Deadline: April 30th, 2019
Payment: £10 and a contributor’s copy

A new fiction anthology to be edited by Allen Ashley and to be published by Eibonvale Press (UK) during 2019.

 

Guidelines from Allen Ashley:

This will be an anthology of stories set on / dealing with the abiding influence of the Moon.

You can take a literal or non-literal approach.

The “Once” aspect will deal with how older cultures / earlier civilisations / people in history saw the Moon, considered and reflected upon the Moon. Think Verne, Wells, Godwin. Think mythology. Think the Sumerians. Think the Ancient Greeks. Think beliefs held by vanished cultures. These stories do not have to be factually, scientifically accurate; the Moon element could be seen as poetic, figurative, imaginative, etc. These stories will likely form one-third of the book. Possibly half.

For “Future”, I am looking at both the liveable near-future (e.g. up to 50 years’ time) and slightly further ahead as well. I want stories grounded in how we will live on / adapt to / use the Moon in the near and further future. What issues might we face – some of which have yet to be even thought of by NASA?

I will also look at stories about how the Moon will affect our lives going forward. Will it be the site of the next war? Will it be the focal point of a conflict between science and religious forces (consider how the Moon is central to many religious practices)? What happens if the Moon starts to move closer to us or to move further away? What if the Moon was badly damaged or destroyed? What if the Moon acquired a companion?

I am likely to take between half and two-thirds of the stories for this segment.

These Guidelines are meant to be inspirational rather than constrictive. I am happy to read stories that treat the Moon and its influence and importance in ways I have failed to anticipate. I will consider anything speculative, whether that speculation manifests itself as science fiction or science fantasy or more nebulous conjecture. Just one proviso: The Moon must be central to your story. If your story would work just the same without the lunar element, then it’s not for us.

 

Suggested reading

Here are some earlier treatments of the lunar theme:

1. G. Wells – “The First Men in the Moon” (novel)

Jules Verne – “From the Earth to the Moon” (novel)

Arthur C. Clarke – “A Fall of Moondust” (novel) and “The Sentinel” (short story)

Robert Heinlein – “The Moon’s A Harsh Mistress” (novel)

Sarah Doyle – “I, The Moon” (poem). Available in “Dreaming Spheres: Poems of the Solar System” by Allen Ashley and Sarah Doyle (book) from PS Publishing. https://www.pspublishing.co.uk/stanza-press–poetry-23-c.asp

Emily Dickinson – “I Watched the Moon around the House” (poem)

Allen Ashley – “Across the Ether” (short story). Available in “Storm Cycle 2015” Edited by A. J. Huffman at Kind of a Hurricane Press website. http://www.kindofahurricanepress.com/p/bookstore.html

Percy Bysshe Shelley – “To The Moon” (poem)

Tom Petty – “Luna” (song lyrics). On CD “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers”.

And many more!

 

To submit:

Submissions open 9am UK time Friday 1 February 2019.

Submissions close 11.59pm UK time Tuesday 30 April 2019.

We are seeking Moon-themed stories as detailed in our spec.

We are not seeking stories about other moons such as those around Mars, Jupiter, etc.

Original and previously unpublished in any form.

Length: 1000 to 5000 words. Sweet spot is 2500-3500 words.

Stories written in English, please. This is not a market for translations.

Send one submission only.

No simultaneous submissions, please.

All authors will be informed of editorial decision at a reasonable time after the closing date.

Stories should be formatted with sensible font (e.g. Times New Roman), pitch 12, double-spaced. Author name, title and contact email should be at top of first page or in header.

Email should consist of short cover letter. “Dear Allen” or “Dear Editor” – your choice.

Header: “The Once and Future Moon Submission”.

Send as a Word doc or doc.x or RTF attachment to Allen Ashley on:

[email protected]

No PDF or other types of files, please. If this is a problem, please query.

We are expecting to pay £10 per story plus contributor copy.

Likely publication date: Autumn 2019.

For anything else not covered in these guidelines, please feel free to email Allen.

Via: Eibonvale Press.