My novel Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives is almost here! It’ll be published in a beautiful hardback edition on 3 September 2024. But perhaps you needn’t wait so long as that….
If you’re a reviewer or book blogger or similar, and if you’re signed up with a NetGalley account, you may be able to access the novel early here.
The first review of the novel is in, too. It’s from Kirkus Reviews, and it’s lovely! Here’s an excerpt:
“As in Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella, the solution to the mystery is even more horrifying than the mystery itself. Major does such an admirable job with the heaviest lift here—coming up with a case that fully engages Jekyll/Hyde’s double nature without being overwhelmed by it—that it’s hard to imagine how he’ll manage it again. But expectations are high.”
There are some fantastically exciting opportunities for writers this month! The first couple end within the next couple of days, though, so you’ll need to work fast if they’re of interest to you…
Roots of My Fears This anthology of ‘ancestral horror’ will be edited by Gemma Amor and published by Titan Books. It already boasts a lineup including Ramsey Campbell, Premee Mohamed and Adam Nevill among other high-profile authors, but there’s room for a single story from this open submissions period – which ends very soon! Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 4 August 2024 Find out more
Motives Unknown This is an exciting opportunity, if you fit the bill! Fantastic indie publisher Dead Ink, in partnership with literary agencies Curtis Brown and C&W, is seeking stories for a new crime anthology. But to qualify, you must be writer in (or with strong ties to) the north of England, and you must also be unagented. If that’s you, act quickly – the deadline is very soon! Word count: Up to 1000–6000 words Payment: Unspecified fee, plus a consultation with a literary agent Deadline: 5 August 2024 Find out more
This Way Lies Madness Editors Lee Murray and Dave Jeffery are seeking dark fiction about ‘monstrous manifestations of trauma and guilt, paranoia and persecution, anxiety, addiction, and crippling terror’ for this anthology to be published by Flame Tree. Word count: Around 2000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 13 October 2024 Find out more
Uncanny Uncanny is one of the very best SF/F fiction websites around, with its stories frequently winning big awards – and it rarely opens for submissions, so get to it! Word count: 750-10,000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: Open 5 August–2 September 2024 Find out more
Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction This high-profile contest is free to enter, and this year’s theme is ‘The Unspoken’. Shortlisted stories will feature in an ebook anthology published by the excellent Comma Press. Word count: 2000–7500 words Payment: £500 prize, and publication for shortlisted authors Deadline: 22 September 2024 Find out more
Gwyllion This well-designed zine, which has reached its ninth issue, features science fiction and fantasy by writers with links to Wales. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: £15 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Saros This brand-new speculative fiction magazine will have an emphasis on literary SF and stories with ‘a touch of the bizarre’. Word count: 2000–15,000 words Payment: $40 Deadline: Open 5–18 August 2024 Find out more
Apparition Lit This quarterly magazine accepts speculative fiction based on a specific theme which changes each issue – the upcoming prompt is the word HARBINGER. Word count: 1000–5000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 15–31 August 2024 Find out more
Flunk This Australian online zine is up to its fifth issue, and is seeking SF/F and horror stories. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: $50 AUD Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Bookworms Horror Zine In the words of the editors: ‘We generally enjoy “fun”, “80s style” horror reminiscent of the zine’s old-school vibe, but we’ve also been blown away by fresh voices that take the genre in a new direction.’ Word count: Up to 1500 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 1 September 2024 Find out more
Rabid Otter The editors at Riverfolk Publishing are currently putting together an anthology of technology-based horror. Word count: 6000–10,000 words Payment: $100 Deadline: 30 September 2024 Find out more
Black Cat Weekly It’s nice to see more crime-fiction venues popping up recently. Unlike most, Black Cat is explicitly open to speculative mysteries alongside classic styles. Word count: Around 1500–15,000 words Payment: From $15–$50 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Starspawn: A Miskatonic Mystery This anthology is not only linked to HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos, it’s actually linked to an in-development indie video game. That means stories need to relate to very particular worldbuilding detailed on the submissions page. Word count: 2500–7500 words Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: 15 September 2024 Find out more
Gods & Services This anthology will contain stories that adhere to a very specific prompt about a flea-market shop that sells gods. Word count: 3000–10,000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 30 August 2024 Find out more
Tales Untold: Underdogs of Society The editors of this anthology are seeking stories about societal underdogs that promote diversity, representation and inclusion and which also include ‘a unique twist/climax’. Word count: 3000–8000 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 30 September 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.
Punk Goes Horror This anthology from Truborn Press is described as ‘A Mixtape of Musically Inspired Goth-Rock-Horror Bangers’ – each story should reference a single punk song, which should also be its title. Word count: 2000–4000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–25 August 2024 Find out more
V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize This contest is in a different league to most of the venues I tend to list, as it’s organised by the Royal Society of Literature and is very, very prestigious. Word count: 2000–4000 words Payment: £1000 prize Deadline: 13 September 2024 Find out more
Story Unlikely This well-presented online zine seeks stories of all genres – the editors state ‘We like stories that cross genres, experiment, and push the boundaries of literature’. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: 8 cents per word up to 2500 words, $200 max Deadline: 29 September 2024 Find out more
Abyss & Apex Ordinarily this pro SF market is open only for a week in August and in February, but it’s currently open for midwinter holiday stories, until the issue is filled – there’s no indication how many stories that involves, so send your work quick! Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open until filled Find out more
Little Red Flags This interesting-sounding anthology has the subtitle Stories ofCults, Cons and Control and will feature stories about fanaticism and ‘monsters who hide in plain sight’. The editors’ preferences tend towards ‘fast-paced and dark psychological and suspense thrillers’. Word count: 1000–4000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–16 August 2024 Find out more
Close My Eyes Forever A surprising pairing, this one – an anthology of crime fiction inspired by heavy metal hits. Each story must be based on a single heavy metal song. Word count: Around 3000–5000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 August 2024 Find out more
Dolls in the Attic The horror stories in this anthology will form a sort of shared world, as the prompt specifies that each story should relate to a specific porcelain doll from a fictional Lady Hawthorne’s collection. I like the sound of this one, though it’s a tricky brief. Word count: 5000–10,000 words Payment: $20 Deadline: 31 July 2024 Find out more
Sally Port A new online zine specialising in fantasy fiction from mid-grade to YA to adult. Upcoming themes include ‘Opening the door, entering into the new’, ‘Worlds of opportunity’ and ‘Sudden turns’. Word count: Varies according to intended reader age Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Stories to Take To Your Grave The Undertaker Books editors are on the lookout for stories about ‘souls wandering the earth after being separated from their body’, which will feature first in their newsletter, then in a hardback book. Word count: 2000–5000 words Payment: $20 Deadline: 15 July 2024 Find out more
If There’s Anyone Left This publication will feature flash SF stories written by people of color, the LGBTQ2S+ community, members of marginalized genders, and disabled and neurodiverse people. Word count: Up to 1000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 15 July 2024 Find out more
21 Futures The editors of this anthology are seeking stories that respond to the prompt ‘financial fallout’. Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: Various prizes from $100 to $1000 Deadline: 31 August 2024 Find out more
Evergreen: Tales of Winter Shadows Speculation Publications is currently accepting winter-flavoured tales for its annual Yule anthology. Word count: 2000–7000 words Payment: $20 Deadline: Open 4 July–6 September 2024 Find out more
Hellbound Books’ Anthology of Creature Features There are several submission calls from this publisher in the upcoming months, but I thought this one would be likely to appeal to some of you – classic tales of animals on the attack! Word count: 4000–10,000 words Payment: $5 Deadline: 30 August 2024 Find out more
Weird Lit Magazine I find this magazine’s long list of accepted styles very pleasing: ‘absurdist, ambiguous, avant garde, bleak, dark, deadpan, existential, grotesque, hopeful, horror, humorous, literary, speculative, supernatural, transgressive, weird’. Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: No payment Deadline: Open 15 July–31 August 2024 Find out more
Sinister Soup This new podcast/online zine from Grendel Press will feature dark fantasy, dark sci-fi, horror and dark romance stories. Word count: 1000–4000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: Ongoing, until filled Find out more
In The Gallows Wake Is it just me, or has pirate horror been cropping up a lot lately? If you’ve been writing such things, here’s another anthology seeking tales of ‘the heart of darkness on the high seas’. Word count: 4000–6000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 1 August 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.
