Events

Deadline: August 7th, 2020 Payment: $15 Theme: A horror anthology that focuses on people full of rage, not monsters Incendiary is a horror anthology that pushes aside the monsters and focuses on people. We're looking for fiction that carries some form of rage with it. An angry, bloody short story that will stay with us after we've read it. You can write about the serial killer next door (or be the serial killer). or the craziest car chase on open road. Every horror anthology editor wants to be unsettled, terrified, forced into insomnia, etc. We're no different, but I want to see what you can come up with by leaving the ghosts, demons, werewolves and other monsters aside and focusing on the dread that people and rage create. Think Rob Zombie's 31 or Mike Flanagan's Hush. Your story does not have to be home invasion, but it has to feature people and their use of rage in horror. There are things I don't want for this anthology: Revenge narratives Dark Sci-Fi Dark Fantasy Supernatural & Paranormal fiction Time travel narratives apocalypse/pandemic narratives Things I won't tolerate: Use of: Racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, pedophilia, necrophilia, rape, sexual abuse, bigotry, copywritten characters. Note: This is not a furry anthology and is not seeking furry fiction. The form accepts up to 3 files, meaning you can only submit up to 3 stories. use the same form for your submission. Deadline: August 7, 2020 Word Count: up to 5000  (a little over is fine, but don’t overdo it) Payment $15 per accepted story Via: Weasel Press's Submittable.

Deadline: August 7th, 2020 Payment: $10 Theme: Flash Fiction horror in the style of NoSleepReddit containing anthropomorphic animals as characters Deadline: August 7, 2020 Theme: Flash Fiction horror in the style of NoSleepReddit containing anthropomorphic animals as characters Word Count: up to 1000 words Payment: $10 per accepted story Editor: Weasel   Dread is an online horror furry magazine that focuses on flash fiction (1000 words or less). I am seeking short scenes of dreadfully frightening stuff containing anthropomorphic animals (humanized animals). I'm trying to create something along the lines of a furry No Sleep (see Reddit No Sleep for example stories). Suspension of disbelief is key. The story will have to feel real. Dread asks that stories be written in 1st person. Things I'm not looking for: Fantasy horror Sci-fi Horror Stories containing perspective shifts/narrator switches Stories told by god-like characters Stories from the perspective of inanimate objects, ghosts, or A.I. Outer Dimension stories/Time Travel/Post-Apocalypse/Pandemic fiction Essentially, I want this to feel like it's something that could happen in your apartment parking lot or the grocery store or anywhere we go. If your main character sees an unidentified monster or creature that's fine. If your main character time travels to the 1800s, that's not fine. If you want more insight on how NoSleep stories are written, I recommend reading some and checking out their rules section. https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/wiki/believability https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/ Notes on word count: I know 1000 words seems like it's not much. Most authors are looking at this and asking "how can I fit a whole story into 1000 words?" Think of it this way, you're focusing on a moment. Make good use of your title, and keep your characters limited. It can be done. There are loads of resources on writing flash fiction. There's even whole journals dedicated to...

Deadline: August 7th, 2020 Payment: 8 cents per word Theme: Original fantasy and dark fantasy stories. All types of fantasy and dark fantasy are welcome. Instructions for submitting to Fantasy Magazine follow. Please read everything on this page and read the magazine before submitting. SUBMISSION PROCEDURES Submission Periods: Fantasy is open to submissions the first week of every month (1st-7th). Please do not query about submitting outside our open submission periods. Anonymous Submissions: Fantasy only accepts anonymous submissions. Do not include your name, address, phone number, or other similar identifiers on the manuscript. All original short fiction, flash fiction, and poetry submissions will be read anonymously on first read: moving out of slush depends on the merits of the story alone. Please make sure the title is on the manuscript. Simultaneous and Multiple Submissions: We do not accept simultaneous submissions or multiple submissions. Please do not submit more than one set of poems at a time, more than one piece of flash fiction at a time, or more than one story at a time. You may, however, submit a single entry in each category at the same time: you can submit one batch of poems, one flash fiction piece, and one short story all at the same (or overlapping) time, and each category will be considered a separate submission. Instructions: All fiction must be submitted through our Moksha online submission system. Please do not email your submissions. If one of the Submission Type options is grayed out, that means we are currently closed to that Submission Type. Questions/Problems: Email [email protected] for all submission-related inquiries, or if you have any trouble using our online submission system. Please do not email your submissions to this address. All submissions must be submitted via our Moksha online submission system. Rejections/Response Times: Be aware that we expect to receive several hundred submissions during our submissions periods. As such, we cannot offer personalized feedback...

