Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice
Tourmaline and Quartz Publishing’s first short story anthology
Call for Submissions will open from April 1 – April 30, 2022
From castles atop snow crested mountains to the cold isolation of the frozen tundra, the lure of darkness beckons us all.
For Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice, Tourmaline & Quartz seeks your tales of stone cold villains. Show us the frosty ice queens, the conniving fae lords we love to hate and hate to love. Give us your dragons with hearts as cold as their gold, or the witch who summons a snowstorm to save herself from the hunters. Tell us about your morally gray outcasts that crave vengeance while the heroes are seeking warmth.
The winter months are dark, the snows are deep, and the ice is treacherous. But what if the bitter cold wasn’t the only villain?
Short Story Requirements & Information
Word Count: 5,000-7,500 words.
Reprints: No. Previously unpublished stories only.
Simultaneous Submissions: OK. You can submit your story elsewhere while you are waiting to hear from us, but please notify us via email immediately if your story is accepted somewhere else.
Multiple Submissions: OK. Send one submission per email if you choose to submit more than one.
Expected publication: November 2022
Selection: Authors will be notified of decisions by June 30, 2022.
Compensation: If selected, authors will receive $25 USD and a copy of the anthology, upon publication. US authors will receive a paperback. Authors outside the US will receive a digital copy of the anthology. All payments will be through PayPal.
Timeline: You will receive confirmation of receipt of your email submission within 1-3 days. Submissions will be read as they come in, but everyone who submitted will be notified of acceptance or rejection by June 30, 2022. Unfortunately, we won’t have the capacity to provide feedback on stories that aren’t selected.
Rights: We are seeking first English rights for world distribution, exclusive for one year. Authors retain all copyright, as they should. Publishing rights will return after one year, unless in case of special circumstance, for which the author will need to make a request in writing from the publisher. The anthology will be published in print and ebook, for so long as the publisher sees fit. After one year, authors are free to submit their short story elsewhere as a reprint.
What we’re looking for
For Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice, we are looking for short stories in unique fantasy settings, with wintery elements, and an enthralling conflict for your antagonist.
Tell us stories that make us wonder, make us want to join the dark side—or are fantastically gray.
Give us your high and low fantasy, fairytale retellings, historical fantasy, gaslamp fantasy, portal fantasy, sword and sorcery, or any other non-contemporary fantasy subgenre, so long as your story is compelling and unique, incorporating a wintery villain.
Diversity
We welcome and encourage submissions from writers of all backgrounds and ages, especially people of color, women, LGBTQ+, or people with disabilities.
What we’re not looking for
For Kingdoms, we are not looking for contemporary or urban fantasy.
We are not looking for exceedingly dark tales. No, they don’t need a happily ever after, but T & Q values stories that offer a fantastic escape.
Stories entirely based on romance will not be considered. Enemies to lovers is welcome so long as there is a genuine plot, and the romance is not explicit.
We will not consider or read stories with:
- Graphic depictions of sex, or sexual assault
- Graphic or gratuitous violence or gore
- Non-consensual sexual activity
- Glorification of gaslighting or domestic abuse
- Child abuse
- Animal abuse
- Stereotypes or denigration of any culture, particularly marginalized ones
Additionally, if your story has an element that would need a content warning, ask yourself: is this relevant to the plot? Aim for PG-13.
Submission Guidelines
Submissions will be open from April 1-30, 2022, check out our submissions page for the official details.
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Format
Short stories will need to be .doc or .docx format. Format your document in proper manuscript format (more information here), using Times New Roman, 12pt font, double spaced, and with page numbers on each page. Your story must be between 5,000-7,500 words. If you do not follow these guidelines, your story will not be read.
About the Editors
Liz Delton started Tourmaline and Quartz with a planner and stack of fantasy books. She is the author of over a dozen books, a mom of two somewhat wild children, and an avid tea drinker. Having received a BFA in Theater Management at the University of the Arts, she has always enjoyed the backstage life of storytelling. You can find out more at lizdelton.com.
Guest editor Benjamin Thomas is a multi-genre writer from New England who unequally balances his time between hiking, writing, and quoting seemingly random movies. His short fiction has appeared in a variety of publications including The Lascaux Review, Flash Fiction Online, and The Lost Librarian’s Grave while his medical thriller Jack Be Quick is available from Owl Hollow Press. He can be found online at benjiswandering.com or on social media @benjiswandering
[…] month, Tourmaline & Quartz announced its first short story anthology, Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice. Benjamin Thomas is guest editor for the anthology alongside T & […]