ANNOUNCING: The Collected Works of S. Mukerji: Indian Ghost Stories and The Mysterious Traders

ANNOUNCING NEW BOOK! And up for pre-orders!

THE COLLECTED WORKS OF S. MUKERJI: INDIAN GHOST STORIES AND THE MYSTERIOUS TRADERS

Edited and annotated by Eric J. Guignard
With Introduction by bestselling author K. Hari Kumar
Published by Dark Moon Books

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Active only between the years 1913–1919, the enigmatic author S. Mukerji published just two works of fiction: a serialized detective thriller The Mysterious Traders and a collection of haunting tales set in British colonial India, Indian Ghost Stories.

It is Indian Ghost Stories in particular that has kept S. Mukerji’s name relevant over 100 years later for compiling spooky and weird fiction, supernatural sightings, South Asian lore, and historic accounts into a rich fusion of dark and fantastic narrative.

For as deft a hand as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Rudyard Kipling were at mystery, gothic, and tales of otherworldly phenomenon, S. Mukerji has left his own indelible mark in the pantheon of British Raj ghost tales.

Now, for the first time, both Indian Ghost Stories and The Mysterious Traders have been combined into one volume in this beautifully presented showcase by Dark Moon Books!

Also included within are:

• Introduction by bestselling author K. Hari Kumar
• Annotations by award-winning editor Eric J. Guignard
• Illustrations, corrected text, reading list, and more!

Open yourself to The Collected Works of S. Mukerji, and to all that is weird, ghostly, and wonderous.

More here: http://www.darkmoonbooks.com/Mukerji.html

Available for preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/Collected-Works-S-Mukerji-Mysterious/dp/1949491595/

***

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November, 2024 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets

HWA L.A.: For November, 2024
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)

Out There (Sans. Press)
https://www.sanspress.com/submissions
Payment: €200 flat (abt. $215 U.S. (*which “may” ultimately calculate to a bit less than 5 cents a word)
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: November 21, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Short stories that engage with new ways of being, and that embrace unapologetic weirdness. Between literary and experimental, sci-fi and speculative, that are no rules as to how you interpret the prompt; be as metaphorical or literal as you wish – as long as you promise to take us on an unforgettable journey.


Shatter the Sun: Queer Tales of Untold Adventure (published by Neon Hemlock)
https://www.neonhemlock.com/submissions
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 6,000 words (preferred 1,000–4,000)
Deadline: Open between November 1, 2024 and January 15, 2025
Reprints?: No
Response: up to 4 months
Description: Fantasy stories of queer heroes forged and tempered in the fire, fighting dark stars and bright suns, and overthrowing tyranny in all its forms. Sword and sorcery, sweat and sandals, souls and stars. (Open to all authors.)


Small Wonders
https://smallwondersmag.com/submissions/
Payment: 10 cents a word (1 cent a word for reprints)
Story Length: up to 1,000 words (or 1,100 words for reprints)
Deadline: Intermittent
Reprints?: Yes
Response: Unspecified, but according to online reports up to five months
Description: Non-themed short stories relating to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror.


TWO SEPARATE ANTHOLOGIES from Flame Tree Publishing
Payment: 8 cents a word (6 cents/ word for reprints)
Story Length: 3,000–4,000 words (soft range)
Deadline: November 24, 2024
Reprints?: Yes
Response: within 4 months of the submission deadline

Morgana le Fay: Fiction short stories about the Greek goddess, Aphrodite.
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/aphrodite-submissions

Loki: Fiction short stories about the Norse mythological god, Loki.
https://blog.flametreepublishing.com/fantasy-gothic/loki-submissions-0


Plott Hound Magazine
https://plotthoundmag.com/submissions/
Payment: 8 cents a word
Story Length: up to 5,000 words (preferred 3,000–4,000); or flash fiction up to 999 words
Deadline: *Upcoming: Open between December 1 and December 15, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: Unknown
Description: Stories with anthropomorphized animals as protagonists; Animal-centric speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, horror).


Dracula Beyond Stoker: Issue 6: Jonathan Harker
https://www.dbspress.com/submissions
Payment: 5 cents a word
Story Length: 1,500–5,000 words
Open From: Open between November 1, 2024–December 31, 2024
Reprints?: Yes (if older than 10 years) (and paid flat rate of $55)
Response: Unknown, but reported as generally between 30 and 60 days.
Description: The best new fiction based on Stoker’s characters, locations, and themes. This issue: What happened on the way from the castle to the hospital in Buda-Pesth? What happens after the story ends? What is his relationship with his son? Jonathan is often perceived and portrayed as impish and weak, but he might just be one of the bravest characters in the book.



