Edited by Aaron Polson
Submissions Open from May 15 - July 15, 2008.
All responses will be sent after July 15, 2008.
Submissions Open from May 15 - July 15, 2008.
All responses will be sent after July 15, 2008.
What is Tainted? This anthology is a collection of stories inspired by one the following:
- "The Caterpillars" by E.F. Benson
- "The Boarded Window" by Ambrose Bierce
- "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" by Edgar Allan Poe
- "The Empty House" by Algernon Blackwood
- "The Red Room" by H.G. Wells
The editor will select at least one story inspired by each of those listed above to publish in a handsome trade paperback (October 2008). All five original stories will be included in this collection.
You can follow links to the stories above to read them online.
What we want:
A tale inspired by one of the classics, but set in modern times. We want authors to take those orignal stories and have fun with them. Stories may fall in any speculative genre, but should be dark. Be inspired!
Traditional storytelling...beginning, middle, and an end. Protagonists with real conflicts...protagonists that might change, grow, develop because of those conflicts.
Beautiful, haunting images without overdoing it--balance plot with description.
Stories, especially speculative fiction, should speak to the human condition in some way.
2,500 - 10,000 words*
Simultaneous submissions are not accepted. Please send only one story: your best effort.
* optimum length would fall between 3k-7k
What we don't want:
A retelling of the original story. A period piece.
Experimental forms.
Excessive gore, language, sex, and violence. The key word--excessive--and yes, it frequently is excessive in modern fiction. Make sure it works in the story. Short fiction is all about economy of words.
Bigoted attitudes, platforms, and messages.
Anything overtly political.
Flowery prose, grammatical errors, and improper submission format.
Format for Submissions:
Follow standard formatting guidelines. Be professional.
Attach your story to an email as a rich text format file (rtf). Anything else will be discarded unread.
Cover letters are nice, but not necessary. Your work stands on its own merit.
Send one story at a time to: tainted.subs(at)gmail.com, replacing the (at) with @.
The subject should read: Submission (Title of story that inspired yours)
For example: Submission The Red Room
Compensation/rights:
We ask for one time rights for the story to appear in the anthology. All other rights remain with the author.
Each successful contributor receives one copy of the anthology and a one time payment of $25 (US) through PayPal (this is non-negotiatble; if you do not have an account, it is a quick and easy set up). Payment will be made upon publication.
A simple contract stating these terms will be issued.
All writers and artists retain the full copyrights to their work.
Questions? Email: tainted.subs(at)gmail.com, replacing the (at) with @. Subject line: Question.
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