Sword & Sorceress 23We are happy to announce that Sword & Sorceress 22 sold well enough that we get to do another volume. Norilana Books will be publishing Sword & Sorceress 23 later this year.If you wish to submit a story to the anthology, please follow the Guidelines below.GuidelinesStories should be the type generally referred to as "sword and sorcery" and must have a strong female protagonist whom the reader will care about. See Sword & Sorceress 22 (or 1-20) for examples. We do not want stories with explicit sex, gratuitous violence, or profanity. We are NOT a market for poetry. We are willing to consider stories set in modern times, but we won't buy more than one or two of those for the anthology.No simultaneous submissions. With regard to multiple submissions, do not submit more than one story at a time. If we've rejected your first one, you may send another as long as it's before the deadline.If you have not sold to MZB, please read "What is a Short Story?" and "Why Did my Story Get Rejected?" before submitting to us.Reading period: Saturday, April 19 to Friday, May 16, 2008. Stories received before or after this period will be deleted unread.Response time is expected to follow MZB's traditional standards: you should hear within a week if we're holding your story for the final line-up or rejecting it.Deadline: May 16, 2008.Length: up to 9,000 words, with preference given to shorter stories. The longer a story is, the better it has to be.Formatting and Submission:Format with one-inch margins on all four sides of page.Please do not use a header or footer.Your name, full mailing address, and email address must be in the upper left corner, single spaced.Skip two lines, center the text, then put the title, with your name (or byline) on the next line. We're not going to be as rigid as MZB was about pen names, but we expect them to be reasonable, rather than cute.The rest of the manuscript should be single-spaced, with the first line of each paragraph indented 1/2 inch.If you need to indicate a break, put "#" on a line by itself, centered.Do not underline; use italics instead. Do not use bold face.Word count will be determined by our word processor; that way it will be the same for everyone.Save your document as an .rtf file (rich text format or interchange format, depending on what your computer calls it). E-mail as it as an attachment to . The subject line should be "SS23–your last name–story title" (e.g.: SS23-Bradley-Dark Intruder) -- we don't want submissions caught in our spam filter.Rights purchased: first rights.Payment: 5 cents per word as an advance against a pro rata share of royalties and foreign or other sales.http://mzbworks.home.att.net/s23.htmPOLITICAL FICTION: Call for Short StoriesDeadline extended to May 12th! We are accepting submissions for POLITICAL FICTION: Short Stories set in the World of Politics! A book of short stories to be published by Don Ron Books! Politics, whether by character, setting, or plot, must be central to the story; otherwise we want a range of styles & genres, set anywhere from the election trail to small town city halls to the White House, involving characters from US senators to mayoral aides to school board elected officials, etc. No language restrictions. Foreign political stories okay. We are NOT looking for political rants, but character driven stories. Political Fiction will be available at bookstores across the country & online. Stories cannot exceed 7,500 words; there is no lower word limit. Unpublished and unknown writers welcome. Previously published stories okay with proof that youhave permission to republish. One submission per author. Fiction only; no poetry.Please send stories to:By email: thepoliticalfiction@yahoo.comthepoliticalfiction (at) yahoo.comOr by post:Don Ron BooksPolitical FictionP.O. Box 39861Philadelphia , PA 19106Print your address, phone number, and email on each submission. Please enclose a brief bio that details your affiliation (if any) with politics. Stories will be recycled, not returned. We look forward to reading your stuff!Authors whose submissions are selected will be expected to work with the editors to fine tune their stories. There is no fee for submission. Selected authors will receive 2 copies of the book, but will not be otherwise paid. Don Ron Books reserves the right to publish the story in subsequent reprints of the book; authors otherwise retain the rights to their works. For questions please contact: thepoliticalfiction@yahoo.comDon Ron Books is a new publishing company based in Philadelphia. Their first book, Philly Fiction, a collection of short stories set in Philadelphia, has won critical acclaim, and is available in bookstores and online at amazon.com and bn.com. Philly Fiction 2 is forthcoming in the fall 2007. Political Fictionwill be their third book Deadline: May 12, 2007.Faerie Nation Mag is accepting submissions for their fall issue. It's an in-print mag described as "an interfaith, interdisciplinary, intertwining of newly evolving DNA. Flash fiction, knitting, social change, mysticism, you name it. Diverse! For example, past issues have included sex talk by Annie Sprinkle, herbalism by Susun Weed, musings by Oberon Zell, artwork by Paul B. Rucker, and articles by yours truly. Whoohoo! Ships to eight countries! Sliding scale cost. For more info, go to [http://www.outlawbunny.com/]www.outlawbunny.comDon't submit a story jsut b/c it has a Faerie as a character. That is not what they look for.They want any topic or persepctive as long as it is edgy and authentic.It is also a place with ads for SF/F/H.However, if you like more structure - - I want to give Fey-touched souls lotsa ways to express what's important to them - - here are some issues you might write about:* Who is the Faerie Queen to YOU? And Oberon? She has many faces. Which does she show in your own wild heart? Who is Oberon? He has countless aspects, like any healthy guy. Write about Him, Her, or both.