Something is stirring in the shadows—and Elderfly Press wants you to capture it.
Submissions are now open for Bad Moon on the Rise, a new anthology that delves into what it means to live under a dark sky—literally or metaphorically. Whether you’re drawn to haunted landscapes, personal reckonings, or the eerie quiet of things unraveling, this is your chance to contribute to a collection where strange winds and long-buried truths come to light.
What Elderfly Press is looking for:
This anthology invites a wide range of voices and forms:
- Genre fiction: horror, speculative, gothic, dystopian, weird, sci-fi, supernatural—anything that chills, disturbs, or unsettles
- Literary fiction: moody, shadowed, emotionally raw
- Essays: on upheaval, transformation, liminality, or living through cultural shifts
- Poetry: rooted in chaos, shadow, or change
- Visual art: black-and-white pieces that evoke the mood of the anthology
Submission guidelines
- Short stories: 1,000–5,000 words
- Essays: up to 3,000 words
- Poetry: up to 5 poems (1–3 pages each)
- Black-and-white art: up to 5 pieces; JPG or PNG; 300dpi preferred
Send original, unpublished work. Simultaneous submissions are fine—just notify Elderfly if your piece is accepted elsewhere.
Deadline: August 15, 2025
Compensation: A free digital copy, discounted print copy, and promotional support
Rights: First World English Rights and non-exclusive anthology rights—contributors retain ownership of their work
To submit
Email your submission to submissions@elderflybooks.com
Subject line: Bad Moon Submission – [Your Name]
Include:
- A brief cover letter (name, bio up to 50 words, and social links if you’d like)
- Your submission as a DOCX, PDF, or JPG/PNG file
- If submitting multiple pieces, attach them as a single file
Questions? Email info@elderflybooks.com
Elderfly is looking for work that lingers. That disturbs. That howls a little. If your story flickers like a candle in the dark—faint, fierce, and unforgettable—we want to see it!
Now available in print and on Kindle!
Check out my new novel, It Had to Happen, now available in print and on Kindle!
Book Summary
When Jack Utley loses his daughter just as his business is about to soar, it seems he’s traded financial gain for Callie’s life. After an encounter with a mysterious woman on the eve of Callie’s funeral, Jack wakes up to find that time has somehow rewound to the morning of Callie’s accident. Jack gets an opportunity that most grieving parents can only dream of – he saves his daughter’s life.
Now that Jack has been forced to reflect on everything he has to lose, he resolves to do better. He’s determined to spend more time at home with his family and repair the relationships that have suffered over the years while he’s been so focused on work. But as Callie’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, Jack realizes he has a lot more room to improve than he realized – and it might be too late to save his daughter after all.
For fans of We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Push, and Baby Teeth.
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Write on the World 