Sold: Two Antologies
The contracts have been signed and delivered, and these can finally be announced. I've sold two anthologies and will be reading for them in the next few month. The first is Femmes Fatales, an anthology of erotic/romantic mystery stories to Lethe Press. The second, which I think will be cause for equal excitement, is Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories!
The Guidelines are as follows:
Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories is an anthology of steampunk stories that feature lesbian-identified protagonist and which strives to be inclusive of underrepresented (and often misrepresented!) identities in steampunk and lesbian fiction.
Although “steampunk” is a fairly broad genre, we are interested in the following:
* Stories set in the past and present as we know them, or in an alternate past or present, as well as a future in which 19th Century technology dominates.
* Stories that involve 19th Century steam technology or retro-future technology that does not involve steam. For example, if your story is set in the Gobi Desert, the lack of water may make this technology look different than it would in a society that has enough water for steam technology to be feasible. For a good idea of what I mean here, please read this essay by Steam-Powered 1 contributor Amal El-Mohtar: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/10/towards-a-steampunk-without-steam.
* Stories that explore and critique 19th and early 20th Century notions of colonialism, empire, race, sex and sexuality.
* The editor also has a strong preference for stories set outside Victorian England and the United States, stories that feature women of color protagonists, stories that feature protagonists from the lower or working class, stories with disabled protagonists (including those with cognitive disabilities and mental illnesses), and stories whose protagonists are not Christian. This is not to say that more ‘typical’ steampunk stories are unwelcome, just that they will be a harder sell.
* While Torquere Press publishes several romance and erotica titles, stories need not have romantic or erotic elements.
We are not interested in the following:
* Stories that exoticize, misrepresent or demonize lesbians, people of color, people with disabilities, or any culture or religion. (look up “cultural appropriation” for an idea of what we mean here).
* Stories with anti-lesbian clichés (such as the lesbian who would really enjoy heterosexual sex, if she met the right man)
* Stories with villains whose sole motivation for being bad is a mental illness or “being crazy.”
* Poetry
* Fan fiction (stories featuring characters that are not copyrighted to the author)
Submission Period: February 1 - March 30.
Word Count: 3,000 - 10,000 words (though shorter stories may be considered). **PLEASE query with your story idea first to save both you and the editor time.
Payment: $35 per story.
If your query is accepted, submit stories in .rtf or .doc format to JoSelle Vanderhooft at upstart.crow@gmail.com. Please title your submissions as [Author's Last Name]: Steam-Powered II Submission, and use standard manuscript format that includes your full name (and pen name if applicable), address, phone number and email.
Femme Fatales is an anthology of mystery and erotica featuring lesbian and bisexual-identified women. From gritty 30s-style noir to sweet cozies to heart-pounding politically-edged thrillers, we are looking for stories between 3,000 and 10,000 words
What we’d like to see:
* Stories in all mystery genres (however, do note that the editor has a fondness for action-packed thrillers and creative (and feminist) takes on noir).
* While this is an erotica-focused anthology, we are open to reading stories that do not feature explicit sex as long as they have romantic elements.
* Although this is not an anthology of speculative fiction, stories with science fiction, fantasy or horror elements (or any combination thereof) are welcome.
* We are especially interested in reading stories about queer women of color, lesbian or bisexual-identified transgender women, and stories set in locations outside of the United States and Western Europe.
We are not interested in the following:
* Rehashes of common mystery tropes that don’t attempt to spin them in a new and fresh way.
* Stories with one dimensional antagonists, including those whose misdeeds are attributed to “being crazy” and especially those who do bad things because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
* Anti-lesbian clichés like the dead lesbian and the lesbian who just needs a good man to make her straight.
* Poetry
* Fan Fiction (stories using characters whose copyright the author does not own)
Submission Period: May 1-June. 30.
Length: 3,000-10,000 words. *PLEASE* query with your story idea first to save yourself and the editor time.
Payment: $25-$75
The Guidelines are as follows:
Steam-Powered 2: More Lesbian Steampunk Stories is an anthology of steampunk stories that feature lesbian-identified protagonist and which strives to be inclusive of underrepresented (and often misrepresented!) identities in steampunk and lesbian fiction.
Although “steampunk” is a fairly broad genre, we are interested in the following:
* Stories set in the past and present as we know them, or in an alternate past or present, as well as a future in which 19th Century technology dominates.
* Stories that involve 19th Century steam technology or retro-future technology that does not involve steam. For example, if your story is set in the Gobi Desert, the lack of water may make this technology look different than it would in a society that has enough water for steam technology to be feasible. For a good idea of what I mean here, please read this essay by Steam-Powered 1 contributor Amal El-Mohtar: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/10/towards-a-steampunk-without-steam.
* Stories that explore and critique 19th and early 20th Century notions of colonialism, empire, race, sex and sexuality.
* The editor also has a strong preference for stories set outside Victorian England and the United States, stories that feature women of color protagonists, stories that feature protagonists from the lower or working class, stories with disabled protagonists (including those with cognitive disabilities and mental illnesses), and stories whose protagonists are not Christian. This is not to say that more ‘typical’ steampunk stories are unwelcome, just that they will be a harder sell.
* While Torquere Press publishes several romance and erotica titles, stories need not have romantic or erotic elements.
We are not interested in the following:
* Stories that exoticize, misrepresent or demonize lesbians, people of color, people with disabilities, or any culture or religion. (look up “cultural appropriation” for an idea of what we mean here).
* Stories with anti-lesbian clichés (such as the lesbian who would really enjoy heterosexual sex, if she met the right man)
* Stories with villains whose sole motivation for being bad is a mental illness or “being crazy.”
* Poetry
* Fan fiction (stories featuring characters that are not copyrighted to the author)
Submission Period: February 1 - March 30.
Word Count: 3,000 - 10,000 words (though shorter stories may be considered). **PLEASE query with your story idea first to save both you and the editor time.
Payment: $35 per story.
If your query is accepted, submit stories in .rtf or .doc format to JoSelle Vanderhooft at upstart.crow@gmail.com. Please title your submissions as [Author's Last Name]: Steam-Powered II Submission, and use standard manuscript format that includes your full name (and pen name if applicable), address, phone number and email.
Femme Fatales is an anthology of mystery and erotica featuring lesbian and bisexual-identified women. From gritty 30s-style noir to sweet cozies to heart-pounding politically-edged thrillers, we are looking for stories between 3,000 and 10,000 words
What we’d like to see:
* Stories in all mystery genres (however, do note that the editor has a fondness for action-packed thrillers and creative (and feminist) takes on noir).
* While this is an erotica-focused anthology, we are open to reading stories that do not feature explicit sex as long as they have romantic elements.
* Although this is not an anthology of speculative fiction, stories with science fiction, fantasy or horror elements (or any combination thereof) are welcome.
* We are especially interested in reading stories about queer women of color, lesbian or bisexual-identified transgender women, and stories set in locations outside of the United States and Western Europe.
We are not interested in the following:
* Rehashes of common mystery tropes that don’t attempt to spin them in a new and fresh way.
* Stories with one dimensional antagonists, including those whose misdeeds are attributed to “being crazy” and especially those who do bad things because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
* Anti-lesbian clichés like the dead lesbian and the lesbian who just needs a good man to make her straight.
* Poetry
* Fan Fiction (stories using characters whose copyright the author does not own)
Submission Period: May 1-June. 30.
Length: 3,000-10,000 words. *PLEASE* query with your story idea first to save yourself and the editor time.
Payment: $25-$75