danny Leigh on The Guardian. (theguardian.com)

“Homosexuality in the American West” by Jim Wilke in San Francisco Frontiers magazine. (gayrodeohistory.org)

“Weird West” page on Wikipedia.

“Revisionist Western” page on Wikipedia.

“Frontier” page on Wikipedia.

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Banner: Images courtesy of Jr Korpa on Unsplash. Design by me. This is not the final cover art! Though I have to admit I kind of love it…

Via: Julie Bozza.