* Write about the green Fey Earth, environmental magic & mystical love of Gaia. (Don't ask me what I mean by those topics. Make it whatever they seem to you in your earthy, mineral filled bones.)* Fashion Faeries: Okay, if it isn't fun, it isn't Fey! Nowhere is that more obvious then when it comes to dolling 'n' duding up. Write about glitter, glam, and magical style, whether it's your hair, nails, clothes, tattoos, jewelry, or . . .* Wandering & Wondering: the freethinker is a wanderer. Whether the terrain is the uncharted territory of your own mind or new life adventures, you go where mystery calls. In paradox, you always have a home: both within your heart and with the Faerie Queen and King.Every mystical vagabond has a unique journey. Nevertheless, after your gadabout, it's important to share about it with folks who understand in their own way. For example, what has life taught you recently? Or perhaps something amusing happened today? Did you read a great book? Wanna review a film? In other words, I'm suggesting yet another way to write whatever you want!! Hee, hee. The point of Faerie Nation's mag is to be inclusive of DIFFERENT people's visions of LIFE and MAGIC and SEX and . . . because there is always something juicy going on between your ears. We are all fabulous creative thinkers.* The trouble with being Fey - - troubleshooting the mystic life: The magazine is a celebration of spiritual diversity. However, to have fun, we also need to feel safe. So let's share solutions to problems that many of us confront. For example, how do we get by without our friends all thinking we are nuts? If you're the sort of Fey-touched spirit who likes their mysticism wild, on the edge, and totally out there, what do you do to stay safe, sane, and psychically whole? What does it mean to be a mixed-blood human, both human and Fey?Don't feel you have to approach the above topics only with straight prose. Try ritual, fiction, or . . .How to SubmitSubmit your work in the body of an email. Do not use fancy formatting or programs. Just do it plain old email style. If you want a word italicized in the final copy, make the word all CAPS. Send to ade.conway@gmail.com .Include this exact sentence: "Please credit [name, professional or religious title if you want] as the author of this piece." If you want to be anonymous, fill in the blank with "anonymous."If you want a contributor's bio in the mag, precede the bio with these words: "This is the bio:" After the bio, please write "end of bio" or your automatically generated signature or other comments addressed privately to us could end up in the magazine for all to see. Bio must be no more than a short paragraph, two-three sentences.Include your real name, email addy, snail mail address, and phone number. They will not be published unless you include them in your bio.We consider one piece per author at a time. We do not consider submissions that are simultaneously being submitted elsewhere.Teens can submit (with written parental permission if under 18).Do not send us your only copy: We do not return submissions.Deadlines and MiscellanyOur deadlines for submissions are: May 1 for the Fall issue, September 3 for the Spring issue, and February 9 for the Summer issue. However these deadlines are subject to change, so please check in with us if you are hoping to be in a specific issue.In return for your article, you receive a free copy of the mag and one-time ad space. Don't send the ad with your submission: If we accept your piece, we'll contact you about the ad.We send a letter of acceptance or rejection within six months of receipt of a submission..Articles might be edited for clarity, length, and inclusiveness. Poems will not. Rites will not, except for their prose sections, such as instructions.http://www.outlawbunny.com/FNMsubmissions.html*****************************************The 77th Annual Writer's Digest Writing Competition is now open for submissions. Top prize is $3000 and a trip to New York to meet with four editors or agents. There are ten categories for both fiction and nonfiction. The entry fee is $15 and the deadline to enter is May 15, 2008. All the details are online at https://www.writersdigest.com/contests/annual/77th/============================Anthology Seeks SubmissionsherStory Narratives, anthology celebrating empowerment of women, looking for stories“herStory Narratives: Stories From Outstanding Women” is a collection of stories by women, discussing their professions, passions and what empowers them. Women of all ages and ethnicities are encouraged to participate.Work is especially welcome from new and emerging writers. Essays and short stories should be no longer than 3,000 words. Contributions should have the contributor’s name on each page.Deadline: May 31, 2008.Electronic Mail: send your work to herstorynarratives@yahoo.com. Attachments should be titled with your name and e-mail subject should read “herStory Narratives.”Snail Mail:Lisa DanielsherStory NarrativesP.O. Box 614Elk Grove , CA 95759-0614Please include a brief bio, a headshot (if available) and mailing address.Contributors will receive a copy of the book.JUNECall For Submissions: Ghosts In The MachinePhoenix Imprints Presents is now accepting art and literary submissions for its new anthology:Ghosts In The Machine, edited by Aitch Jae Esse of Phoenix Imprints Presents, will be an original collection of short stories focused specifically on the supernatural as relates to technology, most particularly with the Internet/Computers but other areas of technology will certainly be considered.Literary