CIRCUS OF THE DEAD
Anthology of Horror Stories featuring a Circus
The circus has come to town, and it's dying to meet you...
Wicked Shadow Press invites authors to join our grandest, darkest show yet. Submit your original horror fiction to "Circus of the Dead", to be edited by special guest editor Chad Anctil. (Tentative release: May 2025). The final date of submission is March 14, 2025.
We're seeking stories that pull back the carnival canvas to unveil the horrors lurking beneath the sawdust and sequins. Whether your tale features murderous clowns, cursed carnival rides, supernatural sideshows or ancient circuses that never die, we want your most spine-tingling circus horror stories! Let your imagination skirt the realm where cotton candy turns to cobwebs and every innocent laughter and hearty applause echo with a bloodcurdling scream.
Feel free to come up with your own story or get started with one of our writing prompts below:
Don't look too closely at the trapeze artists swinging in eerie silence, for you will find yourselves lifted from your seats, drawn into the act—forever trapped in a performance with no end.
People enter the house of mirrors, but their reflections walk out instead—flawless copies that are smarter, crueler and far more willing to do what the originals never could.
The circus bills claim "you'll laugh until you die". When the residents of a string of villages under his jurisdiction vanish overnight, the detective decides to pay the traveling circus a visit.
The mimes don’t perform on stage. They sit in the back row, staring at random audience members. If you make eye contact, they follow you home. You see them standing in the distance, mimicking your movements perfectly.
A traveling clown act changes with every town. Each audience sees a different clown. Yet, no matter who performs, the clown knows every single person’s deepest, darkest secret.
A legendary trapeze artist has never missed a catch in his entire career. When a young performer joins the act, she notices something unsettling—there’s never a safety net, yet no one ever falls.
All Horror Sub-Genres welcome. The story must feature a Circus.
WE ARE ACCEPTING:
Flash Fictions: (between 50-1500 words) Please send no more than TWO flash fictions per submission.
Short Stories: (between 1500-8000 words) Please send no more than ONE fiction per submission.
We are accepting TRANSLATED WORKS as well. Submission of translated works must be accompanied by a statement declaring that the translator has obtained the author’s permission and their publisher’s, if required.
Simultaneous Submissions are welcome but the author must inform us by e-mail as soon as the submitted piece is accepted elsewhere. Pieces cannot be withdrawn once Wicked Shadow Press informs the author of its acceptance for publication.
We consider reprints but generally do not publish them unless they are absolutely exceptional. Please mention in the mail body in case your submission is a reprint.
At present, we are unable to pay our contributors. Each contributor shall receive a COMPLIMENTARY DIGITAL COPY of the anthology as soon as it publishes.
Manuscripts should directly be sent to WickedShadowAnthology@gmail.com. Please write Submission for CIRCUS in the subject line of your submission email.
Please submit your files in the following formats: .doc /.docx /.txt. DO NOT submit PDFs.
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Wicked Shadow Press uses non exclusive rights to publish in its anthologies. Authors are free to republish their work anywhere else once it has been published.
Please submit only original pieces. Wicked Shadow Press or the editor/s of the anthology shall not be responsible for any disputes arising due to plagiarism or copyright infringement.
Each submission MUST be attached with a short bio of the author, preferably within 100 words, and if possible, a photograph to go along with publication.
NOTE: We typically reply within a month after receiving submissions. However, replies can be delayed under unforeseen circumstances.
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