***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”

Weird Horror (Undertow Publications)
https://undertowpublications.com/weird-horror-magazine
Payment: 2 cents a word
Story Length: 500–5,000 words
Deadline: Open between November 2 and November 15, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: Generally within 2 months
Description: Original (non-themed) horror and weird fiction short stories: The strange, the macabre, the eerie, the esoteric, the fabulist, and the gothic.


Interzone Magazine (TTA Press)
https://interzone.press/submissions/
Payment: 1.5 euros a word
Story Length: 2,000–17,500 words
Deadline: ongoing
Reprints?: No
Response: usually within 5 weeks
Description: Fantastika fiction: non-themed, general audience, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

Book Chain 11: When the Night Bells Ring by Jo Kaplan

Book Chain Campaign: BookChain11: Tracking Log for:

When the Night Bells Ring by Jo Kaplan:

i. Bought on Amazon, August 25, 2024

ii. Mailed from Eric J. Guignard to S.C. Mendes, September 5, 2024

iii. Where to next...? Only chance and the last reader involved may determine! #BookChainChallenge

###

NOTES:

Book back copy: Don't awaken what sleeps in the dark.

In a future ravaged by fire and drought, two climate refugees ride their motorcycles across the wasteland of the western US, and stumble upon an old silver mine. Descending into the cool darkness of the caved-in tunnels in desperate search of water, the two women find Lavinia Cain’s diary, a settler in search of prosperity who brought her family to Nevada in the late 1860s.

But Lavinia and the settlers of the Western town discovered something monstrous that dwells in the depths of the mine, something that does not want greedy prospectors disturbing the earth. Whispers of curses and phantom figures haunt the diary, and now, over 150 years later, trapped and injured in the abandoned mine, the women discover they’re not alone . . . with no easy way out.

The monsters are still here―and they’re thirsty.

(pub. CamCat Books, October, 2022

Available here: https://camcatbooks.com/Books/W/When-the-Night-Bells-Ring4

And reviewed on:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/When-Night-Bells-Ring-Kaplan/dp/0744306159

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-night-bells-ring-jo-kaplan/1140923071

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60172285-when-the-night-bells-ring

###

AND READ WHAT #BOOKCHAIN IS ABOUT HERE!  

https://ericjguignard.blogspot.com/2024/06/book-chain.html

October, 2024 Dark Fiction Short Story Markets

HWA L.A.: For October, 2024
New or Reopening Market Listings/ Notes
At Minimum Pro-Paying (5 cents+ per word)

Dread Mondays (anthology, published by Whisper House)
https://stevecaponejrauthor.com/2024/08/31/call-for-submissions-for-dread-mondays-a-whisper-house-press-anthology/
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: up to 4,000 words (prefer under 3,000)
Deadline: October 31, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Short stories of workplace horror.


Dust & Dark (magazine)
https://www.dustanddark.com/submissions/
Payment: £0.07 (about US 9 cents a word)
Story Length: 2,000–7,000 words (prefer 3,000–5,000)
Deadline: Open between October 1–October 31, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: December 31, 2024
Description: Stylish, atmospheric horror fiction, and we take a broad view of what that means. We’re interested in clearly defined characters, evocative settings, tight pacing and compelling plots. But most of all, we’re looking for stories that leave a lingering sense of unease after we’ve read them. We’re much more interested in expertly rendered dread than straightforward shocks.


Confounding Cupids (anthology, edited by Kevin J. Anderson and Western Colorado University)
https://wordfirewestern.moksha.io/publication/confounding-cupids-when-love-goes-awry/guidelines
Payment: 6 cents a word
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: October 7, 2024 (*Not much time left!)
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Speculative tales of love, magic, and wonder that can devolve into chaos and confusion. Confounding Cupids: When Love Goes Awry is your chance to take aim at your favorite romance tropes and have a fantastical time... Central to your story should be a match or matches full of paradoxes and delightful disorder.


The DARK (monthly online e-magazine)
http://thedarkmagazine.com/submission-guidelines
Payment: 5 cents a word (1 cent a word for reprints)
Story Length: 2,000–6,000 words
Deadline: Continuous
Reprints?: Yes
Response: between 1 day to 1 week
Description: Unique Horror and Dark Fantasy (No graphic/ violent content); fiction that may fall out of “regular” categories (Tons of great authors publish here).


Stop Surveillance Copaganda (published through Strange Horizons online Magazine)
https://www.stopcopaganda.org/
Payment: 10 cents a word
Story Length: up to 5,000 words
Deadline: November 21, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Stories about surveillance tech that don’t perpetuate law enforcement propaganda; Surveillance technologies are increasingly built into our daily lives without our consent—and are championed in mass media for their power to do so-called good. The truth is, surveillance is mostly used to harm and oppress communities—misidentifying people through facial recognition, targeting families for missile strikes, criminalizing people who seek to assert their bodily autonomy, and facilitating scams and stalkers. Most “positive” uses of surveillance are straight-up copaganda. Searching for stories as alternatives that tear down the narrative that surveillance and centralized power necessarily equals safety.


