Category Archives: Fiction

A Brand New Year: Submission Roundup for January 2023

Welcome back, and happy New Year! 2022 was certainly a challenging one, so let’s start the new year off right, and get to submitting some awesome stories to one of these markets!

A disclaimer first: I’m not a representative for any of these markets. I’m merely spreading the word. Please direct your questions to their respective editors.

And with that, onward with this month’s Submission Roundup!

Submission RoundupCosmic Horror Monthly
Payment: .06/word
Length: 1,000 to 6,000 words (3,000 to 5,000 words preferred)
Deadline: January 7th, 2023
What They Want: Cosmic Horror Monthly is seeking fiction that features cosmic horror, Lovecraftian, and weird stories.
Find the details here.

The Crawling Moon: Queer Tales of Inescapable Dread
Payment: .08/word
Length: up to 6,000 words (1,000 to 4,000 words is ideal)
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: Neon Hemlock is seeking queer horror stories that feature gothic horror and depravity.
Find the details here.

Dracula Beyond Stoker
Payment: .05/word
Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: This new journal is seeking fiction that reimagines and expands upon the world of Dracula. For the upcoming issue, the theme is Renfield.
Find the details here.

Literally Dead: Tales of Holiday Hauntings
Payment: .06/word
Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words
Deadline: January 20th, 2023
What They Want: Editor Gaby Triana is seeking ghost stories set around the winter holidays.
Find the details here.

Ghoulish Tales
Payment: .07/word
Length: up to 5,000 words for short fiction; up to 3,000 words for short nonfiction
Deadline: February 15th, 2023
What They Want: Open to short fiction and short nonfiction that focuses on fun horror that celebrates all things spooky.
Find the details here.

Eye to the Telescope
Payment: .04/word (minimum $4; maximum $25)
Length: up to three poems
Deadline: March 15th, 2023
What They Want: Guest editor Avra Margariti is seeking speculative poetry inspired by fungi.
Find the details here.

FlowerSong Press
Payment: Not specified
Length: 75,000 to 150,000 words
Deadline: April 15th, 2023
What They Want: FlowerSong Press is seeking historical, fantasy, horror, and science fiction novels from Latinx authors.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

The Strange Year That Was: 2022 Award Eligibility Post

So here we are once again at the end of a writing year. That means one thing: it’s time for the annual Award Eligibility Post! I always point out how strange these things are to put together, but hey, it’s also nice to do an inventory of the year’s publications. If nothing else, it reminds me that I was, in fact, busy over the last twelve months.

Let’s start with my biggest release of this year: Reluctant Immortals! There have been so many positive things to happen with this novel. First off, it’s been published in two editions: the American version, which came out through Saga Press, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, as well as the UK edition, which came out through Titan Books. The novel’s been featured in Harper’s Bazaar and in not one but two featured horror articles on Goodreads. It’s also been named as one of Esquire’s Best Horror Books of 2022, and it’s received lovely reviews in Cemetery Dance, Rue Morgue, Feminist Book Club, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and many more.

So thank you to everyone who’s picked up a copy of Reluctant Immortals! You have no idea how much it means to me!

Moving on to short fiction, it was a sort of funny year, mainly because for the first eight months of 2022, I had absolutely no new short stories published. Then since September, I’ve had eight stories published. Proof positive that the writing world is nothing if not unpredictable. So here they are in all their horror glory.

A Scavenger Hunt When the Veil Is Thin” (Literally Dead: Tales of Halloween Hauntings, Alienhead Entertainment, September 2022)
A woman returns to her old hometown on a rite-of-passage dare, only to uncover a ghostly presence that unravels everything she knows about her town and about herself. This is a truly delightful and festive anthology, and it was such an amazing experience working with editor Gaby Triana.

