12 Short Story Calls for April 1st

Subbing Stories alongside Angelique Fawns

It’s April 1st, and just like I did last month, I thought I would bring you along with me as I sub to the calls that open today. Plus a few new calls that just jumped onto my radar:

I’ve picked a stormy picture for this post because we’ve just survived an enormous ice storm, so I am sitting in a diner for the internet connection. No power at home! Here we go…

Fractured Lit

I’ve sent four stories to this market and four rejections. Here goes try number 5 with a political slipstream piece. They also have a contest going on right now, but I don’t like to pay to submit. With my habit of obsessive subbing, that could become expensive quickly. Plus, we should pay to be rejected. IMO.

Lit - Flash Fiction - always open - $75 for flash fiction -1000 words max - fractured lit publishes flash fiction with emotional resonance, with characters who come to life through their actions and responses to the world around them. We’re searching for flash that investigates the mysteries of being human; the sorrow and the joy of connecting to the diverse population.

Learn more

Radon Journal

I have so many little dark pieces that this is an interesting market. Seeing as how it’s how I cope with stress in my world. I write my fears and try and conquer the evil in 5000 words or less. So I am sending a dystopian reality show short here.

Sci-Fi, anarchism, transhumanism, dystopia - 2c a word - ongoing subs - 5000 word max - I don’t know much about this market, but I have 8 previous rejections.

Flash Fiction Online

This is one of those markets I love, but I’ve never sold to. I have been held… and I’ve received rejection letters with advice that helps me sell that particular story to the next market. Here is a call I am excited about, and I am sending in one of my dark pieces.

Flash Lit - special call - Wilderness Horror - opens April 1 - guest edited by C.R. Langille - “The woods are lovely, dark and deep…” -- Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

The forest can be a magical place. Full of beauty, wonder, fresh air, and escape from the daily grind. However, when the sun sets, the woods take on a different demeanor. That same beautiful wonder from before transforms into a place of uncertainty. A place where one might find themselves lost. A place where you might be alone… or perhaps you’re not.

Stories of the wilderness have intrigued us for thousands of years. Early humans would tell stories of danger and monsters to warn children to stay out of the woods or they’d get snatched up by a witch or some other monster. Even today, tales of things that move through the trees at night fill us with delight. From Aokigahara (a.k.a. Suicide Forest) on Mt. Fuji to the Black Forest of Germany which gave the Brothers Grimm so much inspiration, the wilderness has planted its roots in horror.

Submit here

Cast of Wonders

Here is one of those dream markets- Banned Books week should be open, but the portal wasn’t… I will be keeping an eye on their Moksha. I have a story cued up…

YA Spec - Banned Books Week - 8c a word - 6000 words max - April 1 -April 14 deadline - We’re dedicated to publishing fiction that reflects the entire spectrum of the human experience. We acknowledge the realities of unconscious bias and make our best effort to account for it during our review process. Read our full statement in support of lowering publishing’s barriers to entry for authors from historically underrepresented backgrounds below.

All submissions must be anonymous. Non-anonymous manuscripts will be rejected unread, and no permission granted to resubmit. Further detail is provided below.

Folly Journal

This was also a dead end; once I researched this market, I noticed they don’t pay except in contributor copies. Too bad. Looks fun. It’s a humor market based in New Zealand.

Brick Magazine

This is a Canadian lit magazine out of my hometown of Toronto. I’m sending them a true story with some fiction in it. I’m almost guaranteed an R. But what the heck…

Lit Non-fiction - April 1-30 - 1000- 5000 words - free subs on Submittable till they reach limit - Brick prides itself on publishing the best literary non-fiction in the world, and we are eager to read your impeccable and compelling non-fiction submissions. We crave pieces with formal integrity that take creative approaches to rich ideas.

Learn more

BRIGIDS GATE

I’m subbing to this one on day one because I am HOPING to get a quick R if this particular story doesn’t fit, and then I will write something fresh. I’ve made a few sales with this tactic. Sometimes I get a rejection with comments that helps me nail the market. I have a couple of strange Western stories that haven’t found a home yet, so I will try one of those first. I’m sending “The Daltonic Matador” this morning.

Women of the Weird West - April 1 -30th - 10c a word - 100-5000 words (2000 ideal) - We are looking for original Weird West stories. These should be generally set in what approximates the “Old West” location and timeframe (North America circa late 1800s) and should have a strong speculative element, such as horror, fantasy and/or sci-fi.