submissions should be less than 7000 words and, while authors are encouraged to ‘push the envelope’ with their submissions, excessive sexuality and violence are acceptable only to the degree that they serve the overall story. Successful submissions will be those stories that tell a genuinely scary, original tale with memorable characters and story arcs. If you have questions about submissions, policies, etc., please email the address below.Submission Deadline: June 1st, 2008Anticipated Publication Fourth Quarter, 2008, First Quarter 2009Submission Details: 1000-7000 wordsAuthors’ Recompense: $20 per story accepted, publication credit and contributors’ copyArtwork Sought: Original Cover Art as well as interior illustrations, recompense negotiated based upon submissions.Authors may submit their literary artwork to the email address below. Please place the following in the subject line: “Ghosts In The Machine: Literary Submission”. Acceptable formats include MSWord (DOC) and Rich Text Format (RTF). Please be certain to include your contact information including Name, Address, Email Address, Telephone and any other relevant contact information.Artists may submit their artistic submissions to the email address below. Please place the following in the subject line: “Ghosts In The Machine: Artist Submission”. Please make sure to include all photographs of work in TIFF, JPG or BMP formats. Other formats may be acceptable if arranged in advance. Please be certain to include your contact information including Name, Address, Email Address, Telephone and any other relevant contact information.Contact Information: AitchJaeEsse@Hotmail.comhttp://community.livejournal.com/specficmarkets/Dante's Heart offers a biannual, online venue for established and new writers and artists to share creative work that explores how myth and fairy tale define and are defined by the human experience(s).We want to celebrate the shock, wonder, bewilderment, suffering, and enchantment of myth, of the fantastic; we want to hear about rivers running with wine and ghosts jumping the Mississippi on motorcycles. We're concerned with the neglect of myth, with the blindness of a culture determined by myths it hasn't thought about; we demand (beg, entreat, scream) that myths be thought about, made and remade, handled with a delicate & angry/sad/ desperate/joyous exuberance.Dante's Heart has no investment in being either traditional or avant-garde, in genre or trans-genre, academic or popular; our whole commitment is to discovery, to surprise or be surprised.Dante's Heart is an online venue looking for creative work that explores how myth and fairy tale define and are defined by the human experience(s). We want to celebrate the shock, wonder, bewilderment, suffering, and enchantment ofmyth, of the fantastic; we want to hear about rivers running with wine and ghosts jumping the Mississippi on motorcycles. We're concerned with the neglect of myth, with the blindness of a culture determined by myths it hasn't thought about; we demand (beg, entreat, scream) that myths be thought about, made and remade, handled with a delicate & angry/sad/ desperate/joyous exuberance.CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:WOLVES and WOLF FOLKLOREDante’s Heart: A Journal of Myth, Fairytale, Folklore, and Fantasy is calling for submissions of art, poetry, fiction, essays, or lyrics that explore the folklore of the wolf and the contradictions of the wolf as character, figure, and symbol in contemporary culture whether in the U.S. or around the world. Whether the subject is Little Red Riding Hood or the decimation of the Arctic or Fenris chained by the gods, send your best unpublished work to editors@dantesheart.com.We are especially interested in finding out where we are, here at the near start of the 21st century, in looking at wolves as potent, alarming, or attractive creatures. What does the wolf mean to us today, and what do past stories or art about wolves mean to us today? How in our current folklore do we use, fear, celebrate, or learn from wolves?Work submitted will be considered for publication in either a supplemental issue or a full special issue of Dante’s Heart in Fall 2008.Submissions are due June 15, 2008.Other Things of InterestFor inspiration or just for the excitement of it, see also the discussion of wolf folklore on our bloghttp://www.dantesheart.com/WolfCFP.htmlSUBMISSIONSSend all submissions to editors@dantesheart.com. Reply to submissions takes 8-10 weeks. Multiple submissions are ok. Please no simultaneous submissions or previously published work. Dante's Heart obtains 1st North American serial rights. All rights revert to the author upon publication.Please also check:Guidelines for the Dante's Heart Fall 2008 Poetry ContestCall for submissions for a special issue on Wolves and Wolf FolkloreHere are our general guidelines:FICTION & THEATREShort stories, short-shorts and flash fiction are welcome, as are dramatic scenes and short plays. We prefer work under 4,000 words. We are interested in but do not limit submissions to retellings of fairy tales or myths, mythopoeic writing with exquisite prose, ghost tales, magical realism or literary enchantment, fantasy, as well as “mainstream” fiction concerned with myth or with the fantastic.POETRYNo boundaries. We are especially interested in brief and minimalist work, however.ARTDigital submissions only, but not just looking for “digital art.” We are open to varied forms and media, including photography. We are especially interested in work that illustrates, revisits, or peers into a classical or prevalent myth, fairy tale, or fantastic narrative.FLASH/MIXED MEDIAWe would love to see more mixed media/interactive media work that invites reader/viewer participation using Flash or