The Peculiar Seclusion of Molly McMarshall” (Isolation: The Horror Anthology, Titan Books, September 2022)
Molly McMarshall goes into her house one day and doesn’t come back out again. The whole neighborhood becomes obsessed with what happened to her, and soon, they’ll stop at nothing to find out, even if it means tearing the world apart in the process. Editor Dan Coxon put together an incredible anthology with this one, and I’m so honored to be part of it. Ginger Nuts of Horror called my story “one of the most chilling and frankly upsetting short stories I have ever read.”

Seven Myths They Tell You About the Town Beneath the Lake” (That Which Cannot Be Undone: An Ohio Horror Anthology, Cracked Skull Press, October 2022)
A nameless narrator grows up visiting a local lake and hearing legends of the flooded town that exists beneath the waters. She also sees a restless ghost from the town, one that never stops calling out to her. As she grows older and more restless herself, she must decide if she’s going to heed the ghost’s call. It was so much fun returning to Ohio in my fiction, and it was of course wonderful to reunite with Jess Landry, the editor who worked on my debut collection as well as The Rust Maidens.

Things We Need for the Homecoming Seance” (Dark Murmurs: A Compendium of Curiosities, Silent House Press, October 2022)
A jaunty to-do list from a group of magically-inclined teenage girls quickly turns sinister as their true intentions for homecoming—and the reasons for their trauma—become clear. Another stellar table of contents, one that I’m proud to be part of.

Her Skin a Grim Canvas” (Stories of the Eye, Weirdpunk Books, October 2022)
An adrift young woman finds herself the muse of a celebrated designer, only to realize that her own flesh is the price she’ll pay for stardom. A fairy tale set in the world of high fashion, this one takes inspiration from the late, great Angela Carter. Working with editors Sam Richard and Joe Koch was a blast, and the table of contents is out of this world.

Last Tour Into the Hungering Moonlight” (Into the Forest, Black Spot Books, November 2022)
Families keep moving into a strange, yet seemingly perfect neighborhood. But as the whispers from something in the forest grow louder, the housewives on the street find themselves drawn to the possibility of another darker and more magical life. Inspired by the folklore of Baba Yaga, this all-female anthology has been getting rave reviews, so it’s a pleasure to be included in it.

To the Progeny Forsaken” (Looming Low, Volume 2, Dim Shores, November 2022)
An aging rock star is forced to take care of his strange teenage daughter who may or may not be plotting the end of the world. Think Sofia Coppola’s Somewhere meets the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft. Dim Shores has long been a major purveyor of weird fiction in the publishing industry, and it was great to work with them on this anthology.

A Housewife’s Eldritch Guide to Hosting the Perfect Dinner Party” (Tales from Between, December 2022)
A quiet housewife does her best to put together an ideal dinner party, even though she doesn’t know anyone there, including her own husband. But as the evening wears on, she realizes they know her all too well—and they know exactly what they want to do to her. My final short story published this year, it was so much fun being part of this issue of the new Tales from Between, especially with such a great group of authors.

In addition to my short fiction, many of my articles and essays made their way into the world in 2022. This is particularly exciting since last year, I mentioned how I wanted to write more nonfiction. On that front, it’s definitely been mission accomplished: I’ve had twelve nonfiction articles published since January with one more on the horizon later this month. Here are a few of the highlights.

In Defense of Wendy, Barbra, and the Traumatized Women of Horror” (Tor Nightfire, January 2022)
An exploration of The Shining‘s Wendy and Night of the Living Dead‘s Barbra and how we’ve unfairly maligned them over the years. I’m extremely proud of this article, as it charts my own evolving opinion of the way we depict female characters in horror and the real world ramifications of that depiction.

The Devil’s Just Sitting There Laughing: The Uncanny American Landscapes of Terrence Malick’s Badlands and Days of Heaven” (Vastarien, Volume 5, Issue 1, June 2022)
A deep dive into the existential and gothic horror of Terrence Malick’s first two films. Needless to say, it was an absolute honor to work with Jon Padgett of Grimscribe Press again. This essay was also recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. I adore Vastarien and recommend that everyone who’s a fan of horror and weird fiction pick up a copy of literally any issue if you haven’t already.

