Events

Deadline: October 31st 2012 Payment: The first prize includes one round of professional editing of a novella or novel-length work. Bloody Parchment will publish an anthology of the top 13 finalists, to be released in anticipation of the 2013 SA HORRORFEST. Speaking of entries, I'm happy to announce that submissions for this year's competition are once again open. Details below. Feel free to mail me at [email protected] if you have any queries. Other than that, please follow the below submission guidelines. Closing date for this year's entries is October 31, 2012. The first prize includes one round of professional editing of a novella or novel-length work. Bloody Parchment will publish an anthology of the top 13 finalists, to be released in anticipation of the 2013 SA HORRORFEST. Submission guidelines: Email your entries to [email protected] as attached .rtf or .doc files and place : “Submission: Bloody Parchment 2012 – ” in the subject line. Standard manuscript format applies (Times New Roman, 12pt font; indented paragraphs; double spacing). Please include your contact details (full name, pen name, email address and telephone number if South African resident). This competition is open to South African and international entrants. Please be a darling and read our rules and regulations for the finer details. The competition is open until October 31, 2012. Winners will be notified by e-mail, and announced on the HORRORFEST websites: http://www.horrorfest.info/ http://www.shadowrealminc.com/ Submission guidelines: Impress us. We do not claim to know what makes the perfect story, but as we are the judges and we get to choose the winner, it's only fair that we give some idea what we are looking for. In short, we are going to give the prize to the story that impresses us most and irritates us least. We don't think we're particularly irritable but with a...

Deadline: Submissions open until November 1st, 2012 Payment: £10 per story + contributor paperback copy + profile on Anachron Press site. We are now accepting submissions for a new horror/weird anthology ‘Urban Occult’. This will explore the seedier side of towns and cities. The dark places that aren’t known to just everyone. Places that exist inside abandoned buildings, underground clubs, or perhaps Aunt Mavis’ 23rd floor apartment. We are looking for stories that deal with the human side to occult practices. What happens when it goes wrong? What happens when it goes right? What eldritch beings are called up, and for what nefarious purpose? What takes a seemingly ordinary, well-adjusted character into the realms of the occult? Stories that grab us could show us a different side to the occult, how it affects society or families, or how others perceive those involved. We aren’t necessarily looking for gore-based horror, but a deeper, more psychological, unsettling ‘weird’. Inevitably when we describe these things you can look at H.P Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith or Brian Lumley for inspiration. But also look at writers like Dennis Wheatley, or even famed occultists such as Aleister Crowley and Anton Szandor LeVay. You could explore the dark rumours surrounding Rasputin and Dr John Dee. There’s a lot of unanswered and unasked questions surrounding these kinds of people that would be ripe to explore. For film inspiration you’ve got such movies as: The Ninth Gate, The Exorcist, Angel Heart, The Serpent and The Rainbow etc. The only main stipulation is that the story must be set in the modern era and an urban setting. Perhaps use your local town as inspiration. What is weird, or unexplained in your local area? Do you have odd buildings that have a bizarre history, or a notorious family/business/individual? Hook your weird...

Deadline: November 1st 2012 Payment: $15.00, plus a contributor’s copy I’m delighted to announce that I’ll be the editor of the anthology, ZIPPERED FLESH 2: More Tales of Body Enhancements Gone Bad, now open for submissions until Nov.1, 2012 (or until full). Publication is tentatively scheduled for early 2013. The book will be published by Smart Rhino Publications. Distribution will be through Amazon, the Smart Rhino Web site (smartrhino.com), and other outlets. The book will also be available for Kindle. Copies will be made available to reviewers as well. What I’m Looking For: ZIPPERED FLESH 2: More Tales of Body Enhancements Gone Bad seeks dark or supernatural stories in which body enhancements play pivotal roles in the plots. Don’t just toss a body enhancement into the story; the enhancement must be a critical element in the plot. Stories do not necessarily have to be straight horror (chilling stories are preferred, however), but they must have a supernatural or speculative element that fits the theme of the anthology. My definition of “body enhancement” is broad—not just the body art and body piercings that immediately come to mind. Anything that enhances the body is fair game: artificial limbs, bionic eyes, cochlear implants, pacemakers, dentures, breast implants, you name it. Even futuristic body enhancements can provide a story line. Please read the first ZIPPERED FLESH anthology to see which body enhancements have already been covered. I'm not likely to accept another story about tattoos, hair transplants, hearing aids, or any of the other topics tackled in the first book. Stretch your imaginations, folks. Surprise me! The more unusual and creepy, the better. What I’m NOT Looking For: While this is an R-rated anthology, please no stories involving graphic rape, child molestation, or animal torture. No gratuitous sex—if you include sexual content, make sure...