Events

Deadline: June 15th 2015 Payment: £10 and contributor's copy Frost pierces through everything. Your bones ache in the icy wind. Harsh winter storms rage and the sun is leaving, not to return for many months. Winter seems to never end. There is however beauty and magic. The snow covered pine trees reaching for the sky, the green northern lights dancing over the mountains, the wolf packs howling at the moon, and the snow crystals glinting like stars in the pale moonlight. When the temperatures drop, people and creatures gather around the camp fires to share warmth, friendship and tales, to chase away the frost and try to ignore the terrifying creatures lurking in the darkness. We are now collecting winter tales, to drive away the grim winter and bring you the wonders and magic of the season. Fox Spirit Books will publish the Winter Tales anthology in the beginning of 2016. The anthology will be edited by Margrét Helgadóttir. We want unusual and elegant speculative fiction stories with full plot and strong characters. We are seeking diversity. The stories can be light with a touch of romance or humour, or dark and terrifying. Stories about creatures, monsters, animals and shapeshifters are welcome. The stories can be within speculative subgenres such as the weird, fables or folkloric, magical realism, adventure, dystopian, cyberpunk, mystery or fantastic, but we ask that the stories take place on Earth and have the winter as frame. Poetry is welcome. We are not looking for nonfiction or fanfiction. We are not looking for satire, erotica, paranormal romance, splatter or overly gory stories. Submission details Submission deadline: June 15th 2015. Response will be given by end of October 2015 at the latest. The manuscript must be written in English. Stories should be 1500 words up to 7500 words. Any stories below or above this will not be considered, with the exception of poems which should be no longer...

Deadline: June 15th, 2015 Payment: $5 a story, plus a share of royalties. With a hearty mwaa haaa haaa and a swagger….we’re looking for villains. Dress them in black or tie dye or frilly pink tulle, but these villains need to be seriously bad. We are looking for tales of truly badass dark lords and ladies. We’re not talking about the guys who stand around monologueing to let the hero win. We’re talking smart dark lords who don’t keep incompetent minions around. Comedy is completely acceptable, as long as it doesn’t detract from the villain’s ability to be a total badass. Genres include:  Science fiction, Fantasy, Steampunk, Cyberpunk, Weird West, Romance, Alternate History Reprints are acceptable Multiple submissions are acceptable, but please wait until we have given a decision on the first story before you submit the second. Simultaneous submission are okay. If you learn you are accepted elsewhere, please let us know as soon as possible. Poetry and art are acceptable. Payment for these will be the same as for the stories. Story length is up to 7,000 words What we don’t want: No fanfic. Characters must be of your own invention. Keep it PG-13. Swearing and violence are encouraged, but keep it within limits that a teen could read. No erotica. Document Formatting: Submissions should be formatted in standard manuscript formatting: double-spaced, 12 point Courier or Times New Roman font, with indentations for paragraphs. Any improperly-formatted manuscripts will be rejected. File Format: We accept .rtf or .doc files only. Send to the publisher, WolfSinger Publications at [email protected] . Title your email:  DARK LORDS AND LADIES (Name of your Story) If you ever send us a virus, we will never accept a submission from you again. Submission Period: March 15 to June 15, 2015. Submissions sent prior to this...

Deadline: June 21st 2015 Payment: 3 Prizes Note: Sorry for the late posting, was just linked this one By Cyberjunkie (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons Quite often it can take ages to find the image for the next month's contest. This month's proved an exception. I'm sure that you'll agree that this is quite an awesome door! It might be a bit much for my house but it does make a good piece for inspiring June's contest submissions. I wonder what lies behind that door... As always the stories can be of any genre. They just have to be inspired by this month's image and no more than 500 words. Entry to the contest remains free and there are prizes for the three winners. I will also feature any of the stories that don't win but I believe are worth showcasing on this blog. First prize is a £50 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize Second prize is a £20 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize Third prize is a £10 Amazon gift card or PayPal prize The money for the prizes come out of my own pocket, although I do make a little from advertising on this blog. So if you see something of interest then feel free to click on the links and purchase away! If you haven't tried my books yet then check them out at the top of the page, as well as buying a good read you'll be helping this contest. Please make sure to check your story for typos before submitting. I don't mind a few errors, but my enjoyment of a story is diminished if I have to wade through too many. I'll post the winning entries by July 1st 2015. As with everything in life there are a few rules: Only one...