The Gothic Horror of a Post-Roe America” (Literary Hub, August 2022)
So I’m just going to declare this very loudly, because it’s one of my favorite accomplishments of the year: I now have a byline in Lit Hub. Seriously. That’s real. For years, I’ve been reading the essays at Lit Hub, and I can’t believe my work is now on the site too. The essay itself is a painful piece, dealing with the fallout of losing Roe and how the women of gothic horror have a thing or two to teach us about surviving oppressive men.

Something Old, Something Frightening and New: How Horror Retellings Help Us Reclaim Our Lost Narratives” (The Lineup, July 2022)
A discussion of how retellings can help unearth new narratives and why that’s so important for marginalized creators. If nothing else, please read this article and pick up two of the novels I mention: Hooked by A.C. Wise and Unwieldy Creatures by Addie Tsai. I can’t recommend them enough.

So that’s my year of writing. It’s certainly been a busy one. Looking ahead, I have lots of fiction and nonfiction planned for 2023, so here’s to hoping all my big forthcoming goals come to fruition!

Happy reading, and happy end of 2022!

Horror Fiction for the Holidays: Submission Roundup for December 2022

Welcome back for the last Submission Roundup of 2022! Lots of great writing opportunities, so if you’ve got a story looking for a home, then you might find the perfect outlet below!

First, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these markets; please direct your questions to their respective editors.

And with that, onward with this month’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

JournalStone
Payment: Standard royalties
Length: 20,000 to 30,000 words for novellas; 50,000 to 90,000 words for novels and collections
Deadline: December 15th, 2022
What They Want: JournalStone is currently seeking a wide variety of horror novellas, collections, and novels.
Find the details here.

Cosmic Horror Monthly
Payment: .06/word
Length: 1,000 to 6,000 words (3,000 to 5,000 words preferred)
Deadline: Open January 1st to January 7th, 2023
What They Want: Cosmic Horror Monthly is seeking fiction that features cosmic horror, Lovecraftian, and weird stories.
Find the details here.

The Crawling Moon: Queer Tales of Inescapable Dread
Payment: .08/word
Length: up to 6,000 words (1,000 to 4,000 words is ideal)
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: Neon Hemlock is seeking queer horror stories that feature gothic horror and depravity.
Find the details here.

Dracula Beyond Stoker
Payment: .05/word
Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: This new journal is seeking fiction that reimagines and expands upon the world of Dracula. For the upcoming issue, the theme is Renfield.
Find the details here.

Literally Dead: Tales of Holiday Hauntings
Payment: .06/word
Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words
Deadline: January 20th, 2023
What They Want: Editor Gaby Triana is seeking ghost stories set around the winter holidays.
Find the details here.

FlowerSong Press
Payment: Not specified
Length: 75,000 to 150,000 words
Deadline: April 15th, 2023
What They Want: FlowerSong Press is seeking historical, fantasy, horror, and science fiction novels from Latinx authors.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

My Recent Article for The Lineup and an Expanded List of Bi+ Horror Authors

Welcome back! So my latest article for The Lineup came out last month, and it focused exclusively on Bi+ horror authors. You can read the full list here, and I honestly hope you do because I’m so very proud to have put this article together. That’s because Bi+ authors are often overlooked in discussions of LGBTQ+ fiction.

Bi+ is an umbrella term that refers not only to bisexuality, but also to pansexuality, omnisexuality, fluid, and a wide variety of additional identities and attractions. (For more info, please refer to this much more in-depth definition.) As I mention in the article for The Lineup, almost no funding in America is dedicated specifically to Bi+ issues, despite the fact that those of us who are bisexual constitute the largest group of the LGBTQ+ community.

