As the winner of last month’s contest, Dylan Wells agreed to host this month. Here’s her theme:
“Why say “Not today, Satan!” when saying “yes” is so much more fun? The theme for this go around is just that: “Yes today, Satan!” Satan can be as literal or figurative as you like, and could be a deal with the devil, a casting off of societal pressures to bloody results, succumbing to a forbidden temptation, or anything else the little devil on your shoulder is whispering in your ear—as long as it has a dark, or darkly delightful, result.
Before we get to the submission guidelines, please know that only the top 15 to 20 stories will be posted on our Patreon page for our patrons to vote on. The winner will receive $0.03 per word, publication, and an Author Spotlight on our newsletter and Patreon page. The second-place winner will receive $0.02 a word, and the third place winner $0.01 per word. The winner will also have the option of hosting the following month’s contest for an additional $50. Second and third place authors will also be invited to be published in our newly-announced Hotel Macabre anthology series, which will include flash fiction, short stories, and poetry. Out Halloween, 2024.
Submission guidelines:
-Max 1,500 words
-Submit your entry in the body of an email to crystallakesubmissions@gmail.com (no attachments) – please notice the new submissions email (no longer our main email account)
-The email subject line should be the story’s title and your author name / pseudonym
-The deadline is midnight at the end of January, wherever in the world you may reside.
-No multiple submissions (only your best story)
-Reprints are allowed if they naturally fit the theme.
-Put your bio below your story (max 500 words).
Please take note… You do not need to be a Crystal Lake Patreon patron to enter. This is a contest and only the top three placing stories receive payment. If you’re chosen as a finalist, our $5-a-month and higher tier patrons will read all the entries, posted one per day, and vote for a winner at the end of the month. Some editors/publishers may consider having your story posted on a subscription-based platform, like Patreon, as a first publication. If your story does not win, we will remove it upon request. Patreon now offers a 7-day free trial, so you can join us on Patreon as a reader or author and give us a chance to impress you. The trials are available on the $5 tiers (there’s one for authors and one for readers). These tiers (and the ones above them) will give you full access to all the stories as well as all our other content.