Deadline: June 23, 2015 Payment: For short stories, pay is $7 per story; According to Genesis 4:16, after Cain murdered his brother Abel, God exiled him to the Land of Nod, which was east of Eden. Not much else is known about this land, but Nod is said to mean “wanderer” in Hebrew. The garden gnomes believe this is where evil began. Maybe under a yew tree. No one knows where Cain found a wife or someone to mother his children, but in Genesis 4:17, Cain had a son and named him Enoch. Cain then built a city and named the city Enoch to honor his son. From the birth of Enoch to the flood that destroyed the earth, if the Biblical math is correct, there was a span of at least 1,500 years. Let’s assume the Land of Nod was a huge place that didn’t disappear until the flood. Pick a period any time between Cain’s exile and the flood and tell the stories of characters in the Land of Nod. Without using characters in the Bible, tell a story set in the Land of Nod. It can be any kind of story as long as it involves an element of speculation. Bonus points for weirdness of various kinds. Make us believe in evil. Do aliens live in the Land of Nod? Do they abduct warrior women defending the city of Enoch and rape and torture them? Or perhaps the mayor of a village develops a crippling disease and discovers how to prevent it from spreading by performing genetic experiments on himself. Do one of the Nephilim desert the angels of God and plot to destroy the plan to impregnate the daughters of men? What kind of weapons do the primitives own? Do they dwell in caves? Are there...

Deadline: June 30th, 2015 Payment: £20 per 1000 words, up to a maximum of £100 Mark Morris says: “I’m pleased to announce that THE 2ND SPECTRAL BOOK OF HORROR STORIES is now open to submissions! Stories can be any length (though the preferred length is 2000-8000 words) and payment is £20 per 1000 words, up to a maximum of £100, which means that if you submit a story that’s over 5000 words it will be on the understanding that you’ll be giving us those additional words for free. The closing date for submissions is June 30th, and the book will be launched at FantasyCon in October. Due to the volume of stories I’m expecting to receive over the next few months it may take a while for me to get back to you, and my responses may, by necessity, be brief (I have my own writing deadlines to meet, after all).PLEASE NOTE: NO MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS AND NO REPRINTS!! All submissions should be sent to [email protected] and stories should be double-spaced in a clear, readable font. There’s no theme for the anthology – all I’m looking for are well-written, original, disturbing stories that push my buttons. If you want further clues as to the kinds of stories I like, I recommend you buy and read a copy of the inaugural volume of THE SPECTRAL BOOK OF HORROR STORIES, which is available from Spectral Press. Thanks – and good luck!” Via: Spectral Press.

Deadline: June 30th, 2015 Payment: $5.00 per story Fey Publishing is looking to put together an anthology of the most disturbing horror stories imaginable. Whether it’s about creatures who go bump in the night or those who walk around in plain daylight with evil lurking in their minds, we want them. Almost anything goes. Serial Killers. Psychopaths. Monsters. Zombies like you've never seen them before. Carnage. Cannibalism. Hell, even horror erotica. It can be bizarre, it can be realistic. Doesn’t matter. Let your twisted brain go wild on this one. However, we do have to put in a few restrictions.   Anything that we can’t publish on Amazon without risk of it getting yanked, we just can’t do it. Sorry folks, those are the rules. Length: Up to 10,000 words. No minimum, but beware that flash fiction has to be pretty damn good to get our attention. No longer than 10,000 words please. Selection: We will choose 10-13 stories for inclusion. Pay: $5.00 per story. There will be an editor’s choice winner that will get placed at the front of the book and they will get paid a small bonus. So make those stories good. Considerations: While we won’t restrict certain topics, be aware that violence against women and children isn’t something we will take lightly, especially if it’s only being used for shock value. Same can be said about any violence, including animal abuse. While yes, we are looking for dark, disturbing tales, we also want well-written stories that scare on a deeper level than simply by resorting to shocking violence. A solid story is paramount to getting accepted into this anthology. Deadline: June 30th, 2015. Publication Date: September 2015 Note: Fey Publishing does not require exclusive rights. If the piece has been published elsewhere, include permission from original...

Deadline: June 30th, 2015 Payment: Contributor's Copy Note: Charity Anthology A Tiny Thousand Knives, due for release 2016, featuring a fantastic cover by Luke Spooner and edited by Pauline E Dungate, will be an anthology aimed at raising funds for and awareness of the terrible condition Endometriosis, which affects millions of women worldwide. We are looking for short stories (horror/body horror), diaries, memories, poetry, all about the experience of pain, preferably feminine pain, the emotions related to this condition and the female experience as a whole. Use your imagination but so long as there is the attempt to raise awareness about the Endometriosis experience it will fit the guidelines. Guidelines Word count for stories should be between 2,000 and 6,000 words, with an ideal length: 4,000-5,000 words.< For all other formats, maximum word length is 5,000 words./li> Please follow standard manuscript format and under no circumstances use the Tab key or the Space Bar to indent your paragraphs. Either do not indent at all or use MS Word’s built in features to do so. Submissions should be .doc, .docx, or .rtf format, typed in Courier or Times New Roman, size 12. Include your full name, address, email address and telephone number at the beginning of the manuscript. Send to [email protected] with the subject line “SURNAME/TINY/WORDCOUNT”. Authors will retain copyright. Multiple submissions up to a maximum of two stories per author can be submitted. We will write to you within approximately four to eight weeks of the submission deadline to let you know if you have been successful. Payment A contributors copy of the book. Via: Knightwatch Press.

