Events

Deadline: January 1st, 2017 Payment: $500 and 3 contributor's copies The intoxication from a pint of vodka, the electric buzz from snorting cocaine, the warm embrace from shooting heroin – drinking and drugging provides the height of human experience. It’s the promise of heaven on earth, but the hell that follows is a constant hunger, a cold emptiness. The craving to get high is a yearning not unlike that of any other blood-thirsty monster. The best way to tell these truths of addiction is through a story, and dark truths such as these need a piece of horror to do them justice. It’s with great enthusiasm that I invite submissions to an addiction-themed horror anthology with an expected spring/summer 2017 publication date.  Garden of Fiends is the working title. Submissions should be from 16k to 25k words. The publisher will have one title in the anthology, and from 3 to 4 additional works will be included. Characters should be individuals and not caricatures, and the substance use should ring true with verity of terms and modes of transmission. Any type of substance can be featured, including alcohol, with any point of view. There does not have to be an anti-drug message, and addiction can just be part of the setting (a drug dealer, for example) but should be a major part of the conflict.  Some compassion for the plight of addiction is preferred, but the insidious nature of both addict and addiction should certainly shine through. The publisher is a recovering addict/alcoholic who has worked in the field of addiction for 20 years. Supernatural elements are welcome. Blood, guts and gore only if it is part of the story. Powerful emotions and visceral elements are expected. Nothing is too challenging or controversial. Tropes such as zombies, werewolves, and vampires are...

Deadline: January 1st, 2017 Payment: $50 upon acceptance and an equal share of profits from sales Note: The deadline was JUST extended so some of the dates below haven't been updated to reflect that as of yet. Pine Float Press is pleased to open a solicitation for its latest anthology project, PALOOKAVILLE. Powell Heights has always kept its distance from the City. The town, half an hour away from the Federal Penitentiary and the State Hospital and twenty minutes by train from the City, has made a handy living from crime since Vincenzo “Pretty Vinnie” Buonatesta muscled his way into defacto ownership of the prison during his incarceration and rebuilt the town as a place where his crew and hangers-on could regroup and live out from under the eye of the law. The locals started to call their town “Palookaville.” The name stuck, changing from a mark of shame to a badge of pride as more Mob soldiers and the freelance muscle that served the growing ranks of supervillains settled in the town and the town grew to accommodate their needs. They left the struggles of their workaday world in the City for the most part, blowing off steam on the Boardwalk or mixing it up in the roving barfight by the docks and then going home to their families. They felt secure in Palookaville, knowing that they were as close to invisible and untouchable as anyone could be in a world where the gods walked and titans battled in the skies. Untouchable and invisible until Gaia of the Five Freedoms was found dead in Buonatesta Park. PALOOKAVILLE, tenatively scheduled for release in Q4 of 2016, is a blue-collar supervillain antholology set in the shadows of the superheroic world. Second-string criminals, masked mooks and clued-in henchmen leave the stresses of the criminal world behind and live “normal lives,” until the outside world muscles its way in. Fortunately, the citizens of Palookaville know all about muscling in. THE DREARY, PEDESTRIAN...

Deadline: January 30th, 2017 Payment: Unannounced Royalty Split Note: The publisher's online presence has been removed. Dense Weed Publications is putting together an anthology of horror shorts and looking for submissions. The stories can be any length up to ten thousand words. That doesn’t mean you have to aim for that figure. If you can tell a good horror story in one hundred words, that is equally acceptable. The story can be about anything and take place in any setting, as long as it contains a strong element of horror; be it psychological, body, gore or monster based. We’re aiming for a broad range. The only absolute no-no is zombies unless it’s a pre-Romero Haitian/voodoo style zombie story. Post-Romero, Walking Dead type zombie stories will just be binned. Really. Don’t bother. We are completely zombied out and frankly, you can do better than that! Pitch stories using contact form or send completed stories to [email protected] Deadline: January 30th, 2017, for publication late Spring 2017. To be sold via Amazon, Smashwords and as a limited run of paperbacks. Terms of submission is “About” section. Via: Dense Weed Publications.

