Horror Archives - Page 3 of 4

Let Us In

Feb 17, 2016

Write for us the horrors that we invite into our lives, whether willingly or with reluctance. These are horrors that need our permission to enter. Why do we allow them into our lives? Because they entice us? Because we need to escape a current hell? Because we are curious? Because we want them to save us? Because we want vengeance against someone else? The Monsters here may be human or non-human. Open your imagination to *anything*. We’ll take traditional vampires or werewolves, demons, or forces from other dimensions. Give us abusive spouses, or “saviors” from outer space with tricks up their sleeves. Any of that, or anything else that I may have missed, anything that you think fits.

Style: Go wild. I don’t care how loud and nasty it gets or how quiet and deep. Just make it Good.

Deadline: April 30, 2016
Length: around 4,000 words
Payment: $0.06 cents/word + royalties
Submission Guidelines: http://timealonepress.com/2015/12/23/let-us-in-call-for-submissions/

Matters of Perspective

Feb 16, 2016

In a world with ever increasing video surveillance and instant release of information it is easy to make snap judgements based on excerpts, sound-bites or some sort of attention grabbing headline. Without the full story it can be difficult to know the facts of a situation. As Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is credited as saying: “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” Or as Obi Wan Kenobi said in Return of the Jedi: “…many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.”

Authors – here’s your chance to tell BOTH sides of a story. What we are looking for are speculative fiction stories that tell a story that when told from one perspective come across in favor of one narrative and when told from another perspective comes across in favor of another narrative. Watching a video of police interaction with someone that erupts into violence and someone being injured or killed. That part can be easy (depending on the narrative you want to support) – Now the hard part. Retell that story from another perspective – but it has to take the reader in the complete opposite direction and it has to ring true to the facts that would be KNOWN by the viewpoint character. Using the ‘police’ video for example – write one story showing the officer used excessive force, was targeting specific individuals, etc. Now for the second one – write a story again using the video as the basis and write it so the officer is 100 percent justified in their actions. It can all be a matter of perspective and having access to different sets of facts.

BOTH stories must be realistic and ring 100 percent true to the reader as they read.

Deadline: June 30, 2016
Length: 1,000-6,000 words
Payment: $10 + royalties
Submission Guidelines: http://wolfsingerpubs.com/PerspectiveGuidelines.html

Horrors of the Hudson Valley

Feb 12, 2016

We want original, supernatural horror stories set within the Hudson Valley Region within the State of New York (please note that New York City is NOT considered a part of the Hudson Valley). The time period for your story is up to you–past, present, future, alternate history–but it must take place whole or in part within the Hudson Valley. Hudson Valley is a real place, with a real history, so please respect the reality of the setting.

Scare us, creep us out, give us the shivers, make us laugh. Be Gothic, modern, Lovecraftian, Victorian, Steampunk, whatever. Just set your story in the Hudson Valley.

Deadline: June 1, 2016
Length: 2,000-8,000 words
Payment: $25 + contributor copy
Submission Guidelines: https://neilsenparty.wordpress.com/hvhorrors/

Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires

Feb 11, 2016

Ghosts, Gears, and Grimoires will be a horror-themed Steampunk anthology of short stories, released as an ebook and as a paperback simultaneously.

We are looking for Steampunk featuring the supernatural (ghosts, shapeshifters, demons, etc.)—as well as a beautifully crafted, original story.

Deadline: April 1, 2016
Length: 1,500-6,000 words
Payment: $10
Submission Guidelines: http://mochamemoirspress.com/about/

A Potlatch of Fools — a/k/a The Journal of Unlikely Observances

Feb 10, 2016

Now accepting short fiction submissions to Unlikely Story’s April Fools’ Mini-Issue. We’re looking for stories of up to (roughly) 2000 words. Our theme is the precursors of April Fools’ day – The Feast of Fools and other festivals that celebrate change, transformation, and rebirth in unexpected fashion. Read the guidelines for full details.