Deadline: June 30, 2015 Payment: 3 cents per word Another Dimension Magazine is the evolution of Wily Writers Speculative Fiction Podcast. It has a more focused theme, that of classic-style Horror and Dark Fantasy, as seen on the television shows Night Gallery and The Twilight Zone, produced and often written by Rod Serling. We are doing blatant homage to these wonderful contributions to these genres. We'll release issues quarterly in both text and audio formats. What We're Looking For We've identified elements that we're looking for in the stories we'll buy: An interesting and well-thought-out lead character, first and foremost. Supernatural elements or alternate reality/history. The genres of either Horror or Dark Fantasy. The various subgenres of Horror are perfectly acceptable, such as SciFi Horror. A commentary on the world we live in (however metaphorically). Say something with your story. A surprising climax. Take us by surprise, if you can. Impressive imagination -- show us a different culture or an alternate world. Submission Requirements Submissions need to follow the guidelines listed below. IMPORTANT: Name your file so that it makes sense. An impressive filename for a fiction submission is: (lastname)-(word from title).RTF Word count: 1000 - 3000 (Firm. Do not query). Use standard manuscript formatting. (more info) Simultaneous submissions to other publishers are okay. Do not submit more than once to the same issue. You may submit only one story to each issue. Gore, sex, and adult language okay, but make sure it improves the story. Use good grammar, double-check your punctuation, and run a spell-check. We prefer Chicago Manual of Style rules, and we will reject it if it's a mess, even if it's an amazing story. If you're bad at grammar and spelling, then hire an editor or bribe a friend with cookies to help you before you...

Deadline: June 30th, 2015 Payment: 1 cent/word, 2 contributor copies, 1 digital copy Submissions are now being accepted for our debut themed anthology: NOT YOUR AVERAGE MONSTER (tentative title) WE ARE NOT LOOKING FOR: Your Standard Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies, Sasquatch, Kaiju, Ghosts or any combination of the above. WE ARE LOOKING FOR : Stories about monsters that are rarely seen in your average horror films and novels. We want to read stories from a variety of cultures and mythologies across the globe about creatures that may be well-known in the country of origin, but unheard of state-side. Or you can create your own monster. Just make sure that the creature is not derivative. Gore is fine, and even expected. This is a horror anthology after all. Content may be R-rated, but we will not consider anything that contains graphic depiction of child abuse or rape REPRINTS CONSIDERED IN RARE CASES - Basically a story will need to match our theme perfectly, and be eligible for inclusion immediately. MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Will be considered, but only one story per author will be chosen. PAYMENT: Via PayPal - 1 cent/word (rounded up to the next dollar) + 2 Paperback Contributor Copies mailed to you & 1 Digital Copy in the format of your choice LENGTH: Between 3K - 20K Words. We are mainly seeking short stories, but we will accept up to 2 novellas for inclusion if they fit the theme. SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO: [email protected] with the following in the subject line - NYAMAnthology_(title)_(author_name). QUESTIONS: Please submit them to the aforementioned email or to our Facebook Page, linked below. FORMAT: Stories should be attached as a Word document, in Times New Roman or similar,12 point font, with the author's name and exact word count. If accepted, we will require a short, 50-150...

Deadline: June 30th, 2015 Payment: €10 plus royalties and Micro-stories will be paid €5 plus royalties Quivering mirages, ghost ships, glossy scales slipping away beneath the waves; we are seeking progressive and inclusive short stories about wonders, terrors, omens, sea-monsters, apparitions and other folk creatures and horrors from throughout the Mediterranean region. You might find inspiration in medieval bestiaries and the margins of maps and manuscripts; stories whispered by pirates in the long nights at sail; horrible and marvellous visions shaken travellers barely dare to recall; names of creatures known by everyone in the streets around the harbour; particularly troubled nightmares you had or someone shared with you. This anthology, subtitled Fae Visions of the Mediterranean, could be seen as a postcolonial, Borgesian travelogue by a many-gendered, multiracial, polyglot and polymath sailor (i.e. stories may feature any nature of protagonist) recounting their fantastic adventures on naval journeys between Taranto, via Algiers, Latakia and Eluària, to Split (your TALES need not take place at any of these sites). The more fantastic, abyssal, weird, wonderful, paradoxical, unsettling and tempestuous stories the better. Horrors and beasts in the stories may be based on Mediterranean folklore, or may be invented for the purpose (and any position in between), but a connection to one of the Mediterranean countries, languages or cultures is a must, as we expect the reader to follow the route with their finger on an antique atlas. The stories should taste like salt and wonder. The rules: We are looking for uncanny stories up to 5 000 words, fiendish illustrations/comics up to 12 pages, and briny poems up to 40 lines. We’re also interested in micro-stories up to 500 words written in all languages of the Mediterranean (i.e. other than English). Please send a cover letter in English, Italian, French, Arabic or...