Deadline: October 31st, 2021
Payment: .01 per word after approved edits up to $60 CAD, $15 CAD for reprints
Theme: What can give you nightmares (see below for expanded description)
Submission Open: September 1, 2021
Submission Close: October 31, 2021
Publishing timeline: 2022
HORROR – May have elements of Dark Fantasy, Dark Fiction and Cosmic horror. But must have the intention to scare the readers.
It’s been a long time since my last post—a lot longer than I had planned, but I’ve been struggling lately, which has stopped me from getting much done. And it was while thinking about all of this that I realised I should share my story because I’m sure I’m not the only one struggling like this, and I have some helpful tips that I’ve discovered which are slowly helping me. So, this is what I’m going to share with you all today.
But first, I want to share why I’m struggling. I’ll keep it brief, but you can read my blog post if you want to know more. I have cavernomas on my brain, and during March 2019, one of those cavernomas bled. This bleed caused me to have numbness on the left side of my body, vertigo, chronic fatigue, memory problems, difficulty concentrating, balance problems and neuropathic pain.
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Submission Window: October 1st-3rd 2021
Payment: $50
Theme: Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.
Hi there! We’ll no doubt write more about this later in the next year, but for now, what follows below will tell you all you need to know.
And the theme? It’s “Healers, Midwives and Cunning Folk.”
(No more submissions are being accepted for publication in December of 2020–but we will be publishing stories that have already been accepted.)
The following is relevant to all submissions for 2021, and the first submission window opens Jan. 1. More below.
Writing opportunities for 2021 include:
New Fairy Tales: Fairy tales that are almost or entirely new or are just new takes on old tales are all welcome. Mashups of existing fairy tales are welcome as well. Submissions must follow the theme below to be considered.
Essays: Nonfiction articles about any aspect fairy tales and folklore are being sought. The term “essay” just means you’ll be writing about fairy-tale related matters in a nonfiction article. Creative nonfiction is welcome. You do not have to stick to the theme, but you can.
Poetry: Poetry inspired by fairy tales and that follows the theme is also welcome.
Please read the following in its entirety before submitting.
Want to know what is likely to get published here? There are well over 10 years of stories, essays and art on this current site. It’s the best place to start if you want to be published here.
HERE IS HOW YOU SUBMIT AND FORMAT
Deadline: October 31st, 2021
Payment: $10
Theme: Secrets that are darker than others
We all have secrets. We all have dark stories and hidden truths we hide from others. But some secrets are darker than others.
Join Madhouse Books in this upcoming anthology of short, horror stories of sinister secrets and hidden evil. We are seeking stories of the evil of mankind. We are not seeking stories with paranormal elements. Think serial killers, secret identities, and hidden pasts. (more…)
7 Tips How to Come Up with the Main Characters of Horror Story
Writing horror stories is way more challenging than making horror movies. The feelings and emotions a horror book or story creates are pretty different from the sensations watching a horror movie gives you. And in a horror story, not only the environment, the sounds, the incredible actions are the ones that could catch the attention of a reader. It is also about the characters, and especially about the main characters of the story.
They are the ones that initiate some actions, they take part in every event, they go through difficult and challenging situations, and so on. People who read a story or watch a movie live the action along with the main characters, so how you build them is very important. They need to be memorable to be remembered by the audience, so you need to work on crafting the best main characters. How can you do this? Well, here you have seven tips to come up with the main characters of a horror story.
Monthly Submission Window: October 1st-2nd, 2021
Prizes: First prize: $300, optional second and third prizes of $200 and $100
Theme: Using modern science facts to create a science fiction story
The Kepler Award
for
Science Fiction and Fantasy
The mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote “Somnium” (The Dream), a science fiction/fantasy story to present his research and thoughts on astronomy and lunar geography in a way he hoped religious and scientific authorities of the day would find acceptable. Through his science fiction/fantasy filter he put forth ideas on moon-based astronomical observation, likely lunar life forms, and space travel.
