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Deadline: July 31st Payment: $1, 1% royalties for a year, digital contributor's copy For our first anthology we want horrific stories centralizing around a ‘dark warrior’. The dark warrior can be the protagonist, villain, side character, etc. but it must be integral to the story, without the dark warrior, there wouldn’t be a story. We are flexible about sub-genre, but it should be horror primarily. So send us your tales of modern demon hunters consumed with vengeance so fierce they become worse then the creatures they hunt. Show us undead warriors who possess a loyalty so strong, that not even death itself can prevent them from fighting for their land and country. Terrify us with unholy legions of dark sentinels descending upon the helpless in the name of their diabolical overlords. Whatever you do, make sure the story is so terrifying or the artwork so sinister that we have no choice but to fearfully respect your dark warrior. We are currently accepting short stories for our yearly anthology, flash fiction for our weekly horror blog, and illustrations for an anthology contest. If you wish for us to review one of your published ebooks for promotion on this sight, please refer to the bottom of this page.   Short Stories: To be included in our annual anthology Payment: $1 and 1% royalties for a year Word count: 2,500 – 7,000 (5,000 is preferred) Submission Window: May 1st – July 31st (Anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted without being read) Projected publication date: October Please follow these guidelines when submitting (Failure to comply may result in your story being deleted without being read) Please put your name and email on the first page of the manuscript in the top left with word count on the top right. Standard manuscript formatting (example). Courier or...

Deadline: July 31, 2015. Payment: $50 and 10 contributor's copies Reprints: Yes WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR 13 fiction stories about ghosts or haunted objects. (As long as your story contains one or the other, we want to read it!) We’re open to any genre of fiction. Your story doesn’t have to be horror. It can be a paranormal romance, literary, humor. (Although, we’re not going to lie. We love horror. But we’re looking for the very best stories about ghosts and/or haunted objects that we can find.) It must, however, involve either a ghost or a haunted object. (We can’t reiterate this enough.) Word limit: 5,000 THE TWIST Our anthology is going to be a little different. We want readers to participate by trying to figure out if your tale of a ghost/shadow person or haunted object is based on a true story or not. The print version will have a section at the back detailing whether the author based their tale on a true story…or if they culled it purely from their imagination. The ebook version will have a link back to our site with the answer. Your story does not have to be based on a true story. If it is based on a true story, we’ll need you to supply the details. (You don’t have to send it with your submission, though. We can get this info later if your story is accepted. We want to try and guess whether it’s based on a true story or not. We’re not gonna lie. We’ll cheat if you supply it ahead of time.) PAYMENT Authors will receive $50 upon acceptance for Non-Exclusive Rights, plus 10 print copies upon publication. DEADLINE Submissions accepted until July 31, 2015. HOW TO SUBMIT Use the Submission Form below. (It follows the FAQs.) Please...

Deadline: July 31st, 2015 Payment: $5 and digital contributor's copy Horror stories dealing with some form of technology or machinery. This can range from ghost trains to possessed cars to haunted space ship computers and anything in between. We’re not looking for stories about fear of change or advancement, or anything too strongly suggesting the technology or science is evil. We prefer stories where the technology in question is ordinary or commonplace to the characters but something is different or goes wrong. COMPENSATION: $5 (paid via PayPal), an electronic copy of the anthology, and a code to buy copies of the anthology from Create Space at a deep discount (when available). LENGTH: Stories under 10k words preferred. Flash fiction is acceptable, though will only be accepted if multiple flash submissions are good enough to make the cut. They would then be used to separate the longer stories. RIGHTS: For original stories, we take first rights and exclusivity for six months from the publication date. Reprints will be considered, though they we will likely be more harsh in selecting them so the anthology is not filled by them. DEADLINE: July 31st, 2015 Send all submissions to machine (at) DarkFuturesFiction.net. Include your name, the title of your story, and approximate word count in the subject line. Via: Dark Futures.

Deadline: July 31st, 2015 Payment: $5 per author and a contributor's copy Note: At this time Clouded Tower Press is a digital only market. If that changes they will also provide physical copies down the line. Erotic Horror Anthology Clouded Tower Press Anthology Title: Captive Hearts Ed: Katrina Rose Submission Deadline: July 31st Accepting 6-8 authors depending on the quality of the entries Paying $5 per author (via PayPal ONLY) + a Contributor’s Copy Short erotic horror - 2,500 wds max Possession theme ~ How do YOU define possession? Vampire lovers? Evil spirits? The only limit is your imagination… just make sure it’s scary and sexy. Must answer the following question in your submission email: How does your story fit the theme? Also accepting LIMITED erotic horror poetry in the same theme. Poetry submissions are UNPAID. Submit all entries to [email protected] All entries MUST BE UNPUBLISHED and entirely original, no reprints will be accepted Via: Clouded Tower Press.

Deadline: July 31st, 2015 Payment: 6 cents per word Diabolical Plots has been a publisher of non-fiction on the subject of speculative fiction since 2008. In 2013, Diabolical Plots launched the writer’s tool The Submission Grinder. In 2015,Diabolical Plots began publishing original fiction, one story per month.  In the last submission window, we bought a year’s worth, enough to last through February 2016.  This time we intend fill in stories for at least the six months after that–it might be more, depending on the length of the stories I like and whether more donations come in during the window to support more stories. David Steffen is the editor.  He will be reading all submissions himself, no slushreader.  Be sure you read all the guidelines and pay close attention to the requirements around anonymity–since there is a staff of one, the requirements for anonymity are extra important to avoid disqualifying your submission.   FICTION OVERVIEW Genres: science fiction, fantasy, horror (everything must have speculative element, even horror).  W Word count: 2000 words or less. This is a firm limit. If you submit a longer story, it will be rejected unread and that will be your only chance this submission window. Do not query to ask permission either–the answer will be no. Pay rate: 6 cents per word (the professional rate as deemed by SFWA) Multiple submissions: No. And only one story per author in the submission window.   No exceptions, do not query about this. Simultaneous submissions: No. Reprint submissions: No. That means you should not submit anything that has been published in any format, blog, e-zine, print, podcast, anything.  Sharing stories with other authors in login-protected critique sites like Baen’s Bar or Critters is fine. Resubmits: No.  Do not send a story you’ve submitted to us before, whether it’s been revised or not....

