acoupofowls

[acoupofowls]

A little bit cozy and a little bit creepy...

Our Autumn 2024 issue is now online, featuring:

The Nursing Home by Sarah Das Gupta

有緣無分 byEuan Lim

The Elegance of a Venus Flytrap by Christine Wolfram

The Sea Inside by TT Madden

One Condition by Arvee Fantilagan

The Nature of Nurture by Jenna Brook

Grieve for Us, O Gentry—We Are Skipped by Phillip E. Dixon

Cover Image by - Beatricenius Cover Design by - A Coup of Owls Press

Read or download here!

[acoupofowls]

Novella Submissions Open!

Following on from our anthologies Other & Different (2023) and forthcoming Other Worlds (2024), we will be concluding our Othered series with two novellas, slated for 2025.

Submissions open to people from underrepresented and/or marginalised communities or backgrounds. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodiverse and people with disabilities.

Submissions open 1 – 30th April 2024

Theme: We’re looking for stories that explore what it is to be other and/or different, whether as an individual, group, community or society. 

We leave it up to the authors how they wish to explore this. We welcome stories that explore the effects of being othered, the positive and negative repercussions, whether acceptance is finally found or if it is even required or wanted.

Word Count: 17,000 minimum, 25,000 word maximum – hard limits This word count falls on the shorter end of novellas (as defined by SFWA/Nebula Awards), and some definitions may class this as a novelette.

Genre: Although the majority of our submissions are often speculative we do and have published romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and more. We strongly encourage submissions of all genres.

For inspiration, here are some examples of Othered stories we’ve enjoyed:

Out of Darkness Shining Light by Petina Gappah

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

The shadow king by Maaza Mengiste

Andrion by Alex Penland

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

The Child of Hameln by Max Turner

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Rating: All ratings welcome.

NO Reprints, NO Simultaneous Submissions, NO multiple submissions

Compensation:  £200 per accepted novella Royalties 6 author copies

For full details and to submit check out our website!

[acoupofowls]

FIVE DAYS LEFT TO SUBMIT!!

Novella Submissions Open!

Following on from our anthologies Other & Different (2023) and forthcoming Other Worlds (2024), we will be concluding our Othered series with two novellas, slated for 2025.

Submissions open to people from underrepresented and/or marginalised communities or backgrounds. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodiverse and people with disabilities.

Submissions open 1 – 30th April 2024

Theme: We’re looking for stories that explore what it is to be other and/or different, whether as an individual, group, community or society. 

We leave it up to the authors how they wish to explore this. We welcome stories that explore the effects of being othered, the positive and negative repercussions, whether acceptance is finally found or if it is even required or wanted.

Word Count: 17,000 minimum, 25,000 word maximum – hard limits This word count falls on the shorter end of novellas (as defined by SFWA/Nebula Awards), and some definitions may class this as a novelette.

Genre: Although the majority of our submissions are often speculative we do and have published romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and more. We strongly encourage submissions of all genres.

For inspiration, here are some examples of Othered stories we’ve enjoyed:

Out of Darkness Shining Light by Petina Gappah

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

The shadow king by Maaza Mengiste

Andrion by Alex Penland

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

The Child of Hameln by Max Turner

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Rating: All ratings welcome.

NO Reprints, NO Simultaneous Submissions, NO multiple submissions

Compensation:  £200 per accepted novella Royalties 6 author copies

For full details and to submit check out our website!

[acoupofowls]

Submissions extended to 15th May 2024

Novella Submissions Open!

Following on from our anthologies Other & Different (2023) and forthcoming Other Worlds (2024), we will be concluding our Othered series with two novellas, slated for 2025.

Submissions open to people from underrepresented and/or marginalised communities or backgrounds. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodiverse and people with disabilities.

Submissions open 1 – 30th April 2024

Theme: We’re looking for stories that explore what it is to be other and/or different, whether as an individual, group, community or society. 

We leave it up to the authors how they wish to explore this. We welcome stories that explore the effects of being othered, the positive and negative repercussions, whether acceptance is finally found or if it is even required or wanted.

Word Count: 17,000 minimum, 25,000 word maximum – hard limits This word count falls on the shorter end of novellas (as defined by SFWA/Nebula Awards), and some definitions may class this as a novelette.