As I was working on the list for The Lineup, I put out a call on Twitter for Bi+ horror authors to share their most recent published works. There was a really wonderful thread of authors who responded to my tweet. Even once The Lineup article was published, it made me so happy that there was an even longer list for readers to use when seeking out Bi+ horror fiction. However, now that Twitter is going up in flames, I don’t want that extended list to be lost to the trolls of the internet. So once you read my aforementioned article on The Lineup and check out all those fabulous authors’ work, here are a few additional Bi+ horror authors to add to your reading list.

Angela Sylvaine is a Colorado-based horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy author. Her horror novella, Chopping Spree, came out last year through Unnerving’s Rewind or Die series.

Eva Roslin is a horror and dark fantasy author and reviewer. Her recent work has appeared in Alienhead Press’s Literally Dead: Tales of Halloween Hauntings and Black Spot Books’ Under Her Skin.

Tiffany Morris is Mi’kmaw/settler author of both speculative fiction and poetry, and her most recent collection, Elegies of Rotting Stars, was released earlier this month from Nictitating Books.

Avra Margariti is a prolific poet based in Greece, and her latest collection, The Saint of Witches, was released earlier this year through Weasel Press.

Rich Gerlach is a writer, reviewer, and a podcaster at Staring Into the Abyss. You can read his latest short story in Dead of Winter: An Anthology.

LC von Hessen is a Brooklyn-based author, musician, artist, and actor. Their collection of weird and gothic tales, Spiritus Ex Machina, was released last year.

Chloe Spencer is an author, filmmaker, and YouTube gamer and essayist. Her YA horror science fiction novel, Monstersona, is due out next year from Tiny Ghost Press.

Verity Holloway is a writer and editor. Her upcoming novel, The Others of Edenwell, is slated for release next July from Titan Books.

Rebecca Turkewitz is a writer and teacher based in Portland, Maine. Her short story, “The Elevator Girl,” appeared last year on the Lamplight podcast, and her collection, Here in the Night: Stories, is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press.

Stephanie Rabig is a Kansas-based horror author of numerous books and short stories. Her horror western, On Stolen Land, is available now.

Briana Morgan is a widely published horror author from Atlanta. Her most recent book, The Reyes Incident, made its debut in April of this year.

Jaye Wells is a bestselling author and writing mentor. Her recent short story appeared in Sara Tantlinger’s anthology, Chromophobia.

Natania Barron is an award-winning author whose work explores monsters and mythology. Her first novel, Pilgrim of the Sky, was recently re-released through Falstaff Books.

So those are just a few of the amazing writers and books to add to your TBR pile. There are of course many more Bi+ horror authors working today, so please keep supporting the LGBTQ+ creators in the genre. Especially in the terrifying political climate we’re dealing with here in America, the only way to combat prejudice is through support, love, and acceptance. And after all, Pride Month truly lasts all yearlong!

Happy reading!

Fiction for Year’s End: Submission Roundup for November 2022

Welcome back for this edition of the Submission Roundup! As always, there are a lot of fantastic writing opportunities this month!

A disclaimer before we get started: I’m not a representative for any of these markets; I’m merely spreading the word. Please direct your questions to their respective editors. And with that, onward with November’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Flame Tree Publishing’s Gothic Fantasy Series
Payment: .08/word for original fiction; .06/word for reprints
Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words
Deadline: November 27th, 2022
What They Want: Flame Tree’s Gothic Fantasy series is currently seeking fiction with the theme of spirits and ghouls.
Find the details here.

Never Wake: An Anthology of Dream Horror
Payment: .08/word
Length: 2,500 to 4,500 words
Deadline: December 4th, 2022
What They Want: This anthology is seeking horror stories based around dreams, nightmares, and hallucinations.
Find the details here.

JournalStone
Payment: Standard royalties
Length: 20,000 to 30,000 words for novellas; 50,000 to 90,000 words for novels and collections
Deadline: December 15th, 2022
What They Want: JournalStone is currently seeking a wide variety of horror novellas, collections, and novels.
Find the details here.

