Deadline: March 31st, 2020
Payment: .05 per word

Since 2010, Mocha Memoirs Press’s mission is to amplify marginalized voices in the areas of speculative fiction (science fiction, horror, and fantasy).

SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire will follow the steps of our previous published bestseller anthologies An Improbable Truth: The Paranormal Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Black Magic Women: Terrifying Tales by Scary Sisters (A Bram Stoker nominee).

What we are looking for: Vampires have been around in the horror genre for centuries. We are looking to tell a different vampire story. Ones where they may sparkle, but it is a dark one. This call is seeking unpublished short stories that tell stories of the vampire noire, the black vampire. We want stories of vampire hunters, of anti-vampiric heroes/heroines, and more. If you can take the story out of westernized culture, we’d love to see those, too! We want stories that speak of inclusivity. So, if your vampire is disabled or suffers from an alignment, send those stories too. LGBTQ+ stories are also encouraged. To point, we want stories from the African diaspora.

If you do not follow the guidelines, your submission will be deleted unread. Seriously, read the guidelines. Follow them.
Upon results of a successful crowdfunding campaign, we will pay HWA pro-rate of .05 per word for publication for First World Rights.

Still interested? Here are the guidelines.
• Stories for this anthology must be original (no reprints or previously published material), no more than 5,000 words in length, and must satisfy the theme of the anthology, meaning the protagonist must from the African Diaspora. Remember, this entire anthology is dedicated to stories of the black vampire. They can be in space, superheroes, but they must be from the African Diaspora.
• Manuscripts should be in Shunn manuscript format, meaning double-spaced, 12pt font, standard margins on top, bottom and sides, and pages numbered. Please use Times New Roman font. The first page should include the Title of the story, Author’s name, address, and email, and Pseudonym if different from the author’s real name. Italics and bold should be in italics and bold.
• Attach the story in either .docx, .doc, and send it to mochamemoirspress AT gmail.com
• Subject: SLAY Submission: Title of Short story-Author Name
• Save your File as STORY TITLE-AUTHOR NAME

Here is our list of don’t:
• No revenge stories.
• No erotica.
• No underage sex with minors, or racist rants/racist storylines.

DEADLINE and TIMELINE:
• The deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2020.
• Decisions on stories should be completed by the end of July 2020.