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Articles / Reviews

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Epeolatry Book Review: The Trees Grew because I Bled There by Eric LaRocca

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: The Trees Grew because I Bled There
Writer: Eric LaRocca
Publisher: Titan Books
Genre: Horror; Short Stories
Publication Date: March 7th, 2023

Synopsis: “The stories collected here are by turns confident, brutal, and breathtaking… must-read horror” The New York Times
A beautifully crafted, devastating short fiction collection from the Bram Stoker Awards® finalist and author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. Includes an introduction from acclaimed bestselling author Chuck Wendig.

Eight stories of literary dark fiction from a master storyteller. Exploring the shadow side of love, these are tales of grief, obsession, control. Intricate examinations of trauma and tragedy in raw, poetic prose. In these narratives, a woman imagines horrific scenarios whilst caring for her infant niece; on-line posts chronicle a cancer diagnosis; a couple in the park with their small child encounter a stranger with horrific consequences; a toxic relationship reaches a terrifying resolution…

Originally published under the title The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales, this is a much-praised collection of deeply unsettling, painfully dark tales.

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Events / Flash / Magazine / Pro / Reprints Allowed

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Taking Submissions: Cosmic Roots And Eldritch Shores June 2024 (Early Listing)

Submission Window: June 1st – 2nd, 2024
Payment: 8 cents per word for original, 2 cents for reprints, For artwork: $10 for the non-exclusive right to use each image, for as long as the site is online.  If we publish a print collection we will pay a pro-rata share for each image used.
Theme: Well written original work in science fiction, fantasy, myth, legend, fairy tales, and eldritch, in written, podcast, video, and/or graphic story form, and from around the world.
Note: Reprints welcome

 

 

Submissions Schedule

We have a new submissions schedule as of June 1, 2020:
The first and second day of every month, 12 am of the 1st to 12 am of the 3rd, E.S.T.
Only one submission per person.

For reading impaired individuals, our submissions manager and ‘forget password’ have a captcha compatible with screen readers.

We pay 8¢ per word for new fiction, 2¢ per word for fiction reprints, 2 – 6¢ per word for new fact-based work, 1- 4¢ per word for reprinted fact articles.
For new poetry, we pay $1 a line, reprints would be 50¢ a line, up to 40 lines. We’ll look at longer poems but that would be a hard sell, and words over 40 lines would be paid at 6¢ per word.

We began The Kepler Award to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. You can learn about The Kepler Award here.

You can read a copy of our standard contract here.   It can be varied as needed to include the rights of translators, voice actors, etc.

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Events / Flat Amount / Online / Royalties

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Taking Submissions: Short Story Substack June 2024 Window (Early Listing)

Submission Window: June 1st – 31st, 2024
Payment: $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue
Theme: Any genre, short story

Mission = Revive the art of the short story, support artists, and produce something wonderful.

Payout = Base Pay of $100 for the chosen story + 50% of subscription revenue to be sent by Paypal, Zelle, or check.

Wait, you mean if this substack gets thousands of subscribers, the winner would get thousands of dollars?

Yes! The New Yorker pays roughly $7,500 per story and I sincerely hope to go way past that.

What does the timeline look like?

Submit stories by the end of the month, winner to be announced on the 15th. There is ONE story that wins and receives the full payout.

Where do I send submissions?
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Articles

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Writing Prompt Wednesdays: How Society Is Failing Our Children

Writing Prompt Wednesdays: Trapped in a building in the middle of nowhere!

Welcome to “Writing Prompt Wednesdays,” a haven where your imagination can roam free in the realms of speculative fiction. As we embark on this weekly journey, it’s thrilling to think about the untold stories waiting to be penned in the domains of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. Whether you’re a seasoned author or a budding wordsmith, these prompts are your gateway to unexplored worlds and untapped potentials.

Every Wednesday, we’ll serve up a fresh, thought-provoking prompt designed to ignite your creative spark and challenge your storytelling prowess. Think of these prompts as a key, unlocking the doors to uncharted territories where your creativity is the only limit. From eerie, shadow-laden corridors of Gothic horror to the farthest reaches of interstellar space, and the mystical depths of high fantasy, our prompts are a kaleidoscope of possibilities.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to approach these prompts. They are mere stepping stones, guiding you towards the vast landscapes of your imagination. Use them to break free from writer’s block, to experiment with new ideas, or simply as a fun exercise to keep your writing skills sharp.

