A Premier Publisher of Genre Fiction
The place for a thrilling escape into new worlds, chilling fears, and urgent mysteries.
Currently accepting submissions for:
Sci-fi + Fantasy
Thriller + Mystery
Humor
Latest Stories
Publishing stories every week from new and established writers
The Kleiner-Hussain Spaceport Hotel
Anna KahnIf it were anything other than a major hotel, the Kleiner-Hussain Spaceport Hotel would not have existed long enough to be this haunted, and yet. The problem with space travel has always been that ghosts dislocated from their origins are worse than ghosts left where they belong, and the problem with spaceport hotels has always […]
It Was Broke When I Got Here
Stephen FramePrelude In which, a monster is introduced, as is a witch, and certain issues are brought to light. ### I am called monster. A name given to me by others. Although, all things considered, it is rather apt. Yes, it is true, I have taken sheep and goats. Cattle too. And pigs. We might add […]
Funny Thing About the Hands…
Tammy KomoffI visited the peat bog just before dawn, when the morning fog was still heavy, hovering over the carpet of peat like a damp blanket. Earlier that morning, I’d noticed peat dried and nailed to the windowsills of most of the stone cottages in town as I wandered the nearly empty streets. “Keeps the bugs […]
Sci-Fi + Fantasy
The Kleiner-Hussain Spaceport Hotel
Anna KahnIf it were anything other than a major hotel, the Kleiner-Hussain Spaceport Hotel would not have existed long enough to be this haunted, and yet. The problem with space travel has always been that ghosts dislocated from their origins are worse than ghosts left where they belong, and the problem with spaceport hotels has always […]
Humor
It Was Broke When I Got Here
Stephen FramePrelude In which, a monster is introduced, as is a witch, and certain issues are brought to light. ### I am called monster. A name given to me by others. Although, all things considered, it is rather apt. Yes, it is true, I have taken sheep and goats. Cattle too. And pigs. We might add […]
SELECTED APOLOGIES TO SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR, WRITTEN IN LICHEN
Tiffany HarrisGene believed the mitochondria were feminist until someone asked him why. That’s how things started going downhill. My husband, Gene Saperstein, fifty-eight years old and retired from the IRS just this past spring, standing there holding a glass of boxed pinot grigio in Lucy Halperin’s living room, surrounded by women with statement earrings. You should know […]
Thriller + Mystery
Funny Thing About the Hands…
Tammy KomoffI visited the peat bog just before dawn, when the morning fog was still heavy, hovering over the carpet of peat like a damp blanket. Earlier that morning, I’d noticed peat dried and nailed to the windowsills of most of the stone cottages in town as I wandered the nearly empty streets. “Keeps the bugs […]
Sitting on Crenshaw
Alison Jean LesterWhen Crenshaw shoots Anneke, he’s within arm’s reach of me. I watch my hand grab him by the back of the neck. My body follows through, and I keep moving. He loses his balance. I feel the base of his skull stretching the web between my thumb and pointer for a second of resistance, and […]
Historical Fiction
CAN I HELP YOU, MISS?
David Landau(Circa 1953) It’s going on full dark when the car turns off the highway into the motel auto court. A ’48 Studebaker Commander careening through one last pothole, running roughshod since Fresno, on fumes since Old Town Calabasas. But it made it. They made it. Just past the red “VACANCY” sign, the car slows then […]
We Undark Night With Our Tongues
Claudia MonpereWe were instructed to point the brush with our lips ––Grace Fryer, a dial-painter for The Radium Luminous Materials Corporation, 1930 1.Glow Twirling the paintbrush in our mouths to sharpen the point glow-in-the-dark watches airplane dials clocks in the company darkroom our glow-in-the-dark cheeks necks hands our radium tongues constellations of luminous dust drifting as […]
Young Adult
A Little Sorrowed Talk
Heather Etelamaki“You know what I heard, Philippa?” Kenzi said. “What?” I said, watching the lifeguards clean the pool beyond the fence. For the last time that summer, we were waiting to get into the city pool and, as usual, had come too early. “Mitchell was watching you the whole time we were here yesterday.” I gripped […]
The Fox in the Hydrangea
C. E. SternOnce upon a time, the house next to the cemetery belonged to the only undertaker in town. But we Talbots haven’t been undertakers since great-uncle Laurence got shot in a hunting accident. It’s been just Pa and me in the house ever since. But that’s fine. The house likes it better that way. At least […]
Submit Your Story
Share your writing with us! We want stories from these genre categories: sci-fi/fantasy; horror/thriller; humor.