Genre: Although the majority of our submissions are often speculative we do and have published romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and more. We strongly encourage submissions of all genres.

For inspiration, here are some examples of Othered stories we’ve enjoyed:

Out of Darkness Shining Light by Petina Gappah

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

The shadow king by Maaza Mengiste

Andrion by Alex Penland

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

The Child of Hameln by Max Turner

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Rating: All ratings welcome.

NO Reprints, NO Simultaneous Submissions, NO multiple submissions

Compensation:  £200 per accepted novella Royalties 6 author copies

For full details and to submit check out our website!

[acoupofowls]

sure part of the queer experience is being othered but an even bigger and more powerful part is belonging to the othereds

[acoupofowls]

Novella Submissions Open!

Following on from our anthologies Other & Different (2023) and forthcoming Other Worlds (2024), we will be concluding our Othered series with two novellas, slated for 2025.

Submissions open to people from underrepresented and/or marginalised communities or backgrounds. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodiverse and people with disabilities.

Submissions open 1 – 30th April 2024

Theme: We’re looking for stories that explore what it is to be other and/or different, whether as an individual, group, community or society. 

We leave it up to the authors how they wish to explore this. We welcome stories that explore the effects of being othered, the positive and negative repercussions, whether acceptance is finally found or if it is even required or wanted.

Word Count: 17,000 minimum, 25,000 word maximum – hard limits This word count falls on the shorter end of novellas (as defined by SFWA/Nebula Awards), and some definitions may class this as a novelette.

Genre: Although the majority of our submissions are often speculative we do and have published romance, historical fiction, contemporary fiction, and more. We strongly encourage submissions of all genres.

For inspiration, here are some examples of Othered stories we’ve enjoyed:

Out of Darkness Shining Light by Petina Gappah

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

The shadow king by Maaza Mengiste

Andrion by Alex Penland

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break by Steven Sherrill

The Child of Hameln by Max Turner

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Rating: All ratings welcome.

NO Reprints, NO Simultaneous Submissions, NO multiple submissions

Compensation:  £200 per accepted novella Royalties 6 author copies

For full details and to submit check out our website!

[acoupofowls]

[acoupofowls]

Future Plans...

Novella Submissions opening SOON!

Whilst our editor, Sarah, has been deep in editing Other Worlds, the team has also been working on our 2025 plans and we're excited to share them with you!

Following on from our anthologies Other & Different (2023) and forthcoming Other Worlds (2024), we will be concluding our Othered series with two novellas, slated for 2025.

Submissions are open from 1st to 30th April 2024, when we'll be looking for 17,000 - 25,000 word stories that explore what it is to be other and/or different, whether as an individual, group, community or society.

You can find further information about Othered and the novella submission guidelines on our website.

Stay tuned for more information and the launch of our Kickstarter in Autumn 2024.

[acoupofowls]

We're absolutely delighted to announce that we finalised our profits for the first six months of Other & Different sales and donated them equally between our chosen causes Rainbow Migration and Rainbow Railroad.

Read more about it on our blog:

[acoupofowls]

Submission Window: March 1st – 7th, 2024 Payment: Drabbles and Flash – £5, Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words – £10, Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words – £15 Theme: Stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Note: Only publishes creators from under represented and/or marginalized communities. WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES We don’t ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn’t take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting. We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something. Warmth, love, melancholy, rage. We want it all. All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene? We love it all. PLEASE NOTE: We will close submissions early if our cut off point is reached Quarterly Online Anthology Submission Schedule: March 1st – 7th (Summer Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions June 1st – 7th (Autumn Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions September 1st – 7th (Winter Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions December 1st – 7th (Spring Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions ​we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. We are unlikely to publish stories with seasonal events out of season – for example a story set in the Winter isn’t likely to make it into our Summer issue even if we adore it. ​Click Here For Print Anthology Information SUBMISSION GUIDELINES – ONLINE ONLY These are the guidelines for our Quarterly Online Anthology. For more information on print anthologies go to Print Anthologies How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this page. If you have any problems using the form please email us for assistance. Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF: you are aged 18 or over you belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Whilst we also love stories about diverse characters, it is not necessary that your story feature them. ​What to submit: Drabble (exactly 100 words) Flash Fiction (101 to 1000 words) Short Stories (1000 to 8000 words) Minimum 100 words and maximum 8000 words are hard limits, please do not submit anything under or over these limits. ​Pay: A Coup of Owls pays flat rates to writers for selected works as follows Drabbles and Flash – £5 Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words – £10 Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words – £15 ​Content Restrictions:  The work must be original. If retelling an existing story please ensure this is wholly your own work and that the source material is out of copyright (for example, fairy tales or The Great Gatsby) We welcome scrubbed fanfiction, however it must work as an original piece and not infringe on copyright (see our FAQs) Complete works only, no excerpts or serials We only accept stories aimed at an adult readership. By this we mean that we do not accept children’s stories or YA, not that the work must be explicit We do not accept and will not publish non-fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction submissions We do not accept and will not publish submissions of AI created content Accepted authors will be asked to sign a legal contract asserting that their work meets the above criteria. ​Format: Please submit your work in a classic manuscript format, such as the Shunn format. Upload your file as either a doc or docx, with the file name [story title] by [author name]. Before submitting please check out our Style Guide.