Deadline: July 31st, 2015 Payment: 3000–4999 words: NZ$30 + paperback copy of the anthology; 5000+ words: NZ$50 + paperback copy of the anthology Edited by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray An anthology of stories about the edge of civilisation, the fringe of reason, the border of reality, by writers from the edge of the Earth. What we’re looking for Original science fiction, fantasy and horror from Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. No reprints, please. The editors especially enjoy dark, twisted stories; however, they are not looking for stories with gratuitous gore and/or explicit sexual content. Stories with some connection to Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific are preferred, as are stories which celebrate diversity and inclusiveness. Payment Remuneration is via two fixed rates based on story length: 3000–4999 words: NZ$30 + paperback copy of the anthology; 5000+ words: NZ$50 + paperback copy of the anthology While there is no upper word limit for submissions, NZ$50 and a gratis copy of the book is the maximum remuneration, and stories over 10,000 words are unlikely to make the cut. For stories over 10,000 words, please consider submitting to the SHORTCUTS novella ebook series. Payment is for worldwide first publishing rights, digital and print, exclusive for one year from date of publication. Submissions Submissions open 1 April 2015. All submissions should be made through Submittable.com. The final deadline is 31 July 2015, NZT. Please do not submit any work that is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Multiple submissions are OK, however please be aware the editors are unlikely to accept more than two stories from any one author.   Via: Paper Road Press.

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: a percentage of the final product based on how many stories are in the collection. he Project:  In October we’ll be releasing a collection of stories under the wide umbrella genre of ‘Horror.’ It will be released as one large volume, with a chance to also be included in our End of the Year Collection – 2015. What genre are you looking for?: This isn’t for a specific sub genre, but more of a call for anything that fits under the larger umbrella of “Horror.” Stories about haunted houses, killer dolls, classic gore, or various other topics will fit right in. How will this work? We’re looking for 13 stories and they will be released in one large collection in October, in place of our regular 1 story block at the beginning of the month. Your story might also get the chance to be in the End of the Year Collection – 2015 as well, but it won’t be true for every single story that is included in the collection. What’s the length? Because it’s a collection stories from this category can range anywhere from 0-20,000 words. So, no minimum limit. What we pay: Our standard collection rate is a percentage of the final product based on how many stories are in the collection. What’s the deadline: Because the collection comes out in October, no stories will be considered if they come in after August 1st. We need time to read through stories and decide if we want to include them. This isn’t a moveable deadline. This is literally the final deadline that we will take submissions for the collection so please, be aware. First Print and Electronic Publishing Rights: It must be stated that when your story is published for the first time that publisher has taken your stories First Print Rights. What...

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction and a contributor's copy We love the fact that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually two to three weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won't get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line's Web site, as well as in the prior issue....

Deadline: August 1st 2015 Payment: AUD3c/word and one contributor copy in each format released SNAFU: Wolves at the Door brought the bite. SNAFU: Hunters will bring the thrill of the chase. For this anthology, we want hunters of the supernatural. Sam and Dean… Grimm… Van Helsing… with soldiers, hunting along the edges of reality, watching their backs while others watch them from the shadows. Take us along for the ride while your soldiers or hunters take the fight to their enemies. Both hunter or hunted may die, but above all, show us the hunt. We still want ORIGINAL military-style combat from any period, don’t get me wrong, but we also want fear… we want suspense and tension… we want originality in the monster/antagonist. Most of all we want action, action, ACTION! We want something jaw-droppingly amazing. If there are no soldiers in the tale, make the hunters and the action military in nature. We STRONGLY suggest you read the first, second and/or third SNAFU volume to see what it is we like. SNAFU – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNXHLJG SNAFU: Heroes – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSVEY2Y SNAFU: Wolves at the Door – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQ56AUG Edited by Geoff Brown, Amanda J Spedding, and Dawn Roach Payment: AUD3c/word and one contributor copy in each format released Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer) Submission window: May 1st 2015 to August 1st 2015 (anything submitted outside of this window will be deleted without being read) Projected publication date: October/November 2015 Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us: 1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right. 2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting. 3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining. 4. Double spaced. 5. Please don’t...

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: $5.00 flat rate plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties. Trolls, Imps, Orcs, Gargoyles and Other Bit-Part Fantasy Characters The literature has given them a bad name—or only a casual mention. “Troll” is the name for anyone who posts an obnoxious, often anonymous comment on the Internet, or for a cute doll with neon hair that stands on end. In real life, trolls hang out under a bridge and cause various kinds of mischief. Same with imps, orcs, brownies, and other bit-part characters in fantasy. What would they do if they had conTROLL? Authors: here’s your chance to cast a bit-part creature in a lead role. They can be bad, good, or misunderstood, but this time the little people get center stage to tell their side of the story. Any time, any place from ancient civilizations to far in the future is acceptable. Fantasy realms, mythological and folklore creatures, horror and sci-fi monsters, even your own constructs are welcome. Break the story-writing rules if you want. If you use a tried and true plotline, twist it in an original and interesting way. Original stories are preferred. Query for reprints. ALL writers are encouraged to submit. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro with years of credits, a beginner just starting out, or a teenager - please feel free to send the editor a story. In your cover email, please tell the editor a bit about yourself and a quick one-line synopsis of the story. Include genre. If experimental, please explain the type or how so the editor doesn’t edit out the form or reject it out of hand. Thank you. In the Subject line please put Submission : Misunderstood : Title of your story : Your name. Attach as a .doc format, please send...

