New Story Accepted for Tales From the Womb

A few years ago, when I first wrote it, one of my writers group’s members said that while some of my past stories may have been in poor taste, this one was in the worst taste by far. Well, it is a bit on the absurdist side too. But for whatever reason it has been a story that hadn’t yet sold.

Could it be the part about the killer fetuses?

But then in late January this year, the call came from Editor Jessica Mielke of Planet Bizarro Press: In June of 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, causing severe damage to reproductive health rights across the country. In protest of this decision, and to support those organizations that fight to bring affordable health care to all, the TALES FROM THE WOMB anthology was conceived. All profits from sales of this collection will be donated to the Planned Parenthood organization, which has been at the forefront of the fight for women’s bodily rights. . . .

We are seeking horror stories that fall under the umbrella of ‘weird fiction’. So please no stories of serial killers or ghosts (unless they have a creative twist). Examples of acceptable subgenres are bizarro, cosmic horror, surreal and abstract horror, and splatterpunk. More traditional genres of horror will also be considered, so long as the stories have an element that qualifies them as weird fiction.

All stories should follow the themes of pregnancy, the unborn, and new motherhood. Babies are okay, so long as they are newborns. We’re especially interested in exploring the darker sides of pregnancy.

So, if there’s also a junior sexton, a fetching witch, a pastor perhaps too concerned about his church’s finances, a parade of baby carriage pushing angry anti-abortion protesters, and . . . oh, yes . . . the Grim Reaper sleeping one off in a tavern dumpster. . . ? The story’s title is “Let Us Prey,” and it seemed worth a try.

Today came the answer: Thank you for your submission to TALES FROM THE WOMB. I am happy to inform you that your short story has been accepted for publication in the anthology.