This anthology invites you to challenge the cultural scripts of what a “good” parent looks like. Sometimes the monster is real—a parent whose choices hurt, haunt, or unravel the lives of those in their care. Other times, the monster is only a mask placed by society:

• A mother who leaves her child with the father to pursue the life she always wanted.
• A stay-at-home dad mislabeled as weak or irresponsible.
• A parent who refuses tradition and becomes a symbol of fear in their community.
• A child who sees their protector morph into something frightening—or something fiercely misunderstood.

We welcome every angle of the parental mythos: horror, literary, speculative, surrealism, dark fantasy, psychological realism, folklore reimagined, and quiet dread. Show us the complicated truth of the people who raise us—or refuse to.

This anthology welcomes:

• Genre fiction: horror, speculative, dystopian, weird, gothic, supernatural, sci-fi, and beyond.
• Literary fiction with a moody or unsettling edge
• Essays on personal upheaval, cultural shifts, liminal experiences
• Poetry rooted in transformation, chaos, or shadow
• Black-and-white visual art that fits the anthology’s mood

What we don’t want (and where we draw the line)

This anthology welcomes honest, dark, and emotionally challenging explorations of parenthood—including depictions of abuse when they are essential to the story, grounded in character, or drawn from lived experience. However, we will not accept work that includes:

• Gratuitous or graphic violence included solely for shock value.
• Explicit, sensationalized, or voyeuristic depictions of harm to children.
• On-page sexual violence, especially involving minors (referenced trauma is acceptable; explicit detail is not).
• Content that prioritizes gore or spectacle over emotional truth, thematic depth, or narrative purpose.

We encourage submitters to approach heavy topics with intention, care, and narrative meaning. Difficult material is welcome—but exploitation is not.

Submission Guidelines

• Short stories: 1,000–5,000 words
• Essays: up to 3,000 words
• Poetry: up to 5 poems per submission, 1–3 pages each
• Black-and-white art: up to 5 pieces; JPG or PNG; 300dpi preferred

Please submit original, unpublished work. Simultaneous submissions are fine—just let us know if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

Details

• Deadline: June 15, 2026
• Contributors: Will receive a free digital copy, discounted print copies for resale, and promotional support.
• Rights: We request First World English Rights and non-exclusive anthology rights. Contributors retain ownership of their work.

How to Submit

Please send your work to: submissions@elderflybooks.com with the Subject line: Mother Monster/Father Fiend – [Your Name]

Include in your email:

• A brief cover letter (name, author bio up to 50 words, social links if desired)
• Your submission as a DOC, DOCX, PDF, or JPG/PNG file (depending on content type)
• If submitting multiple pieces, please attach them as one file.

Questions?

Email us at info@elderflybooks.com

Now available in print and on Kindle!

Within these pages, you’ll encounter merpeople and vampires, terrifying nights in the wilderness, the quiet horror of domestic violence, poisonous plants, the extremes of human appetite, and all the small and large ways life can unsettle us.

From horror and speculative fiction to literary explorations of shadow and chaos, this anthology invites readers to step into the eerie, the strange, and the unknowable. Witness what rises with the bad moon—and confront the unsettling truths that linger there.