The Four Horsemen: An Anthology of Conquest, War, Famine & Death

Edited by Jessy Marie Roberts
pillhillpress@ gmail.com

The anthology will be divided into four sections: Conquest, War, Famine/Pestilence, and Death. Most genres, including, but not limited to, supernatural, dark fantasy, horror, suspense, crime, mystery, humor and science fiction, are welcome as long as they fit the theme of one of our four categories (conquest, war, famine/pestilence, death). Please note which category your story fits into when you submit.

Stories can be realistic or fantastical. They can take place anywhere - on Earth, under Earth, in Space, etc. They can take place at any time - past, present, future, alternate. We are looking for a good variety of unique stories that fit our four categories!

We are looking for short stories 500-5,000 words in length.

Please do not send stories with a strong religious theme. Pill Hill Press does not wish to misrepresent any religion. Also, please do not send rape/torture stories, anything "x" rated or pornographic, pet mutilation tales, fiction about child abuse and/or pedophilia, or submissions that denegrate any race, gender or sexual orientation.

Submissions will be accepted until Thursday, December 31, 2009. We will not make final selections until the end of the submission period. Responses will be sent by January 31, 2010. Please do not query about the status of your submission until February 1, 2010. We will send notification that we received your story within one week of submission. If you do not receive acknowledgement of your submission, please resend to pillhillpress@ gmail.com.

This book is scheduled to be released June, 2010

THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: HORROR IN RURAL AMERICA

We are looking for horror/suspense/mystery/supernatural stories that take place in rural America. Other genres are okay as long as the main theme is dark and/or disturbing. Think farmland. Think abandoned buildings. Think small towns with nosy neighbors. Think malevolence in middle America. Think long, creepy country roads. Most importantly, think outside the box!

Traditional monsters (vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches, mummies, etc.) Are welcome as long as presented in a fresh and interesting way. For more information, check our website at Pill Hill Press.

Short Story Competition

First prize: £1,000
Second prize: A Cross Sauvage fountain pen, worth over £100
Five runners-up prizes: excellent reference guides
All the prize-winning stories will be published next year in The Lady.


If you have always dreamed of having one of your stories published, now is the time to turn fantasy into reality by entering our Short Story Competition. We invite you to write a story in one of the following categories:

* COMEDY
* HISTORICAL
* MYSTERY

Prizes: You can make up your own title for your short story, which should be between 2,000 and 2,200 words in length. It must be printed double spaced, on A4 paper – on one side of the paper only. If you can, please include a floppy disk, on which your short story is saved, in a separate envelope, firmly secured to your print-out. Make sure that you keep a copy of your story as we cannot return either manuscripts or disks. Only one short story per person can be entered.
How to enter

Send your story in to: The Lady Short Story Competition, Editorial Department, The Lady, 39-40 Bedford Street, London WC2E 9ER to arrive by 16 December 2008. Please include a daytime telephone number (and an email address, if you have one) with your details. All the winning stories will be published next year in The Lady .

First prize

The winner will receive a cheque for £1,000 from The Lady .

Second prize

Cross’ excellent range of pens includes the beautiful Cross Sauvage fountain pen, worth £115. Stylish and elegant, this luxury pen has a Giraffe design with a brown tourmaline finish. Call 01582-422793 (or visit: www.cross.com ) to locate your nearest stockist.

Prizes for the five runners-up

* The Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook 2009 (A&C Black , £14.99) is an invaluable guide to the literary world. It offers advice on writing, copyright queries, societies, prizes and how to set up your own web page, and is recommended by The Writers’ Guild. Now it has been revised and updated, with a foreword by novelist Kate Mosse and advice including how to publish books from blogs, ebooks and writing for soap operas. (Visit the website: www.writersandartists.co.uk .)

* The 11th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press , £25) contains over 240,000 words, phrases and definitions and covers technical and scientific vocabulary as well as English from around the world. It has been updated with hundreds of new words and phrases, such as “sub-prime”, “social networking” and “carbon footprint”. (Visit the website: www.oup.com .)