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: $20 Please don't query us about your story submission. We don't have the manpower to answer such queries. An editor will email you back as soon as possible with the decision about your story. This can take a few days, or, up to three months. We make every effort to get back to authors in a timely manner but we get a lot of submissions so sometimes it's not possible. A note on our editorial policy: before publication we may edit the story for length or readability. However, we always remain true to the spirit of the story. Issues are published at the end of February, May, August, and November. We reserve the right to shift publication date slightly, as necessary. We have reading periods for each issue, though we never close to submissions. February closes January 15 May closes April 15 August closes July 15 November closes October 15 Please do not submit the same story more than once, and please submit only one story at a time. We consider any story between 250 and 7000 words with speculative fiction elements. We prefer science fiction, fantasy, and the macabre, but we're willing to push the limits of traditional forms of these genres. We do not consider poetry, stories with over-the-top sex or violence, serials, novels, fan fiction, or non-fiction. We don't accept multiple submissions; in other words, only submit one story at a time and wait for a response before submitting another. We accept simultaneous submissions as long as you let us know up front and tell us as soon as it's accepted elsewhere. We do not publish reprints, including anything that has appeared on a website. We pay $20 for each story we publish. We buy first-printing world exclusive rights for four months....

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: Contributor's Copy As part of the Nosetouch Press ongoing short fiction contest, we are looking for ghost stories of all kinds in Round 2. Short stories (3,000 to 9,000 words) will be accepted until JANUARY 15, 2017. We will choose two winners. The first place winner will receive $10 and e-publication of their story on Nosetouchpress.com. The runner-up will also have e-publication on the website. The stories will remain online until the next round of winners is announced. Winning stories will be part of the upcoming ASTERISK ANTHOLOGY, to be published in twelve months. No reprints, please. Prose only. A paperback contributor’s copy will be provided to the winning contributors once the book is published. A signed contract will be required for publication online and in the anthology. Email entries to [email protected] .doc or .rtf format • Please state “Asterisk ANTHO-Round 2” in your subject line. One entry per person. Via: Nose Touch Press.

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: 6c/word Liminal is currently open for fiction submissions.  We'll close on January 15. Liminal is searching for stories of a particular tone and tenor, regardless of form.  We like stories that are strange and unsettling, sharp-edged and evocative.  Although we will consider any genre, we have a soft spot for weird fiction, magical realism, soft science fiction, and those uncategorizable stories that straddle the line between genres.  Liminal stories should linger in the mind and evoke emotion in the reader. We will consider stories up to 10,000 words, and pay 6c/word on publication. Liminal isn't a market for reprints, or non-fiction. We don't accept simultaneous or multiple submissions of fiction. Seeking Diverse Voices The editors of Liminal believe that fiction is enriched by diverse voices. We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of every nationality, race, sexual orientation, religion, and gender. How to Submit Send submissions in .DOC or .RTF format to [email protected]. Please use Submission:  as your subject line. Include your story's title and length in your cover letter. Don't stress over what to call us. We'll answer to Editors, Shannon and Kelly, or Ms. Peavey and Ms. Sandoval. Please use Standard Manuscript Format for all Liminal submissions.   Liminal Poetry Guidelines Liminal is currently open for poetry submissions. We'll close on January 15. Like its fiction, Liminal is searching for poems of a particular tone.  We like poems with strong imagery and precise language.  Fantastical elements are encouraged, but not required.  Some of the editor's favorite poets include, but are not limited to, Claudia Emerson, Jamaal May, Judy Jordan, Jack Gilbert, Ai, and David Kirby. We will consider poems of any length, and pay $50 per poem on publication. To submit, send 1-3 poems in DOC format with the subject line POETRY SUBMISSION: to [email protected]. If you include a...

