It's the last week of October and while many of you will be celebrating Halloween or Dia de los Muertos, others are preparing for NaNoWriMo and/or the next step.
No matter where you are in your planning, writing, or publishing journey, I thought you might be in need of some inspiration and advice.
Interview With a Gatekeeper: Riverheads Rebecca Saletan
Ask the Editor: An Interview With Sarah Cantin of St. Martins Press
How about you? What is your next step?
All nine of these submission opportunities are due on 10/31 or 11/1.
1) Black Hare Press: Dark Moments
– Irish/Celtic Myths
Black Hare Press publishes horror and dark speculative fiction; they run a
themed monthly drabble challenge, titled Dark Moments, each month. For July,
the theme is Ghost Ships: “we invite you to board the haunted decks of ghost
ships lost to time and storm. Picture spectral vessels adrift in swirling ocean
mist, crewed by the damned and desperate to lure the living into their eternal
voyage. Give us your best 100-word tales—microfiction dripping with maritime
dread, haunted crews, cursed treasures, or phantom calls echoing across
midnight waves. Whether your ship is a tattered wreck or a vanished luxury
liner, let your imagination drift into the unknown. All genres welcome, as
long as your story captures the chilling spirit of the theme.” Submissions have
to be exactly 100 words. They will publish 12 stories in August, from this open
call.
Deadline: October 31 2025
Length: 100 words (see guidelines)
Pay: $0.04/word
Details here.
2) Cloaked Press: Spring into
SciFi Anthology
This is an annual anthology and they want all sub-genres of science fiction.
“Spring Into SciFi” will contain stories of Space Exploration, Advanced
Technology, AI, Cloning, Robotics and of course, Aliens. We are seeking fresh
faces as well as seasoned Science Fiction pros for this yearly anthology.”
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: 2,500-9,000 words
Pay: $15 or a contributor copy
Details here.
3) DMR Books: Walpurgis
Witcheries Anthology
Walpurgis Witcheries is a fiction anthology, a companion to their Samhain
Sorceries anthology. They have detailed guidelines, including, “Like
Samhain, Walpurgisnacht is a time when the veil between
worlds is at its thinnest. Witches gather at Mount Brocken to celebrate the
coming of the spring and to ward off evil spirits. A perfect backdrop for
sword-and-sorcery tales!
For clarification, sword-and-sorcery is a genre that combines swashbuckling
adventure with supernatural elements (usually of a horrific nature) in a
pre-industrial setting. Some of the best-known characters of the genre are
Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Cimmerian, Michael Moorcock’s Elric, and Fritz
Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. … Due to the specific theme of the
anthology, stories submitted for Walpurgis Witcheries must be
set in Central Europe, and Walpurgis must be integral to the plot.”
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: 4,000-8,000 words
Pay: $0,01/word, up to $80
Details here.
4) Inkd Publishing: Rebels
This is a speculative
fiction anthology. “Rebels – Rage against the machine, storm the
castle, the space alliance against the hegemony, hackers against the oligarchy,
or however you envision it.”
Deadline: 31 October 2025
Length: 2,000-8,000 words
Pay: Minimum $10 (see guidelines)
Details here (scroll down).
(Inkd Publishing is open for other themed calls too – Phantom Dusk,
deadline 30th November and Dance, When They Want You to
Cower, a fiction anthology with queer protagonists, deadline 15th December
– details here.)
5) Cupid’s Arrow Publishing: Dalliances Anthology – Swashes and Buckles
Cupid’s Arrow Publishing
accepts stories for themed romance anthologies. For the Swashes and Buckles
anthology, “We are looking for lusty tales that take place upon the seven
seas—and if they involve pirates, even better!” They do not want erotica. Submission
is via a form on their website.
Deadline: 31 October 2025 (extended)
Length: 2,000-6,000 words
Pay: $0.02/word
Details here
(See their other calls, which are open until filled, on this page.)
6) ALUMINUM CROWN SHORT
STORY CONTEST
https://www.chokeandstroke.com/
NO ENTRY FEE. Deadline October 31, 2025. In the year 2101, due to
environmental changes, the Melbourne CBD will be enclosed in a cube: the
Central Business Cube, the CBC. We are looking for stories based around this
speculative event in the future of Australia. We are asking you to think inside
the box. Open to Australian and international writers. Word length between
1000-5000 words. Stories cannot be published elsewhere (including
blogs/Facebook etc). 1st place: $300 (AU), 2nd place: $150 (AU), 3rd place: $50
(AU). (NOTE: $300 Australian is $200 USD)
7) The First Line Journal
They want fiction (any genre) and poetry
that begins with pre-set first lines, one for each quarterly issue (they
primarily want fiction, and also accept some poetry). For nonfiction, they want
critical articles about your favorite first line from a literary work. For
fiction and poetry, the first line for the Winter issue is:
‘When anyone in town needed help, they contacted Rocky Germain.’
Deadline: 1 November 2025 for the Winter issue
Length: 300-5,000 words for fiction; 500-800 words for nonfiction
Pay: $25-50 for fiction, $25 for nonfiction, $10 for poetry (less postage fee
for international contributors – see guidelines)
Details here.
8) Utopia Science Fiction: Alien Celebrations
They publish utopian science fiction,
poetry, nonfiction, and art. They have detailed guidelines, please read them
carefully. Their next upcoming theme is Alien Celebrations – “Bring us tales of
celebrations from the far reaches of the galaxy!” This is also their Art
special issue (see guidelines).