Atlas of Deep Ones There are plenty of Lovecraftian anthologies out there, but this one sounds a little different, as the editors are seeking stories based in far-flung locations or historical periods – examples include Roman, Viking or Bronze Age settings. Word count: 500–6000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 30 July 2024 Find out more
Intergalactic Rejects This Kickstarted anthology features a high-profile roster of writers, including Samuel R. Delany and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, and with an essay by Robert Silverberg. The premise is SFF stories that have been rejected from multiple markets. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 12 June–12 July 2024 Find out more
Leviathan This sounds like a rich theme: industrial horror. But rather than necessarily stories of workplace or factory horror, the editors are looking for weird tales set in the Victorian period. Word count: 3000–6000 words Payment: $125–$200 Deadline: 30 September 2024 Find out more
Sengkang Sci-Fi Quarterly This Singaporean zine is seeking English-language SF stories, and the editors refer to authors such as Ted Chiang, Jorge Luis Borges and Begum Rokeya as touchstones. Word count: 1000–10,000 words Payment: 5 cents (SGD) per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
GabaGhoul A puzzling title, perhaps, but the subtitle A Mafia Horror Anthology clarifies things: it’s a collection of Mafia horror stories. Word count: 3000–5000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 31 July 2024 Find out more
Black Cat Tales No trickery here. As you’d expect, this call is for stories containing black cats. Most genres are accepted. Word count: 500–3500 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 15 July 2024 Find out more
Zombies in the New Normal Editor D.L. Russell is putting together an anthology of ‘real world based zombie horror’ – that is, zombie stories with an emphasis on realism. Word count: 3000–12,000 words Payment: $100 Deadline: 1 August 2024 Find out more
Children of the Blind Owl This exciting-sounding anthology will feature Middle Eastern horror. Surprisingly, while the editors would appreciate writers from the Middle East, the call is open to writers from any country. Word count: 3000–6000 words Payment: $150–$250 Deadline: 31 August 2024 Find out more
Too Bad, You Died This anthology will feature horror and SF stories with only one stipulation: your own death must feature in it. Word count: 2000–4000 words Payment: £20 Deadline: 31 July 2024 Find out more
Even Cozier Cosmic Like its predecessor The Cozy Cosmic, this anthology will feature stories of ‘cozy cosmic horror that illuminate the elegance and grace and compassion that persists against the vast background of unrelenting emptiness’. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 30 June 2024 Find out more
Statue This new magazine has a very broad remit, covering all genres and without many clues as to the editors’ preferences. Word count: 1000–6000 words Payment: £80 per 1000 words Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Altitude Press The current flash fiction anthology from this press will feature stories in any genre, but all of them about dogs. Word count: 1500–2000 words Payment: $20 Deadline: 1 July 2024 Find out more
Twisted Laughs This anthology from Exploding Head Fiction will feature dark humour (or rather humor, as it’s a US publication). Stories must be funny, and must be scary. Word count: Up to 2500 words Payment: $15 Deadline: 15 July 2024 Find out more
High Tower Magazine This new magazine will feature ‘superversive fiction’, i.e. the opposite of subversive fiction. The editors define this as ‘inspiring fiction that builds up civilization rather than tears down’, with examples including JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis. Word count: 500–10,000 words Payment: $10 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.
Trollbreath This new magazine will feature ‘dark fantasy to hope punk to surrealism, and everything in between’ (quite a complex calculation, that ‘in between’ part). Its name and title font are very much in its favour. Word count: 1500–7500 words Payment: 4 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
The Orange & Bee This new zine specialises in fairy tales, either reimagining existing ones or ‘unique creation[s] waiting to be added to the rich tradition of the continually evolving literary canon.’ Word count: Up to 4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Imagine 2200 This is a short story contest rather than a magazine, with the subtitle Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors. Judges Omar El Akkad and Annalee Newitz will assess stories of any genre ‘imagining futures of abundance, adaptation, reform, and hope’. Unlike many contests of this sort, it’s free to enter. Word count: 2500–5000 words Payment: $3000 first prize, with 12 winners in total Deadline: 24 June 2024 Find out more
Little Guts This anthology from Little Ghosts Books will feature ‘gross, goopy horror’ that ‘evoke fun and disgust’, which is… possible… I suppose. Unusually, they request pitches rather than completed stories. Word count: 2000–5000 words Payment: 12 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Rhapsody of the Spheres This anthology from Third Flatiron will feature hopepunk speculative fiction stories – that is, SF stories that the editors feel ‘would make us happy right now’. Word count: 1500–3000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 19 May – 1 June 2024 Find out more
Terrific Tomorrows Positive SF seems to be more and more popular. The editors of this anthology are seeking family-friendly SF stories ‘with positive visions of the future, stories that leave the reader excited about the possibilities ahead.’ Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Witchcraft in Your Lips This anthology from Lethe Press will contain only three or four novellas, all themed around ‘lesbian-themed folk magic and witchcraft’. Word count: 20,000–30,000 words Payment: $750 Deadline: Not stated Find out more
Skull and Laurel Tenebrous Press has an excellent track record in publishing New Weird fiction. Now it’s publishing a magazine along similar lines. They’d like to see stories that are ‘dark and Weird with a capital W’. Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
The Robots Were Right This anthology from Weird Little Worlds is subtitled Tales of Unstoppable Technology. The editors are looking for stories that wouldn’t be out of place on Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone. Word count: 500–5000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Arkham Institutions Do you write Lovecraftian cosmic horror? If so, this upcoming anthology from Dragon’s Roost Press should be of interest. The angle is that stories should be based around aspects of government and business in Lovecraft’s fictional town of Arkham. Word count: 3000–5000 words Payment: 6 cents per word Deadline: 30 June 2024 Find out more
Other This anthology from Bannister Press will exclusively feature fantasy fiction by writers who identify as women, and the focus will be on ‘what it means to be on the outside looking in, or comfortably or uncomfortably out of step with the world(s) at large.’ Word count: Up to 3500 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 1 June 2024 Find out more
Shivering Timbers! Fun! Pirate-themed horror! Though it wouldn’t necessarily be fun to meet a zombie pirate. Most likely it would be fairly traumatic. Word count: 2000–7000 words Payment: £20 Deadline: 1 June 2024 Find out more
Bite / Soul / Howl Graveside Press is putting together three anthologies. Bite is for vampire stories, Soul for ghostliness and Howl will contain werewolves and shape-changers. There’s also an unthemed horror magazine, Tiny Terrors. Word count: 2000–6000 words (2000–12,000 words for Tiny Terrors) Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Circe / Anansi The next two titles in the Myths, Gods & Immortals series from the excellent Flame Tree Publishing will feature stories about Circe and Anansi, respectively. Word count: 3000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 23 June 2024 Find out more
Heartlines This is interestingly different: a magazine themed around ‘long-term relationships: platonic, romantic, or familial.’ It sounds like all SFF subgenres are welcome… but it’s only open to writers with a link to Canada. Word count: 1000–3500 words Payment: 8 cents (CAD) per word Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Weird Wide Web Another contest, and despite the title the judges will accept horror, SF and fantasy – and reprints are welcomed. Word count: 1000–4000 words Payment: $75 first prize Deadline: 1 June 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.
Cursed Cooking Alongside actual recipes, this anthology will contain stories of food-based horror. (But note that, reasonably enough, its editors state that cannibalism is a hard sell.) Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 30 April 2024 Find out more
khōréō This very well-designed online zine features SFF and horror stories with a speculative element. Its editors are particularly partial to tales about migration. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: Open 15 April – 15 May 2024 Find out more
Eat the Rich In the words of the editors: ‘Eat the Rich is a speculative fiction anthology of billionaires being eaten. That’s it, full stop. Give us carnivores, cannibals, kaiju, cryptids, and, of course, capitalist comeuppance.’ They say other, ruder, things too. Word count: Up to 8000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 30 April 2024 Find out more
Long Division This anthology has the subtitle Stories of Social Decay, Societal Collapse, and Bad Manners. Well-respected editorsDoug Murano and Michael Bailey are on the lookout for ‘stories of transgression, of the mechanisms behind what’s fraying the bonds that bind us.’ Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: Open 1 May 2024, with 500 submissions permitted in total Find out more
Nonbinary Review The new issue of this online zine will feature stories related to the theme of heredity. Word count: 1000–3000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 1 May 2024 Find out more
Don’t Ask, Ghosts Tell This is quite a specific call for submissions, but the book that results from it ought to be interesting. Editors Vince A. Liaguno and Sirrah Medeiros are seeking horror stories loosely related to military service, by writers who identify as LGBTQ+. Word count: Up to 2000–5000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 30 April 2024 Find out more
Stories to Take To Your Grave Have you written or would you like to write a mortuary-themed horror story? Then send it here! Word count: 3000–6000 words Payment: $20 Deadline: 30 April 2024 Find out more
100-Foot Crow I mean, that’s some title, isn’t it? This new zine will publish 100-word horror stories with a speculative element. Word count: Exactly 100 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: Open 15 April – 15 May 2024 Find out more
Impressions The first volume of this new anthology series from Emberletter Press will feature dark speculative fiction. Word count: 2000–5000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 15–30 April 2024 Find out more
foofaraw This new zine will feature SFF and experimental stories. The list of influences is encouraging, including Cory Doctorow, Haruki Murakami and McSweeney’s. Word count: 250–2500 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Nightmares of Strangers Despite the quite specific-sounding title, this annual anthology from TouchPoint Press accepts unthemed horror stories. Word count: 3000–7000 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 31 May 2024 Find out more
Back Into The Ground In contrast, this generic-sounding anthology is actually veryspecific – only horror stories inspired by the Pacific Northwest are wanted. Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: $40 Deadline: Open until filled Find out more
Costs of Living Whisper House Press seeks ‘carefully constructed horror stories with a focus on the oft-unclear distinction between a scary-enough reality and our less-or-more-frightening imagination, both in personal and social realms’ – which covers quite a lot of ground, really. Word count: 500 to 4000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: Unspecified Find out more
New Edge Sword & Sorcery A slightly confusing pitch, this one: the editors of this magazine are seeking a single 850-word short story to be printed on a sticker in the upcoming issue. I think. Word count: As close to 850 words as possible Payment: $70 Deadline: 1 May 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.