Deadline: August 1st, 2015 Payment: $25.00 and electronic copy SLAYPUNK: A sub-genre of fictions that features apparatus, devices and methods employed in an effort to capture, dispatch or otherwise combat monsters. The prefix is inspired directly by Saint George and the Dragon as a symbol of monster slaying. The suffix refers to the irreverent way in which this process sometimes occurs, implying immediacy, emergency and the occasional need to do anything possible to just put the damned things down. This is where you should unleash the action, the clichés and the blood. The requirements here are to include diabolically clever traps, intense use of weapons and final-option strategies that fit with the Slaypunk definition. Go for action that keeps us riveted to the page, extreme creativity and don't hold back. Edited by: Miles Boothe Submission Period: 2/1/15 through 8/1/15 Reading Period: 8/2/15 through 10/2/15 Acceptances will be announced 10/2/15 Tentative Publication Date: Holidays 2015 Payment: $25.00 and electronic copy of the book upon publication. Word Limits: 2000 to 8000 words. Please query if longer. Format: Submissions should be .doc (.docx is fine) or .rtf formats. The entire text will be reformatted, so no need to worry about margins, spacing, etc. Please use a standard font. Genres Accepted: Dark Fiction, Horror, sci-fi. Reprints Accepted: No Simultaneous Subs: (submitting to Emby and another press at the same time) can be avoided by requesting an early response. Multiple Subs: Each author may submit up to 2 stories. Only one story per author will be accepted. Exclusive Rights: The contract will stipulate 1 year exclusive worldwide print and electronic rights. However, the contract does also state that under certain circumstances, Emby Press will consider granting permission to the author to place the story with additional publications. Via: Emby Press.

Deadline: August 1, 2015 Payment: $25.00 - $50.00 for fiction Fall: The old neighborhood was nearly unrecognizable. We love the fact that writers around the world are inspired by our first lines, and we know that not every story will be sent to us. However, we ask that you do not submit stories starting with our first lines to other journals (or post them online on public sites) until we've notified you as to our decision (usually two to three weeks after the deadline). When the entire premise of the publication revolves around one sentence, we don't want it to look as if we stole that sentence from another writer. If you have questions, feel free to drop us a line. One more thing while I've got you here: Writers compete against one another for magazine space, so, technically, every literary magazine is running a contest. There are, however, literary magazines that run traditional contests, where they charge entry fees and rank the winners. We do not - nor will we ever - charge a submission fee, nor do we rank our stories in order of importance. Occasionally, we run contests to help come up with new first lines, or we run fun, gimmicky competitions for free stuff, but the actual journal is not a contest in the traditional sense. Fiction: All stories must be written with the first line provided. The line cannot be altered in any way, unless otherwise noted by the editors. The story should be between 300 and 5,000 words (this is more like a guideline and not a hard-and-fast rule; going over or under the word count won't get your story tossed from the slush pile). The sentences can be found on the home page of The First Line's Web site, as well as in...

Deadline: August 1, 2015 Payment: $100 The current reading period runs from June 1 - August 1. All submissions during that time will be considered for Issue 18. The theme for this issue is "Enemies." Please note, we are unable to accept any submissions sent to us via email or post. The maximum word count for submissions is 5,000 words. Simultaneous submissions are acceptable as long as you withdraw the work immediately if it is selected for publication elsewhere. All work should be previously unpublished. Please allow up to three months for us to reply to your submission. Submitting to Slice Slice magazine welcomes submissions for short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. We're looking for anyone with a fresh voice and a compelling story to share—basically any work that really knocks our socks off. We're not drawn to experimental or heavy-handed genre fiction. The best way to get a sense of Slice's content is to read the magazine. You can subscribe here. At the core, Slice aims to bridge the gap between emerging and established authors by offering a space where both are published side-by-side. In each issue, a specific cultural theme becomes the catalyst for articles and interviews from renowned writers and lesser known voices alike. Along with these pieces, we publish fiction and poetry that isn’t bound by the theme—we simply look for works by writers who promise to become tomorrow’s literary legends. We offer all contributors of Slice a monetary award for their work ($100 for stories and essays and $25 for poems). Via: Slice's Submittable.

Deadline: August 8th, 2015 Payment: 3¢/word max $100 “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” — Ernest Shackleton The small press anthology Tales from the Miskatonic Library is now soliciting stories for submission.  This is an anthology of tales about, found in, inspired by, or stolen from the Miskatonic University Library. Your editors are Darrell Schweitzer & myself, and we are looking for tales that: Are good stories. Can be included in an anthology titled Tales From the Miskatonic Librarywithout involving us in elaborate explanations. Aren’t “Boy Reads Book; Book Eats Boy.” So, your chance to have a bit of grim fun: What sort of tales might be found in the Miskatonic University Library?  Kept perhaps in the secure reading room?  Shared by Chief Librarian Henry Armitage over faculty sherry with only a trusted few? And how did Dr. Henry Armitage acquire his position as Chief Librarian?  And what of his successor(s)? What unexpected problems might be faced by an acquisitions librarian at Miskatonic University?  Or a cataloger? Is the Necronomicon quite as rare as it is made out to be? What is the real explanation for the curious gaps in the Dewey Decimal System? What might it take to see the unexpurgated account of the Pabodie’s 1930 expedition to The Mountains of Madness?  Together with their troubling cross-correlations with Shackleton’s private diary? The US Treasury Departments internal report on the incident at Devil Reef off Innsmouth? Why are no students allowed within the stacks?  Are rumors of non-Euclidean spaces within merely rumors?  Why was Einstein called in for a consult in 1944?  And his frequent correspondent Schrödinger brought over  secretly from Ireland that same year? And are series like Warehouse 13 or The Librarian or Charlie Stross’s The Laundry...

Deadline: August 8th, 2015 Payment: $25.00 and contributor's copy The calendar says the first day of spring, but a jealous snow still wraps the world tightly in a white straitjacket.  Winter will not relinquish its throne and the polar vortex is plunging even further south as icebergs gleam in the Bermuda Triangle and snow falls on the Amazon. Blizzards swirl across the Sahara and the world has become a snowglobe from pole to pole.        Is this just global warming? The coming of the next Ice Age?  Or could this endless winter be the result of an ancient curse, an alien attack, the revenge of the Yeti, a weather experiment gone horribly wrong, the wrath of an ignored winter deity, or a nuclear mishap?       Give us those or your own unique reasons for why winter still rules and what tales can be told as humans battle the persistent ice and snow deep into a heatless summer. Is all lost? Can anything be done to thaw the Big Freeze?        Send us your chilliest tales of horror, fantasy, and science fiction from between 3,000-7,000 words. Submissions will be accepted until the last tick of the clock on 8 August 2015 (the 149th birthday of Arctic explorer Matthew Henson) and we intend to publish in the dead of winter 2016. Contributors will receive one print copy and USD $25.00.      We earnestly hope to get to the point where we can pay professional rates, and those willing to work with us as we grow will share in the rewards to come. This anthology is the first step we can take together, so we hope you will join us.      Writers are nothing if not explorers of the vast reaches of imagination, so pull on your parka and take us out into that howling night of...