This week’s writing prompt:

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Artwork / Flash / Flat Amount / Magazine / Ongoing Submissions / Poetry

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Ongoing Submissions: Centaur

Payment: $20
Theme: A mashup of fiction with prose poetry or nonfiction, also known as hybrid. Fantasy, reality, and everything in between.
Note: Only one submission every three months.

Centaur is on the lookout for writing that’s inspired, bold, and surprising. With four seasonal issues a year, and up to eight pieces in each, there’s only room for your best 400 words or fewer. Learn more about Centaur in the interview Six Questions.

 

Centaur’s pledge to its writers and artists

  • You will not pay a submission fee. Ever. You’ll get a nice acceptance or an equally nice decline within two months of story or artwork submission. (If you don’t hear from Centaur, check your spam folder. Every submission receives a response!)
  • Writers: Centaur will nominate pieces for each of the annual literary competitions or anthologies, including Best Small Fictions, Best Microfiction, and Best of the Net.
  • Additionally, your editor will light her Dolly Parton candle for Centaur’s writers at each issue’s launch, in hopes that your work may be honored and anthologized elsewhere. (Please just credit Centaur as first publisher.)
  • Centaur will feature its author and artist books on its Bookstore page.
  • Your published story or art will be its own prize—shined (copyedits on stories), shown (social media), and shared (however, all rights reserved and rights revert to creator upon publication).
  • Your published story or art will receive $20 in payment and a fortune in goodwill.

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Events / Flash / Magazine / Semipro

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Ongoing Submissions: Big Smoke Pulp

Payment: 1₵ CAD per word.
Theme: Fun Pulp Stories from 99 to 7500 words

What We’re Looking For

Pulp stories are one thing above all else: Fun.We are not looking for flowery prose or character pieces without a plot.We’re looking for breakneck pacing, thrilling action and relatable characters in heaps of trouble. We’re looking for something that readers can’t put down because they can’t imagine not knowing where it ends.

We’re looking for PULP.There is no limitation on genre or content. Bring us your young adult romance, hard-nosed noir or epic sci-fi.As long as it follows the guidelines laid out here, we’ll want your stories.

 

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Articles / Interviews

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The Robots Weren’t Wrong: Tales of Unstoppable Technology – An Interview With Weird Little Worlds

The Robots Weren’t Wrong: Tales of Unstoppable Technology

Weird Little Worlds Kickstarter

By Angelique Fawns

 

Weird Little Worlds wants to give ALL authors an equal chance at selling a story to their latest anthology. They are looking for 20 stories in the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres that explore: “Ghosts in the machine. Robot armies. Artificial intelligence that outsmarts even the most genius human mind. The robots are here and it’s no secret that they think we’re not capable of managing the world by ourselves.”

Calling the vibe Black Mirror meets Twilight Zone they are funding the project through Kickstarter. Check it out here. 

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wlw/the-robots-werent-wrong-tales-of-unstoppable-technology

I asked the editors a few questions:

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Anthology / Events / Flash / Flat Amount / Reprints Allowed / Semipro

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Taking Submissions: Ruth’s and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel

Deadline: June 1st, 2024
Payment: 1 cent per word for original stories or a flat $10 for reprints,
Theme: Time Travel!

Travel through time with us! Ruth’s and Ann’s Guide to Time Travel is the third anthology from Celestial Echo Press. The theme for this anthology is time travel. We’re looking for stories that will take readers on a journey through time, from the Wild West to the future in outer space, from humor to horror. All genres accepted, except erotica. Send us well-written stories that make us believe time travel is real. Give us new, fresh stories.

All stories that do not contain a time travel element will be rejected immediately.

We want to read great stories and can’t wait to read your submission!

We invited seven authors, and have 13 slots available. We may reserve one slot for an author who submits a great story and has not previously been published. We want to encourage, and we support, new authors.

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