Mother Goose Is Dead

MOTHER GOOSE IS DEAD
Modern Stories of Myths, Fables and Fairy Tales

Michele Acker & Kirk Dougal, Editors

E-subs & Info No web site as yet

Submission Guidelines

Think back to the days when legends walked the earth and tales of wonder entertained all that listened. Now take those stories and twist them, stretch them, or toss them aside and create your own.

“Mother Goose is Dead: Modern Stories of Myths, Fables and Fairy Tales” is looking for up-to-date versions of tales that have delighted and scared us down through time. Tell the familiar from a different view or warp the story until it stands on its head. Are you tired of the standard legends? Invent your own myths to describe the making of the world, the end of time, or anything in between. Make us suspend our belief and get caught up in your world whether it be a slightly skewed version of our own, the familiar wound around like a pretzel, or a place entirely your own.

Accepted stories will be fantasy tales revolving around myths, fables and fairy tales. Submissions need to be between 3,000 and 6,000 words although variations may be made for exceptional pieces but do not press your luck. No poetry.

The intended audience is adult with the idea in mind that Victorian-age fairy tales were meant to frighten children to teach lessons. Adult themes are acceptable but sex, violence and profanity should be included only as necessary support to the story and not present for gratuitous or shock purposes. X-rated material will not be accepted.

Submissions must be received by August 31, 2008, though that may be extended if not enough submissions are received.

The anthology will be comprised of between 15-20 stories. Authors will be notified by email within six weeks of their submission being received whether or not their story has been accepted. If by the end of the submission period a sufficient number of accepted stories have not been received (based upon anthology size), the submission process will be extended and opened up to the general public. In that instance, authors of accepted stories will be notified by email and will be given the option of withdrawing their story. Authors should note that once accepted, a short write up (50-75 words) of the history of your fable will be needed. Later, bios and head shots will be required as well.

Submissions must be made by email (It is 2008 people). Submissions should be sent to the above e-mail address. Please embed all stories in the body of the email. All attachments will be deleted unread. Once accepted, the editors will inform authors where and how to send formatted manuscripts. Please include “Anthology Submission” and the title of your work in the subject line. Submissions will be acknowledged by email within 72 hours. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please feel free to resubmit.

All submissions must include the author’s real name, street address, email address, and pen name if desired. Please send polished work only. Stories with spelling or grammatical errors will generally be unacceptable. However, if your story is exceptional we may ask for a rewrite to fix minor issues. By submitting your story for this anthology, you warrant that it is your own original work and that it has not been published anywhere, in any format, including any website. Sharing with a small critique group for peer review is acceptable. Exclusive submissions only. Multiple submissions are fine, but no more than two per author. The anthology will only accept a maximum of one story per author for publication.

Payment will be by royalties, with each contributor receiving an equal share. Editorial work will also receive a share.

Michele Acker and Kirk Dougal are the editors of “A Firestorm of Dragons,” a new anthology released by Dragon Moon Press. Acceptance into the anthology does not guarantee publication or payment of royalties. Dragon Moon Press has expressed an interest in this project but a final decision will not be made until the final selection of stories is presented. Any questions about this anthology should be sent to the above e-mail address.

25Jun08