Deadline: August 13th 2015 Payment: AU4c/word and a contributor copy For this military/sci-fi/horror anthology, we want warriors competing on a futuristic battlefield, fighting against forces threatening humankind, the balance of the galaxies, or life itself. Think Aliens, Halo, Predator, Starship Troopers, and Terminator. Have your heroes defending their way of life against inconceivable odds. Take us along for the ride while your future soldiers take the fight to their enemies. Expect casualties! We want ORIGINAL military-style combat with strong elements of future technology/sci-fi, and we want horror. Give us fear… suspense and tension… we want originality and speculation about future aspects of war. Most of all we want action, action, ACTION! We want something jaw-droppingly amazing. We STRONGLY suggest you read the first, second and/or third SNAFU volume to see what it is we like. SNAFU – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LNXHLJG SNAFU: Heroes – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MSVEY2Y SNAFU: Wolves at the Door – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RQ56AUG Edited by Geoff Brown and Amanda J Spedding Payment: AUD4c/word and one contributor copy in each format released Wordcount range: 2,000 – 10,000 words (query for shorter or longer) Submissions are open now.Closing date is August 13th, 2015 (anything submitted after this time will be deleted without being read) Projected publication date: February 2016 Please follow these guidelines when submitting to us: 1. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the manuscript top left, with word count top right. 2. Standard submission format, with minimal document formatting. 3. Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. No underlining. 4. Double spaced. 5. Please don’t use TAB or space bar to indent lines. Use ‘styles’ only. If unsure or using a program that has no styles, do not indent at all. That’s still cool. 7. NO SPACE between paragraphs unless a line-break is...

Deadline: August 13, 2015 Payment: an advance upon their acceptance on a sliding scale based on length of their contribution, 1 digital and 1 printed copy of the anthology Note: Reprints Allowed Hello, I’m Fox Emm. I currently write for Wicked Horror, Gores Truly, and Zombie Apocalypse Defense Force. I’m trying to create a splatterpunk anthology and am currently seeking horror short story submissions. If you’d like to come aboard, please keep reading! It’s true, the splatterpunk horror anthology I have wanted to get off the ground for over six months is finally in the gurgling stages of infancy, and that is where you come in! I’m looking for 20+ talented writers (and possibly poets..? Is splatterpunk poetry a thing? If not, can we make it a thing..?) to contribute to a horror anthology with a theme based around the word “home”. There are of course, a variety of interpretations to the word home within the horror genre. From aliens seeking a new home planet, zombies driving a young family from their home, home invasion by escaped convicts or some other creation you devise… The topic is no more limiting than your own imagination, so I hope to get a variety of interesting and action-filled submissions! For those who aren’t familiar with the term splatterpunk but who love horror, the basic definition would be a horror story with graphic and or gory depictions of violence and which stretches boundaries. For more details on the subject, I would suggest you check out the Wikipedia entry on splatterpunk as well as this thoughtful article by my colleague at Wicked Horror, Nat Brehmer, on Why Splatterpunk Should Make a Comeback. If you’ve ever written a horror story that has been rejected for being too “out there” or had someone read over your work and respond with...

Deadline: August 15, 2015 Payment: Contributor's Copy Zimbell House Publishing is holding open submissions for short stories of a ghostly and grave nature to be featured in an upcoming collection. Tell us your ghost stories! These stories can be true or fictional, about a graveyard, the dead, ghosts, zombies, a cemetery caretaker… They can be mythological, paranormal, science-fiction, steampunk, romantic, or scary. This anthology is a great opportunity to showcase emerging writers and allow them to build their professional platforms. Submission Deadline: August 15, 2015 with a targeted release date of October 1, 2015. There is no fee to enter this contest. Submission Guidelines: No work may be more than 9500 words. Please watch your word count. Submissions over this word count will be disqualified for this anthology. The work must not have appeared in print anywhere before. All submissions must be in English. Each author may submit up to five (5) unique works, however they must be submitted separately. Work must be submitted as an attachment in an email to: [email protected] Subject line of email must say: Tales From The Grave Submission Work must be in Microsoft Word, double spaced, 12 point font. Body of email must include: contact information and a brief synopsis of the piece. All contributing authors will receive a free copy of the book in softcover. Authors that are chosen for the anthology will not be paid nor receive royalties for their submission. Again there is no charge for the submissions. This is an opportunity to build your platform. Submission Deadline: August 15, 2015. Via: Zimbell House Publishing.

Deadline: August 15th, 2015 Payment: $25.00 (USD) and 2 Contributor Copies Gothic Blue Books were short fictions popular in the 18th and 19th century. They were descendants of the chap book trade and are now a thing of the past. Burial Day Books is now open for submissions for Gothic Blue Book Vol. 5 to be available this October 31st 2015. What was a Gothic Blue Book? Gothic Blue Books were abridgements of full-length Gothic novels. The subjects of these books fell into one of two categories; the first being set in a monastery or convent and the second being set in a castle. In terms of the physicality of the book, they were three and a half to four inches in width and six to seven inches in height, with a page count of thirty-six to seventy-two pages. These little pieces of terror were popular at the time because they were affordable, a sixpence or a shilling each. Their cost affordability led them to be nicknamed Shilling Shockers or Sixpenny Shockers. What are we looking for? Original Gothic Blue Books typically took place in either a monastery, convent or castle. In years past we have asked for short stories that take place in one of these locations, or a modern day location such as a morgue, haunted house or cemetery. This year, we have added new location recommendations – hotel, inn, or bed and breakfast. The haunted hotel has a long, complex history in the field of horror and we look forward to your entries. Please submit a short story or poem no longer than 3,500 words that follows one of the following: A single mention or setting in one of the original Gothic Blue Book settings: a) Monastery b) Convent c) Castle A single mention or setting in...