Grimm Retold This sounds brilliant: an anthology of horror and dark fantasy stories retelling Grimms’ fairy tales. Pay close attention to the guidelines – the editors provide a list of valid fairy tales from the Grimm ‘extended universe’ (a term I’ve just invented, but which totally should be a thing). Word count: 2000–8000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 19 April 2024 Find out more
Weird Horror This terrific and prestigious magazine from Undertow Publications doesn’t open for submissions often – if you have a weird and horrific at the ready, now’s your chance. Word count: 500–5000 words Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: 15 March 2024 Find out more
Body Shots A new literary journal with impressively broad preferences: ‘from Carver-esque to Lynchian, Hemingway-esque to Burroughsian, traditional to postmodern, realist to magical realist, genre to non-genre’. Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: Ranging from $35 to $150 Deadline: Open until issue is filled Find out more
Monstrous The next issue of this magazine will contain time-travel horror stories, which is an intriguing mix. Word count: 1000–1500 words Payment: 6 cents per word Deadline: 15 March 2024 Find out more
The Stygian Zine Issues of this new magazine will be published by The Stygian Society twice a year and, judging by the name, will feature pretty dark and gloomy tales. Word count: Up to 2500 words Payment: $20 CAD Deadline: 1 May 2024 for current issue Find out more
Creature Features The first volume in this new anthology series will feature tales of lycanthropy, i.e. werewolves. Word count: 3000–8000 words Payment: £20 Deadline: 1 April 2024 Find out more
Nordic Horror Another brilliant concept, and a book I’d like to read when it’s published: this anthology will feature weird tales set in the Nordic Region. Word count: 3000–6000 words Payment: Likely between $125 and $200 Deadline: 31 March 2024 Find out more
Worlds of Possibility Whereas most anthologies in my monthly roundups tend to contain dark fiction, Editor Julia Rios is on the lookout for stories ‘that leave the reader feeling hopeful, peaceful, or happy’. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: 23 March 2024 Find out more
Boreal This anthology, subtitled ‘an anthology of Taiga Horror’, will contain stories set in the wild, dark woods of Norway, Scandinavia, Iceland, Canada, Russia and Japan. Word count: 2000–5000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: Open 15 March – 1 April 2024 Find out more
Cold Death’s Head Press is putting together an anthology of cold or wintry horror short stories. Word count: 2500–10,000 words Payment: 4 cents per word Deadline: 31 March 2024 Find out more
Hellbound Books’ Anthology of Horror The editors of this anthology are seeking horror stories with no set theme. Word count: 2500–8000 words Payment: $5 Deadline: 1 June 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
I’m very pleased I can now announce this… The excellent Salò Press will publish my story ‘Echec!’ as a chapbook next month. It’s one of my Great Robots of History stories, about the chess-playing automaton known as the Mechanical Turk. It’s a bit of a departure for me, being a comedy (sort of) and presented as a play script.
I’ll show the people a true spectacle.
For years, Schlumberger has operated the chess-playing automaton known as the Mechanical Turk… and it’s killing him. Tonight, trapped together in the backstage area of a Cuban theatre, it’s time for their final game.
Some excellent writers have said some very kind things about it:
As box-cutter-sharp as Ellison and as wickedly deadpan as Douglas Adams at his finest, Tim Major’s Echec! is a true science-fiction masterclass. – Chris Kelso, author of Voidheads
Tim Major’s bold tour de force reanimates Johann Nepomuk Mälzel’s Mechanical Turk for the AI age, with a lightness of touch that we’ve come to expect from the grand master. Checkmate! – Dan Coxon, editor of Writing the Uncanny
The chapbook is pre-orderable now from the Salò Press website and will be shipped in early March.
Here’s this month’s list of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found! Sign up for my email newsletter if you want advance notice of open calls like these.
Once Upon a Future Time This is the fourth volume in this anthology series that specialises in fairy tales retold in science-fiction contexts. Word count: 250–15,000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 29 February 2024 Find out more
Laughs in Space New publisher Slab Press and editor of the Best of British SF series Donna Scott are seeking humorous SF stories for this anthology. Many of the references mentioned on the website are British: Douglas Adams, Red Dwarf, Doctor Who. Word count: 2000–9000 words Payment: £10 per 500 words, up to £55 Deadline: Open 1 March – 7 April 2024 Find out more
What Was Found Too Andy Cull and Gabino Inglesias are seeking stories for the second volume of their found-footage horror series of anthologies. Word count: 2000–4000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 31 March 2024 Find out more
Max Blood’s Mausoleum This new online zine will feature all types of horror stories, and its editors are keen to stress they’re not squeamish and hope to be truly terrified. Word count: 1500–8000 words Payment: $30 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Fear of Clowns Editor Kenneth W. Cain is on the lookout for stories about (or which will inspire) coulrophobia for this anthology from Kangas Kahn Publishing. Word count: 1000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 1 April 2024 Find out more
Dark Tales from the Tarot Each month, publisher Spindle House is open to horror flash stories inspired by the tarot deck. February’s prompt is the Ace of Wands. Word count: Up to 1000 words Payment: $10 Deadline: 15 February 2024 (then open 1–15 of each month, with new prompts) Find out more
Strange Locations: An Anthology of Dark Travel Guides This month, Apex Magazine’s monthly flash fiction contest is open to ‘speculative microfiction in the form of tourist brochures, travel blogs, and travel guides to the strangest, darkest places you can imagine.’ Word count: Up to 250 words Payment: $10 Deadline: 15 February 2024 Find out more
Roads Less Travelled The stories featured in this new magazine from Midnight Street Press will be ‘horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi and slipstream, that explore original themes or traditional themes from an original perspective.’ Word count: No word limit Payment: £40 Deadline: 29 March 2024 Find out more
Baubles From Bones It’s encouraging to see new SFF online zines pop up. This one aims to feature ‘compelling adventures, folk-retellings, stories of hope in the dark, emotional healing, love of all sorts, environmentalism, and the humanity (or lack of it) among the fantastical and speculative’. Word count: 1000–10,000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Potter’s Field This eighth volume of the print anthology series from Hiraeth Publishing seeks ‘tales from the graveyard’ – meaning horror stories themed around literal graveyards, though not necessarily conventional ones. Word count: 2000–8000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 March 2024 Find out more
Riddlebird The remit of this new online and print literary zine are broad, but the stated reference points are interesting: George Saunders, Souvankham Thammavongsa, E. C. Osondu. Word count: Up to 650–5000 words Payment: $100 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Epic Echoes This newish PDF zine features ‘punchy, genre-oriented’ stories. Word count: 1000–3000 words Payment: ‘minimal payment’ Deadline: 29 February 2024 Find out more
Anvil Submissions for the fifth issue of this new magazine are now open. A wide variety of genres are accepted, from SFF to westerns. Word count: 2000–8000 words Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: 29 February 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
CatsCast Who knew that the excellent audio fiction company Escape Artists has a cat-themed podcast? Pretty savvy, given how much the internet loves cats. Personally, I’m a dog person, if anything. Word count: Up to 6000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–11 February 2024 Find out more
Winter in the City This anthology from the newly revived House of Gamut is subtitled ‘A Collection of Dark Urban Stories’, which is clear enough. One caveat, though: the city in your story should be real and identifiable, regardless of the fantastical approach you take. Word count: 3000–7500 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: 31 March 2024 Find out more
The Devil You Know Best Have you or do you fancy writing a story featuring Devil? If so, then this third volume of the anthology series from Critical Blast is the place to send it. Word count: 2000–10,000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 January 2024 Find out more
Leadership Gone Right This anthology from Farthest Star Publishing will feature science-fictional and fantastical tales which, in the editors’ words, ‘transport us to new realms where leadership shines brilliantly or takes a haunting turn’. Word count: 1000–8000 words Payment: $10 Deadline: 25 January 2024 Find out more
Triangulation This series has been around for a long while and is very well-respected. The theme for the 21st is an interesting one: hospitium, which the editors describe as ‘a Greco-Roman concept of hospitality, where both the guest and host have an obligation to treat the other with kindness and respect, regardless of external quarrels’. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 29 February 2024 Find out more
Egaeus Press Gothic anthology Egaeus produce some of the most gorgeous anthologies around, and this is a rare opportunity to submit a story. Their forthcoming anthology is as-yet unnamed, but will feature stories in the Gothic tradition (though not necessarily period pieces). Word count: Up to 12,000 words Payment: 80 pence per 100 words Deadline: 31 April 2024 Find out more
Luna Station Quarterly The editors are looking for speculative fiction written by women-identified authors. Their list of preferences is detailed, and I particularly like ‘Stories that explore the nooks and crannies of an original world’ and ‘Big events from the everyman perspective’. Word count: 500 to 7000 words Payment: $5 Deadline: 15 February 2024 for current issue Find out more
Moving Across the Landscape in Search of an Idea This anthology from Air and Nothingness Press will have a very odd structure, but promises to be an interesting read. It’s due to feature stories with long titles (minimum 250 words), concise narratives (maximum 600 words) and copious footnotes, endnotes, marginalia, indices and glossaries. I think it sounds brilliant. Word count: 1500 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 1 February–31 March 2024 Find out more
