The Horror Tree Recent Markets, Articles, Interviews, and Fiction!

Articles

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Paying Markets For Speculative Fiction Authors | Top Open Calls May 22-26th, 2023

Hello, celestial story-smiths! 🎉 Buckle up as we engage hyperdrive for another exciting week of star-hopping through the limitless frontiers of speculative fiction. We’re your trusty navigators, dedicated to unveiling the most alluring nebulae— or, dare we say, markets— for you, the fearless wordsmiths of our era. Each passing week, we beam down fantastic opportunities to set your imaginations aflame and transform your storytelling prowess into solid gold! 📚✨

This week’s quantum upload pulses with priceless data as we reveal 🚀 New, top-tier markets peppered across the boundless panorama of speculative fiction!

Our interstellar star map is your key to these glittering prospects. You’ll discover the specific intel for these mesmerizing solicitations conveniently located via the links below:

Here’s a fun nugget about May to stir your thoughts: did you know that May is the only month in the English language that can be read both forward and backward and still make sense? Just like this intriguing twist, your narratives this month have the potential to surprise and captivate your readers in unexpected ways.

Your tales are the gleaming galaxies in our universe. They chart your journey through the creative cosmos. So, let’s input our trajectories and bravely sail onward through the literary cosmos, one story at a time! 🚀

Lastly, remember this inspiring sentiment from acclaimed author Octavia Butler, “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually, you get better at it.” So, let the power of your unique creativity guide you, and keep crafting. The multiverse awaits your tales!

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Flat Amount / Novel / Ongoing Submissions / Royalties

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Cemetery Gates Media Is Open For Debut Horror Novel Series

Payment: Paying $500 signing bonus + $500 advance upon publication, and a 60% (author) royalty share on physical and electronic editions of the book.
Theme: Horror

We’re looking for submissions for 40k+ word manuscripts from authors who’ve never published a novel. Paying $500 signing bonus + $500 advance upon publication, and a 60% (author) royalty share on physical and electronic editions of the book.

You’re welcome to submit (1) complete, original, and unpublished 40k+ word manuscript to [email protected] if you have at least (2) paid horror writing credits and have never published a novel. If you have novellas and short story collections in print, you’re still eligible.

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Articles

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Indie Bookshelf Releases 05/26/2023

Got a book to launch, an event to promote, a kickstarter or seeking extra work/support as a result of being hit economically by Covid or life in general?

Get in touch and we’ll promote you here. The post is prepared each Thursday for publication on Friday. Contact us via Horror Tree’s contact address or connect via Twitter or Facebook.

Click on the book covers for more information. Remember to scroll down to the bottom of the page – there’s all sorts lurking in the deep.

 

Before you scroll down through the books however, please could you consider checking out this fundraiser for one of our community members, Cassie Lola Daley who has recently been made homeless due to rent rises beyond her control. Working, but still looking, she and her family need just a little bit more to see them settled. Click on the image to go to her fundraising page. Whilst she’s hit her target, I am leaving this up to help out. I know they haven’t found a place yet and they still need support. Thank you!

 

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Articles

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How to Write a Myth

How to Write a Myth:

 

World-building is one of the most important and complex aspects of writing fiction. It’s the home for your story, the place where your characters live, die, lose, and win. One way to enrich the world of your story is to create mythology. Even if you aren’t writing fantasy, mythology can benefit your story. Consider creating urban myths for your fictional town or a dark past for your haunted house. Myths permeate every culture and without them, your fictional ones risk feeling hollow. This article will help you get started constructing your own mythology for your story’s world.

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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: Pinata by Leopoldo Gout

Disclosure:

Our reviews may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something through the links in this article we may receive a small commission or referral fee. This happens without any additional cost to you.

Title: Pinata
Author: Leopoldo Gout
Genre: Supernatural/Possession/Vengeance Horror
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Release Date: 14th March, 2023

Synopsis: A Head Full of Ghosts meets Mexican Gothic in Piñata, a terrifying possession tale by author and artist Leopoldo Gout.

It was supposed to be the perfect summer.

Carmen Sanchez is back in Mexico, supervising the renovation of an ancient abbey. Her daughters Izel and Luna, too young to be left alone in New York, join her in what Carmen hopes is a chance for them to connect with their roots.