Award Winners
Sitting on Crenshaw
Alison Jean LesterWhen Crenshaw shoots Anneke, he’s within arm’s reach of me. I watch my hand grab him by the back of the neck. My body follows through, and I keep moving. He loses his balance. I feel the base of his skull stretching the web between my thumb and pointer for a second of resistance, and […]
The Sailor: A Novel Excerpt
K. Wallace KingFor beauty is nothing but the beginning of terror. —Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies December 16, 1932 The sun was as hot as the Fourth of July, though it was almost Christmas. I ran a finger over the note in my pocket: I like what you wrote about that creep who killed the kids. Show […]
Love in the Age of Time Travel
Marianna ShekPROLOGUE ### Event 110107 from the Chronicles of Ideal Histories Translated by Senior Historian Gordon Moyes Classified Information ### This is how it happens. Tyson March kisses his wife, leaves his home, and treks to the Tunnels. It’s early morning, the skydome has just ticked over to dawn mode. Street lights still illuminate the faces […]
The Prison Nurse – Novel Excerpt
Anthony Neil Smith“Still got a boyfriend?” “You know you can’t ask me that.” Rochelle kept it light, her sing-song Mississippi accent adorable. She tightened the suture on Farmer’s fourth stab wound. One more to go. “I told you, though, you’d be first to know if I dump him.” A major rule – no flirting with the inmates […]
SELECTED APOLOGIES TO SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR, WRITTEN IN LICHEN
Tiffany HarrisGene believed the mitochondria were feminist until someone asked him why. That’s how things started going downhill. My husband, Gene Saperstein, fifty-eight years old and retired from the IRS just this past spring, standing there holding a glass of boxed pinot grigio in Lucy Halperin’s living room, surrounded by women with statement earrings. You should know […]
A Little Sorrowed Talk
Heather Etelamaki“You know what I heard, Philippa?” Kenzi said. “What?” I said, watching the lifeguards clean the pool beyond the fence. For the last time that summer, we were waiting to get into the city pool and, as usual, had come too early. “Mitchell was watching you the whole time we were here yesterday.” I gripped […]
By Train Through the Actinic Mountains
Leigh LovedayA carriage, exposed and burning at the foot of a sheer silver peak. Sunlight, intense sunlight. Smoke. Stillness. Blood. No movement. Then: a solitary figure moving away, stumbling from shadow into light. A change claiming him, deep and irreversible, making him something other. But go back. Trace the train’s journey through this unnatural place. See […]
Suburban Slaughter: Twenty Years Later
Carlos ContrerasThe first thing you might notice when watching Suburban Slaughter is the flashing red thunderbolt on the corner of the screen; the camcorder is almost out of battery, and the characters are almost out of time. It starts with blurred static until a moment of clarity reveals two boys crushed by compression. Their bright shirts […]
The Hand & The Sea
Threa AlmontaserThe Hand At eleven o’clock, with my family tucked fast asleep, I tip-toed to the door and tied the last knot on my combat boot, knots that reached my knees. Rounding the corner, I collided with Baba. “Where do you think you’re going this late?” he asked, rolling the checkered foutah tighter around his waist. […]
CAN I HELP YOU, MISS?
David Landau(Circa 1953) It’s going on full dark when the car turns off the highway into the motel auto court. A ’48 Studebaker Commander careening through one last pothole, running roughshod since Fresno, on fumes since Old Town Calabasas. But it made it. They made it. Just past the red “VACANCY” sign, the car slows then […]
Latest Contests
Get the guidelines on our current contests, where we offer writers premier opportunities for publication and payment. All winners selected by noted guest judges.
Interviews
Uncharted
By Caitlin Taylor So I was delighted to get in touch with Megan Davidhizar to start the new year with a conversation about her latest YA psychological thriller, Gaslit, which comes out today! It starts with a headache. Ella was supposed to spend time with her friends like a normal seventeen year old until a […]
Uncharted
By Caitlin Taylor So I was thrilled to ask Jennifer Lynn Alvarez, award-winning author of young adult thrillers and middle-grade fantasy, some questions about her most recent exhilarating thriller, The Trespassers out today! Four childhood friends. One night they’ll never forget. It’s a snowy Valentine’s Day and Mya invites Finley, River, and Eli to her […]
Anna Kahn
Anna Kahn is a Manchester-based writer. Their work has appeared in publications like The Rialto, The London Magazine and The Rumpus, and they've performed everywhere from tiny pubs to festival main stages, with performances featured on the Guardian blog and BBC iPlayer. They have been a Barbican Young Poet, a member of the Roundhouse Collective (and Roundhouse Slam finalist) and a London Library Emerging Writer.
See Their WorkMatt Hollingsworth
Matt Hollingsworth is a neurodivergent human and an award-winning color artist for Marvel, DC, and Image Comics. He’s collaborated with the likes of Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, and Mike Mignola on titles including Tom Strong, The Filth, Preacher, and Hellboy. His prose has been nominated for Best of the Net and Ellen Datlow’s The Best Horror of the Year and has appeared in Interzone, Horrific Scribes, and Tales to Terrify, among others.