Deadline: August 22, 2015 Payment: $5.00 for poetry/flash; $10.00 for short stories and a contributor's copy Note: Reprints Welcome The theme for Fossil Lake III: UNICORNADO! will be unicorns and/or natural disasters … preferably both! We want gothy unicorns, metal unicorns, uni-adult content, pretty princess unicorns, whatever! We want thunder and lightning and devastating rainbows, we want quakes and storms, cyclones, tsunamis, avalanches of glitter! We want majestic herds of unicorns galloping out of the clouds, wreaking havoc with their jabby horns. Violence, carnage, and gore. Candylandslides. Thinly-disguised ponyfics. The weirder the better. Go wild. Have fun. Submission Period: July 22, 2015 — August 22, 2015 Word Limit: poetry/flash fiction up to 1000 words; short stories 2000-5000 words. Compensation: contributor copy, $5.00 for poetry/flash; $10.00 for short stories. Standard manuscript format; Times New Roman 12-point preferred. Italics for italics and whatnot.  Send submissions attached as a .doc or .rtf to: [email protected]. “Fossil Lake III” in the subject line, please. What we look for: the dark, the transgressive, the controversial, the surreal. Horror, humor, bizarro, erotica, suspense, fantasy, historical, Lovecraftian … pretty much anything goes genre-wise and content-wise as long as it’s well-written and entertaining to read. Bonus points for somehow involving thematic elements of fossils and/or lakes. What we’re NOT looking for: Crap writing (hey, let’s be honest).  Some editorial pet peeves and tough sells include adverbs, non-“said” dialogue tags, passive voice, “was (verb)ing” and “could (sense)” phrasing, excessive blocking or stage direction. What we’re hoping for: close communication with authors who are willing to work with an editor, can handle criticism, and are just generally personable and fun. What we’re asking: One-time non-exclusive anthology rights. Reprints are welcome; just let us know where and when the piece has appeared before. Via: Fossil Lake.

Deadline: August 25th, 2015 Payment: Payment will be portional to all the authors of 50% of book profit We are looking for great Ghost Stories fiction, non-fiction,  poetry, and photography. Please consider the following guidelines before sending your work: Poetry: 1-3 poems; typed. Please include your name on each poem. Fiction/ Creative non-fiction/ Essays: 500-3500 words; typed, double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font. Please submit all written work as pdf file. Photos: 3-5 black and white .jpg images no larger than 8 x 10 with a minimum 300 dpi resolution. Deadline for all submissions is  AUGUST 25, 2015.  Submit to: sezpublishinghotmailcom SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Each Submission should come in a separate e-mail. In the body of the email include the following: I, (name) am submitting my work to SEZ Publishing (title) for consideration. I offer the rights for this work. sign/date FORMAT DOCUMENT pdf: 500-3500 words; typed, double-spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font. First page should include title, word count and author information. Paginate in the header upper right corner /Author's last name above the pagination. SELECTION: If selected authors will be contacted to sign a contract. Payment will be portional to all the authors of 50% of book profit. Via: SEZ Publishing.

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: $.05 per word Geminid Press, LLC plans to publish a conspiracy and cover-up anthology tentatively entitled, Conspiracy Hour, in mid- to late 2015. The theme of this short story anthology revolves around the following: Freak us out with the most awesome conspiracy and cover-up tale you dare to divulge. Raise our suspicions and make us question reality! Your original short story should address and build upon this theme and have a word count between 1000 and 7500 words. See the Submission Guidelines page for more details. Contributors whose original stories are accepted for publication in this anthology will be paid $.05 per word. Thanks, and we look forward to hearing from you! - See more at: http://geminidpress.com/send_us_your_short_stories/conspiracy_hour/#sthash.HEUFvzlr.dpuf Be sure this story addresses the Conspiracy Hour anthology Short Story Submission Guidelines Word count requirement – 1000 or so to about 7500 words, give or take some. Please put your full contact details on the first page of the short story top left. Also, please include your word count total for us so we have an idea up front. Document format – We’re really big fans of MS Word docs, and RTFs too! Courier or Times New Roman set at 12pt. Italics as they will appear. Double spaced. In the Cover Letter section of this submission form, please include a paragraph-length or so author biography, a one-sentence tagline describing your story, and a two to three paragraph synopsis. Rights We purchase First Electronic Rights, First Print Rights, Anthology Rights, First North American Serial Rights, Nonexclusive Reprint Rights, Translation Rights and Archival Rights. Please remember that you can only sell your various “First” rights once. You will only be able to market your accepted story as a reprint, once we have published it, which may limit where you can submit it to in the future,...

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: 4% royalties after costs, plus a copy of the book Ever seen that episode of Buffy called ‘Beer Bad’, where the local beers have been enchanted to turn students into Neanderthals? Ever had a really bad night on the booze where you wake up with vague memories and feel like death warmed up? Ever wondered what they did to the beer? Well, wonder no more, because here is your chance to write it. Weird Ales, due for release 2016, featuring a fantastic cover by Luke Spooner, will be an anthology about ales, beer, wines or taverns of ill repute. Use your imagination but so long as there is a supernatural or horror theme to the story it will fit the guidelines. Guidelines Word count should be between 2,000 and 6,000 words, with an ideal length: 4,000-5,000 words. 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/ALES/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. Via: KnightWatch Press

Deadline: August 31, 2015 Payment: Royalty plus contributor e-book copy. Due to the success of our first horror anthology, Papa Bear Press plans to release a second volume, Creature Stew II, showcasing veteran writers and talented newcomers, alike. What we are looking for: Vampires, werewolves, zombies, demons, creatures from the deep, and all things hideous and terrifying in between! Monsters in exotic locales, monsters in space, monsters laying waste to entire cities, microscopic creatures wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. Use your imagination and scare us silly with your abominable creation. Graphic violence is acceptable if integral to the story. We are not interested in excessive profanity or erotica. Focus on crafting a well-written narrative with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Be sure to give plenty of thought to the following elements: setting, character, plot, conflict. No simultaneous submissions, multiple submissions, or reprints. We are only interested in original fiction. We do not discriminate on publication status. We are actively seeking emerging writers. Please use standard manuscript format for all submissions. See our Short Story Submissions Guide. Deadline: August 31, 2015 or until filled Length: 500-4500 words Payment: Royalty plus contributor e-book copy. Via: Papa Bear Press.