other technologies. Take a look at The Cobweb Forest and Dreaming Methods for examples of what has us inspired.REVIEWSCheck our Reviews page for a list of books for which we are currently soliciting reviews, or query to suggest a review. Reviews should be no longer than 600 words.CALL FOR REVIEWSDante's Heart is calling for reviews of books, art, and film on an ongoing basis. Please contact us at editors@dantesheart.com with suggestions for a review; we are very open to your ideas.Here is a shortlist of works we would especially like to see reviewed; we will be updating this list frequently, so please check back. This list is meant to be suggestive, not restrictive.Except in rare cases, reviews should be no longer than 600 words.BooksBrooks, Max. World War ZClarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange & Mr. NorrellGaiman, Neil. Fragile ThingsLawhead, Stephen R. Hood; ScarletMcCarthy, William Bernard. Cinderella in AmericaOverstreet, Jeffrey. Auralia's ColorsWolfe, Gene. Pirate FreedomMarvel Comics. The Dark TowerFilmPan's LabyrinthStardustEnchantedThe Golden CompassOnlineStock, Lisa, and Connie Toebe. The Cobweb Foresthttp://www.dantesheart.com/PoetryContest.htmlNARRATIVE PRIZEhttp://www.narrativemagazine.com/shared/prize.phpThe $4,000 Narrative Prize will be awarded annually for the best short story, novel excerpt, poem, or work of literary nonfiction published by a new or emerging writer in Narrative.The deadline for entries for each year’s award is June 15.The winner is announced each September, and the prize is awarded in October.Notices of the award, citing the winner’s name and the title and genre of the winning piece, will be placed in prominent literary periodicals. Each winner will also be cited in an ongoing listing in Narrative. The prize will be given to the best work published each year in Narrative by a new or emerging writer, as judged by the magazine’s editors. In some years, the prize may be divided between winners, when more than one work merits the award.All submissions are carefully considered for publication. To submit your work for the Narrative Prize, please see the submission form below or visit our Submission Guidelines page.Submissions by new and emerging writers are eligible for the prize, and we accept submissions year-round. For further information, please read our Submission Guidelines.Submission GuidelinesWe welcome submissions of previously unpublished manuscripts of all lengths, ranging from short short stories to complete book-length works. Narrative regularly publishes fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, including stories, novels, novel excerpts, novellas, personal essays, humor, sketches, memoirs, literary biographies, commentary, reportage, interviews, and features of interest to readers who take pleasure in storytelling and imaginative prose. For poetry submissions, Narrative is open to all forms and genres. We look for quality and originality of language and content. We do not accept translations. If you are interested in sending your work for consideration, please read the following guidelines carefully. You may wish to print out this page so that you can refer to it as you submit your manuscript.Submissions may be sent to us at any time, year-round. We accept multiple submissions, since we feel that it’s unreasonable to expect writers to give a magazine an exclusive look at a work unless the magazine can respond within two to three weeks. We want writers to have every possible opportunity for success,so we’re willing to risk losing a story we want when someone at another magazine may have done their reading before we have, and in that case we’ll be sorry to lose the piece but happy for the writer. Our response time varies from four to twelve weeks, with the slowest times usually being August/September andDecember/January.Except during our open-submission periods, we require a reading fee for submission, as follows:—a $20 reading fee for short short stories of 750 to 2,000 words.—a $10 reading fee for up to five poems in a single submission.—a $10 reading fee for short audio (MP3) submissions of poetry. Audio poetry submissions may be up to five minutes in length.—a $10 reading fee for short audio (MP3) submissions of prose, for our TELL ME A STORY category (see description below). Audio prose submissions may be up to five minutes in length.—a $20 reading fee for a single manuscript (fiction or nonfiction) of 2,000 to 10,000 words in length.—a $20 reading fee for novellas and book-length works.All submissions, with a reading fee, from new or emerging writers are eligible for the $4,000 Narrative Prize, awarded annually.For all accepted manuscripts of 750 to 2,000 words we pay between $150 and $350 on publication. For all accepted manuscripts of 2,000 to 10,000 words, we pay $350 to $1,000 on publication. For all book-length works accepted for serialization, we pay a minimum of $1,000 to $5,000 on publication and may offermore, depending on the length and nature of the work. For more information on our program of serializations, please click here. For each accepted poem and for each short audio piece, we pay a minimum of $50, on publication.Contributors are asked to include a brief biographical note with their submissions.We accept only online submissions: Please read the following instructions in full and/or print out the instructions before making an online submission:1) Online submissions should be formatted as follows: Fiction and nonfiction should be double-spaced, with 12-point type, at least one-inch margins, and sequentially numbered pages. Poetry should be single-spaced, with 12-point type, at least one-inch margins, and sequentially numbered pages. The author’s name, address, telephone number, and email