Deadline: February 29, 2016
Length: up to 2,000 words
Payment: $.06/word
Submission Guidelines: http://www.unlikely-story.com/submission-guidelines/fiction-submissions/

The Beauty of Death

Feb 10, 2016

Independent Legions Publishing is seeking original horror stories in English language for the new eBook Anthology THE BEAUTY OF DEATH, edited by Alessandro Manzetti, to be published in April, 2016. Special Guests: Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub and Poppy Z. Brite.
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All types of horror are welcome. Sex or violence in a story should be artistically justified; no excessive gore. We welcome all subgenres and forms of speculative fiction. We do not accept multiple submissions. Submissions should generally follow standard manuscript format, Your manuscript may be submitted via email (a.manzetti@hotmail.it) in .DOC format. We can only consider stories submitted through that form.

Deadline: March 30, 2016
Length: 4500-7500 words
Payment: We pay (via Paypal) 100 USD for each original story. We buy first exclusive English-language rights for two years (exclusive) + one year non exclusive.
Submission Guidelines: http://www.independentlegions.com/submissions.html

Kill Those Damn Cats

Feb 2, 2016

Cats of Ulthar Lovecraftian Anthology

The First United Church of Cthulhu is looking for horror fantasy involving the titular creatures from H. P. Lovecraft’s story The Cats of Ulthar. The original is set in the Dreamlands and is part of a series of short stories and novellas called the Dream Cycle.

Everybody’s got a story about those cats.

You can (re)familiarize yourself with the Dream Cycle here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Cycle

http://www.yog-sothoth.com/wiki/index.php/Dreamlands

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underworld_(Dreamlands)

English only. Non-exclusive anthology rights. Reprints and multiple submissions are allowed. Author retains copyright. Payment is via Paypal.

Guidelines:

The cats are cats.

1. They do not have spoken lines. They do not have telepathy. They have no internal monologues. They did communicate with Randolph Carter in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath so this is acceptable, but we do not want talking animal stories (i.e. Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Bugs Bunny, etc).

2. They do not walk upright. They do not wear clothes. This is not Puss In Boots.

3. They are not werecats or shapeshifters of any kind. But other beings from the Cthulhu Mythos who do have shapeshifting abilities may be found among the cats.

4. Cats are already very intelligent, so they can act with a human level of intelligence. Just no driving cars, shooting guns, writing novels about themselves, etc. They’re still cats.

5. They can have supernatural qualities. But they are not furry little wizards, so no fireballs or Expecto Patronum.

6. The majority of the story must take place in the Dreamlands.

7. The majority of the story must be about the cats of Ulthar. Do not tack on a companion cat to one of your sucky D&D campaign stories and try to pass it off as Lovecraftian.

8. Feel free to use any of the people, places, or monsters already listed in the Dream Cycle stories.

9. The Dreamlands have their own set of gods, the Great Ones. Do whatever you want with them. Nyarlathotep is the only being from the rest of the Mythos gods who makes an appearance in the Dream Cycle. You may include cultists, monstrous servants, and avatars of the other Mythos gods but give them a good reason to be there. Cthulhu DOES NOT wake up and start mucking about the Dreamlands.

10. Magic and supernatural powers are usable in the Dreamlands. Just don’t go all Tolkien on us.

11. The story can NOT be about humans taking the cats of Ulthar from the Dreamlands (our head priest has already called that plot device).

It is more of a fantastical place instead of a technological one; think Super Mario World or Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland or even Adventure Time but with more horrific elements.

The story can be pro-cat, anti-cat, or anywhere inbetween.

Pictures can be printed with the story (they will be black and white). Images should be .jpg or .png; 300 dpi is recommended but not necessary. Make sure you have clearance to use the image(s) and send with any necessary copyright information that would need to be listed.

Email your story as an attached .doc file to bitter_venus [at] yahoo.com with Kill Those Damn Cats as the subject.