Deadline: August 14th, 2020 Payment: contributor's copy Theme: "The ultimate collection of robotic art and stories" When I was young, I spent a summer reading I, Robot by Issac Asimov, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Those two books formed the foundation of my fascination with the Science Fiction genre, and with those wonderfully diverse creatures, we call robots. Through the years, I’ve enjoyed the myriad of depictions of robots in books, art, and entertainment. So, when the ArtOrder team sat down to discuss our next themed book - it was no surprise that I pushed heavily for a robot theme. I want When Robots Dream to be the ultimate collection of robotic art and stories. I’m looking for images and stories that get out of the typical clichés and offer the fans something unique and exciting.  Jon Schindehette ArtOrder llc Founding Member The Jury When Robots Dream will be a book filled with amazing stories and art! To help us deliver on that promise, we have pulled together a stellar panel of jurors. Jean-Pierre Jeunet Jean-Pierre is an award-winning French film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films mix elements of fantasy, realism, and science fiction to create idealized realities or to give relevance to mundane situations. A former animator, his movies are marked by quirky, slapstick humor, alongside surrealist visuals. Jean-Pierre’s work in notable films such as Amélie and City of Lost Children certainly endeared him to us, but his love of robots and sci-fi won us over. Neil Clarke Neil is the editor of the Hugo and World Fantasy Award-winning Clarkesworld Magazine and several anthologies, including the Best Science Fiction of the Year series. He has been a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Editor (Short Form) eight times, won the Chesley Award for Best Art Director three times, and received the Solstice...

Deadline: August 15th, 2020 Payment: $20 for the first 3,000 words, then a 1/2 cent per word + print contributor’s copy Theme: The Wendigo Hunger. Insatiable hunger. Hunger that changes you…consumes you…turning you into a nightmare version of what you once were. Denver Horror Collective is looking for stories of the Wendigo. The point of view could be a person becoming the Wendigo, from a Wendigo, pursued by a Wendigo, or a witness to a Wendigo-esque situation unfolding. Submissions may cover cannibalism, lust, plague, war, anxiety, greed, power, or any topic a person or animal could become obsessed with. Read the Wiki on the Wendigo at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo, then feel free to think outside the box and let your imagination run wild. Submissions do not have to have characters turn into a literal Wendigo. Character(s) must go through some sort of a transformation due to the “hunger.” You do not have to use the term Wendigo. We just ask that authors use the core concept of the Wendigo as inspiration for their story. Please take a moment to read the KEY NOTES and all submission information below to ensure your story content and format fall within guidelines. DEADLINE: August 15, midnight WORD COUNT: 3,000-12,000 words (lower limit firm, query for longer) PAYMENT: $20 for the first 3,000 words, then a 1/2 cent per word + print contributor’s copy REPRINTS: No SIMULTANEOUS SUBMISSIONS: No MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: No (if you have more than one idea, you’re welcome to query as to which concept we would be more interested in) FORMAT: -Use the Shunn format ( https://www.shunn.net/format/classic/ ) with the following caveats: -12-point Times New Roman, Courier New, or Arial font -Use paragraph formatting for paragraph indents. Do not manually tab or space in. -No headers, footers, or page numbers SUBMISSION: -Submit in DOC, DOCX, or RTF...

Deadline: August 15th, 2020 Payment: $15 for short stories Theme: Gothic fiction for the 21st century. What we’re looking for: We’re looking for previously unpublished short stories that embrace and reimagine Gothic fiction for the 21st century. Compelling plots with a strong literary bend. Eerie atmosphere is key. Stories with Weird elements are welcome. You can’t have Gothic without a little bit of terror & horror… that being said, we are not a horror fiction magazine. Our previously published works will provide the best indication of what we are looking for. Our past issue is available for free here. What we’re not looking for: Stories that contain gruesome violence, gore, or explicit sexual content. Fantasy. Strong science fiction. True Crime. Word count: 1,500 – 6,500 words (though we keep an open mind) Rights: We want authors to retain all the rights to their work. We ask for non-exclusive rights, meaning you are free to take your work elsewhere even after we publish it. Payment: Upon publication, we currently pay $15 for short stories we publish. In this early stage, we acknowledge that this payment is merely a token; however, as we grow, increasing our compensation for writers is our highest priority. How to submit: Please submit your work to [email protected], using the subject line (Submission-). In the body of the email please include a very brief cover letter with a 1-3 sentence bio describing your relevant writing background. Please, only submit one work at a time. We will not consider multiple works submitted at once. Simultaneous submissions are accepted, but please let us know if your work is accepted elsewhere. Your submission should be: Double spaced In a standard font (Times New Roman) 12 pt. font PDF or .docx Word count on title page Timing: we do respond to submissions as quickly as we are able. Please allow at least five weeks for us to...