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: 1 cent USD per word and electronic contributor's copy Tacitus Publishing's 2015 anthology project is - HAUNTED BY THE PAST. We are looking for short fiction (1,500 to 5,000 words) that pays tribute to some of the past greats - M. R. James, Algernon Blackwood, Sheridan Le Fanu. The story should be a ghost story that carries the tone, stylistic language, and/or classic story structure. We are not interested in overwhelming gore or mature content. This should be an original piece of work. Submission process: There are two options, either using the submission form on the website or sending an email. For either choice, we ask that you attach the story as an rtf (rich text format) file. email: submission(at)tacituspublishing.com subject line should read: Haunted Anthology (This maybe pushing it based on the possibility of being overwhelmed, but we may offer quick critiques or suggestions to submitters in our responses. Tacitus Publishing wants to continue with its writer-friendly approach by offering any small amount of assistance we can.) Cover letter and quick biography: Please put the cover letter in the body of the form or email. The structuring of the letter should include - · your name · contact info - address, phone, email · title of the story · a one sentence summary of your story · word count · brief bio and quick list of published work Submission format: We are not concerned with the overall format of the body of your work but do ask for some page formatting to assist our reviewing process. Please add to each page - · top left - author's name · top right - title · bottom - page number Simultaneous and multiple submissions: We will not accept simultaneous submissions. We will accept multiple submissions if...

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: $10(US)/piece + a hard copy of the issue your piece appears in, OR two hard copies of the issue your piece appears in (author’s choice). Despumation Journal Before you do anything, read this. To get a good idea as to what we’re looking for, click here. We’re really looking for stories based on specific metal songs. The Guidelines: -No wacky fonts. The editor prefers Baskerville or Georgia. 12pt min. 1.5 line space. Use italics, not underlining. We expect professional submissions–do not send us your first, unread, unproofed draft. -Word count: 3000-5000. We’re generally looking for short stories. We will take a look at flash fiction and poetry. Note: We get a lot of pieces that hover between flash and the 3K-word min for short stories–we really don’t prefer that. -Please include page numbers. Also, your name, title of the piece, approx. word count, and contact info on the title page. -Please indicate, in the body of the email, what song the story was inspired by and the band who performs/wrote the song. -Docx or doc only, thank you. -Simultaneous submissions are okay (just let us know if a piece has been accepted elsewhere), but please nothing that has been published previously. –Send to: [email protected] (electronic subs only) -Subject line: Fiction Sub, or Non-Fiction Sub Deadlines: Issue #2: Full, due out March 2015 Issue #3: Jan 1st, 2015 – April 30th, 2015 Issue #4: May1st, 2015 – August 31st, 2015 Issue #5: Sept 1st, 2015 – Dec 31st, 2015 Payment: $10(US)/piece + a hard copy of the issue your piece appears in, OR two hard copies of the issue your piece appears in (author’s choice). Via: Despumation Press.

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: 5¢ a word Before submitting to SpeckLit, please read the submission details below carefully, then fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page to let us know a bit about yourself. Do not send us your submissions directly. We want to get to you know you first. Include your pen name, website, Twitter, and a link to your most recently published work (if you have one) in your initial contact. Fiction:  We are suckers for plot. If it ain’t got plot, it ain’t a story. We want each piece to have the feeling of a beginning, a middle, and an end (or inciting incident, attempt(s) to fix it, and climax). All fiction must be original. There are lots of places for fanfic – this isn’t one of them. And finally, of course, it also has to be speculative – fantasy, science fiction, myth fairy tale, dark fantasy, etc… – but no erotica and no gore. A well-placed swear word, the recognition that we are sexual beings, and off-camera violence are all okay, but within limits, eh? Besides, with the focus on plot, there’s no time to get all graphic. Titles do not count as part of the 100 words, and after your drabble, add a bit of an explanation of how you got there from the topic (but remember to keep it short!). Non-fiction: We also publish drabble-length reviews of spec-fic containing media – books, movies, video games, comics, TV shows (or even specific outstanding episodes of TV shows), etc… Make sure your reviews are non-nasty (negative reviews are fine, but be nice!), and of course, spoiler free. Again, you don’t have much space, so get to the point. Your hundred words do not need to include the title, author, director, stars,...

Deadline: August 31, 2015. Payment: 6 cents per word against a pro rata share of royalties We are currently accepting submissions for our first anthology of short fiction, Futuristica Volume 1. The last day to submit your manuscript for consideration is August 31, 2015. All submissions received by 10:35 PM EST on May 25th, 2015 should have received a “Submission Received” email by now. If you haven’t received an email, something went wrong and we don’t have your story on file yet. We are currently reviewing stories submitted between May 17th and May 19th. Submissions Guidelines & Payment Information We pay 6 cents per word against a pro rata share of royalties. We buy first rights and exclusive eBook rights for 6 months after the date of publication. We do not purchase reprints. We accept simultaneous submissions. Manuscripts should be in standard manuscript format. Manuscripts should be between 3,000 and 10,000 words. No prior publishing experience is required. Story Criteria Story content must be original. We do not accept fan fiction or derivative works. We prize diversity, specifically stories that include multicultural backgrounds or lead characters of atypical ethnic origins. Basically, while we have nothing against heterosexual white American males, we feel they are already adequately represented in science fiction and we want stories about the rest of humanity. We are interested in character-oriented fiction. Women Positive We want stories with awesome female protagonists. Zoë Washburn? YES! Princess Leia? Definitely! That blonde girl from The Temple of Doom? No! Bella? Hahahaha. No. Sex Positive Can the story contain sexual content? Absolutely! However, the sexual content should be integral to the story, but not the whole story. Does there have to be sex in the story? Nope. No demeaning sex acts. No rape. Period. Science Positive Stories should explore science fiction, scientific fantasy, space opera, emerging technologies, etc… We have a preference for...

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: $0.01 per word up to $150 and a split of the profit if the anthology makes one. Here at Wicked Tales we believe an author should write their stories the way they want to. It doesn’t matter what font you use, how big or small the print is, but please use .RTF,  .DOC, .DOCX or .OTD files when submitting to us. Please remember NOT to use strange formatting. Ensure you have a return or enter keyed in at the end of each paragraph, not each line. Avoid using the “Tab” in your document. Send your submission to our parent company at [email protected] with the subject “Short Story Submission – Muffled Scream”. What we are looking for Short Stories – The life blood of an author, short stories can fuel the imagination with so few words. Ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 words, your writing could easily be the pivotal story of our anthology series. The theme for the first Muffled Screams is “Corner of the Eye”. Submissions for the first Muffled Screams opens June 1st and closes August 31st. How to submit to us Submitting to us is easy. You only need two things – Your short story and a small two paragraph bio of yourself. This should be supplied with your manuscript. Attach both to an email entitled “Short Story Submission – Muffled Scream” indicating which anthology you are submitting to and send it to our submissions email address. This email address is set to delete emails with no attachments. If you have a question, please use the contact us form. This is very important. Don’t run the risk of not having your short story published. Please remember to include your bio. Several short stories were received without one, and your submission will be returned if one is not included. We are starting to get busy! Once...