Once Upon a Moonless Night (published by The Brothers Uber)
https://brothersuber.moksha.io/publication/once-upon-a-moonless-night-tales-of-betrayal-revenge-and-redemption
Payment: 5 cents a word (payment cap at $400)
Story Length: 250–15,000 words
Deadline: December 16, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: unknown
Description: Dark Tales of Betrayal, Revenge, and Redemption: Night after night the darkness beckons. You know that one day soon you’ll lose your resolve, give in, and become the darkness. There’ll be no going back once you do. These are the tales whispered in dark corners. Of good people pushed too far. Stories of revenge and redemption for past wrongdoings. Stories that excite the mind where what seems to be true isn’t always the case.



***Non-PRO-Paying Market, but Eric J. Guignard’s “Pick of the Month”

Trollbreath Magazine
https://magazine.trollbreath.com/submissions/
Payment: 4 cents a word (1/2 cent a word for reprints); $25 flat rate for poetry
Story Length: 1,500–7,500 words (prefer 4,000–5,000)
Deadline: Open between October 1–October 31, 2024
Reprints?: No
Response: Within 60 days
Description: Non-themed speculative fiction, poetry, and non-fiction; from dark fantasy to hope punk to surrealism, and everything in between.


Inner Worlds (magazine)
https://sarah-i-jackson.ghost.io/inner-worlds-zine/
Payment: £0.02 (about US 3 cents a word)
Story Length: 500–2,500 words
Deadline: Open between October 15–October 31, 2024
Reprints?: Yes
Response: unknown
Description: Science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural horror prose with a strong emotional or psychological focus.

Book Chain 10: Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny by KC Grifant

Book Chain Campaign: BookChain10: Tracking Log for:

Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny by KC Grifant:

i. Mailed from KC Grifant to Eric J. Guignard, August 22, 2024

ii. Mailed from Eric J. Guignard to Christi Nogle, September 5, 2024

iii. Given from Christi Nogle to Candice Azalea Greene at Boise Library Book Faire, October 5, 2024

iv. Where to next...? Only chance and the last reader involved may determine! #BookChainChallenge

###

NOTES:

Book back copy: From the bowels of NYC to the farthest regions of space, Shrouded Horror: Tales of the Uncanny feature people encountering the unseen terrors hovering at the edge of everyday life. Whether it’s a glimpse of a malicious creature lurking behind your reflection or an unusual thunderstorm heralding a needy stranger, oddities loom, ready to reveal themselves.

With hints of The Twilight Zone, Creepshow, and Black Mirror, this collection of short horror stories—the cosmic, the weird, and the fantastical—will settle into the back of your head and under your skin. They will make you wonder what hidden horrors lie there, just beyond the curtain of reality.

(pub. Dragon’s Roost Press, July, 2024

Available here: https://splattertheatre.com/products/shrouded-horror-tales-of-the-uncanny

And reviewed on:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shrouded-Horror-Uncanny-KC-Grifant/dp/1956824324/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shrouded-horror-kc-grifant/1145663047?ean=9781956824322

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211055621-shrouded-horror

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AND READ WHAT #BOOKCHAIN IS ABOUT HERE!  

https://ericjguignard.blogspot.com/2024/06/book-chain.html

Book Chain 9: His Unburned Heart by David Sandner

Book Chain Campaign: BookChain9: Tracking Log for:

His Unburned Heart by David Sandner:

i. Given from David Sandner to Eric J. Guignard at Forest Lawn Memorial Park - Glendale, August 25, 2024

ii. Given from Eric J. Guignard to Vanessa Lanang at The Writers Coffeehouse, Vroman's Bookstore (Pasadena), September 8, 2024

iii. Where to next...? Only chance and the last reader involved may determine! #BookChainChallenge

###

NOTES:

Book back copy: His Unburned Heart, tells the story of Mary Shelley's quest to retrieve her husband's heart from his publisher. History tells us that Percy Shelley was cremated, though his heart failed to burn, but the rest of the details are lost to time. Sandner has channeled Mary Shelley herself to share the story with us. That story is paired here with a second, related, piece. The Journal of Sorrow is named after Mary Shelley's personal journal, and imagines Percy Shelley's demise.

(pub. Raw Dog Screaming Press, 2023

Available here: https://rawdogscreaming.com/books/his-unburned-heart/

And reviewed on:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Unburned-Selected-Consortium-Anomalous-Phenomena/dp/1947879766

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/his-unburned-heart-david-sandner/1145171031?ean=9781947879768

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/210335899-his-unburned-heart

###

AND READ WHAT #BOOKCHAIN IS ABOUT HERE!  

https://ericjguignard.blogspot.com/2024/06/book-chain.html