Exclusivity: Payments will be made subject to a signed contract which states that A Coup of Owls Press is purchasing the rights to publish your work on its website and to archive that work in its Issues archive. We ask for six months exclusivity on your work and do not accept reprints. Simultaneous submissions: No simultaneous submissions. Please do not submit to us something that is currently under consideration elsewhere. Please do not submit the same piece you have sent us anywhere else while we are considering it. ​Multiple submissions: Yes. Please submit no more than three works during the submission period. This can be, for example three short stories, or one flash, and two short stories etc. Please submit a separate form for each piece. Reprints and Resubmissions: No, we do not accept reprints. Please do not resubmit a story we have previously rejected unless specifically invited to do so. ​Rating: We accept all ratings, including and up to R/18+. However, we do not publish plotless erotica. Strong sexual content is acceptable as long as it fits within the story and is not gratuitous. We do accept strong violence and dark themes, depending on the context within the story. These will be considered on a case by case basis. Please feel free to query us before submitting. Restrictions on bigotry and hate speech: We do not accept bigotry in any form. Please do not send us stories that are, or glorify, discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or disability. We may consider stories that feature these things but do not glorify them. For example, we may accept a story that features a character experiencing racism or homophobia, depending on the context within the story and its resolution. This will be considered on a case by case basis, please feel free to query us before submitting. ​Response Time: We aim to reply to all submissions within a month of the submission close date. If you have not heard from us after six weeks from the closing date, please feel free to get in touch. Where possible we will provide some feedback. Click the link below in VIA *DURING THE OPEN SUBMISSION WINDOW* Via: A Coup of Owls.

[acoupofowls]

We are so thrilled with the cover art from amazing artist @pangaeastarseed

They've done such a fantastic job of capturing this mundane street that is also other worldly. 

Check out our cover design over on our blog!

[acoupofowls]

We're thrilled to share the final line-up for Other Worlds!

With pre-orders from April, Other Worlds will feature horror western, folklore, fantasy, speculative, horror, contemporary fiction, and sci-fi exploring Other Worlds.

Follow our blog for updates!

[acoupofowls]

Undercurrents of fear... Our Winter 2023 issue is now online, featuring:

A Conspiracy of Trees by Em Harriett

To Err and Fall, To Lose It All by Justyna Kulisa

Ethical Considerations of Starburst Weaving after the Bower Incident (a Retrospective) by Cormack Baldwin

Tuning by Zary Fekete

A Queen Fetched From the Night by Vijayalaxmi Samal

Sancta Modwen by Christine Wolfram

Cover Image by Ojo Victoria Ilemobayo Cover Design – A Coup of Owls Press

Read or download here!

[acoupofowls]

Did you know that our general submissions will be open 1st to 7th December for our Spring issue?

Then best we also let you know that our website and emails will be down for maintenance in early December!

As such you can find the submission guidelines under the cut, as well as a link to our submissions form!

WE ONLY PUBLISH CREATORS FROM UNDER REPRESENTED AND/OR MARGINALISED BACKGROUNDS AND/OR COMMUNITIES

We don't ask for any proof, we take this on trust with the expectation that anyone not from a marginalised background or underrepresented community wouldn't take up the space of someone who is. We ask you to consider this before submitting.

