Dark Scribe Press will be soliciting short story queries for “an anthology of queer horror tales.” Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet will be edited by Vince A. Liaguno and Chad Helder. They’ll be paying 5 cents per word for stories between 1,000 and 7,500 words long, but writers must first query.
They’re looking for “edgy, provocative, dark genre fiction—horror and dark psychological suspense only. We are not interested in science fiction/fantasy, mystery, or splatter punk for this anthology. We’re looking for stories about those terrors that populate the closets of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. Terrors can be of any shape, size, and theme—supernatural, psychopaths and slashers, vampires, werewolves, zombies, urban legends, ghosts, witchcraft, demons, and original horrors of any kind. Nothing is off limits if well executed and compelling. Stories may include explicit sex and erotic elements if well-integrated into the tale itself.”
They emphasize that “all submissions must be a distinct queer theme running through the fabric of the story—stories that represent the harmful effects of repression, the manifestation of homophobia (both internal and external), childhood anxieties that run parallel to sexual orientation and the coming out process, and any other well-conceived and executed queer theme.”
They will be accepting queries between 1 October 2007 and 15 May 2008, and expect a response time of 1-2 months. The actual deadline for greenlighted stories will be 30 June 2008, for an anticipated publication date in the fourth quarter of 2008. Full details and query address are available at unspeakablehorror.com/submissions.