The Lost Poetry Club It’s a bit of a misleading title, as this ‘audible zine’ actually focuses on short fiction rather than poetry. All the same, it sounds great, covering SF, slipstream, weird fiction, folk-tales, fantasy, surrealism among other genres. The prompt for the first edition is ‘The Chronicle’. Word count: 1800–3000 words Payment: 1.5 pence per word Deadline: 29 Feb 2024 Find out more
Story Unlikely This publication doesn’t specialise in a particular genre, but the editors do say: ‘We like stories that cross genres, experiment, and push the boundaries of literature.’ There’s also a short story contest which is open until the end of January – see here. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Opens 2 February 2024 Find out more
Augur Magazine This magazine attempts to fill a particular niche that I find very appealing – its website states: ‘Our perfect submission defies categorization—pieces that could be “too speculative” for CanLit or literary magazines or “not speculative enough” for speculative magazines.’ Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 11 cents (CAD) per word Deadline: 31 January 2024 Find out more
Haven Speculative The editors of this online SF magazine state: ‘We like stories that are subtle in their telling and stick with us long after we’ve finished. We’re more likely to buy stories that balance a sense of wonder with a bold plot and emotional depth.’ Word count: Up to 6000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–28 February 2024 Find out more
Heathen This new magazine specialising in horror and dark fantasy fiction will be published in both text and audio format, with the best stories published in a print annual each year. Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 31 January 2024 for the first issue Find out more
The Lorelei Signal This new quarterly magazine will feature stories involving strong or complex female characters. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: $15 Deadline: No deadline Find out more
Xanax Hamster No, I don’t understand the title either. But it’s looking for horror flash fiction. Word count: Up to 1500 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 3–4 February 2024 Find out more
Mystery Magazine The editors of this Canadian magazine are always on the lookout for mystery stories. Word count: 1000–7500 words Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Bigfoot Country Here’s another fun prompt: Celticfrog Publishing is looking for stories about Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti. Word count: Up to 4000 words Payment: $100 CAD Deadline: 1 February 2024 Find out more
Crepuscular The editors of this online mag seek micro-fiction ‘exploring places, characters, and questions buried in the gray areas between this and that, here and there, night and day, alive and dead, evil and good, feminine and masculine, up and down, real and unreal. If you’re not quite sure what that means, lean into that feeling.’ Word count: Up to 250 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Puzzling Another publisher seeking mystery stories! However, the editors of this anthology are specifically looking for mystery stories with a speculative element. Word count: 3000–6000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 January 2024 Find out more
BFS Horizons I really should have flagged this sooner given that I was once co-editor of this publication – but the excellent fiction anthology of the British Fantasy Society is now a paying market. Word count: 500–5000 words Payment: £20 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Kaiju In the words of the editors, this anthology from Broken Sleep Books ‘will explore the many and varied ways that monsters inspire, thrill, and frighten us’. But we’re talking reallybig monsters, mind you. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: No payment, with royalties going to charity Deadline: 31 January 2024 Find out more
The Cellar Door Stories are currently being considered for the fourth and fifth issues of this new magazine of dark fiction, with themes ‘After Tomorrow’ (i.e. post-apocalypse) and ‘Marshland Horrors’. Word count: 2000–10,000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 January 2024 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
I’m so delighted with this beautiful cover for my upcoming novel JEKYLL & HYDE: CONSULTING DETECTIVES!
Dr Jekyll and his monstrous alter-ego join forces with his ex-fiancée to solve a series of disappearances across Victorian London in this thrilling mystery.
“Relentlessly engaging, entertaining, and terrific fun” – Tom Mead
Published 3 Sept 2024 by Titan Books Cover design by Natasha MacKenzie Edited by Daniel Carpenter
I made five other sales of short stories that will be published in 2024.
Next year I’ll be focusing on the publication of Jekyll & Hyde: Consulting Detectives in September, from Titan Books. I’m very excited about it! More details soon.
Of those published this year, the novel that perfectly matched my tastes was Biography of X by Catherine Lacey. It’s a fictitious biography of an artist skilled in creating diverse stage (and off-stage) personas, and as it’s written by her wife it’s a conceit that allows for insights into both characters whilst struggling to remain objective. Beyond that, it mixes Pale Fire-esque metafiction and alternate history politics reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Two other recent novels covered similar metafictional territory, but with very different results. Conquest by Nina Allan (2023) is another sort-of fictional biography and sort-of private investigation, and incorporates non-fiction articles and SF short stories to great effect. I love Nina Allan’s short fiction, and this fragmented novel harnesses her skills wonderfully.
Three Eight One by Aliya Whiteley will be published in January 2024, but I was lucky enough to read an pre-publication ARC. Though it’s a fantasy quest narrative, it remains resolutely down to earth even in its wildest moments, and it features footnotes written by a scholar many decades later, which comment and interrupt the primary action, undermining and enhancing in equal measure. I think the novel works equally as well as epic fantasy as it does as a pure allegory about maturation, and when it made me cry, it was partly because I didn’t want it to end.
Speaking of which, the only other novel that reduced me to tears was Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (2022). The framing of the real world as operating according to the mechanics of videogames is its most arresting aspect, but the cast of characters all trying to muddle through life, and the lack of antagonists, is perhaps what makes the novel so very life-affirming.
Ten Planets by Yuri Herrara (translated by Lisa Dillman, published by And Other Stories, 2023) was a great discovery. It’s not only one of the most enjoyable short story collections I can remember, it’s also one of the most inspiring books I’ve read in years, and it’s affected the style of my own short fiction. Though they’re nominally SF stories, these are truncated, magical tales more in line with works by Jorge Luis Borges or Italo Calvino.
Death and the Conjuror by Tom Mead (2023) is a note-perfect Golden Age locked-room mystery featuring stage-magician-turned-detective Joseph Spector, who reappears in the excellent sequel, The Murder Wheel, and with more mysteries to come.
In Lamb (2023), Matt Hill allows the weirdness that’s inflected his recent novels to come to the fore. Like Aliya Whiteley’s Three Eight One, it comes across almost as a parable, and its tortured characters and murky setpieces will linger with me for a long time.
The Shane Meadows TV adaptation led to me to read The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers (2017) finally this year, and I cursed myself for not doing so sooner. It’s a vicious book, less because of any actual violence but more due to its violent prose. It’s the most viscerally affecting book I’ve read this year. In contrast, Myers’ The Perfect Golden Circle (2022) is a warm hug, strongly reminiscent of Mackenzie Crook’s TV show The Detectorists in the pairing of its central characters.
Similarly calm and unassuming is Brian by Jeremy Cooper (2023). Upon his retirement from his council job Brian settles on the British Film Institute on London’s South Bank as his new haunt, where he encounters like minds and an entire world via screenings of classic films. Like Rónán Hession’s Leonard and Hungry Paul, usual expectations about plot or character development don’t apply here, and the pleasures of this novel relate to witnessing an awkward personality finding peace in unlikely ways. Brian’s responses to the films he watches are a lovely insight into the effect that fiction can have on impressionable minds.
Moving away from recently-published books, the novels that had the biggest impression on me were The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas (1963), a Norwegian coming-of-age tale that reminded me of a snowy Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith (1950), which of course is nothing like the Hitchcock adaptation, and being Highsmith it’s murkier and more compelling than other thrillers of its, or perhaps any, era.
Now for some other books I particularly enjoyed, which were published fairly recently. Black Lake Manor by Guy Morpuss (2022) is just my sort of high-concept mystery, deploying time travel most effectively. Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson (2019) had been waiting patiently on my shelf for years, and didn’t deserve to be ignored – it’s a fresh, strange and brilliant representation of Shelley’s classic. Boy Parts by Eliza Clark (2020) is second only to The Gallows Pole in terms of startling directness and, often, glorious ugliness. The Hood by Lavie Tidhar (2021) continues Tidhar’s Anti-Matter of Britain Quartet begun in By Force Alone, this novel dealing with the legend of Robin Hood and weirding its familiar subject satisfyingly.
Many of the older books I loved this year were mysteries, and many were books I’d anticipated as known quantities but which surprised me. Though I knew the ‘trick’ of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (1926), I found it enormously effective – it was probably the book I read fastest this year. I also finally got around to reading the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy L. Sayers, beginningwith Strong Poison (1930) and Whose Body? (1923) andwas taken as much by her Wodehousian wit as her character and mysteries. Another mystery novel I loved was A Helping Hand by Celia Dale (1966), recently reprinted by Daunt Books and a far nastier tale than I’d anticipated.
I did read books without mystery plots, too! The ones I most enjoyed were the post-apocalyptic literary fantasy The Road to Corlay by Richard Cowper (1978), and The Princess Bride by William Goldman (1973) – another metafictional novel, so something of a theme this year! – and a wonderful fix-up novel concerning art and authenticity, Pictures of Fidelman by Bernard Malamud (1969).