Deadline: August 31t, 2015 Payment: $50 Robot Cowgirl wants you to write a squamous tale of those ancient, unnameable evils which lie in the outer dark, those cephalopodic nightmares which come for us in the night. Cthulhu calls, but he’s not looking for the same old, same old—give us a fresh catch. “And with strange aeons even death may die,” but most of the copyrights for Lovecraft’s genre-defining canon have passed into the great beyond. Yet the enduring power of these tales persists. From Lovecraft’s 1919 Dagon to 1943’s Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Lovecraft managed to create worlds which existed in the specific places and times of the writer’s experience, but which also transcended those times, invoking mysteries as old as the universe itself which might dwell in madness until the end of time. Following our general submission guidelines, tell us a Lovecraftian tale which summons the ancient evils and heinous otherworldliness of the Cthulhu mythos, but which updates Lovecraft for a new generation, or which spins the context of his tales in entirely new directions. Write well, write with a firm grounding in the mythos, but surprise us. Submissions are due 31 August 2015. Stories should be between 3,000 and 8,000 words. Unlike our previous calls from the lost city of R’lyeh for submissions, this one does build on an existing canon. We will be double-checking, for your protection and ours, that anything you reference in your story is outside copyrights. That said, most everything Lovecraft is fair game. Preference will be given to tales which imbue the Lovecraftian mystique with diversity, humanism, and complexity. On acceptance, payment will be US$50 per story. Via: Robot Cowgirll.

Deadline: August 31st 2015 Payment: $0.03 per word up to $225 Betwixt is open to submissions as of midnight eastern time on July 1. Issue 9 will be guest edited by Jensen Toperzer and Bethany Zaiatz. FICTION Genres and Content: Betwixt publishes speculative fiction of all sorts—fantasy, science fiction, speculative horror, slipstream, weird fiction, steam/diesel/cyber/etc.punk, you name it. We particularly like stories that smash genre boundaries to smithereens, but we also love fresh takes on established genres and in-depth explorations of ultraspecific niches. Experiments in form and style are welcomed enthusiastically—but a straightforward narrative with tight, crisp language is just as beautiful. When it comes down to it, we want stories that will amaze us, astound us, provoke our thoughts, and boggle our minds. Betwixt supports diversity in speculative fiction and welcomes stories by and about individuals of all ages, classes, disabilities, ethnicities, genders, nationalities, races, religions, and sexual orientations. Please don’t send multiple or simultaneous submissions, stories that have been published (including self-published) previously, or poetry. We are not seeking unsolicited nonfiction at this time. We strongly encourage writers to read at least one issue of the magazine before submitting. Our current issue is located here, and back issues can be found here. Length: Stories of 4,000 to 7,000 words are ideal, but we will consider a range from 1,000 to 30,000 words. Rights: Betwixt purchases first worldwide English-language serial, electronic, and print rights. Each story we acquire will be published on betwixtmagazine.com, in an electronic and print-on-demand quarterly issue, and in an electronic and print-on-demand yearly anthology. We may also excerpt stories for promotional purposes. The author retains all other rights. We do not publish unsolicited reprints, and we ask that stories we publish not appear anywhere else for three months after publication. For example, if a story is...

Deadline: August 31, 2015 Payment: $0.01 per word, rounded up to nearest $5.00 US Local Hero Press is pleased to announce we are now accepting submissions for an anthology of original superhero fiction short stories, called Caped. Here is what we’re seeking: Original superhero fiction stories that get into more depth about being a superhero than basic secret origin tales or superhero-versus-supervillain. Who are these people who have strange and wonderful powers and choose to use them for great justice? What makes them tick? Your characters should be original creations. We cannot consider work utilizing licensed characters. Genre: Superhero Style: Open to all/most styles Subjects: Open to all/most subjects Length: Up to 5000 words Payment: $0.01 per word, rounded up to nearest $5.00 USD, paid via PayPal upon final acceptance of the contract by all parties. Type of submissions accepted: Electronic only, see below for precise requirements Reprints? No Multiple Submissions? No Simultaneous Submissions? Yes Submissions close: August 31, 2015. This may be extended if required. Response time: 4 weeks or sooner. Publication date: December 1, 2015 or later if submissions period is extended. Potential Authors: You are submitting your work to Local Hero Press for publication in ebook and print format. We request exclusive worldwide rights for a period of six months from date of publication, followed by non-exclusive worldwide rights for a period of five years that renews every year afterward automatically unless cancelled by you or Local Hero Press. We will make no major alterations to your work, although we reserve the right to make minor copy-editing changes, subject to your approval prior to publication. If we determine we want to publish your work, a conditional offer will be made and you will receive a contract. Submission Requirements: Failure to follow these requirements pretty much guarantees we...

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: One cent per manuscript word. Max payment of $50.00 (USD) per story - for those submissions that may exceed the alloted word count. Another payment option we are offering is: One-time payment of $25.00 for publication of your story + a physical contributor copy / including cost of shipping / to be mailed out 90 days from date of publication. Scarlet Galleon Publications would like to ask,  HOW DEEP DOES YOUR FEAR GO? Scarlet Galleon Publications is proud to announce our next project, FEARFUL FATHOMS: Collected Tales of Aquatic Terror. This anthology is targeted to launch Memorial Day Weekend 2016, just in time for next year's summer beach reading season! We will be opening a call for submissions on August 1, 2015, which will run through August 31, 2015. We are looking for terrifying tales to comprise this new horror collection that will be the well-anticipated follow up to our acclaimed inaugural publication,DEAD HARVEST: A Collection of Dark Tales, which we are proud to announce debuted at #1 on Amazon's Hot New Releases in Horror and Bestselling Anthologies in Horror. It has remained in the Top 100 since its publication in November, 2014.  For fans of tales such as MOBY DICK, JAWS, THE DEEP, BEAST, MEG, THE ABYSS, BELOW, THE FOG, OPEN WATER, THE LOCH(and far too many other titles to mention here), this new anthology should be right in your wheelhouse! Whatever kind of aquatic tale causes your breath to turn sporadic, and makes the blood in your veins go ice-cold, should be the kind of story you'll want to write. Thematic note: While Lovecraftian tales are certainly welcome, this is not a project soley centered on the Lovecraft mythos.  What we are looking for - Stories set in or around water, which is to say: the beach, the ocean, islands, lakes,...