QUARTERLY ONLINE ANTHOLOGY: BRIEF

We’re looking for stories you’ve poured your soul into but haven’t been able to find the right home for. We’re looking for stories that make us feel something.

Warmth, love, melancholy, rage.

We want it all. 

All genres, styles and themes will be considered and we especially love stories that are outside the box in their telling. Ambiguous endings? Non-linear storytelling? Antagonist’s point-of-view? A story told in just one scene?

We love it all.

​SUBMISSIONS: December 1st - 7th (Spring Issue) or until we reach 70 submissions

we do not have set issue themes but feel free to be inspired by the season, seasonal occasions and events. We are unlikely to publish stories with seasonal events out of season - for example a story set in the Winter isn't likely to make it into our Summer issue even if we adore it.

FULL GUIDELINES AND SUBMISSION FORM UNDER CUT...

How to submit: Please submit via the form at the bottom of this post. If you have any problems using the form, please email us for assistance at our temporary email acoupofowls@gmail.com

Who should submit: Please ONLY SUBMIT IF:

you are aged 18 or over

you belong to an underrepresented or marginalised community. These include, but are not limited to: LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and disabled people. Whilst we also love stories about diverse characters, it is not necessary that your story feature them.

​What to submit:

Drabble (exactly 100 words)

Flash Fiction (101 to 1000 words)

Short Stories (1000 to 8000 words)

Minimum 100 words and maximum 8000 words are hard limits, please do not submit anything under or over these limits.

​Pay: A Coup of Owls pays flat rates to writers for selected works as follows

Drabbles and Flash - £5

Short Stories 1001 to 4000 words - £10

Short Stories 4001 to 8000 words - £15

​Content Restrictions: 

The work must be original. If retelling an existing story please ensure this is wholly your own work and that the source material is out of copyright (for example, fairy tales or The Great Gatsby)

We welcome scrubbed fanfiction, however it must work as an original piece and not infringe on copyright (see our FAQs)

Complete works only, no excerpts or serials

We only accept stories aimed at an adult readership. By this we mean that we do not accept children's stories or YA, not that the work must be explicit

We do not accept and will not publish non-fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction submissions

We do not accept and will not publish submissions of AI created content

Accepted authors will be asked to sign a legal contract asserting that their work meets the above criteria.

​Format: Please submit your work in a classic manuscript format, such as the Shunn format. Upload your file as either a doc or docx, with the file name [story title] by [author name]. Before submitting please check out our Style Guide. 

Exclusivity: Payments will be made subject to a signed contract which states that A Coup of Owls Press is purchasing the rights to publish your work on its website and to archive that work in its Issues archive. We ask for six months exclusivity on your work and do not accept reprints.

Simultaneous submissions: No simultaneous submissions. Please do not submit to us something that is currently under consideration elsewhere. Please do not submit the same piece you have sent us anywhere else while we are considering it.

​Multiple submissions: Yes. Please submit no more than three works during the submission period. This can be, for example three short stories, or one flash, and two short stories etc. Please submit a separate form for each piece.

Reprints and Resubmissions: No, we do not accept reprints. Please do not resubmit a story we have previously rejected unless specifically invited to do so. 

​Rating: We accept all ratings, including and up to R/18+. However, we do not publish plotless erotica. Strong sexual content is acceptable as long as it fits within the story and is not gratuitous. 

We do accept strong violence and dark themes, depending on the context within the story. These will be considered on a case by case basis. Please feel free to query us before submitting.

Restrictions on bigotry and hate speech:

We do not accept bigotry in any form. Please do not send us stories that are, or glorify, discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age or disability. 

We may consider stories that feature these things but do not glorify them. For example, we may accept a story that features a character experiencing racism or homophobia, depending on the context within the story and its resolution. This will be considered on a case by case basis, please feel free to query us before submitting.

​Response Time: We aim to reply to all submissions within a month of the submission close date. If you have not heard from us after six weeks from the closing date, please feel free to get in touch. Where possible we will provide some feedback. 

SUBMIT HERE: 

SUBMISSION FORM​​

Our submission form is only available when our submissions are open. Please do not email submissions.

[acoupofowls]

*Opens trench coat* Hey, want a postcard?

Whilst we're confident we'll reach our KS target, the stretch goals look sadly less likely. But we want all our backers to have something special! So we're thrilled to announce all backers will receive a postcard feat. the cover art!