address should be typed at the top of the first page.2) Save your document in one of the following formats: .doc, .pdf, or .rtf.To read instructions for putting a document in Microsoft Word Rich Text Format (.rtf), or any other word-processing program using .rtf, please click here.3) Before sending us your document, read the details below and fill in the appropriate form fields.SHORT SHORT STORY manuscripts must be between three and five pages in length, and no less than 750 and no more than 2,000 words.MANUSCRIPTS OF UP TO 10,000 WORDS can include short stories, essays, and other complete short works of nonfiction, and excerpts from longer works of fiction and nonfiction.NOVELLAS AND OTHER LONG WORKS THAT ARE LESS THAN BOOK LENGTH may run between10,000 and 40,000 words. For works of this length, please submit the first 10,000 words with a synposis. (Based on our reading of the first 10,000 words, we will ask to see the complete manuscript if we think the work is suitable for Narrative.)COMPLETE BOOK-LENGTH WORKS. For consideration for serialization, please send the first chapter and a one-page synopsis of the book. (Based on our reading of the first chapter and synopsis, we will ask to see the complete book manuscript if we think the book is suitable for serialization in Narrative. We acceptsubmissions of completed, previously unpublished books. For further information on our program of serializations, please click here.)POETRY SUBMISSIONS may contain up to five poems. Your submission should give a strong sense of your style and range. We accept submissions of all poetic forms and genres but do not accept translations.AUDIO POETRY SUBMISSIONS must be in MP3 format and may be up to five minutes long.TELL ME A STORY audio prose submissions may be fiction or nonfiction but should take a storytelling form. Audio prose submissions must be in MP3 format and may be up to five minutes long.Pandora's Box Special Project; Dark Eden PressSomewhere in the world sits the infamous relic which is Pandora's Box. A vessel containing all the evil of the world and one magical gift - hope. Somehow it has been opened for a brief moment. It may be opened by one of the characters or someone else simply opened it by mistake. The fact remains, evil personified now trolls across Earth.The Task – Write a 30K+ word romance revolving around the evil/s that escaped the box. You must include the prop of the box as well.Genre - paranormal romance (may be very light or very heavy elements)Plot - an evil or evils have escaped from Pandora's Box and must be returned in some form or fashion. You may use any evil including sins, diseases, famous or infamous murderers, etc...Ending - must be HEA or HEA for now.Heat Level - any (mainstream or erotica BUT erotica must focus on the plot)Time Period - anyProp that must be included - the box*Note – The evil may be the antagonist, or protagonist.These should be well-crafted stories with excellent characters and contain an integral use of the plot as stated above.Submissions must be in by June 1, 2008.Please address all questions or submissions tosubmissionsATdarkedenpress.comDark Distortions is a print anthology (approximately 500+ pages in length) that covers novellas, short stories, flashes and poetry. Each edition of Dark Distortions will cover different themes that explore the darkest regions of the mind. Our main objective is to create "treasures boxes", where a reader can pick up an edition and read different kinds of dark fiction or poetry in many different styles. Volume 1 began rather general, where we were only looking for stories with a "distorted view". With DD II, we plan on upping the stakes, adding the theme "magic rites". DD II is opening for submissions January 1st, 2008.Submissions Window: Dark Distortions, volume IIThe submission window for Dark Distortions II will begin January 1st, 2008 and end June 30th, 2008 or until filled.What We WantWe want strongly-written, well-composed and consistent novellas, novelettes, short stories, flash fiction or poetry that are dark in nature and show a distinctively “distorted” sensibility.For Dark Distortions II, we also want elements that include some form of “magic rite” (Voodoo, Kabbalah, Wiccan, Judeo-Christian or altogether made up). This doesn't mean that these magic rites have to tell a supernatural story. There could be a crime that takes place before, during or after a rite, or maybe the rite is a crime itself. It doesn't matter how you approach these elements, we just want to see them in the story or piece.Micro-fiction should be no longer than 100 words. Flash fiction should be between 100 words and 1k. Short stories should be from 1k to 8k words. Novelettes should be 8k to 20k. And novellas should be about 20k to 50k approximate words.Poetry can be any length, though we're not looking for epic pieces. Nothing Homeresque in length, please.We're also very stingy about manuscripts that do not follow our general guidelines (found below). For general guidelines and more information, see below. Your manuscript should also look like our EXAMPLE PDF in Rich Text, Open Office or Word programs.Where To Submit:Send stories to scotopia@gmail.com with the subject bar reading in all caps: SUBDARKDIS2_TITLE_. (Of course the "title" here is the title of your story.)http://www.scotopiapress.com/submissions.htmSet Your Sights on the Moon!National Space Society AnnouncesRETURN TO LUNA: A Short Story Science Fiction ContestThe National Space Society (NSS) and Hadley Rille Books announce the RETURN TO LUNA Short Story Contest.SCENARIO: You're returning from a hike in the Moon's Apennine Mountains, following the ancient trail of bootprints back to the settlement. For three days your suit has protected you on your journey through the lunar