I read only two graphic novels this year, but both were excellent. Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes, written by Benoit Dahan and illustrated by Cyril Lieron (2023), is a pleasingly faithful rendering of Holmes and Watson that focuses on Holmes’s ‘mind attic’ and his processing of clues and which asks readers to fold pages or hold them up to the light in order to reveal hidden connections. Out on the Wire by Jessica Abel (2015) is a terrific account of the boom of American non-fiction podcasts such as This American Life and Radiolab, with plenty of insights into the craft.
Most of the non-fiction I read this year related to novel research. The best non-fiction book I read purely for pleasure was Writing the Future, edited by Dan Coxon & Richard V. Hirst (2023), continuing the terrific series from Dead Ink Books. It contains essays about SF by Aliya Whiteley, Adam Roberts, Nina Allan, Una McCormack and more, many of which are wonderful, perhaps even essential, and which, I think, will inform many SF novels yet to come.
Other than family films, I saw only two films in the cinema this year, and one of them was a fifty-year-old classic. But all the same, my film of the year is the rereleased Don’t Look Now (Nicholas Roeg, 1973). For superstitious reasons I’d avoided watching it until now since becoming a parent, but in my current phase of life and on the big screen it had an even greater impact on me than ever before.
My favourite film released recently was Aftersun (Charlotte Wells, 2022), which I found devastating, partly due to its quietness and obliqueness.
My biggest discovery is also a shameful admission – despite loving several David Lynch films and Twin Peaks, I’d never seen Eraserhead (1977). Now I have, and I found it nothing at all like I’d expected, being both funnier and more directly about something than I’d imagined.
Other films from 2022-23 that I loved included Iranian family road-trip drama Hit the Road (Panah Panahi, 2022), the overblown yet darkly funny Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund, 2022), downbeat folk-horror Enys Men (Mark Jenkin, 2022), patiently building body horror Hatching (Hanna Bergholm, 2022), the surprisingly witty and auteurish, Benedict Cumberbatch-starring The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe, 2022), and the equally surprising Roald Dahl adaptation The Rat Catcher (Wes Anderson, 2023).
And some more older films I watched for the first time this year and thoroughly enjoyed: tender documentary The Gleaners and I (Agnès Varda, 2000), complex family epic Yi Yi (Edward Yang, 2000), scuzzy realistic drama Moonlighting (Jerzy Skolimowski, 1982) and an excellent documentary about early electronic music, Sisters With Transistors (Lisa Rovner, 2020).
TV
For me, there were three TV shows that stood above all the others this year. The first series of pro-kitchen-drama The Bear was a revelation in terms of confounding expectations scene by scene, and while the scale ramps up in the second series and characters’ obstacles became less unsurmountable, the beating heart and sometimes unbearable tension remains intact. Shane Meadows’ The Gallows Pole is a startling adaptation of Ben Myers’ terrific historical novel, its anachronistic music and rambling improvised dialogue adding to rather than diminishing its impact. The Rehearsal is the show I think about the most, due to its bleeding of reality-TV conventions and the increasing suspicion that it can’t be real. The fact that the narrative gradually becomes as absurd as it does without abandoning its conceit of being 100% real is frankly incredible.
Similarly woozy is comedy special A Whole Lifetime with Jamie Demetriou, a Lynchian approach to sketch comedy that I must rewatch soon. Succession ended well, and at the right time. Colin from Accounts was the warmest comedy I saw this year. And the TV offshoot from the excellent film also titled Boiling Point brings us all the way back to intense kitchen action.
Videogames
I bought a PS5 this year, having missed out on the previous generation, but the games I’ve enjoyed on it weren’t the AAA adventures or indie gems that I expected. The game that most impressed me is Returnal (Housemarque, 2021), a 3D action roguelike on a cosmic scale. Not only is its gameplay loop reminiscent of earlier Housemarque arcade classic Super Stardust HD, one aspect I particularly enjoyed was the conveying of story through incidental worldbuilding details, with barely any of the cutscenes that have made AAA franchises (e.g. God of War, Uncharted, Horizon) close to unbearable.
Another big surprise was revisiting the 2020 remake of Demon’s Souls (FromSoftware, 2009), a game I played just before abandoning gaming for a long while. Whereas I hit the wall hard in 2009, this time I persevered with a Royalty build, improved steadily, and to my astonishment beat the game. I followed this up with Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 2022), a bigger and far more beautiful game – and dedicated myself to it to finally beat it too, after 90 hours. Like Returnal, I appreciated its complex lore being conveyed through observation and very limited conversation rather than cutscenes.
The other games I loved were Dysmantle (10tons, 2020), a top-down post-apocalyptic scavenging game with a relatively calm gameplay loop, and Metroid Prime: Remastered (Retro Studios, 2023), still one of my all-time favourite games, and now looking and playing like I remember it looking and playing in 2002.
I already posted my favourite albums that I heard in the first and second quarters of 2023, which makes for a pretty long list in itself. So instead of going bigger, I’ve tried to refine my list to my absolute favourite albums of the year.
Actual songs
False Lankum by Lankum is an incredible folk album immersed in tradition, yet somehow it seems more progressive and strange than almost anything else released this year. The folk horror vibes are strong throughout and the drones are intense, and aural surprises undercut almost all of the arrangements. Furling by Meg Baird is altogether calmer, and ‘Unnamed Drives’ is one of the loveliest songs I’ve heard this year. I Thought I Was Better Than You is as witty throughout as we’ve come to expect from Baxter Dury, and perhaps more introspective and personal than ever. Angelbread is fun in a different way, securing Ergo Phizmiz as a spiritual descendent of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You features Bonnie Prince Billy on fine form, particularly the glorious first three tracks. I Inside the Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey continues her recent run of form, with added scuzziness to the instrumentation. My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross by ANOHNI and The Johnsons is mature and sumptuous and seems to arrive from another era, sounding like Nina Simone backed by Lambchop.
Weird
Yön Mustia Kukkia by Paavoharju is a bizarre experience, as it seems to change entirely each time I hear it – though each time it’s reliably weird and mired in aural scuffs that make it pleasingly otherworldly. Similarly bent out of shape is River of Dreams by Romance & Dean Hurley, a soundtrack to a dream hovering on the cusp of nightmarish. There are rock-solid songs hidden beneath the groaning surface of The Heart of the Anchoress by Bianca Scout, but the whispering weirdness is what makes it so compelling. Innemuseum by Cisser Mæhl is more forgiving, though its gentleness is somehow alarming, like drifting off to sleep at the wheel.
Drone
Bones For Time by Tongue Depressor features the most gargantuan drones I’ve enjoyed this year, like the sighing of a blue whale. Giving it a run for its money is The Pels Organ and Hemony Carillon by Miaux & Lieven Martens, a recording of an incredible live performance on pipe organ that sounds like a spiritual Angelo Badalamenti. Equally impressive is the three-hour Does Spring Hide Its Joy by Kali Malone, featuring Lucy Railton on cello and Stephen O’Malley on electric guitar.
Instrumental virtuosity
The mixture of Ethiopian heritage and the influence of its Bulgarian performers is evident in the outstanding My Strong Will by Girma Yifrashewa. Congo Guitar by Vumbi Dekul is infectious and full of life, created in two days and backed with only a cheap drum machine.
Noise / Rock
It’s difficult to accept that spresso by Alpha Maid & Mica Levi is only 7 minutes long! It’s one of the most intense listening experiences I’ve had this year, and it’s particularly overwhelming played loud in the car. In contrast, Live in Leipzig by Horse Lords is considered and meticulous, but behind its calculated rhythms is a similar tendency towards mania. Nails by Benefits is the most gloriously angry album I’ve heard this year, and rightfully so.
Techno
Lazy Mechanics and EP FATHOM by Carrier are precisely my sort of techno – at times barely there, at times punishingly intense. The same goes for the more driven and peculiar Skynned by теплота. config by J. Albert veers closer to house or rave, and presses you back into your seat.
Reissues
Don’t Eat Food! by INU is my greatest discovery this year – it’s a simply incredible Japanese punk album reminiscent of Buzzcocks at their absolute best, and though I understand not a word of it, it’s incredibly catchy too. Not So Deep As A Well by Myriam Gendron is a wonderful folk rerelease from 2014, but sounds like it was recorded in the late 60s. Picture of Bunny Rabbit by Arthur Russell is worth it for the swirlingly strange title track alone. شمس دين by Shams Dinn borders on hauntology, sounding like every funky hit featured in 1980s thrillers, despite being from Paris and rapped in Arabic. Ettab by Saudi singer Ettab is also Arabic, pop-infused but drawing on Eastern classical influences and featuring a towering vocal performance.
Compilations
Adrian Sherwood Presents: Dub No Frontiers features female reggae tracks in Hindi, Romani, Arabic, and it’s my most-played compilation this year. Fabric presents Helena Hauff is rammed with propulsive techno, and I imagine would be incredible as a background for nighttime driving. I’m still undecided about some of the mix treatments on The Beatles 1967–1970 (2023 edition), but its release has been a great excuse to relisten to my first ever favourite album, a lot.