Haven't backed yet and waiting for that incentive? This is it! Every pledge will receive either a print postcard (physical backers) or digital postcard (e-backers) with the finished design by the amazing @pangaeastarseed

Pledge tiers start from only £4!

BACK NOW!

Other Worlds: An Anthology of Diverse Short Fiction

Short stories by writers from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds exploring the theme of "Other Worlds"

KICKSTARTER NOW LIVE and SUBMISSIONS OPEN!

Other Worlds is the second print anthology brought to you by A Coup of Owls Press - home of online quarterly anthologies from creators from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds.

As a follow-up to Other & Different, which explored what it is to be othered, Other Worlds will be an exploration of places, situations, communities, etc, that are other. These might be actual other worlds in a science or speculative fiction genre, or a community, or a situation in the historical or modern world that feels or is made to feel alien. Encompassing a variety of styles and genres, Other Worlds will feature stories focused on the theme of being part of those othered communities - however the writers wish to interpret that.

THE STORIES

We are thrilled to confirm that we have invited five fantastic authors to contribute to Other Worlds, and our submissions for the remaining stories are open from 1st October to 15th November 2023. 

For more submissions guidelines and to submit, check out our submissions page.

Eve Morton:  Strange people with strange purposes gather in Haven (Science Fiction).

Eve Morton is a poet, professor, and parent living in Waterloo, Ontario. She likes coffee, short stories, and horror movies--in that order.  Weblinks: website

Previous publications include: A Coup of Owls, Other Stories Podcast and Third Flatiron Publishing

Victor Okechukwu: A post-civil war community feels cut off from the rest of Nigeria when a woman's only son enters a train to Jos but  may not return (Modern Nigerian Lit). 

Victor Okechukwu is a writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. His writing takes a deep setting in arresting issues of mental health that have been overlooked in his country. He's an Associate Prose Editor at Zerotic Press and is reading mass communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Weblinks: Twitter

Previous publications include: Gordon Square Review, Mycelia, Door-is-a-jar, and Rigorous Magazine

Von Reyes: Violence and intimacy become blurred and life might just be worth fighting for amongst a community of underground fighters (Speculative Fiction).

Von Reyes is an emergent fiction author, focused on uplifting the intersections of queer and trans masculinity and Asian diasporic identity. He focuses on genre fiction with themes of surrealism, queer sexuality, existentialism, and optimistic nihilism. He is passionate about creating a more socially conscious world where care for each other is at the core of all that we do. He hopes to tell stories that don't shy away from the horrors, but allows us to find the light within them. When he isn't writing, he can usually be found chasing the ocean and his next iced coffee.  Weblinks: website

Previous publications include: The Good Men Project. Forthcoming in Chill Mag.

Zachary Rosenberg:  A Jewish soldier and rancher must contend with mysterious monsters to build the home he longs for (Horror Western).

Zachary Rosenberg is a horror writer living in Florida. He crafts horrifying tales by night and by day he practices law, which is even more frightening. His debut novella Hungers as Old As This Land is out now from Brigids Gate Press and his second, The Long Shalom, is available from by Off Limits Press. Weblinks: Twitter

Previous publications include: Dark Matter Magazine, The Deadlands, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Samir Sirk Morató: When an Appalachian community clashes with their neighbors—a grove of sentient, dying chestnut trees—tragedy strikes (Horror).

Samir Sirk Morató is a scientist, artist, and flesh heap. They are also a 2022 Brave New Weird shortlister and a F(r)iction Fall 2022 Flash Fiction finalist. Samir spends most of their time tending to their cacti and contemplating the nature of meat. Weblinks: Twitter, Instagram, and website

Previous publications include: Neon Hemlock, bodyfluids, Catapult, and Seize the Press.

COVER ART

We can't wait to share with you the amazing cover art currently being created by amazing artist @pangaeastarseed.

Pangaea is a life-long artist and resident of the DC suburbs. A freelance illustrator with 20+ years experience, Pan’s work focuses on figure work and visual narratives utilizing the exploration of queerness, food as a love-language, and colors influenced by their florid synaesthesia.

