Dolls in the Attic

Deadline: July 31st, 2024 at 11:59pm CST


Length: 5,000-10,000 words

Format: Must be submitted as a Google Doc file which must have terrorcorepublishing@gmail.com as an owner with editing turned on. You will provide the shareable link in the form upon submission. Use only one tab and do not use spaces to start a new paragraph. Do not write "The End" at the end of the story. In the header, please include the following: 1) your name, 2) the title of the story, and 3) the word count of the story. Submissions that do not follow these guidelines will not be read.

Compensation: Selected authors will receive (1) contributor mass market paperback copy of the anthology as well as a one-time payment of $20, along with two copies of the audiobook, and a copy of the ebook. You will also receive a discount on author copies when purchasing through Terrorcore.

International Submissions: While Terrorcore Publishing loves receiving submissions from international writers, the truth is that is very costly to ship items across the world. At this time, we ask that if you are international (outside of the U.S.A.) that you provide the difference. Terrorcore will pay at most $10 to ship the contributor copy and anything in excess will need to be covered by the author. In lieu of shipping the item, international writers can receive $25 (which is the standard commission + the cost of the one copy you would have received). 

Rights: The author will retain all rights to their story. It can be published elsewhere in full. The publisher will not keep said rights nor prevent the author from selling their story elsewhere. However, it is important to note that after the author is selected if they choose to publish it elsewhere they need to ensure with that publisher that they aren't getting sole rights to the story and that Terrorcore will have the right to continue to publish it in this anthology, as well as future "best of" anthologies, if any come about.

Style: Set in the 1980s / 1990s.

Genre: Horror. Any kind. It can be paranormal, slasher, psychological, gore, etc. There is no such thing as TOO FAR for this anthology.   

Prompt: With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Lady Adelaide Rosemary Hawthorne, a beacon of grace and elegance, who departed this world on February 21, 1987, at the age of 87. Lady Hawthorne, beloved matriarch and pillar of the community, left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of crossing her path.

A woman of profound depth and curiosity, Lady Hawthorne possessed an insatiable thirst for knowledge and beauty. Intriguingly, it was during the meticulous process of sorting through Lady Hawthorne’s belongings that her family stumbled upon a hidden treasure trove within the attic of her cherished home: a collection of FIFTEEN exquisite porcelain dolls. Each doll, delicately preserved, seemed to whisper tales of bygone eras, invoking a sense of nostalgia and wonder within those who had the privilege of discovering them.

The dolls are planned to be auctioned off individually on Tuesday night, 7pm.

Write a story about a porcelain doll from Lady Hawthorne’s attic. This can be the story of how it ended up there or what happens with the doll after the auction.

Do’s: Dolls must be porcelain. should take place in the 80s / 90s.

Dont’s: Not all stories need to be about the doll being possessed, per se. there can be other reasons why bad things happen around the dolls. it is not clear why Lady Hawthorne collected them. I do not want any stories that reference other works. The doll should not be named Chucky or Annabelle or anything in pop culture. 

Setting: Your story can take place EITHER before Lady Hawthorne got the doll and end with Hawthorne getting her or AFTER the auction and where the doll goes from there. Keep in mind that you should not give a physical description of Hawthorne unless imperative to the story.

PHASES

Selection Phase: Stories are estimated to be selected by September 15th, 2024, we hope. This timeline may change depending on the number of submissions received. 

Editing Phase: Selected stories must agree that they will be able to participate in an editing phase where I may request changes. The editing phase is estimated to occur during September-October 2024.

Proofing Phase: Proofs will be done in October 2024. 

Preorder Phase: Preorders will go live in November 2024. 

Publication Phase: The tentative publication date is in December 2024.

 

Link to the form: https://forms.gle/xhgT38U4B1dicdEk7