The purpose of the Kepler Award is to recognize and encourage writers of excellent science fiction and fantasy stories that creatively extrapolate on known science in constructive and exciting ways. Fantasy elements that don’t contradict established scientific fact may used.
So far, 2021 Judges of the Finalists will Include:
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The Strange Thing We Become and other Dark Tales by Eric LaRocca Review
By Justin Montgomery
Disclaimer: This article contains 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.
Eric LaRocca sent shockwaves through the horror community earlier this year with the publication of their phenomenal novella, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke. A masterclass in tension and storytelling, I was blown away. When I was approached to give a review of their debut collection, The Strange Thing We Become and other Dark Tales, I jumped on the opportunity, and was once again whisked away into LaRocca’s velvet prose, thrust mercilessly into their macabre imagination rendered so beautifully onto the page.
The stories collected here are quite dark. This collection challenged me, pushed me into uncomfortable and repulsive territory, but I’m glad that it did—save for one story. I appreciated how the stories collected here grew in length and complexity as the collection went on, starting with the brilliant and quick “You Follow Wherever They Go” and growing. One thing that I simply love about LaRocca’s work is the way they title their stories. Creative and complex, yet effectively capturing the themes and emotion within the stories. A welcome change from the formulaic titles of “The (insert noun here)” that most authors (myself included) fallback onto. It’s here that, from the very outset of the stories, that LaRocca distinguishes themselves from the pack.
Please note: We are temporarily closed to short flash stories (unless for one of the Specials) but open to drabbles, unholy trinities and serials. We hope to reopen later in the year once we have caught up with the publication of those already accepted. Please also remember to read our guidelines, especially on word counts!
We’re having a last blast of summer here in the UK and moaning it’s too hot. Give us another week and we’ll be moaning it’s too cold. Moaning about the weather is what we do best 😊. My writing this week has seen the start of a gothic novella set on the streets of the Victorian East End. The Ripper may be around but he is not the focus. My interest in the East End stems largely from a branch of my family which lived there at the time and were amongst the poorest of the poor. This tale gives me a chance to delve deeper into the horrors of 19th century London.
Reading has seen me finish Becky Wright’s Priory – a gothic story with the pace of a thriller and start Eric LaRocca’s The Strange Thing We Become and Other Dark Tales. I’m also reading Bruce Robinson’s They all Love Jack which is another take on the Ripper story and is literally tearing the establishment to pieces. A great read, I’m hoping to finish all 800-odd pages of in a day or two. As a theory, I’m finding it extremely logical and all too believable.
Our first story in Trembling with Fear is The Mystery of the Apples by Harris Coverley. A chilling story written in the same tone as the darker stories of many earlier haunted stories but avoiding the flowery language of those times.
Full Tank by Mike Rader gives us a gas station in the middle of nowhere. A life-saver – or is it?
Grandpa by Patrick Winters reveals a skeleton in the closet. A subtle bite of the macabre.
Sleep Tight by RJ Meldrum questions the truth behind childhood terrors and the stories parents tell to get their kids to tow the line.
Enjoy our stories and send in yours!
Steph
I don’t really have anything new to add this week as I’ve been behind on catching up with more housekeeping for Horror Tree (working on setting up payments to authors, getting our Summer Edition finalized, etc!) So, to recap from last week (which is still all valid):
Trembling With Fear is open for our Halloween Edition until October 13th, so be sure to get your stories in! Full details can be found here.
Offhand, if you run a website and would like to write an article about Horror Tree or Trembling With Fear, we’d really appreciate that! Please reach out with any questions for facts in the article (who does what, when sections were started, etc), any promotional artwork, or with a link once it is live so we can feature it on the site and on our social media.
Have a great week everyone!
I’d like to take this time to give special thanks to our Patreon Sponsors who are at the Level 3 reward level and above!
– Ryan Benson.
– Jane Nightshade.
– Rebecca Rowland.
– James Aitchison.
– Robin Ginther-Venneri.
– Burial Books.
– Craig of Write my paper.
– Celltrackingapps.