Deadline: August 15th, 2020 Payment: $5 USD Theme: "Most" Speculative fiction, read below for specifics. Note: Open only for women-identified authors. Simply follow the schedule below to be notified when we close and open for submissions. Criteria Luna Station Quarterly publishes speculative fiction written by women-identified authors. We think women write awesome characters and really cool stories and we want to show it to the world. We will consider stories submitted by any woman writer, regardless of experience or writing resume. If you consider yourself on the woman end of the gender spectrum in any significant capacity, you’re welcome here! Stuff we want: Fantasy Science Fiction Space Opera New Fairy Tales (not retellings) Some creepiness Stories that explore the nooks and crannies of an original world Big events from the everyman perspective Unique settings and storytelling forms Well written stories with strong characters Stuff we don’t want: Anything biased toward any religion, race or moral preference Extreme gore or sexual content, in particular no explicit rape or sexual assault. (everything in moderation) Bizarro fiction Poetry Fan Fiction (original stories only, please) Bad grammar/punctuation (please proofread and watch your sentence structure!) Plagiarism A further note about sex and violence in submissions. Science fiction has a long-standing tradition of pushing boundaries and asking difficult questions. It is meant to challenge us and ask us to look at ourselves and how we treat each other and the world around us. That said, LSQ is centered on uplift and so any story that contains explicit sexual situations or violence especially toward women will be considered more carefully than other stories and the content must be justified within the story’s arch. Format and Details Stories should be 500 to 7000 words in length. We may publish longer or shorter works, but the greater your story is...

Deadline: August 15th, 2020 Payment: $0.08 per word for original fiction. USD $100 per story for reprint fiction. Theme: Potential (and hopefully positive) futures that involve alternatives to modern day policing. Note: Reprints Welcome After the brutal murder of George Floyd by the police, the world responded in righteous protest, with cries of “Black Lives Matter.” The police responded to these calls in large part with even more brutality, with video after video emerging that showed an assault on the public. And more cries came forth, with calls to defund the police. But what’s that mean? Science Fiction writers, this is your call to arms. Give us your potential (and hopefully positive) futures that involve alternatives to modern day policing. We want stories that replace the police entirely, dramatically reform them, or create parallel systems to refocus policing. We’re also seeking alternate concepts of rehabilitation and punishment as well, more emphasis on the carrot. In a world where police are perpetually brandishing their batons, I think we’ve all seen enough sticks.   SUBMIT TO NO POLICE KNOW FUTURE Now, We know it may be difficult to think of a world without the police. They have been there all of our lives, in meticulous uniform, reinforced by countless movies. We recommend this article https://lifehacker.com/lets-abolish-the-police-force-184392… and this infographic at https://www.reddit.com/…/what_do_we_mean_when_we_say_defun…/ for inspiration. Story length is up to approximately 4,000 words for original fiction. We’re not going to reject something that stretches this limit out of hand, but know that the longer it gets, the harder a sell it becomes. Reprints can be up to 6,000 words. Most veins of SF welcome, with the exception of steampunk, dieselpunk or other SF that nestles us comfortably in a previous era. We are here now, in tumultuous times, and cannot go back. Let’s face a possible, achievable future bravely....

Deadline: August 15th, 2020 Payment: £10 Theme: Open to: LGBTQIA and POC Note: Payment: £10 and ebook Theme: Dante’s Inferno Closing Date: 15th August 2020 Open to: LGBTQIA and POC Length: 3-5k The Infernal Clock is the side-project of Stephanie Ellis and David Shakes. After a year’s break, they are bringing it back with the Inferno edition. Stories have been by invite but we are opening up 9 spaces to members of the LGBTQIA and POC communities only in order to be more representative. The theme is Dante's Inferno and each story will be set in one of the circles or the passages to/between circles.  Whilst there are nine circles, there are a number of rings - or pouches - within each circle so there is a lot of scope. How you interpret your chosen circle/ring is up to you, eg it could be set below in the Inferno itself, it could focus on a particular sin, or you could recreate this hell actually on earth.  We are particularly interested in stories set in the Second and Eighth Circles as we do not have any of these yet, although you are welcome to write in the other circles as well. Stories need to be dark (but with the usual boundaries against extremes and gratuity) and 3-5k with flexibility, although we would prefer 4k. Stories must be submitted in standard manuscript format as .doc or .docx to [email protected]. No multiple or simultaneous submissions. No reprints. Payment will be by paypal on publication. If you have any queries please contact us at the above email address.

Deadline: August 16th, 2020 Payment: €20 and a contributors copy Theme: A story about an interruption When the internet cuts off, when the light goes out as you sit down to read, when the heart doesn't beat, when a heart doesn't beat for you, when the visa is rejected, when the binary breaks, when you fall in love, when two worlds collide, when — we pause this program for an important announcement — a dog barks (the autoplay ad starts) when the lightning strikes the picnic the stranger asks for directions the rain starts the statue of the slave trader hits the water when the the rain ends when a missile — Submissions to FU Review Issue 9 are open until August 16. *** ​ All published authors will be paid €20 and receive a print copy of Issue 9. ​ The FU Review publishes prose, poetry, nonfiction, and English-language translations. There is no word-count limit, but please submit no more than 5 poems or 2 prose pieces. Via: FU Review.