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Length: 100-4,000 words preferred for fiction, up to 6,000 words for
nonfiction, up to 5 poems
Pay: $0.08/word for fiction, $30 for nonfiction, $30 per poem
Details here.
(Utopia Science Fiction has other themes listed too, with later deadlines; see
guidelines.)
9) Full Bleed: Inheritance
Full Bleed is an annual print and online journal devoted to the
intersection of the visual and literary arts. They have detailed guidelines for
the Inheritance theme, including, “We are especially interested in innovative
projects combining word, image, and design; collaborations between writers and
artists; ekphrastic creations; and ambitious critical essays.
Inheritances take on many forms: wealth, land, keepsakes, genetic material,
artifacts, entire archives. We can also be said to inherit ideas and aesthetic
traditions, political conflict, inequities, trauma, ecologies, or systems of
belief. An inheritance may be a blessing or a curse. It can be life-changing
and marked by turmoil or escape notice entirely. In some cases, a rightful
inheritance can be forsaken, destroyed, or stolen, leaving future generations
deprived of access to or understanding of the past. Essentially, an inheritance
can be seen as a measure of the past’s ties to the present and future, of the
bonds between generations and disparate peoples. Likewise, acts of
dispossession can sever or disrupt such bonds.” … “We will consider critical
essays, creative nonfiction, poetry, short stories, visual art, and hybrid,
genre-bending works.”
Deadline: 1 November 2025
Length: Up to 4,000 words for prose; up to 3 poems
Pay: $25-50
Details here and here.
Orange decorations, and pumpkin everything, seem to be surrounding us. We usually stay busy all month long with many seasonal activities. We call this bandtober due to marching at the games every Friday night, and marching contests every Saturday - all day and often out of town.
We will try to squeeze in some Fall festivals and the Texas Renaissance Festival, but band comes first in our house. We also enjoy visiting the local pumpkin patches and Scarecrow Festivals when time allows.
If you prefer to stay home cuddled up with a good read instead of heading out to crowds celebrating seasonal festivals, try one of my suggestions from 10 Scary Reads to Terrify Your Inner Child.October 5 was the beginning of "BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2025". Below is a couple of lists of the most frequently challenged books.
A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others. Banned Boks Week is an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and highlights the value of free and open access to information. The theme of this year's event is "freed between the lines".
Now, IWSG hosts have changed up the format in an effort to make it more fun and interactive. Every month, they will announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG Day post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Don’t forget to visit others that day to see their answers. Want to join, or learn more? Visit our - Sign-up List.
OCTOBER QUESTION - What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?
MY ANSWER: That's difficult. While I've enjoyed a lot of the fiction pieces I've written and published, I'm probably prouder of my nonfiction. The stories I've written, both published and not, that are raw - the ones that came from emotions I was attempting to process are my favorite. They are real. Don't get me wrong. Fiction can be just as real - if not more so - at times. However, the stories I've lived and passed on to family have meant so much more because we could share them. Not all fiction is for everyone, but real stories about family last a lot longer and engage more individuals in a personal way if they've lived it or known the ones who have. You could probably ask me again tomorrow and receive a different answer, but I'm in a particularly reflective mood about family as I write this.
How about you? What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?
In that vein, I thought I would share some writing prompts - not all of them are season related, but you can make them such if you wish. I hope they inspire some wickedly wonderful Autumn tales!
1) Write a Fall or Halloween special for your favorite television show.
We enjoyed multiple visits to the Dallas area this summer since my daughter moved there for college. I use the name Dallas loosely as we spent just as much time in the surrounding towns of Frisco, Plano, Denton, Grapevine, and more. There are just so many interesting and fun places to check out.
1. The travelling TITANIC museum. While it did not have as much to offer as one of the more permanent sites around the United States and across the pond, this location still had many interesting displays. In addition to replicas from the set and ship itself, there were many recovered artifacts and screenplay memorabilia. When you first arrive at the museum, you are assigned a passport as if you are a real person who boarded the ship that fateful week. As you travel through the exhibit, you try to learn what you (your person) experienced in those days and if they survived. The whole experience was very poignant. https://thetitanicexhibition.com/dallas/
3. Grapevine Mills Escape Rooms: The Heist - I've done escape rooms before, some of them much more elaborate than others. I've interviewed and published articles on the people who are hired to write these escape room scenarios. It never ceases to amaze me how much planning and details goes into organizing one of these. We had so much fun at this one. They had many more exciting escape room options, but this is the one we chose. https://theescapegame.com/grapevine/escape-rooms/
4. Recycled Books, Records, CD's - This used bookstore is housed in the town of Denton's original opera house. There are rooms upon room, hallways upon hallways, and three floors of new and used books, records, and CD's. They also have posters, old Nintendo, Atari, and more machines and games as well as many other collectibles. You can trade your own or just enjoy perusing and buying from them. Plan to spend some time. You could easily enjoy this place for several hours. https://familydestinationsguide.com/bookstore-unique-literary-wonders-denton-tx/
5. Two Gentlemen of Verona - I love cities that appreciate and integrate the arts into their own culture. For instance, just down the street from #4 in Denton, you can enjoy gelato, sorbet, pastries, and more at this Shakespearean titled locale. https://www.facebook.com/people/Two-Gentlemen-of-Verona/100075739102736/#How about you? Have you enjoyed any great literary travels recently? How about in the Dallas area?
