Anthology Submissions Tally: November

We've completed our second month of readings. Those who submitted stories to us during the month of November will be receiving notification of our editorial decisions regarding their submissions within the week. Here's the outcome of our November readings:

• Total # of queries = 19
• Total # of greenlighted queries = 19
• Total # of actual new submissions = 18
• Total # of re-submissions from previous month(s) = 1

Disposition of submissions:

• Accepted = 3 (2 new/1 re-submission)
• Rejected = 10
• Held for second reading = 4
• Revisions requested from authors = 2

Tips from the November Submissions...

• If we don't want science fiction, chances are we aren't going to like stories with flying taxis and dancing holograms.

• Please. No more psycho trannies or lesbian revenge tales in which someone's unmentionables are chopped, eaten, or otherwise lopped off.

• Once more, all together now: This is a queer horror anthology. That means there should be gay characters, gay themes and subtext. Somewhere. Anywhere.

• Proofread your work before submitting. When your main character starts off as "Michael" and becomes "Mark" a page later, it's not going to endear you to us.

What ARE We Looking For...?

Establishing guidelines for a themed anthology can be a tricky business. Get too detailed in your likes and dislikes and risk turning potential contributors off or limiting the creativity of the submissions; be too general and risk submissions that are all over the map - and not in a good way. In the spirit of information being a good thing, Vince recently sat down with author D.L. Snell for his Market Scoops blog, in which he interviews editors at magazines and anthologies to help writers tailor submissions for specific markets. He shared his "wish list" and some helpful tips for the Unspeakable Horror anthology. Potential contributors may find the information useful as they craft their stories.

Market Scoops Interview

Anatomy of a Cover Artist...

We’re pleased to announce that Michael “Pooch” Pucciarelli, an extraordinary up and coming artist in the Pop Surrealism/Lowbrow scene, has been commissioned to create the cover art for the Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet anthology. Visually captivating, Pucciarelli’s paintings blend the fantastic and surreal - Mexico’s Dia De los Muertos imagery, a bit of Bosch and Brueghul, and MC Escher's' architectural elements with an infusion of tattoo culture.

His acclaimed “rides” series - intricately detailed carnavalesque worlds in which characters are sent careening on macabre rollercoaster rides through worlds populated by movie monsters, skeletons, and underground pop culture icons - reflects his constant exposure to Florida theme parks, where surreal carnival ride facades reflect the false fronts of modern society. Pucciarelli, who is also a renowned South Florida tattoo artist, will be creating an original work in his “rides” series for the anthology.

From his website:

"Raised on a diet of Ray Harryhausen films, H. P. Lovecraft novels, comics, Walt Disney World and other Florida tourist traps, Pooch paints images that seem to exist in a bizarre afterlife. His art is a visual cocktail of these influences—with a shot of lowbrow culture—shaken and stirred, then served up in a souvenir tiki skull on the Day of the Dead. A self-taught artist, he owes much of his painting skills to over ten years of daily tattooing and drawing."

Clockwise from left: "Transylvania Towers" (2005), "Tourist Trap" (2005), and "3113" (2006) by artist Michael "Pooch" Pucciarelli




To see more of Pucciarelli’s work, visit www.poochisland.com.