Dracula Beyond Stoker
Payment: .05/word
Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: This new journal is seeking fiction that reimagines and expands upon the world of Dracula. For the upcoming issue, the theme is Renfield.
Find the details here.

Literally Dead: Tales of Holiday Hauntings
Payment: .06/word
Length: 2,000 to 4,000 words
Deadline: January 20th, 2023
What They Want: Editor Gaby Triana is seeking ghost stories set around the winter holidays.
Find the details here.

FlowerSong Press
Payment: Not specified
Length: 75,000 to 150,000 words
Deadline: April 15th, 2023
What They Want: FlowerSong Press is seeking historical, fantasy, horror, and science fiction novels from Latinx authors.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

Spooky and Spectral Subs: Submission Roundup for October 2022

Welcome back for this month’s Submission Roundup, and happy October! It’s the best month of the year, so let’s celebrate in style with some fabulous places that are currently seeking submissions.

As always, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these markets. I’m merely spreading the word! Please direct your questions to their respective editors!

And with that, onward with October’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Nightmare Magazine
Payment: .08/word for fiction; $40/flat for poetry; $75/flat for nonfiction
Length: 1,500 to 7,500 words for fiction; up to 5 poems; up to 1,000 words creative nonfiction
Deadline: October 20th, 2022
What They Want: Nightmare Magazine is currently open to BIPOC writers only. The magazine is seeking a wide variety of horror fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
Find the details here.

Neon Hemlock
Payment: Negotiable between Advance plus Royalties, or Royalties only
Length: 17,500 to 40,000 words
Deadline: October 24th, 2022
What They Want: Neon Hemlock is open to submissions for their 2024 Novella series. The editor is seeking a wide variety of speculative fiction, including slipstream and the weird, and stories that focus on queer experiences are especially welcome.
Find the details here.

Nowhere Fast
Payment: .06/word
Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words
Deadline: October 28th, 2022
What They Want: This Clash Books anthology is open to coming-of-age horror inspired by 80s and 90s movies.
Find the details here.

Eerie River Publishing
Payment: .01/word, up to $70 CAD
Length: 2,000 to 7,000 words
Deadline: November 15th, 2022
What They Want: Eerie River Publishing is currently seeking cosmic horror short stories.
Find the details here.

Dracula Beyond Stoker
Payment: .05/word
Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: This new journal is seeking fiction that reimagines and expands upon the world of Dracula. For the upcoming issue, the theme is Renfield.
Find the details here.

FlowerSong Press
Payment: Not specified
Length: 75,000 to 150,000 words
Deadline: Opens October 15th, 2022 until April 15th, 2023
What They Want: FlowerSong Press is seeking historical, fantasy, horror, and science fiction novels from Latinx authors.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

Fall Into Fear: Submission Roundup for September 2022

Welcome back for this month’s Submission Roundup! Lots of great calls for September and beyond, so if you’ve got a story looking for a home, perhaps one of these markets will be a perfect fit!

A disclaimer as always: I’m not a representative for any of these markets. Please direct your questions to their respective editors.

And with that, onward with the Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Hush, Don’t Wake the Monster: Stories Inspired by Stephen King
Payment: $15/flat
Length: No specified word count
Deadline: September 12th, 2022
What They Want: A Women in Horror anthology, the editor is seeking stories inspired by Stephen King’s work.
Find the details here.

Weird Magazine
Payment: .015/word
Length: 500 to 6,000 words
Deadline: September 30th, 2022
What They Want: This magazine from Undertow Publications is seeking horror and weird fiction.
Find the details here.

Kaleidotrope
Payment: .01/word for fiction; $5/flat for poetry
Length: 250 to 10,000 words
Deadline: September 30th, 2022
What They Want: Open to a wide variety of speculative fiction and poetry.
Find the details here.