Then, an accident at the worksite unearths a stash of rare, centuries-old artefacts. The disaster costs Carmen her job, cutting the family trip short.

But something malevolent and unexplainable follows them home to New York, stalking the Sanchez family and heralding a coming catastrophe. And it may already be too late to escape what’s been awakened…

They were worshipped by our ancestors.

Now they are forgotten.

Soon, they’ll make us remember.

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Articles / Guest Post

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Edo van Belkom On His Book’s Death and Fiery Resurrection

In 2006, at the urging of my wife, I began writing young adult fiction. Not horror per se, but books that featured teenage werewolves where the conflict was more about teenage problems than supernatural horror. The first book in the series, WOLF PACK was a big success, winning both the Aurora and Silver Birch Awards. The Silver Birch was a big one because there had to be 5,000 copies in print for the book to be on the award ballot, and there were four printings and 10,000 copies in print by the time the award was presented. That made the book the bestselling title for Tundra Books that year and encouraged the publisher to allow me to write three other books in the series,  LONE WOLF, CRY WOLF, and WOLF MAN.

But, without the Silver Birch Award, sales of the follow-up books weren’t nearly as good as the first, averaging sales of around a thousand copies each.

It was a good run while it lasted, but by 2008 the last book in the series had been published, and a few years later, they were all out of print.
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Audio / Events / Flat Amount / Pro / Reprints Allowed

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Taking Submissions: The Cast of Wonders: Banned Books Week (Early)

Submission Window: June 1st – 14th, 2023
Payment: 8 cents/word for originals, $100/short story or $20/flash piece for reprints
Theme: Guiding Sparks Between the Words: How Stories Illuminate the World Around Us

Every year in September, Cast of Wonders celebrates Banned Books Week, an annual international event celebrating the freedom to read and raising awareness of the immense social value of free and open access to information.

Joining the editorial team for this year’s call is Cast of Wonders Associate Editor, Simon Pan. Thank you, Simon, for the wonderful theme this year!

Guiding Sparks Between the Words: How Stories Illuminate the World Around Us

In times of conflict, division and change, it is more important than ever to build bridges of understanding.  We most commonly encounter the stories of others through news articles or in classrooms, kept at a scholarly or journalistic distance and often biased to favour privileged perspectives. Our own truths may also remain unvoiced and unknown, misunderstood even by those around us.

When it comes to illuminating these truths, stories have a key part to play: they help us to learn and appreciate things from perspectives we might never otherwise consider, and allow us to reshape our own experiences within the transformative lens of fiction. When we share our stories, we guide sparks of kinship and understanding, using narrative and emotion to help others experience a small window into another’s reality.

For Banned Books Week 2023, we want to see stories of discovery, of learning, of misconceptions unraveled, and how stories can serve as a guiding light to help us understand a new perspective, or to teach us valuable lessons when all other methods fail us. What that something is…well, that is up to you!

At Cast of Wonders, we welcome stories that portray the full spectrum of human experience. We don’t challenge stories; we want stories to challenge us! Cast of Wonders looks for stories that evoke a sense of wonder, have deep emotional resonance, and have something unreal about them. We aim for a 12-17 age range: that means sophisticated, non-condescending stories with wide appeal, and without gratuitous or explicit sex, violence, or pervasive obscene language.

Preference for this submission window is under 5,000 words with an absolute limit of 6,000 words. Flash submissions under 1.5k are also very welcome!

Submissions must adhere to Cast of Wonders guidelines.  Submissions will be accepted from June 1 to June 14 through our Moksha Portal – we can’t wait to read what you send in!

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Contest / Events / Semipro

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Contest: Shallow Waters’ May Flash Fiction Window

Deadline: May 31st, 2023
Payment: 3 cents per word for the winner, 2 cents per word for second place, and 1 cent per word for third place
Theme: Red

The theme for next month’s flash contest is…

“RED! The colour of blood, and love, and danger. Flashing lights, glowing eyes, cooking flesh; the blinding hue of rage, the windswept locks of a Celtic warrior princess. Give us something red – serve us something raw and dripping, a fresh cut that only you can deliver.” This theme is courtesy of last month’s winner, Matthew R. Davis, who will also read all the submissions and pick the finalists.

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