Hey all,

I posted a thread a month ago about my upcoming anthology over at the Leisure boards but I figured it'd be a good idea to post it here as well. I'm putting together a gothic horror anthology of independent and new writers which will be released for Halloween. Here are the guidelines: http://www.alandraven.com/anthology.htm

So far, here are the authors who are going to be in it:

Frank E. Bittinger, author of Angels of the Seventh Dawn
David Boyle, author of Blood Works
Alan Draven, author of Bitternest
Eric Enck, author of Ghost of a Chance
Charles Glover, author of After the Paperman Comes (under the name Heywood Steele)
T.G. Reaper, author of Empty Graves
Jeani Rector, author of Open Grave

That's it for the first round. I am still expecting stories from 5 or 6 previously published authors. I will probably have room for 7 or 8 more stories (around 15 total) so keep those submissions coming. I'd like to see more werewolf tales, or Jack-the-Ripper-in-foggy-London type stories.

Thanks!
Alan

_________________
For the latest information on my horror novel, Bitternest, visit www.alandraven.com and MySpace at www.myspace.com/alandraven

Good luck Alan! Sounds like you are off to a wonderful start!

In case he doesn't visit here for a while Undead, I'll tell you that yes, he specially asked members here to submit. You'll have to do some digging to find the annoucement, it may have been at the other site, I can't remember.

Tt

Here are the guidelines from his website. He is targetting authors on the rise:

SINISTER LANDSCAPES
-Gothic Tales Anthology-

I'm looking for a dozen short stories from horror writers on the rise (unpublished/self-published/independently published) for a Gothic horror anthology which I will be editing and publishing.

Like most anthologies, we will be relying on the authors' names to sell the book. I will have two or three spots open for previously unpublished authors (and before you ask, yes, self-published counts as being published here).

The essence of the anthology:

The fog-enshrouded castle, the crumbling family manor, the haunted churchyard, the eerie cemetery, old secrets unveiled, curses and spells cast, rituals and offerings, chains clanking, full moon, ghosts and goblins, witches and warlocks, creatures lurking in the shadows, blood, dread and death. Gloomy themes and threatening atmosphere--each of these are trademarks of a well-made Gothic tale. It's time to reinvent the lost mindset of the Gothic era and put a new spin on it. Victorian or contemporary, European or American setting--your choice. Let's update these themes for the 21st century.

For inspiration, read the tales of Poe, M.R. James, and J.S. Le Fanu. Where novels are concerned; Stoker's Dracula, Shelley's Frankenstein, Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde, Lewis's The Monk, Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Jackson's Haunting of Hill House, Walpole's The Castle of Otranto, etc.

Another source of inspiration to capture the mood of the Gothic era is to watch the old Hammer Horror Films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Also, Vincent Price films, Universal monster movies, etc.

Submission guidelines:

2,000-5,000 words

First North American Serial Rights for a year.

No 1st or 2nd person point of view.

No zombie or vampire stories. No explicit sex.

No simultaneous or multiple submissions.

No previously published material.

Double-spaced with word count, byline and e-mail address on first page.

Send .RTF files only along with a short bio to info@alandraven.com (NO Word docs or text pasted in body of e-mail; those will be automatically deleted). Be sure to add my e-mail address to your safe list if you want me to get in touch with you.

I will only get back to writers whose material is selected.

Deadline: June 30, 2008

What's in it for the writers:

If this anthology is successful, there will be others and hopefully next time I'll be able to pay a small compensation. For the moment, contributors will get a free copy of the anthology in PDF form.

Contributors will get a discount off the list price if they wish to purchase copies for resale.

Contributing authors will each have their bio in the the book with their website addresses and personal pages (MySpace, FaceBook, etc) listed. It's good publicity for everyone. In return, authors are expected to promote the book online through websites, blogs, MySpace, and message boards. Help spread the word about our anthology!

The book will be made available through Ingram and Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and many more online retailers.

The goal is to put together a 200-225 page book with a list price around $12.95 or $13.95. Ultimately, it's to publish an affordable anthology of the highest quality

Thanks guys. I think I have a cool story that may fit. Of course, it's in the first person so I'll need to tweak

One question. What is a .rtf file? This may sound truly dense but I have never used one

Rich Text Format. If you use MICROSOFT WORD, save your document by going to "File" then "Save As". Under "Save as Type" (at the very bottom of the screen popup), scroll down the tab until you see RTF and click save. There, you have your story saved in the right format.

Thanks. So what is the difference between a file saved in rtf or as a doc? Like I may have said in the past, I'm a numbers guy at work and primarily use Excel, Powerpoint and varoius accounting and financial software packages. All my writing is saved as word docs.....

_________________
For the latest information on my horror novel, Bitternest, visit www.alandraven.com and MySpace at www.myspace.com/alandraven

Thanks Alan. I have a pretty strange and creepy gothic story that I hope you enjoy. I just have to rewrite it as it is in the first person and your guidelines stipulated no first person stories

I will try to get it to you this week as I am travelling to Montreal on the weekend.