Via: First United Church Of Cthulhu

Deadline: March 31, 2016
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Payment: $5 + contributor copy
Submission Guidelines:

A Terrible Thing

Jan 18, 2016

We are seeking stories between 2000 and 7000 words related to the Yellow Mythos in some manner (all genres and interpretations will be considered). Reprints from before 2015 will be considered. Multiple submissions are accepted. If sending simultaneous submissions, please do let us know if it is accepted elsewhere.

Longer and shorter works: We may be able to consider longer works (upto 10,000 words), but please query before submitting. If you have a number of shorter pieces, we may be able to consider them, but please query before submitting (we would need several shorter pieces totaling 2000 words or more to justifyinclusion).

Non-fiction: We are happy to consider ‘fictional non-fiction’, so if you have written an ‘investigation’ into the cult of the Yellow King or something similar, we would be happy to see. We may be able to include non-fiction discussing the King In Yellow, Yellow Mythos, etc, but please query before submitting.

Rights Required: We will be seeking one-time publication rights and six-months exclusivity. Reprints should not have been published in 2015 or 2016 and unpublished work should not be published elsewhere prior to six-months after publication of the anthology. Any exceptions will be purely at the publishers’ discretion.

Deadline: March 31, 2016
Length: 2,000-7,000 words
Payment: All contributors will receive a complimentary copy of the paperback upon publication.
Submission Guidelines: http://atlanteanpublishing.wikia.com/wiki/A_Terrible_Thing

Ghosts on Drugs

Jan 2, 2016

Bestselling author Hy Bender (BookProposal.net; 16 books including 5 Dummies books, a Complete Idiot’s Guide, and The Sandman Companion; The New York Times, Mad Magazine) and book developer Will Paoletto (Enterprise Cometh; My Bad Parent) are putting together a short story fiction anthology titled Ghosts on Drugs.

And we’re inviting you to send us a story so great that we can’t resist saying “yes” to it.

The only rule is that a tale include some version of at least one ghost who’s on some version of at least one drug.

And both key terms are broadly defined—e.g., a ghostwriter hooked on cough syrup could fit, and a dead ancient god with an inhumanly intense craving to be worshipped again could too.

Also, a story can run anywhere from 2 pages to 30 pages, so a short-short tale that’s a solid fit for the collection will definitely be considered.

We expect many of the stories will be a mix of comedy and fantasy. However, the book is also open to horror, SF, adventure, drama, etc., as well as any combination of genres. Whatever the category, we’re seeking stories that are extremely entertaining, appeal to a wide-ranging audience (high concepts are especially appreciated), and provide an emotionally satisfying ending (smartly crafted character arcs/transformations are especially appreciated).

We’re aiming to include some of the world’s top comedians, a bunch of superb writers, and one or two celebrities who happen to be drug fans.

Deadline: March 1, 2016
Length: any length
Payment: 15 cents a word for the first 2,500 words and 6 cents a word after
Submission Guidelines: http://www.ghostsondrugs.com/

Urban Temples of Cthulhu

Dec 16, 2015

The First United Church of Cthulhu is looking for modern, urban fiction set within the world of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. If we get a high number of quality submissions early on then submission acceptance will be cut off before the deadline.

Deadline: February 29, 2016
Length: 2,000-10,000 words
Payment: $5 + contributor copy
Submission Guidelines: http://firstunitedchurchofcthulhu.blogspot.com/p/urban-temples-of-cthulhu.html

Keeping Pace With Eternity

Nov 12, 2015

Tree-Lion Press is currently seeking submissions for an anthology of Speculative Fiction stories inspired by Long-Distance Running.

Long-Distance Running. The hours of solitude. The endorphin rush. Other people looking at you as if you were crazy. The pain. The endurance. The more pain. The competition. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.
We are looking for Speculative Fiction; We tend toward (soft) Science Fiction and Fantasy, but will also accept well-written Horror or Supernatural or Whatever, as long as it is Speculative Fiction.

Deadline: January 15, 2016
Length: 500-10,000 words
Payment: $5 advance + royalties
Submission Guidelines: http://www.treelionpress.com/submissions-keeping-pace-with-eternity.html

Deadhead Miles Volume 2