We are most interested in pulpy, unexpected, character-driven stories and are open to some weird westerns set outside the typical historical time period and setting (e.g., space westerns) as long as there are strong Old West aesthetics and inspiration.

My INSIGHTS - the editor for this anthology is KC Grifant and she’s the author of a cool spec “re-imagined Old West” called Melinda West” Monster Gunslinger. She has a WHOLE WEBSITE dedicated to this genre.

SUBMIT HERE

TROLLBREATH

I love the name of this market, and they are fairly new. A note, no sim subs. I just had a writing friend get banned from Factor Four magazine because of sim subbing (which I think all magazines should practice if they can’t guarantee a quick R. And by quick, I mean like in a couple of weeks.) However, if Clarkesworld or the Dark want to hold one of my stories, they can just go ahead and do that for as long as they like. Though I don’t LIKE no sim-subs as a rule, I try to respect it if it’s a reputable market or attempting to pay pro rates. I’m sending Trollbreath in my dark fantasy mystery, “There’s No Such Thing As A Ghost Free Lunch.” It’s been rejected a few time and it’s currently on sub anywhere. Last place I sent it was Infinite Horrors and they don’t send R’s, but it’s been more than 90 days.

SPEC Fiction - April 1 -30th - 4c a word original - 1/2 c a word for reprints - 1500-7500 words, sweet spot 4000-5000 - Trollbreath Magazine is a journal of speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, publishing electronic issues on a quarterly schedule. Our interests are as varied as the endless amount of genres, from dark fantasy to hope punk to surrealism, and everything in between. -We have a particular fondness for slipstream and fabulism in all their delightful forms, but what motivates us most are great stories by wonderful authors eager to share their visions of the past, the future, the in between, and everything that lies outside the margins. Coloring beyond the lines encouraged. My Insights -Looking at their art, I am getting a dark, magical vibe. Use a form on their site to submit.

Submit here

Residential Aliens

So, something I find tough are markets looking for higher word counts (though I know many of you love this! Most of my stories sit between 1000 and 5000. I’m going to send her my Emotives of Wasp-76B. I LOVE this story, but no one has wanted it yet. It was inspired by Stephen King’s prompt in On Writing asking authors to craft a horror story involving a stalking ex. Then I was inspired by the true life planet Wasp 76B which rains iron.

Space Opera: This press is creating four volumes of six stories each. Pay $50 - 6000-8000 words - Deadline April 30 - reprints, yes - send two stories max. There is a theme for each of the four volumes. FIRST CONTACT - ALIEN INVASION - GENERATION SHIP - COLONY WORLD - think PG language. My Insights - new press for me. Upon researching the site, it is a project by Tule Fog Press, which is run by Lyn Perry, who reviews books and “publish speculative fiction with a spiritual thread.”

Learn more

The ThreePenny Review

Here’s one of those dream markets. I have 14 rejections from them already and going for another! They also don’t take sim subs, and I just had my favorite story ever rejected after being held by Parsec Triangulation. They sent a nice personal. So, it’s time to put this story back on the corner with her thumb out. Leeza the Lizard Cook and Natural Red #4 is a space opera comedy.

LIT - Pay $400 - 4000 word max - Jan 1st- April 15th - The Threepenny Review is a highly respected quarterly review of the arts and society, featuring poems, stories, memoirs, critical essays, and other nonfiction articles.

Submit here

Oddity Prodigy Productions

Well, I have our superhero “Gia”, created by my co-writer Rachel Luttrell and me in our dark fantasy world. As I’ve tried to make this world come alive in my own mind, I’ve been crafting short stories. I’ve sent one of those in.

SUPERHERO STORIES - Anthology is called Where Legends Walk - 2000- 5000 words - deadline April 30th - payment $10, might be more if Kickstarter goes well - No sim subs - no reprints - A tribute to extraordinary feats in the day-to-day.

Learn more

SEASIDE GOTHIC

LIT/HORROR - opens April 14- April 20th - max words 1000 - 1 Euro a word - sim subs ok - anything that fits the “seaside gothic” umbrella. My Insights - None really, a couple R’s from this market.

Learn more

Did you enjoy hanging with me and subbing this morning?

If you can’t join a paid tier, perhaps buying me a coffee would be easier.

I offer my content for free, but caffeine helps. https://ko-fi.com/angeliquefawns12932