The Map of Lost Places This sounds brilliant. Apex editors Sheree Renée Thomas and Lesley Conner are putting together an anthology of stories relating to ‘places where weird things happen’, which could relate to folk tales or old wives tales, or invented places and situations of your very own. Suggested influences include Jeff VanderMeer and films Midsommar and The Lighthouse. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–31 December 2023 Find out more
The Way of Worlds This anthology from Underdog Press will orbit around space exploration and colonization, though the editors state that stories don’t need to be hard SF. Word count: 3500–12,000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Sunshine Superhighway: Solar Sailings SF with a positive outlook seems to be becoming more and more popular. The editors of this anthology are seeking stories in which technology serves to make life better, as I suppose it’s fair to say it generally does. Word count: Up to 15,000 words Payment: $5 per 1000 words Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Rattus Futura The SF anthologies are coming thick and fast this month! This one has a more specific prompt than most, requiring stories about the future which feature rodents. All types of SFF are welcome, but no horror, despite how you may feel about rats. Word count: No word limit specified Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
In the Eyes of the Hungry You thought SF stories about rats was specific? How about horror stories in the style of John Steinbeck? Don’t tell me you don’t fancy having a try… Word count: 2500–6000 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Nightmare Diaries For this anthology, the editors at Moonstruck Books are on the lookout for dark fiction, presumably with a link to the title unless that’s simply to set the mood. Word count: 500–10,000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: 27 December 2023 Find out more
Familiars Have you written, or do you like the idea of writing, a story featuring a magical or technological animal familiar? Then this anthology to be published by Zombies Need Brains is where you should send it, probably. Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Arithmophobia Another brilliant theme: Polymath Press and editor Robert Lewis are seeking horror stories with some sort of mathematical content. Word count: 3000–15,000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Carpe Noctem In the words of the editors, this anthology from Tyche Books will feature ‘stories and poems about darkness, night, and the multitude of things that thrive (or hide) in those elements’. Word count: Up to 5500 words Payment: $50 CDN Deadline: 30 November 2023 Find out more
Dracula Beyond Stoker Little by little, successive issues of this magazine are working through different aspects of Bram Stoker’s masterpiece. For the next issue, the editors are seeking stories specifically about the brides of Dracula – which, I’ll be honest, I was very surprised to find appearing in the novel at all when I first read it as an adult. Word count: 1500–5000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Radon Journal This online magazine has the strapline ‘radical perception’ and states that it’s open to stories ‘relating to science fiction, anarchism, transhumanism, and dystopia’. Past issues have terrific cover images. Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
The Lycanthropicon The title’s a bit of a tongue-twister, but the subtitle clarifies things: ‘Imaginings & Images of the Werewolf’. The editors at Mind’s Eye Publications are looking for stories about werewolves ‘from ancient times, through classical accounts, through folklore and legend, and up to modern and contemporary times.’ Word count: Up to 6000 words Payment: $10 plus 1/4 cent per word Deadline: 21 December 2023 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Best of British Science Fiction This reprint anthology, edited by Donna Scott and published by NewCon Press, is very important to me – not only because my own stories have featured in several volumes in the past, but because the annual anthology always features many of my favourite writers in the genre. The deadline is earlier than usual this year, and even then it’d be kind to send your submissions sooner rather than later, to avoid a huge influx… (And please note that it’s a reprint anthology of SF stories first published by British writers in 2023.) Word count: No restrictions, but 10,000 words is a sensible upper limit Payment: 1p per word, up to £50 Deadline: 17 December 2023 Find out more
The Midnight Labyrinth This SFF and horror anthology from Grendel Press will have a neat quirk linking stories. From the website description: ‘Each story should feature a tale delivered from a character who stepped through a door and found themselves someplace unexpected. On their journey, they will notice a book called Midnight Labyrinth.’ Word count: 2500–7000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
We Are All Thieves of Somebody’s Future This anthology to be published by Air and Nothingness Press will features stories themed around resource scarcity. Interestingly, the editors stress that stories needn’t necessarily be dystopian, and will even accept fantasy tales. Word count: 1000–3000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Mythaxis This well-established online zine will be open for a brief period at the end of October. Word count: 1000–5000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: Open 23–30 October 2023 Find out more
The Fabulist Flash Another established online zine, this one featuring speculative fiction (with a very inclusive definition of all the subgenres that may contain), which will soon launch a new outlet for flash fiction. Word count: Up to 1000 words Payment: $100 Deadline: Open 6–12 November 2023 Find out more
Horns & Rattles Press Here’s a theme that I think will chime with a bunch of my writer friends: Horns & Rattle Press is currently open to submissions of stories themed around flora and fungi. Word count: Up to 4000 words Payment: $20 Deadline: 18 November 2023 Find out more
And One Day We Will Die This anthology edited by Patrick Barb is close to my heart not only because it will feature stories inspired by one of my favourite bands, Neutral Milk Hotel, but because it’s already been confirmed that I’ll be writing a story to be included in it. Even though it doesn’t open until December, it’s such a specific theme that I thought I’d better give you all plenty of time to prepare. Word count: 2000–5000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 5 December 2023 – 16 January 2024 Find out more
The Black Beacon Book of Pirate Tales The editor of this anthology of stories featuring pirates and buccaneers is generous in its genre inclusivity, and the front cover is truly lovely. Word count: 3000–9000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
The Ghostly Commission This is a peculiar opportunity for Halloween month… The International Ghost Appreciation Society is looking for ideas for stories or other artistic works to commission to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Don’t sell complete stories initially, though – just a pitch. Word count: Not specified Payment: £100 Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
The Neurodiversiverse Anthology A difficult title to pronounce, but an excellent concept based around the question: ‘Would neurodivergent folks find themselves at an advantage in dealing with aliens?’ Thinking Ink Press are particularly interested in short stories written by people who are neurodivergent. Word count: Up to 6000 words Payment: $100 Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
I Want That Twink OBLITERATED! This anthology from Bona Books will feature ‘classic pulp adventures centring non-traditionally masculine queer heroes and villains’, and has already smashed its Kickstarter goals. Word count: Up to 6000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 17 December 2023 Find out more
Interstellar Flight Press This online zine will soon open for flash fiction. Word count: Up to 1250 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Open 1 November–31 December 2023 Find out more
Dusty Attic This new downloadable zine seeks stories that are ‘spooky or fantastical or both’. Word count: 500–2000 words Payment: $10 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Last-Ditch This anthology from Zombies Need Brains will contain SF and fantasy stories of espionage, which sounds like a fun mix. Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Empyrean Tree Another new SFF/horror publication, with its first edition themed around ‘home’. Word count: 1000–15000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 12 November 2023 Find out more
Confingo This well-respected UK print magazine is currently open for short story submissions. Note that this publication doesn’t define itself by any genre. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: £30 Deadline: Not stated Find out more
Here There Be Dragons This editors of this anthology are seeking stories about dragons, naturally! Word count: 3000–6000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 1 January 2024 Find out more
Spooky I presume you’re feeling spooky given that Halloween is coming up soon, so this new venue should be the ideal home for your stories this month. Its editors reference points include Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson and Roald Dahl. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
It seems that editors have spent the summer months preparing their next projects! Here are 16 of the most interesting open submissions calls for writers I’ve found.
