Horror + Thriller
Latest Stories

Long Live The Girl Detective
Megan PillowThe Girl Detective reads about her death on Twitter. She is surprised. She doesn’t remember much from the night before—a bar with Bess and George. A man. A drink. A struggle. A stumble home in the dark—but she is The Girl Detective. She can’t be dead. She has hamburgers already pattied for dinner tonight. She […]

The Grant/Marty Events
Alex WoodroeFirst exposure There’s a convertible in the scrap yard covered in “PSYCHOLOGY RULEZ” and “Radio Nil Midnight Sessions” stickers. The owner must have been a fan of Grant’s show. We settle across the leather backseat with a squeak as the tape starts its loop over again. The top is down, and the stars and heat […]

Day-Clean to First Dark
Jonathan KincadeDirt crawled under Zuzi’s fingernail as she traced another letter into the shack floor, her secret game. When the door swung open, she hastily smoothed away the evidence. It could put her and Mama in danger. She couldn’t say why, but she certainly felt it. A mass, tangled as her hair, stuck in her throat. […]

Now That I Have Broken Up
Gary VennNotes made by DX (not real name), while observing Geoffrey Sidwell, during the period of almost 2 years in which Sidwell was resident at the care facility: They asked me to watch him and observe from a distance, and paid me good money. I have to make these notes. I am supposed to just sit […]

Around the Corner From Everywhere
Jay BechtolMy ex-wife’s mother is buried in my backyard. And that’s not the creepy part of the story, I’m just telling you that to add a little context to the rest of my story. So maybe you’ll understand things a little better. It’s perfectly legal in some places to bury people on your property. I was […]

Don’t Blame the Cheesy Crinkles
Tara CampbellFrom: cust_service@NickersonFoods.net To: dphil2003@yahoo.net Dear Ms. Denise Phillips, Thank you for contacting us about your recent purchase of Cheesy Crinkles. We are of course deeply sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience, and we will indeed study the photo you sent. With only the remaining half of what you call the “leg” in the photo, […]
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Latest News

Unexpected Threads: An Interview with Dr. Phoenix Alexander
Dr. Phoenix Alexander is a speculative author, scholar, teacher, and curator. His work has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Escape Pod, The Dark, Deadlands, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Black Static, and Science Fiction Studies, among others. He is a full member of the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA), and served as […]

2023 Uncharted Magazine Thrilling Story Award
Add to Calendar We invite writers to submit to the Uncharted MagazineThrilling Story Award from January 1 to February 28, 2023. This Award is for all three genres: SF/F, Thriller/Horror, and Mystery/Crime. Guest judge Gabino Iglesias will choose three winning stories from a shortlist. We’re excited to offer the winner of this prize $1000 and […]

Horror & Thriller / Crime & Mystery 1st Chapter Prize | Judged by Agent Dorian Maffei Shortlist Titles
And here are the winners! 1st Place: Horror/Thriller “Prologue – or, the Carny Incarcerated.” by Chloe La Vada 1st Place: Crime/Mystery “Lodged in the Body” by Adam McCulloch Runner Up: Horror/Thriller “The Violin” by Patrick Shanley Runner Up: Crime/Mystery “Buffalo Jill” by Karen Parkman 13 Shortlisted Titles!

The Theoretical Possibilities:An Interview With Kristen Loesch
Kristen Loesch’s newest book, The Regeneration of Stella Yin, will be released November 30, 2022, from Ad Hoc Fiction. This novella-in-flash tells the story of two women inextricably linked in a technological quest to overcome grief and trauma. Through precisely crafted prose, Loesch explores artificial super intelligence, the singularity, and the human drive for survival. […]

Short Story Prize Winners & Writers Shortlisted
And the three co-winners are… 1. Men Will Die by Celeste Kallio 2. I Will Never Be Alone by Alejandro Gutierrez 3. Jacaranda Park by Kate Maruyama The Runners-Up are… 1. God fall by Kira Sutherland 2. Parts Girls by Nina Simon Comet Wine by Ken Altabef Us and Them by Siobhan Chesson Men Will […]

Writing Saturnalia: Revelation for your Character and Reader
Writers spend a lot of time thinking critically about beginnings and ends. These are crucial moments in creating a satisfying story, but they’re also the easiest turning points to consider. What’s the first moment of trouble, the first moment of choice? What’s the final confrontation, the culmination of the character’s desires and needs? Execution, of […]