Pangaea’s previous work includes custom illustration commissions and tattoo designs for clients; Starseed, an original gay-porn-space-opera comic, The Alien Dick Coloring Book, sketchbook zines Cardassia Prime and Cardassia Kotok, and the Washington DC-variant poster design of The Lambda Literary Awards 2022.

Portfolio: https://www.pangaeaillustrations.com/

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We want to ensure that we produce the high quality product that we know we can! Whilst design, layout and formatting happens in-house, Kickstarter funds will help cover pay for our authors, cover artist and editor. 

REWARDS

Add Ons!

We have a variety of extras available in the add-ons, from extra copies to special collected editions.  Whilst we've tried to create reward tiers to suit everyone, the add-ons will better allow you to mix and match to your preference! 

Our own @maxturnerwrites is once more offering some of his own work at discounted prices for supporters.

STRETCH GOALS!

£1000 : at £1000 we will add an Other Worlds bookmark for each physical backer

£1250 : at £1250 we will add an A5 print of cover art (without title) to each physical backer, and an e-copy of the same to each e-backer

£1500 : at £1500 we will add an Other Worlds tote bag for each physical backer

[acoupofowls]

WRITERS AND READERS...

TWO WEEKS LEFT TO BACK AND TWO WEEKS LEFT TO SUBMIT!!!

Other Worlds: An Anthology of Diverse Short Fiction

Short stories by writers from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds exploring the theme of "Other Worlds"

KICKSTARTER NOW LIVE and SUBMISSIONS OPEN!

Other Worlds is the second print anthology brought to you by A Coup of Owls Press - home of online quarterly anthologies from creators from marginalised and/or underrepresented communities or backgrounds.

As a follow-up to Other & Different, which explored what it is to be othered, Other Worlds will be an exploration of places, situations, communities, etc, that are other. These might be actual other worlds in a science or speculative fiction genre, or a community, or a situation in the historical or modern world that feels or is made to feel alien. Encompassing a variety of styles and genres, Other Worlds will feature stories focused on the theme of being part of those othered communities - however the writers wish to interpret that.

THE STORIES

We are thrilled to confirm that we have invited five fantastic authors to contribute to Other Worlds, and our submissions for the remaining stories are open from 1st October to 15th November 2023. 

For more submissions guidelines and to submit, check out our submissions page.

Eve Morton:  Strange people with strange purposes gather in Haven (Science Fiction).

Eve Morton is a poet, professor, and parent living in Waterloo, Ontario. She likes coffee, short stories, and horror movies--in that order.  Weblinks: website

Previous publications include: A Coup of Owls, Other Stories Podcast and Third Flatiron Publishing

Victor Okechukwu: A post-civil war community feels cut off from the rest of Nigeria when a woman's only son enters a train to Jos but  may not return (Modern Nigerian Lit). 

Victor Okechukwu is a writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. His writing takes a deep setting in arresting issues of mental health that have been overlooked in his country. He's an Associate Prose Editor at Zerotic Press and is reading mass communication at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Weblinks: Twitter

Previous publications include: Gordon Square Review, Mycelia, Door-is-a-jar, and Rigorous Magazine

Von Reyes: Violence and intimacy become blurred and life might just be worth fighting for amongst a community of underground fighters (Speculative Fiction).

Von Reyes is an emergent fiction author, focused on uplifting the intersections of queer and trans masculinity and Asian diasporic identity. He focuses on genre fiction with themes of surrealism, queer sexuality, existentialism, and optimistic nihilism. He is passionate about creating a more socially conscious world where care for each other is at the core of all that we do. He hopes to tell stories that don't shy away from the horrors, but allows us to find the light within them. When he isn't writing, he can usually be found chasing the ocean and his next iced coffee.  Weblinks: website

Previous publications include: The Good Men Project. Forthcoming in Chill Mag.

Zachary Rosenberg:  A Jewish soldier and rancher must contend with mysterious monsters to build the home he longs for (Horror Western).

Zachary Rosenberg is a horror writer living in Florida. He crafts horrifying tales by night and by day he practices law, which is even more frightening. His debut novella Hungers as Old As This Land is out now from Brigids Gate Press and his second, The Long Shalom, is available from by Off Limits Press. Weblinks: Twitter

Previous publications include: Dark Matter Magazine, The Deadlands, and the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Samir Sirk Morató: When an Appalachian community clashes with their neighbors—a grove of sentient, dying chestnut trees—tragedy strikes (Horror).