Language Evolves This contest supported by Cardiff University has a really exciting prompt relating to the field of language evolution. As its website states, this could include ‘imagining situations in the past or the future, speculating on how language might have evolved in a different species, or thinking about the consequences of our methods and practice.’ Word count: Up to 2500 words Payment: £400 prize, with awards for the best Welsh language story and English language story Deadline: 30 September 2023 Find out more
Crab Tales Magazine You’re unlikely to have already written a story to meet the requirements of this magazine, but with a word limit of only 250 words, maybe you’d like to have a try at writing a fantastical crab story, finally? Word count: Up to 250 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 24 September 2023 Find out more
Negative Creep A very specific call, but one rich with possibility… The editors of this anthology to be published by Book Slayer Press are seeking horror stories themed around Nirvana songs. Word count: 1000–3000 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 1 October 2023 Find out more
Night Time Economy The editors of the new Birmingham-based publisher Floodgate Press are looking for night-time tales by writers from the West Midlands. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: £20 Deadline: 31 January 2023 Find out more
Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars This prompt is a nice twist, with emphasis placed on magical animal familiars rather than their witchy or wizardy partners. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: 6 cents per word Deadline: 15 October 2023 Find out more
Hauntings and Hoarfrost This anthology will be filled with Gothic stories. In the words of editor Rhonda Parrish: ‘What better setting could there be than the deep, dark, depths of winter? When snow and storms can isolate remote locations for days or weeks and bundling up to keep the cold away provides a different kind of anonymity and isolation even in the heart of cities.’ Word count: Up to 7500 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 7 October 2023 Find out more
Gamut This well-regarded magazine has recently been revived. When the submission portal opens, you’ll need to hurry, as the submissions slots fill up fast! Word count: 1000–5000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: Open at the start of each month until submission slots are filled – next opening 1 October 2023 Find out more
Northern Nights This opportunity’s limited to Canadian writers, but it’s a great opportunity if you fit the bill. Undertow Publications produce some of the best, and most beautifully designed, horror and weird-fiction collections imaginable. Word count: 500–5000 words Payment: 10 Canadian cents per word Deadline: Open 1 October–1 December 2023 Find out more
The Way of Worlds This anthology from Underdog Press will feature stories themed around space exploration and colonization. The editors note that stories don’t have to be hard SF, though. Word count: 3500–12,000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 31 December 2023 Find out more
Screams from the Ocean Floor For their first anthology, the editors at Broken Brain Books are seeking ‘unique ocean-themed horror stories that will leave the reader thinking twice before stepping near the sea again.’ Word count: 3000–5000 words Payment: $15 Deadline: 31 October 2023 Find out more
Love Letters to Poe The third volume of stories connected to Edgar Allan Poe will feature tell-tale tales relating to ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’. Word count: Up to 4000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 1 November 2023 Find out more
Decapitate It’s a slightly misleading title, this one, as it has nothing to do with horror as far as I can see. Pandemic lockdown project Quaranzine has now relaunched with a new name, and its editors are looking for stories themed around social justice. Word count: No limits specified Payment: $25 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Death’s Other Kingdom: Horror Tales of World War I Historical horror specialists The Scythian Wolf are looking for WWI stories that involve the supernatural. Word count: 4000–9000 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 1 November 2023 Find out more
Crimson Quill Quarterly The editors of this fantasy magazine are looking for stories with the subgenres of sword & sorcery, dark fantasy and grimdark. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 31 October 2023 Find out more
Paranoid Tree The flash fiction featured in this online and print zine appear to be unthemed and not limited by particular genre. Word count: Up to 400 words Payment: $50 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Stonecoast Review Despite the fairly generic title (it relates to the Stonecoast MFA Program), this magazine features speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror, with an emphasis on character. Word count: Up to 5000 words Payment: None Deadline: 1 October 2023 Find out more
Good luck if you submit a story to any of these venues! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
No newsletter this month due to the usual summer-holiday chaos, but I was determined not to neglect my gathering of open submissions calls for writers…
Microbes to the Rescue! This short story competition from Green Stories and sponsored by the Environmental Biotechnology Network is open to SF stories concerning microbial systems. Word count: 1000–3000 words Payment: £500 prize for 1st place, £200 for 2nd place, £100 for 3rd place Deadline: 21 September 2023 Find out more
Galley Beggar Press Short Story Prize I don’t normally flag contests with entry fees here, but Galley Beggar are a fantastic publisher, so I can’t resist adding this to the list despite the £10 entry fee. There are 200 free slots for low earners. No genre restrictions. Word count: Up to 6000 words Payment: £2500 first prize, plus runner-up prizes Deadline: 30 September 2023 Find out more
The Quiet Ones The third issue of this creepy online zine will feature horror and dystopian stories themed around ‘The End’. Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: $25 Deadline: 10 September 2023 Find out more
Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction Another contest, this one free to enter. It may hold particular appeal for SFF and horror writers as the theme is ‘The Uncanny’. Shortlisted stories will feature in an ebook anthology published by the excellent Comma Press. Word count: 2000–7500 words Payment: £500 prize, and publication for 10 shortlisted authors Deadline: 22 September 2023 Find out more
African Ghost Short Stories This is the latest anthology from the excellent Flame Tree Press. The editors seek stories from African and African-diaspora writers, and describe the anthology as featuring ‘the deep-seated supernatural element in African storytelling – whether reaching back to the spirits, ancestors and ogres of folklore or the vibrantly modern ghosts of today’s African horror’. Word count: Around 2000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 27 August 2023 Find out more
Escalators to Hell: Shopping Mall Horrors For this unusual themed anthology, From Beyond Press are looking for horror and dark sci-fi stories about shopping malls past, present and future. Word count: 1000–5000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 31 August 2023 Find out more
Orion’s Belt This online magazine seeks (very) short stories with ‘significant speculative elements’. Word count: Up to 1200 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 1 September 2023 Find out more
Hearth Stories This new magazine will feature ‘speculative fiction slice-of-life stories with a focus on connection, family, relationships, comfort, and the natural world’. Word count: Around 1500–5000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 31 October 2023 Find out more
Good luck if you have a try at any of these openings! And remember, you can sign up for my email newsletter for monthly open submission calls direct to your inbox.
Here are the most interesting open submissions calls for SFF writers I’ve found this month – and there are some very exciting ones included. If you’d like advance notice of calls for submissions, sign up for my monthly email newsletter.
Image from The Off-Season submissions page
The Off-Season Oh, this sounds good. Editor Marissa Van Uden is seeking ‘new weird’ stories featuring ‘ocean-loving cults, crumbling seaside mansions, empty resort towns’ and more. I don’t think I’ll have a chance to write something for this call, but I’d certainly like to read the finished anthology. Word count: 2000–4000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 31 July – 6 August 2023 for marginalized voices; 7 August – 28 August 2023 for all submitters Find out more
Beyond and Within This is a terrific opportunity for any horror writers out there. Prolific editors Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane have teamed with Flame Tree Press for a folk horror anthology, and while most of the stories are by invited authors, four slots have been reserved for open submissions. But you’ll need to work fast! Word count: 2000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 6 August 2023 Find out more
More Fey A new anthology from Lethe Press, with stories featuring queer/LGBT speculative elements about ‘the strangeness of the fey folk and their interactions with mortals’. Note the distinction between fairy tales and tales with fairies before submitting! Word count: 2500–10,000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: 1 September Find out more
Hidden Villains: Betrayed The Inkd Publishing editors seek dark fantasy, horror or SF stories. Elements of betrayal, cheating, deception etc are vital. Word count: 2000–8000 words Payment: 2 cents per word Deadline: 31 August 2023 Find out more
Shoreline of Infinity A one-off flash fiction contest from the excellent Scottish SF magazine. The theme is ‘Close to the Edge’, to be interpreted as you see fit. Word count: Up to 1000 words Payment: £50 for the winning story, plus 1-year digital subscription to Shoreline of Infinity Deadline: 3 September 2023 Find out more
Why Didn’t You Just Leave An anthology of horror fiction from editors Nadia Bulkin and Julia Rios, who are seeking complex answers to the quite sensible question asked in the anthology title. Word count: 500–5000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: 1–31 August 2023 Find out more
Tales to Terrify This podcast features horror and dark fantasy stories, and are welcome to the definitions of horror being stretched. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Lucent Dreaming The editors of this magazine for emerging authors are particularly looking for ‘beautiful, strange and surreal work’, which seems both an interesting mix and a laudable ambition. Interested writers are asked to buy a copy of the magazine before submitting. Word count: 400–3999 words Payment: £100 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Shub-Niggurath’s Sweater This anthology from Underland Press will feature ‘cozy cosmic horror’. I bet you can have some fun with that prompt! Word count: 1000–5000 words Payment: 1 cent per word Deadline: 11 August 2023 Find out more
TSS Publishing The editors of this online zine state a preference for literary fiction, but note ‘we are open to other genres and styles as long as the characters are convincing and the plot compelling’. Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: £15 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
While there were some terrific albums put out in the first quarter of 2023 (see here for my list), the period between April and June has seen a ton of amazing stuff released! Here goes.
Colin Stetson – When we were that what wept for the sea It’s such a relief to hear another proper album from saxophone experimentalist Colin Stetson, after a run of high-profile but oddly muted film soundtracks. This album is rammed with Stetson’s trademark button-clicks, intakes of breath and throat-mic groans, plus Scottish smallpipes by Brìghde Chaimbeul and affecting spoken-word passages.
Romance & Dean Hurley – River of Dreams The masters of hauntological pop team up with Twin Peaks sound designer Dean Hurley once again, following their Celine Dion-inspired Once Upon a Time and a lesser album themed around Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s film The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant. This one’s solid, creepy gold.
Horse Lords – Live in Leipzig Absolutely storming skronky math-post-rock, like Battles battling Beefheart. I would have loved to have seen this show.
Benefits – Nails This Teesside punk band features two of my cousins in its lineup, so I’m biased – but honestly, Benefits are vital in today’s bland indie landscape, and I feel strongly that their politics and anger are true and admirable. This album is as good a reflection of the state of the nation in Britain (i.e. fucked) as you’ll find anywhere.
Hannah Peel / Manchester Collective – NeonThere’s more than a touch of Steve Reich’s obsessive repetitions in this short set, and that’s no bad thing. Over 12 minutes it hits that sweet spot between beautiful and maddening.
Herman Dune – The Portable Herman Dune, Vol.3This final album of rerecorded favourites doesn’t disappoint. David Ivar Herman Dune’s voice is far more raw now, making the oddest moments of these perfect indie-pop songs poignant.
J. Albert – configExcellent dub techno. Last.fm tells me this is one of my most-listened albums this year, which is weird. I’ve been using it as a background to writing, and the time just slips away when you’re in the zone.
Bana Haffar – intimaa’ Their 2019 recording Genera – Live at AB Salon, Brussels is a favourite of mine, and while this doesn’t quite match up, its scratchy, heavenly drones come close.
Lau Nau – 5 × 4This hazy synth pop doesn’t quite hit the heights of Lau Nau’s HEM. Någonstans soundtrack from 2015, an album still on rotation in my office – but it’s still wonderful.
