Title: Don’t Ask, Ghosts Tell

Word Count: 2,000 to 5,000 words for short stories. Poetry is by invitation only.

Deadline: EXTENDED! Deadline is now June 9, 2024 April 30, 2024 (All entrants will receive a response by the end of July 2024)

No reprints. Simultaneous submissions are okay. Just let us know if your story is accepted elsewhere.

Author Pay: $0.03/word (USD). This may increase with a successful Kickstarter campaign.

Who May Submit: Open to those who identify as LGBTQ+, especially the following individuals:

• With military service (active, retired, veterans welcome).
• Wanted to join a service organization but was denied.
• Served but forced out due to sexual orientation.
• Current or former military dependents who identify as LGBTQ+.

Military life can be difficult for those who don’t fit the norm, whether actively serving or maneuvering through military life as a child or spouse. Although this anthology is not military specific, future book proceeds will go to support the Modern Military Association of America. Information about the organization is at the end of this submission call.

Author Biography: Include a 1-2 paragraph author biography in the body of your email. Do not include it in your submission file. **If you served, and would like to share a bit about your service branch, rank, and experience please include it in your biography.

Submission Guidelines: Use Shunn format. Please include your preferred pronouns. However, do not include your physical mailing address or phone number on the submission. If accepted, we’ll ask for that information in the contract.

See below for a thorough listing of our general submission guidelines.

File Title: Story Title_Your Name_DAGT

Charity Organization: Modern Military Association of America is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization; EIN 52-184500 Go to their site for more information http://www.Modernmilitary.org.

Background: Modern Military Association of America (MMAA) is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization of LGBTQ+ service members, military spouses, veterans, their families, and allies. We are a united voice for the LBGTQ+ military and veteran community. We work to uphold and expand the civil rights progress made on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community through education, advocacy, support networks, and discrimination tracking. Learn more about MMAA’s work at http://www.modernmilitary.org.

Warmly,

Sirrah Medeiros

Editor-in-Chief

Tundra Swan Press

General Submission Guidelines

• Submit a .docx, .doc, or .rtf file in Shunn manuscript format in Times News Roman font. No need to include your physical mailing address or phone number on the manuscript. If your submission is selected for publication, we’ll ask for that information in the contract.
• Style scene breaks with three asterisks without spaces *** and with no additional line space above or below. Don’t get fancy.
• Please utilize the paragraph formatting feature in MS Word (or other word processor) to set your first line indents. Please do not use the TAB key or spacebar to indent (it’s a nightmare for our editors and formatters).
• If you have drafted your story in your phone’s notes app or similar app, please review and edit in a word processing program following these guidelines before submitting. **Reminder, libraries are a great resource if you do not have your own computer.
• If you have additional formatting questions, let us know.
• Cover letters should include the story title, a logline, and the word count in the body of your email. Also, include the story’s theme or potential theme.
• Our preference is always for new material. The exception will be if an anthology submission call specifically states reprints welcome. On the off chance that we deter from this, we will post on our website and social media platforms, as necessary.
• We’ve started a Tundra Swan Press Facebook Group. Come on by and get to know our writers, readers, and fans of dark fiction.
• Author Bios: Please include around a100-word author bio (no more than 2 paragraphs) in the body of your email (not at the end of your story submission) along with your social media and website information.
• Simultaneous and multiple submissions are welcome! If your sub is accepted elsewhere, please send us an email to let us know and withdraw your submission. If sending multiples, please submit only ONE SUBMISSION PER EMAIL.
• We are an inclusive publisher. Please read our inclusion statement on our website if you have not yet done so. We welcome authors with diverse backgrounds, traits, and abilities. We particularly enjoy reading submissions where the author has entwined these traits, abilities, and related characteristics into the story, adding depth to characters and settings without making the traits the focus of the story itself (unless it is integral to the plot).  
• The deciding elements in acceptance or rejection will be the writing quality, adherence to genre, and overall fit with other stories selected for publication.
• Last call. If you’ve followed the Shunn manuscript format and these guidelines, we’ll be much happier reading your submission. We’ve aligned our submission guidelines to standard industry practice to the best of our ability. Deviating from the guidelines would not prove beneficial for acceptance with our publishing house.

• Hard Sells.
  • Rape.
  • Torture porn themes.
  • Query letters that spell the editor’s name wrong (serious pet peeve).
  • Reprints (unless an anthology submission call specifically states reprints are welcome).
  • AI-generated stories or poetry are not accepted. Period.
  • The submission call receives stories that do not fit or are only peripherally connected to the genre.
• Thank you for reading and following our guidelines. We look forward to reading your work!