Fantasy Magazine
Payment: .08/word
Length: up to 7,500 words
Deadline: October 1st to 7th, 2022 for general submissions; for BIPOC authors, submissions are open until the end of the year
What They Want: Open to fantasy and dark fantasy stories.
Find the details here.

Dracula Beyond Stoker
Payment: .05/word
Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words
Deadline: January 15th, 2023
What They Want: This new journal is seeking fiction that reimagines and expands upon the world of Dracula. For the upcoming issue, the theme is Renfield.
Find the details here.

Nowhere Fast
Payment: .06/word
Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words
Deadline: October 28th, 2022
What They Want: This Clash Books anthology is open to coming-of-age horror inspired by 80s and 90s movies.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

Book Tour for RELUCTANT IMMORTALS

Welcome back! Today, I’m super excited because we’re officially only two weeks away from the release of Reluctant Immortals!

*screams joyously into the void*

And that’s not the only reason I’m excited. For the first time ever, I’m doing an actual author book tour! Most of the appearances will be virtual, but a couple will, in fact, be in person! This is seriously the neatest thing in the world to me. I’ve literally imagined doing an author book tour ever since I was a little kid, so needless to say, I’m over the moon about this.

And where will I be appearing? Well, since you asked, here’s a nifty promo featuring all the event dates!

So first up, on the release day of August 23rd, there’s the book launch at Riverstone in Pittsburgh! This is an in-person event, and I’ll be in conversation with author Emma Riva! If you’re in the area, please feel free to stop by! The event starts at 7pm ET!

Then on Wednesday, August 24th, I’ll be doing a virtual event at Mysterious Galaxy! Festivities start at 6pm ET/ 9pm PT, and I’ll be appearing with the always awesome A.C. Wise who was also kind enough to blurb my novel! Bonus: if you order Reluctant Immortals through the Mysterious Galaxy site, you can also get a signed bookplate!

On Thursday, August 25th at 7:30pm ET, I’m thrilled to be appearing at a virtual event at Charis Books, a feminist bookstore located in Decatur, Georgia. I’ll be in conversation with the amazing Addie Tsai whose queer re-imagining of Frankenstein, Unwieldy Creatures, was just released! It’s beyond perfect that my Dracula and Jane Eyre retelling is being paired with a Frankenstein retelling, and I can’t wait to talk more with Addie about our new novels!

To finish off the first week of my book tour, the ever supportive Daniel Braum has invited me back to his Night Time Logic series. That virtual event is on Friday, August 26th at 8pm ET, and I’ll be appearing with the fabulous Rebecca Rowland!

For the second week of my book tour, I’ll be appearing at a virtual event at The Novel Neighbor, a bookstore located in St. Louis, Missouri. This fabulous bookstore does so many wonderful events with authors, and I’m so thrilled to be able to be part of their lineup. The event starts at 8pm ET/ 7pm CT!

On Tuesday, August 30th at 7pm ET, I’m doing a virtual event at Old Town Books where I’ll be in conversation with the amazing and supportive Becky Spratford! It’s always great to talk with Becky as she’s long been one of the biggest supporters of my work, so this will no doubt be a very fun night!

And last but not least, I’ll be appearing at another in-person event when I return to StoryFest at The Westport Library on Saturday, September 10th. I’ll be on the panel “Resist and Rise Up: A Panel on Activism,” alongside amazing authors Sarah Gailey, Hugh Ryan, Mondiant Dogan, and Sonya Huber. That panel starts at 1pm ET, but the event goes all day and features lots of incredible writers, so if you’re in the area, please come and hang out with us!

So that’s the schedule for my first ever author book tour! And as if that’s not enough, I’ll also be appearing on numerous podcasts over the next two months, so like it or not, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch me discussing vampires, the Gothic, Hammer horror, the 1960s, and everything else related to Reluctant Immortals. *another joyous scream into the void*

Happy reading!