Alpha Maid & Mica Levi – spressoOh wow I love this. Alpha Maid has been one to watch since her 2019 and 2021 EPs, and now she teams up with the best soundtrack composer of this century? For a punk garage jam? This EP may be less than 8 minutes long, but stick it on repeat a few dozen times like I do.
Annea Lockwood / Ruth Anderson – Téte-a-téteThis one took a few listens to bed in, and the behind-the-scenes story about Lockwood’s tribute to the late Anderson gives it additional power. It may be a demanding, avant-garde experiment, but it’s filled with love.
Afrorack – The Afrorack Absolutely nuts Ugandan synth grooves made using wonky homemade equipment.
Baxter Dury – I Thought I Was Better Than You This witty album seems deeply personal, primarily about his Blockhead father Ian and Baxter’s own self-loathing of being a ‘Prisoner, famous parents, assisted recognition’ whose benefits seem to amount to nothing: ‘But you don’t sound like you / You sound just like him’. But Baxter’s a star in his own right.
Miaux / Lieven Martens – The Pels Organ and Hemony Carillon This is simply outstanding. Even its origins are strange, being the soundtrack to the unveiling of a woven tapestry in the city hall of Hoogstraten, Belgium. The first side, featuring Miaux’s pipe organ compositions, is as magisterial as Sarah Davachi’s release and yet as intimate as Badalamenti. The second side is weirder, featuring field recordings of birdsong and muted traffic. It’s an essential album, I think.
Jam City – Jam City Presents EFM More half-remembered, hauntological not-really-80s pop from the best in the business.
Wild Up – Julius Eastman Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? More wonderful interpretations of the great composer’s work by California ensemble Wild Up.
Boris & Uniform – Bright New Disease Are they mocking Metallica at times? I think so. But there’s wit here, and variety, and good humour, and stompingly excellent speed metal.
Bruce Falkian – Bruce FalkianHonestly, I don’t know what this is, or who they are. They’re from France, I think. And I think it’s sort of pop music. It’s funny and odd.
Bendik Giske – Bendik GiskeI feel slightly spoiled after the triumphant return of Colin Stetson, and now this. Bendik Giske’s saxophone work features many of the same close-miked technique, and it is very, very good.
Arthur Russell – Picture of Bunny Rabbit These previously-unreleased tracks from the mid-80s World of Echo sessions are as wonderful as you’d hope, particularly the title track and the final messed-up wonkiness wonderfulness on this album.
Rrose – Please TouchSo good! Techno to drive fast to – or to write car chases to.
Werner Dafeldecker & Valerio Tricoli – Der Krater The oddest, spaciest double-bass drones imaginable.
Ergo Phizmiz – AngelbreadAnother triumphant return! When he turns his mind to skewed pop (as on my favourite album of 2010, Things To Do And Make), Ergo Phizmiz is simply unbeatable. He tosses off incredible lyrics that recall The Cleaners from Venus (‘You can feel like Ken Russell / In my Catholic bathroom’) or Hefner or The Wave Pictures at their finest (‘I stayed at the table and put a coaster / Over your wine so flies couldn’t get in’). And ‘Day of the Baboon’ is a genuinely excellent pop song in defiance of Phizmiz’s sometimes self-defeating attitude to writing and recording.
Philip Jeck & Chris Watson – Oxmardyke Affecting and frequently terrifying, Chris Watson’s field recordings of a Yorkshire railway crossing become something far stranger and more illuminating when treated by the late Philip Jeck. An aural, modern-day version of Dickens’ ‘The Signal-Man’.
When I was invited to be a guest on the Tiny Bookcase podcast I realised I’d never done a podcast recording before, so I was pretty nervous. I needn’t have been! The hosts, Ben and Nico, were really welcoming, and it was a particular help that it was a conversation with a clear agenda. The premise is that I and both hosts read out and discussed short stories we’d each written based on the same prompt: ‘The Horizon’.
The first part is available to listen to now via your preferred podcast app, or online here, and the second part will be released on Monday. My story starts just after the 20-minute mark. It’s another of my Great Robots of History stories, featuring the mythical bronze giant Talos in a contemplative mood.
Take a look at the most interesting open submissions calls for SFF writers I’ve found this month. Good luck if you have a go at any of these opportunities!
Learning to Be Human This new anthology from established publisher of high-quality anthologies Flame Tree Press will focus on ‘the interplay between automation, humankind, and what it is to be human’. As you can imagine, I’m pretty excited about this call for submissions myself… Word count: Around 2000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 2 July 2023 Find out more
Shadows on the Water This is another upcoming anthology from Flame Tree Press, and another exciting theme: myth and folklore, dark fantasies and supernatural tales relating to bodies of water. Word count: Around 2000–4000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: 2 July 2023 Find out more
The Utopia of Us Oh wow, this is a good one. Respected editor and author Teika Marija Smits is seeking stories inspired by Yevgeny Zamyatin’s proto-SF 1924 masterpiece We, with the anthology due to be published by the excellent Luna Press. The deadline’s way off, but the requirements are very specific, so I thought you’d appreciate the time in hand. Word count: 2000–6000 words Payment: £75 Deadline: Open 6–8 October 2023 Find out more
NPQ NPQ hopes to ‘help advance critical conversations that can refine nonprofit and social movement policy and practice’. Its upcoming issue will be of particular interest to SFF writers, as it’s due to feature ‘short climate fiction stories that spark imaginative visions of the future’, with stated influences including Janelle Monáe, Octavia E. Butler, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Word count: Up to 2000 words Payment: $500 Deadline: 30 June 2023 Find out more
Make Your Presence Known The subtitle of this anthology from Off Limits Press is ‘Stories of Seances, Conjuring, and Mediumship’, which sets the mind going, doesn’t it? Word count: 1500–5000 words Payment: 4 cents per word Deadline: 30 June 2023 Find out more
It Was All A Dream This sounds like fun: an anthology of ‘bad horror tropes done right’. In the words of the editors, ‘What is your least favorite horror trope? Why? Has it been overdone? Is it predictable? Is it unrealistic? Here’s your chance to fix it.’Word count: Up to 3000 words Payment: 5 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–15 July 2023 Find out more
Solar Press There isn’t a huge amount of description of the forthcoming anthology from Solar Press on their website, but they’re looking for ‘high-concept’ stories and they include an interesting list of favourite authors including Clive Barker, William S. Burroughs, and Jorge Luis Borges. Word count: Up to 10,000 words Payment: $50 Deadline: 31 August 2023 Find out more
Cosmic Horror Monthly Do you write cosmic horror, whether it’s Lovecraftian or a weirder flavour? Either way, this is the magazine for you. Word count: 1000–6000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: Open 1–7 July 2023 Find out more
Diabolical Plots The editors of this respected online zine seek speculative stories of all sorts. And they pay very well! Word count: Up to 3500 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: Open 17–31 July 2023 Find out more
Monstrous Magazine There are no pretensions whatsoever in this call for fast-paced, pulpy flash fiction featuring monsters. Word count: 1000–2000 words Payment: 6 cents per word Deadline: Open 29 June–27 July 2023 Find out more
Here are the most interesting open submissions calls for SFF writers I’ve found this month. Good luck!
Qualia Nous The first volume of this anthology series contained high-profile names and was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in an Anthology. This new volume looks set to be a bit deal, too. The editor interprets the slightly opaque title as referring to ‘subjective, conscious experience; the internal and subjective component of sense perceptions arising from stimulation of the senses by phenomena… having the ability to understand what is true or real.’ Plenty to chew on there! Word count: 3,000 – 10,000 words Payment: 10 cents per word Deadline: 31 July 2023 Find out more
Luna Press This wonderful Edinburgh-based SFF publisher, which has received multiple genre awards (and which published both my short story collection And the House Lights Dim and my YA novel Machineries of Mercy) will be open to novels and collections in mid-June. Get your manuscripts polished and ready to go! Word count: 50,000 words and above Payment: To be negotiated Deadline: Open 16–18 June 2023 Find out more
Greater Than His Nature / Open All Night Atomic Carnival Books are currently preparing two anthologies. The first is Greater Than His Nature, themed around ‘mad science’. The second, Open All Night, is more unusual, to feature ‘retail and service industry-based stories… graveyard shifts, overnight inventories gone bad, and haunted diners’. Word count: Ideally between 2000–6000 words Payment: 3 cents per word Deadline: 30 June 2023 Find out more
Centaur This publication isn’t explicitly an SFF one, though its editors seek bold pieces of flash fiction that could be classed as ‘fantasy, reality, and everything in between’. Word count: Up to 400 words Payment: $20 Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Graveyard Boots Horror in the Old West! The editors of this anthology seek ‘stories that add creatures, gunslingers, ghouls, ill omens, bad luck, evil minds, monsters and more to the already desolate landscape and ghost towns’. Sounds ace. Word count: 2500–5500 words Payment: Half a cent per word Deadline: 31 August 2023 Find out more
The Cosmic Background I like the sound of this new online publication of slipstream flash fiction, largely because their list of influential writers is pleasingly varied, including Kelly Link, George Saunders, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Sarah Pinsker. Word count: Up to 1000 words Payment: 8 cents per word Deadline: Ongoing Find out more
Tim Major 
You must be logged in to post a comment.