wilderness, a hike unlike any on Earth. You've scaled mountains, traversed craters, repelled down massive boulders. And now you've crested the last hill and the valley spreads out before you. The colony's sprawling complex awaits. You're almost home.WE ARE LOOKING FOR: Science Fiction stories that show the adventure of lunar settlement. We want to feel the romance of life there, the wonder of the lunar frontier, of its magnificent desolation. We prefer near future (50 to 150 years from now), realistic stories about human lunar settlement. We want good characterization and well-written, tight prose. We want to feel what it's like to live on the Moon.We will be accepting submissions for stories that deal with humanity's return to, and colonization of the Moon. Winning stories will be selected later this year by a panel of award-winning authors and editors, and will be included in the print anthology RETURN TO LUNA. Winners will also receive complimentary full-year memberships to the National Space Society, including a subscription to the award-winning magazine, Ad Astra, and a chance for their story to be featured in a review in an upcoming issue of the magazine. Visit www.nss.org or www.hadleyrillebooks.com for updates. Read below for story guidelines and rules.RETURN TO LUNA -- STORY GUIDELINESPlease read entire guidelines before submitting to ensure your story fits the requirements!REQUIREMENTS:* Previously unpublished stories only -- no reprints.* No simultaneous submissions (that is, don't send your story to us and to other publishers at the same time).* Multiple submissions are okay (you may send us more than one story).* Set entirely on the Moon.* Realistic stories showing very possible futures.* No gratuitous sex or excess violence or anything beyond mild language (these stories will be read by space enthusiasts of all ages).* Science Fiction (no fantasy, horror or other genres).* No aliens or faster than light travel.LENGTH: 2000 to 6000 words.ENTRY FEE: None.PRIZES: All winning stories will be published in the anthology RETURN TO LUNA with a potential readership of thousands; the book will be submitted to well-known science fiction editors to consider each of the stories for inclusion in their "best of the year" anthologies, and the book will be sent out for review. All winning authors will receive free membership to the NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY for one year. GRAND PRIZE WINNER will also have a review of his or her winning short story featured in NSS's magazine AD ASTRA, and on the NSS and Hadley Rille Books websites.ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY: Send as an attachment to an email message with subject line "NSS CONTEST" to subs@hadleyrillebooks.com. Microsoft Word .doc file is preferred, or .rtf is okay (please contact us if you need to make arrangements for another format). Please virus scan your document before sending. Story will be stripped of author name and assigned a number before forwarded to the jurors. You will receive a confirmation email back from us. (If you do not receive a confirmation email then that means we did not receive your story.)FORMAT: We prefer the standard manuscript format as shown here: http://www.speculations.com/format.html, except that we prefer single-spaced rather than double-spaced. Please don't do any fancy formatting such as right-justifying, etc. -- leave that to us. Please don't hit Enter (or Return) at the end of each line. Let your word processor wrap the text.SUBMISSION PERIOD: From now through June 15, 2008.SOME IDEAS:* How have we set about establishing a lunar base, and then a colony?* What are living conditions like?* What is the lunar wilderness like? What kind of exploring to settlers do?* What are the buildings like and how do people get around the lunar surface?* What kinds of transportation do they use to travel to and from the Moon?* What kind of society lives there? What are the challenges to human social structures?* Are lunar colonies self-sufficient or do they depend on Earth?* What kind of industries exist and how do the colonists make use of lunar resources?* Does the colony resemble Las Vegas or is it more like a science outpost?* Will there be settlements on the far side -- a radio telescope array, perhaps?* Is the colony located near one of the poles where miners extract ice from the permanently shadowed areas?* Why have we established a colony on the Moon?JUDGING: Winning stories will be selected by our jury of authors and editors, including Michael A. Burstein, Tom Dupree, Jude-Marie Green, Jay Lake, Geoffrey A. Landis, Christopher McKitterick, Eric T. Reynolds, Lawrence M. Schoen, Allen Steele, Ian Randal Strock.RESULTS: We expect to announce winners by late summer 2008.ABOUT THE BOOK: This anthology will be professionally published in either trade paperback, hardcover, or both. We expect to publish the book late 2008.About the National Space SocietyThe National Space Society (NSS) is an independent, grassroots organization dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization. Founded in 1974, NSS is widely acknowledged as the preeminent citizen's voice on space. NSS counts thousands of members and more than 50 chapters in the United States and around the world. The society also publishes Ad Astra magazine, an award-winning periodical chronicling the most important developments in space. For more information about NSS, visit www.nss.org.About Hadley Rille BooksHadley Rille Books was founded in 2005 by Eric T. Reynolds to publish Science Fiction with an emphasis on space, archaeology, climate and other science-related topics, with a goal to bring a new sense of adventure of the Universe to the reader. Hadley Rille Books publishes well-known writers as