Summer of Horror: Submission Roundup for June 2022

Welcome back for this month’s Submission Roundup! Lots of super cool opportunities in June and beyond, so if you’ve got a story seeking a home, one of these markets might be the right fit!

First, a disclaimer: I’m not a representative for any of these publications. Please direct your questions to their respective editors. And with that, onward with this month’s Submission Roundup!

Submission Roundup

Dracula Beyond Stoker
Payment: .05/word
Length: 1,500 to 5,000 words
Deadline: June 15th, 2022
What They Want: This new journal is seeking fiction that reimagines and expands upon the world of Dracula. For the inaugural issue, the theme is Dracula.
Find the details here.

Rites of Passage: An Anthology of Queer Pagan Fiction
Payment: $25 to $75/flat
Length: 2,500 to 7,500 words
Deadline: June 30th, 2022
What They Want: The anthology is seeking coming-of-age stories about queer pagans.
Find the details here.

Vastarien
Payment: .05/word for fiction and nonfiction; $50/flat for artwork and poetry
Length: up to 7,500 words
Deadline: June 30th, 2022
What They Want: Vastarien is seeking nonfiction, literary horror fiction, and poetry that’s inspired by Thomas Ligotti and related themes.
Find the details here.

Les Petites Morts: An Anthology of Dark Fairy Tales
Payment: .06/word
Length: 1,000 to 5,000 words
Deadline: Opens to submissions on July 1st, 2022
What They Want: The editors are seeking erotic horror stories inspired by folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. Please consider supporting their Kickstarter for the project!
Find the details here.

Nowhere Fast
Payment: .06/word
Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words
Deadline: October 28th, 2022
What They Want: This Clash Books anthology is open to coming-of-age horror inspired by 80s and 90s movies.
Find the details here.

Happy submitting!

Les Petites Morts: Interview with Hailey Piper

Welcome back! Today, I’m happy to be helping out with the promotion of Les Petites Morts: An Anthology of Erotic Horror Fairy Tales from Ghost Orchid Press. The project is currently up on Kickstarter and is over a quarter of the way funded already!

As part of this promotion, I recently interviewed contributor Hailey Piper about her story in the anthology!

What can you tell us about your new story in Les Petites Morts?

It’s a sapphic twist on the Greek myth of the sphinx, in which she’s sometimes offered sacrifices in lieu of riddle answers, and our heroine has become one such offering after getting on a king’s bad side for taking his queen’s attention.

Horror and eroticism have a long history of intertwining. What do you think is the draw of this particular subgenre? What are some of your favorite erotic horror stories and films?

I think horror and eroticism both indulge in visceral elements, and they make an easy couple. There’s both a seductive “wrongness” that draws some, wanting to see something they might consider repulsive, while for others there’s a freedom to indulge in the fiction’s fantasy, and that same thing seen as a repulsive element can instead be beautiful and alluring, which was how I approached scenes in this story, my novel Queen of Teeth, and other work.

As for favorites, Clive Barker really hits a sweet spot with some Books of Blood stories and the movie Hellraiser. I also love Go Down Hard by Ali Seay.

What in particular do you feel makes Les Petites Morts a unique anthology?

Focusing on fairy tales, folklore, and mythology for erotic horror both forces the erotic horror to dance with speculative elements of magic and monsters and sex within, but also invites the stories to play with foundational elements of our cultures, get into the tactile sensations of them, be that blood or other things. Plus I have so much faith in editors Evelyn Freeling and Antonia Rachel Ward, and a book of erotic horror is going to be a wonderful time. I can’t wait to read the other stories.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m finishing up one of my queer horror/weird crime chapbooks for Death’s Head Press, and I’m getting started on a new cosmic horror novella, plus some short stories sprinkled around.

Big thanks to Ghost Orchid Press and Hailey Piper! Please consider backing this fabulous new anthology over at Kickstarter today!

Happy reading!