Fall 2025 Short Story Contest
This winners of this contest will be published in an upcoming anthology to be released Fall 2025. Please see below for the prompt and rules for submission.
Escape into the dark, mysterious world of gothic literature, where nothing is as it seems.
Amidst the gloomy atmosphere, haunted setting, and abundance of secrets that make up the gothic genre, one element sticks out in this anthology—can we trust the narrator?
In some way, the narrator should be unreliable or unexpected. Perhaps they are misleading the reader, or they might not even know they are being deceptive. Maybe they aren’t entirely human, or they just aren’t who everyone else thought they were. They could even behave in a way the reader doesn’t expect. Most importantly, in what way can a flawed narrator change the entire dynamic of a story?
Amidst the gloomy atmosphere, haunted setting, and abundance of secrets that make up the gothic genre, one element sticks out in this anthology—can we trust the narrator?
In some way, the narrator should be unreliable or unexpected. Perhaps they are misleading the reader, or they might not even know they are being deceptive. Maybe they aren’t entirely human, or they just aren’t who everyone else thought they were. They could even behave in a way the reader doesn’t expect. Most importantly, in what way can a flawed narrator change the entire dynamic of a story?
Rules
Deadline to submit: June 20, 2025
No prior publishing experience necessary
Open internationally to writers 18 and older
Specs
You can submit more than one story, but only one may appear in the anthology
All who submit will receive professional feedback
Stories written using AI or suspected of being written using AI will be rejected
No prior publishing experience necessary
Open internationally to writers 18 and older
Specs
- Word count: 3k to 10k
- Target audience: 18+
- Limited cursing and gory descriptions
- Combination of genres: stories can be in the historical, contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, etc. genres as long as they also contain gothic elements
- Stories in gothic literature likely include things like hostile or gloomy weather, supernatural beings or circumstances, mystery and suspense, and old buildings, houses, or castles
You can submit more than one story, but only one may appear in the anthology
All who submit will receive professional feedback
Stories written using AI or suspected of being written using AI will be rejected
This stories in this anthology will be selected and edited by Courtney Umphress. Find her previously published anthology, Craving You, here:
The fall anthology will be published by &You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books. Find FAQs and submit your story at www.andyoupress.com.
About Me
Courtney has been a copyeditor and proofreader for over ten years. She has edited for authors from all over the world, including several USA Today best-selling authors. Although her portfolio includes everything from thrillers to horror to self-help books, Courtney specializes in fantasy and romance. She’s worked for various companies, but she has a soft spot for empowering independent and aspiring authors to fulfill their dreams.
Courtney lives in the Panhandle of Texas with her husband, three kids, and two calico cats. You can find her in a coffee shop or a library almost any day of the week, but she also loves traveling, hiking, and playing baseball with her kids.
Courtney lives in the Panhandle of Texas with her husband, three kids, and two calico cats. You can find her in a coffee shop or a library almost any day of the week, but she also loves traveling, hiking, and playing baseball with her kids.
Companies I've Worked For
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