Title: The Cellar Door – Issue #4: After Tomorrow

Theme: Looking for post-apocalyptic suspense and horror stories about how mankind has come to survive after our near annihilation. Humorous stories are welcome. No AI-generated stories.

Type: Post-apocalyptic, thriller/suspense, survival horror, creature feature, supernatural/paranormal.

• Word Count: 2,000 – 10,000 words.
• Payment: $25.00 + digital & paperback copies.
• Featured Author: TBA
• Accepted Authors (so far): Danielle Davis, Nik Patrick.
• Cover Art: Mikio Murakami
• Rights: We are seeking first time rights for 1 year after publication. After that time all rights revert back to the author. The publication will appear in both print and digital formats.
• Reprints: None. Previously unpublished only.
• Multiple Submissions: None.
• Simultaneous Submissions: Yes, but state in your email that it is a simultaneous submission, and please email us immediately if the story is sold elsewhere. Also, be sure to follow the Manuscript Format guidelines below when submitting.
• File Format: Include your story as an attachment in MS Word, LibreOffice, or Rich Text Format.
• Manuscript Format: Use the Modern or Classic Shunn Format. Include a short bio in the body of your email. Your subject line should read, AT Submission: (“Title”) by (Author’s Name). For Example, AT Submission: “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury. Attach the story as a separate document.
• Response Time: 4 weeks after submissions close, if not sooner.
• Submission Period: July 1 – 31, 2023.
• Send Submissions to: darkpenpress (at) gmail (dot) com

Influential Movies/TV: A Quiet Place, Monsters, 28 Days/Weeks Later, Fury Road, It Comes at Night, Stake Land, Pandorum, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Snowpiercer, Zombieland, The Road, Sweet Home (TV), The Rain (TV), The Last of Us (TV).
Influential writings/series: Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey, Wayward Pines Trilogy by Blake Crouch, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, Swan Song by Robert R. McCammon, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, The Girl With All the Gifts by Mike Carey, Bird Box by Josh Malerman.