The Grumpy Gods are back for another round, and this time, we’re celebrating all those spooky myths! That’s right! Ancient cultures might not have celebrated Halloween exactly, but every mythology has stories that can be mined for great scary tales.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We want stories of cantankerous gods, aging heroes, and creepy critters that are about to get a whole barrel of well-earned karma.
Ghosts that get the last laugh, curses gone awry. Just make sure there is an aging, waning, defunct, or otherwise AWOL god or goddess in the mix.
Is that a tall order?
Sure.
You might even say it is a Herculean task. But we know you guys are up to it!
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Submissions are due June 29th, 2019 with an eye to releasing the anthology mid-to-late September.
Required: Must Have (Grumpy Old Gods 3 Submission) in the Subject Line of your Email to be read.
**NOTE**If you just put Grumpy Old Gods (without the 3) we will assume it is a submission sent for the first two anthologies in this series. (Grumpy 1 and 2 submissions are both closed. )
This helps us sort through our emails and spot G3 among all the emails sent and other communication about other Grumpy anthologies. So PLEASE be specific to get noticed by labeling correctly. (Amendment added April 25th, 2019–applies to all emails after this date.)
Genre: Speculative Fiction.
What is Speculative Fiction? Well, Wikipedia says… “It encompasses the genres of science fiction, fantasy, science fantasy, horror, alternative history, and magic realism.”
Words: 3000-4000
Rating: PG13-PG17
Theme: Spooky Myth, Legend, Haunting involving Grumpy Gods (See what we are looking for above.) This is the Halloween Edition.
Deadline for Submissions: June 29th, 2019 for Grumpy Old Gods Volume 3 Spooky Myths Halloween Edition. Authors will be notified one way or the other by the end of August or first week of September at the lastest, or sooner, depending on our volume of submissions.
Submission Format: Word Doc or PDF (No Google Docs please, but we’re willing to work with you if you need to submit in a different format, just contact us!)
Publication: Mid-to-late September 2019
What rights are we asking for? We’re asking for the right to print the stories in the anthology, but the writers will retain everything else.
Payment: All authors who participate in the collection will receive an equal portion of the profit, paid quarterly via paypal. None of the startup costs for the book (book cover, formatting, etc…) will be deducted from the proceeds.
Submit to: grumpyanthology@gmail.com
Editors: Vanessa Wells and Juneta Key.
Who we are:
Vanessa Wells: Self-professed short story junkie and editor of four previous anthologies Spirit and Trick or Treat and Grumpy Old Gods Volume 1 and Volume 2.
DETAILS:
- Must be your original work. You own all copyrights.
- You can create your own god. Made up welcomed. Must be your original work.
- Spooky Myth or theme required. Made up welcomed.
- A character must interact with a grumpy god(s) in some fashion. An immortal character will probably work best, but if you can make it work in the scenario where grumpy god is involved we will consider it. It must fit the theme and tone of the anthology. Read what we are looking for above, if still unsure, email us.)
- Any pantheon is okay as long as it is not in violation of any copyrights laws. e.g. copyright has expired considered part of public domain. We would especially be happy to see some stories for the Egyptian pantheon.
- We prefer first-run rights, but we will consider reprints if the story is really good and fits the anthology theme.
- No dual submissions. If you have submitted your piece to someone else do not submit to us.
- If you have an idea you think fits the theme but is not outlined or a question about it email us at grumpyanthology@gmail.com
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