Ripple of Unease: An Interview with Jasmine Sawers
Jasmine Sawers is a writer, editor, and teacher. Sawers’s fairy tale flash collection, The Anchored World: Flash Fairy Tales and Folklore, was recently released by Rose Metal Press. From the publisher: The Anchored World: Flash Fairy Tales and Folklore “Drawing on both Western fairy tales and Thai legends, these flash fictions combine the myth and […]

Short Story Prize judged by Lincoln Michel Shortlist
Comet Wine Us and Them Men Will Die I Will Never Be Alone The Painted Child Appetite Jacaranda Park Made You Look She Weaves By Night and Day Bend while you are a sapling Before and After Parts Girls The Problem with Unemployment Offices Godfall Saint Labre

Writing Saturnalia: A Story Launch Thrives on an Easy Target
I’ve been writing and submitting fiction for nearly two decades now, and while I don’t have an itemized list, I believe I’ve received about one trillion rejections. One particular criticism appeared again and again: The opening is too slow and the stakes are too low. This complaint began to wear at me like a stone […]

Short Story Prize judged by Lincoln Michel Longlist
Comet Wine Us and Them Lotus Eater Men Will Die I Will Never Be Alone The Painted Child Appetite A Life Never Lived A Stroke of Luck Together Forever B. waterways The Stain Beast in the Fog Almost Heaven or How I Unraveled in the Mortaverse Jacaranda Park Made You Look Retrieved: Notes from Diver […]
The Spare Moments: An Interview with Isabel J. Kim
Isabel J. Kim is a Korean-American science fiction and fantasy writer based in New York City. An attorney by day, she also co-hosts Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture. Her stories have been included in the Locus Recommended Reading List, as well as TOR.com’s Must Read list. Her work has been published in […]

Horror & Thriller / Crime & Mystery 1st Chapter Prize | Judged by Agent Dorian Maffei Shortlist Titles
13 Shortlisted Titles! Mr Grim Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark GRIN Bury and Take Root The Lost Coast Motel The Carny Incarcerated A Certain Rectitude Lodged in the Body Buffalo Jill The Violin Flotsam A Detective Story Ritual

Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1st Chapter Prize Judged by Agent CeCe Lyra Winners and Shortlisted Writers
Judge Agent CeCe Lyra has made her selections! Congrats to the winners! Thank you to all of the submitters throughout the contest! The shortlisted writers deserve a celebration as well as it’s not easy to make the shortlist! 1st Place: HOMILY by Amanda Baldeneaux: The premise is intriguing: murdered girls begin to unexplainably reappear. Right away, […]

Uncharted Magazine Horror & Thriller / Crime & Mystery 1st Chapter Prize Longlist
We’re excited to send these 24 first chapters to judge agent Dorian Maffei! Mr Grim Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark GRIN Bury and Take Root The Godfather of Madagascar La Brujeria Spells for Remembering Einsteins Cavern The Lost Coast Motel The Carny Incarcerated A Certain Rectitude Lodged in the Body Maple Lane Camelot Noir […]

Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1st Chapter Prize Judged by Agent CeCe Lyra Shortlist
These 15 fantastic and gripping first chapters have been sent to judge Agent CeCe Lyra! We can’t wait to reveal her selections! I AM IN LOVE WITH A STRANGE GIRL NAMED GEMMA USHERWOOD Homily Clairvoyant On the Roof Night Service Wouldn’t Be Seen Dead Billamina and the Ship that Sailed the Trees Mourn in Glory […]

Choosing Joy: An Interview Gwen Kirby
Gwen E. Kirby’s recent collection Shit Cassandra Saw (Penguin) is filled with lightning-bright characters in unexpected situations. The stories, which have won too many awards to list, span centuries, centering women in their challenges and triumphs. Gwen has a lot to say, and she does so with elegance and wit. Thanks to Gwen for taking […]

Uncharted Magazine Short Story Award
Add to Calendar We invite writers to submit to the Uncharted Magazine Short Story Award from May 1 to July 31, 2022. This Award is for all three genres: SF/F, Thriller/Horror, and Mystery/Crime. Guest judge Lincoln Michel will choose three winning stories from a shortlist. We’re excited to offer 3 winners of this prize $1000 […]

An Unexpected Dragon in the Sky: An Interview with Maria Haskins
Maria Haskins is a Swedish-Canadian writer, translator, and reviewer of speculative fiction. She’s well known in the community for her tireless support of genre work, publishing a monthly roundup of speculative fiction for her newsletter, as well as a quarterly roundup for Strange Horizons. She consistently profiles the very best new stories, and her Behind […]