Deadline: January 15th, 2017 Payment: MICRO FICTION: Drabbles are strictly 100 words. Titles should be no longer than 3 words. Paid $0.06USD per word. FLASH FICTION: 500 to 1000 words. Paid $0.02USD per word. SHORT STORIES: 1001 to 1500 words. Paid $0.03USD per word. SERIAL STORIES: Total word count 5000 to 10000. Needs to be engaging, completed, and last two or four issues. Stories that are action driven/have a pulp feel to them are preferred. Paid $0.03USD per word in segments. Helios Quarterly Magazine aims to publish quality fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and art that illuminates the darkness. HQM wants stories and poems that grab ahold of a reader from the opening lines all the way to the finish line. Works that push boundaries, are succinct, and well developed are smiled upon. UPCOMING ISSUE The final frontiers are populated with lawlessness and redemption. Science fiction is immersed in tales of those who have ventured to galaxies far far away, bringing home their stories and monsters from the infinite black abyss. The horror genre is filled with black widows, dark avengers, and holy warriors ready to fight against evil. Fantasy literature’s cornerstone is the gathering together of a band of strangers to set off on a grand adventure. Commercial Cosmonauts & Hired Guns wants stories that delve into various journeys of unwilling and daring adventurers. What propaganda forces these individuals to battle against the universe and formidable foes? What are the stories being left untold in these narratives dominated by the lone white male savior against the world? Open to submit between January 1- January 15 11:59PM EST FICTION, POETRY & NON-FICTION IDEAS A young woman is tasked with piloting the last airship containing seeds that will repopulate her dying world. An occult ritual gone haywire has forced a city boy to deal with demons closer to home...

Deadline: January 24th, 2017 Payment: Split Royalties Participating Poets so far: Josh Darling, Anais Chartschenko, John Kaniecki, Norbert Gora, Ashley Dioses, Erin Lee, Marian Finch, Xtina Marie and Le' Vian Dae. No set word count; up to 3 poems for submissions; must be dark poetry/anti-love Times New Roman Font 12 pt Please include real name and pen name in submission Deadline is January 24th For "'Til Death..." please send submissions to [email protected] Split Royalties for payment Via: Azoth Khem Publishing.

Deadline: January 30, 2017 Payment: 3 cents (CDN) per word What’s that rumbling sensation under your feet? Is it the subway train? Or perhaps the return of the Cabbagetown Monster? What ghosts lurk in the castle? Who whispers in the tunnels? What strange lights flicker in the windows of Casa Loma late at night? Those rolling patches of fog from Lake Ontario could be lake fog or perhaps they’re the ghosts who haunt the Legion Road streetcar stop? What lures the broken hearted to fling themselves from the Bloor Street viaduct? Why do they film so many horror movies in Hart House and other U of T properties? Is the lighthouse keeper on Toronto Island lonely even though he’s been dead for years? Who was buried between the walls at the old Sanctuary Vampire Sex Bar? If you’re familiar with the dark history of Toronto, you may know the answers to some of these questions. You may even be tempted to create some of your own. Dark Toronto is looking for fictional horror stories set in Toronto.  This anthology is open to anyone who can write a horror story about Toronto and make us feel like we’re there. Stories originally set in Boston or Dublin and transposed to Toronto, will be easy to spot. There are many unique characteristics about Toronto. There are many creepy, dark, and strange places that may or may not harbour creatures of the night. So be certain you’re intimate with the setting before you submit. Toronto The Good? Dark Toronto aims to bury that nickname. At the bottom of Lake Ontario. Where many of the city’s skeletons rest. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 3000 to 6000 words. 12 pt Times New Roman, Standard Manuscript Format  Please include name, mailing address, and word count on page 1 of manuscript Email...

Deadline: January 31st, 2017 Payment: .03CAD per word and 2 contributor's copies As long-time readers and authors involved with MMP know, our annual anthology project takes a seed story or concept from the history of Weird Fiction and allows that seed to grow in strange and interesting new ways. We encourage our authors to unshackle themselves from the standard tropes that can weigh down the imagination and move into truly authentic dimensions of fear, awe, and cosmic wonder. We want to see the Weird move with confidence into the 21st Century, and want our authors to share that commitment. For A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession, the seed story will be H P Lovecraft’s classic The Colour Out of Space. This is easily one of his best works, and will be included in the anthology. Colour presents many interesting entry points into our theme of unusual possession: the titular entity — an unknown, sentient being from beyond the stars that manifests as an unearthly, unplaceable hue — is released from a fallen meteorite and proceeds to infect and alter everything around it. The earth, plants, animals, and humans within its sphere of malign influence change and suffer. The Colour pollutes the ground water like a common toxic spill, yet also spreads like radiation. It appears to be a brute force of nature, affecting its surroundings on the molecular and genetic levels, but can also attack specific individuals with something approaching intelligence, inhabiting their minds and reducing them to shambling wrecks both physically and mentally. A Breath from the Sky: Unusual Stories of Possession will offer the reader just that: tales that subvert and challenge the common ideas of what it means to be “taken over” by something that is not yourself. We do not want to see...