“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Ring Master waved her arm toward the crowd, “and, of course, all you ‘sweet’ children daring to see what, up until now, only existed in your dreams.” Her voice floated outward to the crowd. “Or perhaps your nightmares.” Her golden skin seemed to crack when she offered them a toothy grin.

 

“Behind me, lurking in the blue-black darkness on the fringes of the unknown are the stars of the show.

 

Creatures waiting to be seen, anxious to meet you...creatures from so many galaxies you never knew existed.” Again she offered a toothy grin as her red eyes took on a fiery glow. “And I, as the master of the show cannot wait for the entertainment to begin.”

 

~ * ~

​

What we are looking for are stories that feature the strange and bizarre from around the cosmos and other dimensions. They can be the stuff of dreams or nightmares. Think along the fantastical lines of Something Wicked This Way Comes but with an intergalactic or other dimensional feel to the carnival or carnival sideshow. Magic and Science, Dreams and Nightmares, Joy and Terror, Love and Hate, combined with the alien and the familiar -- they all blend together at the Midnight Menagerie.

 

The two paragraphs above will be the intro to the anthology - so imagine a ringmaster or guide in your story using those lines to draw your reader into what you are about to show them.

 

WolfSinger does ask that stories maintain a PG-13 rating – so please be careful with any violence or sexual depictions. However, as this theme can lend itself to some dark stories – please use your judgement and tread carefully. As long as everything is important to the story there will be some wiggle room.

 

 

Break the story-writing rules if you want. If you use a tried-and-true plotline, twist it in an original and interesting way. Original stories are preferred. Query for reprints.

 

ALL writers are encouraged to submit. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro with years of credits, a beginner just starting out, or a teenager - please feel free to send the editor a story. In your cover email, please tell the editor a bit about yourself and a quick one-line synopsis of the story. Include genre. If experimental, please explain the type or how so the editor doesn’t edit out the form or reject it out of hand. Thank you.

 

In the Subject line please put Submission: Menagerie: Title of your story: Your name. Attach as a .rft file, please send to: editor@wolfsingerpubs.com

 

Submissions Open:  Jun 15, 2024 (DO NOT SUBMIT PRIOR TO THIS DATE)

Submissions Close:  Oct 31, 2024

 

Release Date:   Early 2025

Payment:  $15.00 plus equal share of 50% of the anthology’s royalties.

 

Will accept all speculative fiction genres (note humor is a plus)

No fan fiction, shared universes, or continuing serials. PG-13 rating, please. No erotica.

No simultaneous submissions.

 

Length 1000 -7500 words. Times Roman 12.

Standard manuscript submission formatting must be used. Visit https://www.wolfsingerpubs.com/standard-formatting for more information on our formatting requirements. Any manuscripts submitted incorrectly will be rejected.

 

Bios will be required if your story is accepted. Please write them in third person. Approximate length under 250 words.