The Devil Take You: Submissions Brief

 
 
Sentinel Creatives has opened up for submissions for our “THE DEVIL TAKE YOU: TALES OF MEDIEVAL HORROR” anthology.

Deadline for Submissions: 15 April 2023
Wordcount: 3,000 - 6,000
Remuneration: $125 - $200
Simultaneous Submissions: Yes
 
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We’re looking for original weird tales set in the medieval period that explore the human (and inhuman) experience through the lens of horror. 
 
Some clarifications: 

Weird: The term “weird” should be understood to mean a certain sense of breathless and unexplainable dread, of outer, unknown forces present, a suggestion of the defeat or suspension of the laws of nature which have hitherto served to protect our minds and bodies (and souls) from the assault of chaos. By its very nature, weird fiction should invoke in the reader a sense of profound uneasiness and dread, it should hint at the inability of the human mind to comprehend the true nature of existence, and it should cause us to question the stability of our faith in the established laws of nature. 
 
Medieval: The term “medieval” denotes the period in Europe lasting from around 500AD to 1500AD and is typically divided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. There is a temptation here that often proves too powerful to ignore, to view Europe through a monist lens: to see all of Europe as Christian, white, and “Western”. But this is a strange way to view a continent and a period that saw so much strife and upheaval precisely because of the differences of those living within its borders. These are the differences—the tensions—that create the opportunity for compelling storytelling.
 
Tell us stories set in the Iberian Peninsula, where the Muslim Moors and Spanish Ibero sit uneasily beside one another, all while resting over the rotting bones of the old Roman Empire. Or show us the places where cultures mix and often collide: the heirs of Rome in Constantinople or the warring Crusader States of the Levant. What might the Mongols discover as they plunge into the old temples of Europe? What awaits the crucesignati as they ride to bring the word of Christ to the Wends in their dark forests? And, of course, the Vikings. We love a good Viking Horror.
 
The medieval setting provides, in our opinion, one of the most interesting places (large as it is) to write weird fiction. There is upheaval—the undoing of the order of the world, which gave birth to the Middle Ages with the Fall of Rome; the rise of new religious sensibilities, new faiths gaining strength and momentum and yet not quite able to unseat the folk beliefs and superstitions of the past—often resulting in a conjoining of beliefs, a merger or absorption of the one by the other (for e.g. the jinn in Islam). 
 
Horror: It now feels trite to say, but good horror is about trespass and transgression more so than it is about transcendence. It confronts themes, images, and ideas that people would rather avoid than confront but elicits in the reader a sense that they cannot look away
 
Give us your body horror, your cosmic horror, your religious and paranormal horror, folk horror and slashers, monsters and more! 

REMUNERATION
All accepted stories will be paid for upfront!
Accepted stories can expect between $125-$200.
In exchange, we ask for exclusive rights to publish the story. Said rights will maintain for the duration of one year. After that, we retain the non-exclusive rights to the story, but you're welcome to submit and publish elsewhere after that!
 
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Send your submissions to: sentinelcreatives@gmail.com with the subject “MEDIEVAL HORROR SUBMISSION”. 
All manuscripts should be sent as a word document. Our preference is for Times New Roman or another clearly legible text.
 
Submissions should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words. This is not a hard limit, but preference will be given to those stories that meet this requirement. 
 
Please include a short summary of the story in the body of the email, as well as a short bio and a list of any previously published works.
We're looking for original works that have not been previously published!
We accept simultaneous submissions! 
 

About Us

If you’re unfamiliar with Sentinel Creatives, we’re an indie publishing and production house based in Cape Town, South Africa. We maintain a weekly Substack profile, a monthly podcast show, as well as more traditional publishing roles! Though our focus is on books, we have moved into the audiobook and radio-play sphere, and our larger projects include various other creative endeavours (illustration, sculpting, painting, composing etc.)

Some of our Previous Projects:

His Black Tongue

His Black Tongue is a tale of medieval horror, plunging the reader into the plague-torn land of 14th century France, when pestilence and death walked hand-in-hand, and life was little more than a sputtering candle, waiting to be put out. But there are worse things than death, than sickness and decay… and it comes upon leathery black wings.

Listen HERE

The Bone Fields

When the crew of the longship Varúlfr take refuge from a storm on a mysterious island, they are confronted by the relics of an ancient belief, and the remnants of a long-forgotten civilisation. As the true horror of the island reveals itself, they're forced to wonder if they really have stumbled upon Hel's kingdom... or something worse. In The Bone Fields, Mitchell Lüthi paints a bloody picture of Vikings, the old faith, and the perils of the high seas.

Listen HERE

Lovecraft in a Time of Madness

Lovecraft in a Time of Madness is a collection of 21 horrifying tales, inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. Featuring stories from across the globe, this anthology unveils a universe of macabre ritual, terrifying creatures, and those brave souls who dare challenge the nature of the unknown!

From Arthurian legends to the very depths of the Mariana Trench and the darkest corners of the human mind, Lovecraft in a Time of Madness oozes with unique takes on some of Lovecraft’s most forbiddable creations. Featuring stories from C.L. Werner, Thomas Parrott, Mark Wheaton, David F. Gray, Scotty Milder, and other new and established authors. Join us as we descend into madness!

Read HERE

GRIMOIRE

Like the tanning of a leathered corpse, the inaugural release of Grimoire seeks to stretch the fleshy bounds of dark fiction and horror. Included within these unhallowed pages are tales of medieval horror and cacophony, Lovecraftian delights and wretched Kaiju, accursed djinn and pestilential priests, all brought together for the very first time in one horrific collection.

Engaging and provocative, these tales of the damned stalk the graveyards at night, crawl up from the empty and wet places of this world, and haunt the dreams of all who read them. Combining both ancient and modern horrors, this anthology takes the reader beyond the comfort of the hearth, and into the gaping mouth of hell.

Grimoire features tales by C. L. Werner, Madison Kilian, Erica Schaef, Mitchell Lűthi and H. P. Lovecraft.

Read HERE