See Their WorkDevan Erno
Devan Erno is a multi-genre author whose fiction and nonfiction have appeared in Polar Borealis, Blanket Gravity, Bright Flash Literary Review, and is forthcoming elsewhere. He lives in the Canadian prairies with his family of humans and animals.
See Their WorkStephen Frame
Stephen DG Frame lives by the sea and works in a forest in the far north of Scotland. His work has appeared in Hyphen Punk magazine, Elegant Literature magazine, Judge Dredd Megazine, and anthologies from Parallel Universe Publications, Brigids Gate Press and The Scottish Book Trust, amongst others. His contemporary urban fantasy novel, Inquisitive, is available in the UK from Waterstones and other booksellers.
See Their WorkTammy Komoff
Tammy Komoff is a current finalist for the Eugie Foster Memorial Award. Her work has appeared in Abyss & Apex, DreamForge Anvil and more. When not writing Komoff can be found chasing after her two semi-feral daughters and their escape-artist mutt while her husband attempts to keep up. For more information visit her at tammykomoff.com or follow her on Bluesky @tammykomoff.bsky.social.
See Their WorkM.E. Wilczek
M.E. Wilczek is a former ethical hacker who still hacks some of the time and is ethical most of the time. She lives with her family in Concord, MA.
See Their WorkSophia Zhao
Sophia Zhao is a fiction writer whose work has appeared in The Colored Lens, Factor Four Magazine, and The Lorelei Signal, among others. Born and raised in New York City, Sophia has failed to obtain her driver's license.
See Their WorkAsh Vale
Ash Vale (they/them) is a queer, non-binary Canadian writer who has an affinity for teeth and weird little guys in the woods. Their short fiction and poetry has been or will soon be published in places like Nightmare Magazine, PseudoPod, Heartlines Spec, and more. They’re also one of the co-founders of Otherside Spec, a queer-led speculative fiction magazine for 2SLGBTQIA+ authors, poets, and artists.
See Their WorkPhoenix Alexander
Phoenix Alexander (he/him) is a queer, Greek-Cypriot author and curator of SF/F and horror. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Vector: the Journal of the British Science Fiction Association, and has published over 30 short stories and articles in venues such as F&SF, Science Fiction Studies, and Escape Pod. He holds a Ph.D. in English and African American Studies from Yale University, and a BA and MA from Queen Mary, University of London.
See Their WorkKendra Recht
Kendra Recht is a Boston-based speculative fiction writer with a BFA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College. Her work has been featured in several online publications such as 7th Circle Pyrite and Spillwords, and she was the winner of Elegant Literature's November 2024 short story competition. When she isn't procrastinating (which is most of the time), she is deep in third draft revisions of her debut fantasy novel. She can occasionally be found on Instagram: @ksrecht.
See Their WorkLatest News
2025 Horror Challenge Winner & Shortlisted Writers
We’re shaking with fear and excitement to announce the winner of this challenge! This writer gave us quite the fright and now we’re all having trouble sleeping. Thank you to all who submitted! 1st Place Winner: The Interpreter by Patrick St. Amand Shortlist:
2025 Horror Challenge Shortlist
These stories thrilled us with their horrifying characters and premises! Please congratulate these 7 Shortlisted stories! We’ll be back soon with our winner!
What the Wild Carries Prize | Judged by Shelby Van Pelt | Shortlist
Here are our shortlisted titles of 16 stories we couldn’t let go of! These stories have been sent to guest judge Shelby Van Pelt for her final choices!
2025 Horror Challenge Longlist
These stories thrilled us with their horrifying characters and premises! Please congratulate these 21 Longlisted stories! We’ll be back soon with our shortlist and then the winner!
What the Wild Carries Prize | Judged by Shelby Van Pelt | Longlist
We had so much fun reading for this unique contest! The collision of nature and humanity was felt throughout every story in this contest! Here are our longlisted titles of 34 stories we couldn’t let go of! We’ll have our shortlisted titles out in the next week, and those will be shipped off with care […]
Novel Excerpt Prize | Judged by Cynthia Pelayo | Shortlist
Here are the excerpts moving on to the shortlist and for Judge Cynthia Pelayo’s review! Congratulations to the 15 writers on this list!
2025 Refractions: Genre Flash Fiction Prize Winners
We’re so excited to announce the winners of this contest! It’s not easy to tell a story in the flash form, let alone as a genre story, which usually needs some, if not a lot, of world-building. We hope you enjoy these little, but bright starbursts of stories. 1st Place: There Must Be Something Left […]
2025 Refractions: Genre Flash Fiction Prize Shortlist
Our shortest stories of the year are down to the shortlist! It wasn’t easy (and it never is), but we’re excited for these writers! We’ll be back shortly with the winners!
Novel Excerpt Prize | Judged by Cynthia Pelayo | Longlist
This doesn’t get any easier, narrowing down a large pool of good novel excerpts to a longlist of pieces we wanted to keep reading, with characters we grew to care about in 5,000 words or less. Congratulations to the 31 writers on this list!