Samir Sirk Morató is a scientist, artist, and flesh heap. They are also a 2022 Brave New Weird shortlister and a F(r)iction Fall 2022 Flash Fiction finalist. Samir spends most of their time tending to their cacti and contemplating the nature of meat. Weblinks: Twitter, Instagram, and website

Previous publications include: Neon Hemlock, bodyfluids, Catapult, and Seize the Press.

COVER ART

We can't wait to share with you the amazing cover art currently being created by amazing artist @pangaeastarseed.

Pangaea is a life-long artist and resident of the DC suburbs. A freelance illustrator with 20+ years experience, Pan’s work focuses on figure work and visual narratives utilizing the exploration of queerness, food as a love-language, and colors influenced by their florid synaesthesia.

Pangaea’s previous work includes custom illustration commissions and tattoo designs for clients; Starseed, an original gay-porn-space-opera comic, The Alien Dick Coloring Book, sketchbook zines Cardassia Prime and Cardassia Kotok, and the Washington DC-variant poster design of The Lambda Literary Awards 2022.

Portfolio: https://www.pangaeaillustrations.com/

WHY KICKSTARTER?

We want to ensure that we produce the high quality product that we know we can! Whilst design, layout and formatting happens in-house, Kickstarter funds will help cover pay for our authors, cover artist and editor. 

REWARDS

Add Ons!

We have a variety of extras available in the add-ons, from extra copies to special collected editions.  Whilst we've tried to create reward tiers to suit everyone, the add-ons will better allow you to mix and match to your preference! 

Our own @maxturnerwrites is once more offering some of his own work at discounted prices for supporters.

STRETCH GOALS!

£1000 : at £1000 we will add an Other Worlds bookmark for each physical backer

£1250 : at £1250 we will add an A5 print of cover art (without title) to each physical backer, and an e-copy of the same to each e-backer

£1500 : at £1500 we will add an Other Worlds tote bag for each physical backer

[acoupofowls]

As the first snow of winter settles over Elk Pass, a long buried evil comes to the fore...

Join Max Turner and Lindz McLeod in the gritty and bittercold world of The Child of Hameln and Elk Pass, an isolated town haunted by its past and its supernatural residents.

This novella is a dark reimagining of a classic fairytale, infused with the horrors of modern day life.

The event will feature a few short readings by the author, a high-spirited interview/conversation between Max and Lindz about the themes in the novella, dark fairytales, retellings, the detective genre, the influence of queerness, and much more, including Max's inspirations for his work. At the end of the launch, there will be room for a Q&A session, since this event will be held online, you are welcome to ask your questions in advance/as we go!

FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE

PREORDER THE BOOK HERE

About the book This supernatural mystery and light horror is a fable set in 1980’s small town USA, and is a retelling of the German folktale The Pied Piper of Hameln.

Elk Pass is a town cloaked in darkness and plagued by an unknown evil, where twenty years earlier all but one of the town’s children were stolen.

That remaining child, now the deputy sheriff, is left to unravel corruption and cover up when his mentor, the town sheriff, dies unexpectedly. The mystery unfolds as a snow storm blows in, threatening to isolate the town, leaving Deputy Bobby Taylor to deal with a plague of rats and the monsters, both human and fae, that follow.

The cold is ever present in Max Turner's The Child of Hameln; it seeps into your bones as you wind your way through a fairytale you think you know. Turner has taken a familiar story and refashioned it for a modern horror audience, exploring the fear that comes with abandonment, isolation and the lingering history of a small town tragedy. Turner doesn't shy away from blood and gore, nor from the dark allure of what's waiting in the woods. Wrap up against the winter weather and hunker down with this chilling novella. – K Blair, author of Jesus Loves You God Hasn’t Decided Yet

Rarely have I enjoyed a retelling so much; Child of Hameln subverts expectations and takes a totally new angle to a familiar murine tale. Turner's ability to draw the reader fully into the bitter cold of the small town of Elk Pass—made even colder and more bitter by its dark, mysterious history—will have you retreating under the thickest blanket you can find. Fans of Twin Peaks will delight in this atmospheric, vengeful story. – Lindz McLeod, host and author of BEAST and TURDUCKEN