* Writer’s Market UK 2009 (David and Charles , £14.99) has a foreword by Joanne Harris, the author of Chocolat . It is an annual resource for writers and one of the most comprehensive guides to writing and getting published today. Whether you are taking a writing course, dreaming of being published or have already been published this book has the latest information, listing over 4,000 publishers, magazines and other outlets for writers to approach. It is full of practical tips and recommendations from expert contributors and successful authors. (Visit the website: www.davidandcharles.co.uk .)

WTF - Mysteries

A true writing challenge!

I want your tales of mystery for a new anthology to be published in late 2009. I am looking for stories in the mystery genre. Here is the catch - No cussing! With a title like WTF, what do we mean no cussing? That is exactly what we mean! What we are looking for is the best euphemism(s) you can write. Your story should have a stunning WTF moment and the best WTF euphemism you can write. Example: "What the fine, flying, feathered, four-eyed frogs is going on in here?" You get the idea. Please do not make references to or use characters from other known sources. I will only accept unpublished, original works, characters, and story lines.

Please include on the front page of your manuscript:

• Name (and pen name, if you desire)
• Address
• Phone Number
• E-mail Address
• Number of words (limit 9,000)

Submissions should be made in standard double-spaced manuscript format. Stories can be e-mailed to request@kerlak.com as a MS Word .doc or .rtf (Rich Text Format) attachment.

Deadline for submissions is 4/30/2009. If your story is selected, you will be contacted by 6/30/2009. Paper submissions will not be returned.

If your story is selected for publication, payment will be $20.00 U.S. upon release of the book. We will also award a $50.00 bonus for the best WTF phrase as chosen by the editor(s).

Hard-copy manuscripts should be accompanied by a digital copy in .doc or .rtf format sent on a 3.5-inch floppy disk or CD. Stories should be sent to:

WTF Submissions
Mark Fitzgerald, Editor
c/o Kerlak Publishing
1779-1 Kirby Parkway, #373
Memphis, TN 38138

For any additional questions, please contact me at request@kerlak.com

Stange and Bizarre Stories

Novelist Vincent Hobbes is seeking short stories for an upcoming project which will feature a compilation of strange and bizarre stories. His publisher is currently accepting submissions from any author interested in having his or her work published in a novel.

Manuscripts being accepted will include anything from the following fiction genres:
Horror
Supernatural
Science-fiction
Fantasy
Psychological thriller
Mystery

Requirements: Word count may be anything from 1,500-30,000 words. We are seeking stories that are original and not previously published. Interesting storylines with a preferable twist at the end to captivate the reader is desired. Think Twilight Zone. All stories must be tasteful-not overly gory, no inappropriate sex scenes, or an over use of profanity.

All submissions must adhere to the following guidelines:
Single-spaced
12-point font, Times New Roman
Cover sheet must be included with all proper contact information

Whether you are a new author seeking to promote yourself, or simply someone who wants your family and friends to read your story in a published and widely distributed piece of literature, this is a rare opportunity to have your name and story published.

You may submit your story via mail or electronically. Details are as follows:

If mailed, send copy to:
Hobbes End Publishing, LLC
Attn: Short Story Submission
P.O. Box 193
Aubrey, TX 76227

*Please also include a disk. Microsoft Word. A hard-copy is not required, but definitely appreciated. Please include a SASE if you desire your material returned if rejected.

If sent electronically, send to:
publisher@hobbesend publishing. com
Attn: Short Story Submission (subject line)

Deadline is October 1st, 2008

Terms: Full rights, both printing and media, will be purchased outright for
$100.00 per story. Therefore, it will be un-publishable elsewhere without
express permission from the publisher. Any author who does not agree to such
terms, please do not submit your work for this project. Also, the best story
will receive a bonus from the publisher.

You may contact the publisher via email with any questions.