well as new and emerging voices. For more information, visit www.hadleyrillebooks.com.http://www.nss.org/news/releases/pr20080229.htmlJULYCheerios® is searching for the next great children's book author. It could be you!http://www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com/Just enter your original children's book story by July 15, 2008. See contest rules below.Meet Shellie Braeuner. Her story, The Great Dog Wash, won the Grand Prize in the 2007 Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories Children's Book Contest. She won $5,000 from Cheerios®, and will have her book published by Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing.You can see her book come to life on www.spoonfulsofstories.com.AUGUSTLace and Blade is accepting submissions for its second anthology of "elegant, sensual, romantic fantasy, emphasizing sharp verbal repartee as much as sharp pointed weapons, rapier rather than broadsword." Editor Deborah J. Ross is interested in "characters - both men and women - with vibrant personalities, complex, dashing, and very sexy. I'm particularly interested in stories that have magic and action, but in which conflict is resolved not by violence but by insight, creativity, and compassion. I'd love to see "win-win" endings, sense-of-wonder, plot twists and turnabout. Alternate sexuality is welcome; eroticism a definite plus; exotic, non-Western European settings also encouraged. Please read the first volume to see what I'm looking for." The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2008. There are no minimum or maximum lengths, though Ross says longer stories must be "extraordinary." Ross will pay a 2 cents a word advance against royalties. The book will be released Valentine's Day, 2009. Complete guidelines are available at http://www.norilana.com/norilana-lb-guidelines.htmRIGHTS PURCHASED: First English Language Rights and non-exclusive electronic rights. The anthology will be published by Norilana Books in a trade paperback edition on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2009, to be followed by an electronic edition to be produced later.PAYMENT: $0.02 a word on acceptance, as an advance against a pro rata share of royalties and foreign or other sales (per word, not per story), plus a contributor copy.WORD LENGTH: No maximum, although longer stories must be extraordinary.READING PERIOD begins April 1, 2008. Please do not submit your stories before then.DEADLINE: August 1, 2008HOW TO SUBMIT / FORMATTING: You may e-mail your story as .rtf attachment or mail a hard copy with SASE and a CD containing an .rtf file. Do not send a .docx file as I cannot open them! If e-mailing, please format without headers or footers, 12 point Courier, italics instead of underlining, and put your full name, mailing address and email address on the upper left corner of the first page. I will determine final word count according to my standard formatting.The subject line of your e-mail should say "Submission: Story Title, last name of author." The story file itself should have your full name, address, e-mail address, title of story, and number of words. We are open to new writers and seasoned veterans alike.EDITORIAL ADDRESS:Deborah J. Ross14775 Virginia AvenueBoulder Creek CA 95006We look forward to reading your most inspired work.SEPTEMBERFairy Tale Review is an annual literary journal devoted to contemporary fairy tales. The journal hopes to provide an elegant and innovative venue for both established and emerging authors of poetry and prose. Fairy Tale Review is not devoted to any particular school of writing, but rather to fairy tales as an inspiring art form.www.fairytalereview.comPlease note that our next submission period is April 15, 2008 - September 15, 2008. We will be accepting submissions ONLINE during that time, via a Submission Manager, accessible at that time from our website. We look forward to reading your work!Remember, the reading period for the Aquamarine Issue runs from April 15 through September 15, 2008.http://www.fairytalereview.blogspot.com/http://www.fairytalereview.com/Fairy Tale Review is a co-publication of The University of Alabama Press.For recent news please visit www.fairytalereview.blogspot.comFairy Tale Review will have a table in the AWP bookfair. If you're planning to attend AWP, please stop by and take a look at the Violet Issue, Pilot (Johann the Carousel Horse) by Johannes Goransson, and The Changeling, by Joy Williams. You'll have a chance to meet Kate Bernheimer, Editor, and Assistant Editors Christopher Hellwig and Andy Johnson. We'd love to talk to you about our journal, the next issues, and fairy tales.Check out the guidelines at: http://www.sorceroussignals.com/Guidelines.htmlSorcerous Signals is a quarterly Fantasy electronic magazine.Each issue we hope to "print" short stories, poetry and flash fiction that meets the following guidelines:My primary guideline is simple:Write a good Fantasy story.What I am NOT looking for - erotica / slash / or other such stories.Although well written love scenes that are IMPORTANT to the story may be considered on a story-by-storybasis.1) Stories should be no longer than 10,000 words.However, tell the story - if it takes more than 10,000 words to tell the story properly so be it.Just try to cut it down if possible - but remember the story is the important part.2) I will accept reprints as long as it has been at least 1 year since the story was previously published, rightshave reverted back and you tell me where it previously appeared.3) Please keep the graphic gore down to a minimum (only what's needed for the story).4) Please keep the obscene language to a bare minimum (again, only what's needed for the story).5) Humor similar to what has appeared in the "Chicks in Chain