Uncharted’s 2021 Crime/Mystery Short Story Award Winners & Short List writers
And the winners are: 1st Place: SELF PRESERVATION by Rob Nisbet 2nd Place: A THOUSAND MILES AWAY by Joseph Walker 3rd Place: UNDER THE IVY by Meg Overman Shortlist The Pull by Kyle Tolan The Assassin’s Portrait by Nina Wachsman You Seen Our Girl? by S.E. Reed Self-Preservation by Rob Nisbet The Man in the […]

An Interview with Chris Panatier, Author of Stringers
Chris Panatier’s second novel, Stringers, releases on April 12. Publisher’s Weekly gave the book a starred review, and the American Library Association called it “a rip-roaring space adventure” and a “touching exploration of what sentient beings owe to one another.” The author himself says Stringers is “a heartfelt sci-fi vehicle for potty jokes.” I’m a […]

Uncharted’s Horror/Thriller Short Story Contest Long List
We’re so excited to announce the 35 titles of our long list! The submissions we received were so chilling, thrilling, and memorable that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the shortlist titles next week! Thank you for your patience! The Gunfighter and the Undertaker Potashe Preserve To Serve With Both […]

Uncharted’s 2021 Crime/Mystery Short Story Award Short List
We’re so excited to announce the 14 titles of our Short List! The submissions we received were so chilling, thrilling, and memorable that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the winners in the next 2-4 weeks! The Pull The Assassin’s Portrait You Seen Our Girl? Self-Preservation The Man in the […]

An Interview with Nick Olson, author of Afterglow
Nick Olson’s newest book, a speculative novel-in-flash titled Afterglow (Alien Buddha Press), will be released in June. Nick is a freelance editor and author of both literary and speculative fiction. His previous novels, Here’s Waldo and The Brother We Share, are available now. He is the editor of lit zine (mac)ro(mic). Nick let me take an early peek at Afterglow and I loved the complex future history he has envisioned.

Uncharted’s 2021 Crime/Mystery Short Story Award Long List
We’re so excited to announce the 26 titles of our longlist! The submissions we received were so chilling, thrilling, and memorable that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the shortlist titles next week! Thank you for your patience! The Sixth of October Help, Satan! Storm in a Teacup Bad Beat […]

Uncharted’s Summer Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short Story Award Short List
We’re so excited to announce the 15 titles of our shortlist! The submissions we received were so creative, thrilling, and deeply envisioned that we’ve had a hard time narrowing down the list! We’ll announce the winners in early January! Thank you for your patience! From this list, Ken Liu will select 3 winners! The Organic […]

Uncharted magazine’s 2021 Pushcart Nominations
The Passage of Time in the Abyss by Sequoia Nagamatsu The Mystery of the Mislaid Girls by Ellen Rhudy Passage by Sutton Strother Starving by Ashley Bao Hold Your Breath by K.C. Mead-Brewer Icicle People or The Lake Effect Snow Queen by Jasmine Sawers

Writing Stories that Sing: An Interview with Evan J. Peterson
1. What is your hottest take on the age old genre vs. fiction debate and how do you see yourself and your work fitting into that? Evan J. Peterson: You asked for it, so here goes. Genre is about money. Genres as we know them are made up to sell books, and they were made […]

Uncharted Magazine Sci-Fi/Fantasy Short Story Award
1st Place: “Bees Wings” by Matthew Goldberg “This delicate sketch of our powerful tendency to humanize the universe—to make it bearable—walks a knife’s edge of tonal balance. Too much, either way, would have ruined it. Ultimately, I read in it a celebration of the absolute beauty of every moment of life, no matter where it […]

Genre Jargon: How the SFF and Literary Worlds Speak about Themselves and Each Other
I always tell my writing students that today is an exciting time to be an author interested in both genre and literary fiction. That the barrier between the two is dissolving, that readers care little about labels, that even the Pulitzers and National Book Awards have genre works among the finalists, and that authors like Kelly Link or Carmen Maria Machado or Ted Chiang or Jeff VanderMeer can build readerships in both fields. And all that’s true. But at the same time, the literary and genre worlds remain in some ways very separate.

Welcome to Uncharted
UNCHARTED begins today with the goal of publishing thrilling genre short stories; stories you can’t stop reading, stories you want to share with your friends, with the world.

What Are We Supposed To Be Afraid Of In Blair Witch Project?
It’s one of the most memorable Horror movie endings. Heather runs down the stairs of a crumbling house, screaming Mike’s name. He isn’t responding. Anything could’ve happened to him. Then there’s a glimpse of him in the basement. He’s not decapitated or consumed in witchfire. He’s just standing in the corner. That’s all we see […]
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.