Deadline: August 31st, 2015 Payment: $40/£24, plus 2 x copies of the anthology Note: Reprints Accepted ‘The Myriad Carnival‘ is an anthology of ‘queer, weird and dark’ stories themed around carnivals, featuring stories from writers including Paul Magrs (The Brenda and Effie Mysteries, Doctor Who), Hal Duncan (Vellum, Ink, Scruffians!), Roy Gill (The Parallelseries, Confessions of Dorian Gray), Evey Brett, Kate Harrad and others. Previously invitation only, we’re opening submissions for the remaining two slots in the table of contents. Pertinent details: –  The collection is nominally shared world; each story features a carnival named the ‘Myriad Carnival’ but other than this the genre, time, setting and peoples of the carnival are in the hands of the writer. –  This is also primarily an LGBT, or queer, themed anthology. Whilst it is not a hard-and-fast requirement that characters be explicitly gay, please not that the queer/weird sensibility is important, and that LGBT elements are likely a leg-up to inclusion. –  There are plenty of carnival archetypes currently unexplored, but steer clear of tarot readers, trick horse riders, tattooed men and electricity magicians. We’ve got those already. –  Payment is $40/£24, plus 2 x copies of the anthology. Reprints accepted. –  Word length: Flexible; average current story length between 2k and 6k. –  Deadline: August 31st. –  Submissions/queries to: [email protected] Via: Matthew Bright.

Deadline: September 1st, 2015 Payment: $25.00 and electronic copy The Monster Waiting in the Woods If An Emby Bestiary is the treat, The Monster Woods is definitely the trick! This is the scary side of that other coin and these stories should be too terrifying to tell children. And here’s the really tricky part: I will be looking for atmosphere above action and characters above carnage. What I’ve been reading for The Ghost Papers is proof that many of you are skilled in writing about bumps in the night instead of buckets of blood and that you can send chills racing up a spine without a single scream. Do that here. Scare the hell out of us with any monster you like, although I will be especially interested in original monsters. Then keep the tension screwed tight and the terror dial on high. Set the stories anywhere - the “woods” in the title are only a possibility. Don’t rely on violence, but don’t be shy with it either. Get psychological. Play with perception. Just make sure that a monster is featured in the story (no hunter required). Edited by: Miles Boothe Submission Period: 2/1/15 through 9/1/15 Reading Period: 9/2/15 through 11/2/15 Acceptances will be announced 11/2/15 Tentative Publication Date: Winter 2016 Payment: $25.00 and electronic copy of the book upon publication. Word Limits: 2000 to 8000 words. Please query if longer. Format: Submissions should be .doc (.docx is fine) or .rtf formats. The entire text will be reformatted, so no need to worry about margins, spacing, etc. Please use a standard font. Genres Accepted: Dark Fiction, Horror, sci-fi. Reprints Accepted: No Simultaneous Subs: (submitting to Emby and another press at the same time) can be avoided by requesting an early response. Multiple Subs: Each author may submit up to 2...

Deadline: September 1, 2015 Payment: $25 For our next anthology, we are offering an open call for stories that involve Witches, Warlocks, Demons, and other Evil Doers. We are looking for stories that tell of wrong doings perpetrated by someone or something with supernatural abilities. We are not looking for stories of werewolves or vampires who need to survive by causing harm. What we want are stories of choice; stories where the protagonist chooses to do harm for a specific reason through means of a power beyond that of a normal mortal. We would prefer that the stories appeal to a broad audience and that period or overly-stylized pieces be refrained from. Your story MUST include all of the following elements: A horror/evil intent based theme that is explained within the story; A protagonist with evil or malicious intent with a specific reason; A protagonist with abilities that an average mortal does not possess; A victim or victims being persecuted for a specific and explained reason. Beyond these specific inclusions, feel free to be as creative as you’d like provided you do not breach the three things we will not consider for publication: Stories containing pedophilia; Stories containing scenes of sexually descriptive rape. Submit a story containing any of the three above EXCLUSIONS, and it will immediately be disqualified. Deadline: September 1, 2015 Reading & Evaluation Period: Two to three months after close of the deadline Word Count: 4,000 – 8,000 words NO REPRINTS WILL BE CONSIDERED Payment: Each story selected for inclusion will receive a one-time payment of $25US For full guidelines, please visit our website at: www:SirensCallPublications.com Via: Sirens Call Publications.

Deadline: September 1st, 2015 Payment: Contributor's Copy Note: Reprints Welcome FICTION We at the Great Lakes Association of Horror Writers (GLAHW) are looking for stories that are well written and character driven, preferably with a Michigan or Great Lakes connection, but any well written story with a dark side has a chance with us. All stories need to be Horror, Dark Sci-Fi, Dark Fantasy, or Dark Humor, especially Dark Humor. If you can make us laugh and creep us out at the same time, you have a good chance of acceptance. Please don’t send us sword & sorcery or space opera stories. Tolkien and Lucas have their place, but not here. Also, we don’t and can’t accept “fan fiction” which includes anything based on a video game, book, movie or any other creator’s work or conception unless you have written permission from the creator. If you don’t own the copyright to the characters in your story, we cannot publish your work. By submitting to GLAHW you, as the author of the work, accept responsibility for any possible copyright infringement. Please don’t send us “Slash”, “Fem-Slash” or anything graphic sexual descriptions. Sex is okay as long as it’s integral to the story, but don’t overdo it. Please don’t use gore for gore’s sake. Again, gore is okay as long as it’s integral to the story. After all, we are horror writers. Though we cringe at the thought of violence toward children or pets, we understand that this type of violence does occur in real life, but please make sure it’s integral to your story. Any story that insinuates an act of sexual violence between an adult and a child will be automatically rejected. Please use spell check and proof your work before sending to us. As writers, we should be doing...