Mail"; series of Anthologies will also beconsidered.6) Simultaneous Submissions will be considered IF:a) You tell me up frontb) You inform me immediately if the story has been accepted elsewhereIf I have too many occurrences of finding out a story was accepted somewhere else when I contact an authorto tell them I would like to accept their story for Sorcerous Signals - I will no longer accept simultaneoussubmissions.7) Please do not send multiple submissions. I will only print one piece by a particular author in a single issue.I am partial to Sword and Sorcery style Fantasy stories,but will consider anything that fits into the fantasy genre.All stories received will be considered first for Sorcerous Signals and also for The Lorelei Signal.Please do not submit to both e-zines.FORMATTING:If you have a Fantasy story you think meets the theme of this magazine then send it to me via email in plaintext as part of the message body. Even though I have decent anti virus software on my computer - if you sendme an attachment you are risking me deleting your email unread. I will not respond to emails deleted for failingto properly follow the guidelines.Your work should be as professional as you can make it, as if you were presenting it to a professionalmagazine for publication.Do not indent.Please single space with a double space between paragraphs and use _to indicate italics_.RESPONSE TIMES:I plan on waiting until the end of each of the reading periods before reading the stories that have come in. So ifyou submit early in that period you will have to wait a few weeks before I start on the submissions.Each submission should also receive an acknowledge email within a few days of it being received by the editor.Response times will depend on the number of submissions being received, my personal time schedule as wellas any writing deadline's I may have. However, I do hope to keep response times down to less than 2 months.I will make every effort to respond to each story with something other than a form letter.RIGHTS:Author's grant to Sorcerous Signals one-time rights to publish in electronic format.We request 6 months exclusivity, after which they are free to market the story elsewhere.Authors are also encouraged to post a short excerpt on their own website with a link to Sorcerous SignalsPlease note if you are not sending a reprint this does constitute first electronic (and 1st serial rights) for yourstory if it is accepted.Sorcerous Signals also requests non-exclusive print anthology rights for possible inclusion in an end of yearAnthology issue.If an author's story is selected for this anthology they will receive $10.00.If an author's story is not selected for the Anthology covering the year their story appeared, Sorcerous Signalsno longer has any claim to the anthology rights without the permission of the author.SUBMISSION:Please provide the following information in a "cover letter" at the beginning of your submission:Your name (pen name if desired) / e-mail address and web-site if you have one.Also let us know if you are open to receiving feedback from readers. If so we will provide a link to your emailaddress with your story. If not specifically stated we will assume you do not want the feedback link. Please titleyour email as SORCEROUS SUBMISSION: (the title of your story)Something to be aware of, stories used in magazines such as this, are a matter personal taste.While I may not accept your story for the magazine, it does not constitute a personal rejection of you -- onlythat your story may not have met my personal vision for the zine.REVIEWS:Sorcerous Signals is also looking for reviews of Fantasy.Please title your email as SORCEROUS REVIEW: (the title of the story you are reviewing).There is no payment or donation button for reviews.Reviews may be submitted outside the normal reading periods.PAYMENT:We're trying an experiment. Each story will contain a PayPal donation button, so readers can show theirappreciation to the author. Money received through this method will be split 60/40 between the author (60%)and the magazine (40%). Authors will be paid at the end of the quarter in which their story appeared. As issueswill remain archived for a period of one year after publication, authors will again be paid when the story isremoved from the archive if it generates any new revenue.Authors will receive an initial advance of $5.00 for stories and $2.00 for poems and flash (<1000 wds) fictionpieces within 30 days of receipt of signed contract.I am hoping to publish an anthology at the end of the year which will feature the best stories from each issue.A poll will be set up to allow readers to vote for their favorite stories each issue. The fan favorites will be theones selected for the anthology along with some picks from the editor.Authors will be paid $10.00 for the rights to print their stories in the anthology.Payment will be made at the time the anthology is prepared for printing.All payments will be made through PayPal.ARTWORK:We are also looking for artwork that fits the theme of the magazine.Payment will be made the same way as the stories - with links for reader appreciation donations to be splitbetween the magazines and the artist.Any artwork used in the anthology will be paid the same $10.00 fee.Please send samples of your work to the editor (yes, I will accept these as attachments).If I like your samples you will be offered the chance to do an illustration for an upcoming story.READING PERIODS:Sorcerous Signals is currently a quarterly magazine scheduled for publication during the following months:February / May / August & NovemberOur reading periods will beFeb 15th - Mar 15thMay 15th - June 15thAug 15th - Sept 15thNov 15th - Dec 15thMarch
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