Open Lines
22 Days of Yule
Whether you call it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Yule, or even Festivus, the winter holiday is meant to be a time of togetherness and joy and goodwill. This line is for happy, warm-fuzzy feeling winter-themed short stories. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans* short stories are what we want to see!
Must haves are a winter or holiday theme, star GLBT characters, erotic and romantic content, and there must be a happy, heart-warming ending. This is all about the good of this season, so keep that in mind. There can be bittersweet notes to the submissions, but those bittersweet notes must be singing joyful hymns by the end. Stories must be between 15,000 and 20,000 words.
Deadline for 22 Days of Yule is October 15th, 2012 to allow time for selection and editing.
Willing Spirits
It begins with a passing shadow, movement at the corner of your eye. At first you dismiss it, blame those whispering voices on your overactive imagination, but eventually, they make themselves known. Ghosts come in many forms, and their wants and needs are difficult to comprehend. Their touches are the shiver down your spine, the tingle that makes your hair stand on end. They fill a space with energy, be it protective or hostile, but one thing is for sure: they are part of the fearful unknown.
For this line, we're looking for stories that involve ghosts or haunted houses, things that go bump in the night and scare people shitless. The opportunities are endless here: a ghost hunter main character, patients falling for one another in a haunted asylum, even a medium falling in love with one of the spirits. While mystery, horror, or thriller settings are perfect for this kind of story, feel free to sell us on any other genre such as fantasy, sci-fi, or historical.
The stories in this line must feature GLBT main characters, a level of horror (a scare factor), and a romantic or erotic sub-plot. Length must be 20,000 words or higher.
Deadline for Willing Spirits is August 15th, 2012 to allow time for selection and editing, as all stories will be released throughout October 2012.
Boys On Film
Ridiculed, envied, misunderstood, and coveted, the men of the porn industry work hard for every scrap they're given. Gay-for-pay, safe sex on camera, and the complications of their personal lives, choosing the route of a porn star isn't easy. From having to come on cue to endless takes that require he stay hard, guys in the pornography industry have a lot on their shoulders.
In our Boys on Film line, we want to explore the lives and loves of the men of the gay porn industry. What it's like to perform, to take direction while a dozen people look on. How about those who participate in dorm living with cameras following their every move? From orgies to fetishes, amateur to softcore, how does the life of a porn star impact the reality of the man once the cameras are turned off?
Storm Moon Press is looking for submissions of 20,000 words or more that focus on men in porn and their relationships off the camera. There must be a GLBT romance at the core of these stories, and happy endings are a must.
Divinity
Greek, Roman, Celtic, Egyptian, Norse, Chinese, Japanese—the list of cultures with rich mythologies seems almost endless. In our Divinity line, we're seeking submissions that explore the key figures of those mythological stories: gods and goddesses. Zeus, Brighid, Mars, Daoji, Uzume, or any number of gods, goddesses, deities, and demigods have immense potential.
Storm Moon Press is looking for submissions of 20,000 words or more with a core GLBT romance between a god or goddess and another creature—be it another god or goddess, a mortal, or even mythological creature—that have elements of adventure, heroism, and mythological grandeur. We are not seeking retellings of common myths, but new tales from imaginative minds given free rein over fantastical, immortal beings with immense power.
Dubious
Forced seduction, dubious consent, non-violent intimidation, pre-negotiated fantasy -- these are all shades of gray in the gradient that is non-consensual sex. These scenes push the boundaries of consent: not verbally giving it but not protesting what is happening either; the passion and arousal of the act overpowers all boundaries.
Let it be clear that we are not looking for stories that are outright rape, where one party physically forces themselves on the other, traumatizing them and committing a crime. We want don't want to break boundaries, we just want to play with them a little. The individuals must consent in their own way. This can be any variety of situations: BDSM rape-fantasy, a boss having sex with a worker, or even a character who has trouble submitting being forced to submit.
We want to see authors explore the gray areas of consent, contrasting physical enjoyment with emotional hang-ups, abuse of authority, what society deems proper, or anything else. Clarity in the fact that both parties must consent, whether or not this comes in the form of admitting it to their partner, is an absolute requirement. It can be whatever form you like, as long as we know by the end of the story that the characters did consent to the situation.
Stories must be 20,000 words or longer, and we're looking for strong GLBT main characters. While we really do prefer happy endings, no happily ever after is required for this line. Even so, please avoid full-out rape, abuse, or main character deaths, as we want shades of gray rather than black.
Head Games
Can you really trust anyone? Can you even trust your own senses? From a simple con to serious mental manipulation, some people just seem to get off on screwing with other people's minds. What drives that sort of person? Can anyone get the best of them, or is it all part of an even more elaborate game?
This line is focused on mind games and the players that play them. A mystery/thriller setup is common for such a story, but we are open to any genre, from sci-fi and fantasy to steampunk and historical. The key elements must be a character or characters driven to deception on a staggering level, GLBT main characters, and a romantic or erotic sub-plot.
Stories should be 20,000 words or more.
On the Edge
Most of the BDSM that can be found in books is tame: handcuffs, light bondage, floggers, sometimes even whips. While this type of BDSM has its place, what we are looking for is stories that go beyond what is considered normal. We want to see edgeplay, because nothing is hotter than people pushing and exploring the boundaries of what they view as safe, sane, and consensual. This means things that are not light kink: breathplay, knifeplay, fireplay, gunplay, bloodplay, sensory deprivation, and other things that do not necessarily fall under the heading of safe or sane.
That said, we do very much want the consensual part. Healthy edgeplay requires a safe, caring environment and a good amount of aftercare, so we will be looking forward to seeing these things in your story. Stories need to be 20,000 words or longer, and we're looking for strong GLBT main characters. Happy endings are not necessary for this line, though they are strongly encouraged.
Renegades, Rebels, and Rogues
There's just something about a bad boy. Not evil exactly, but rough, coarse, and doesn't give a damn about things like civility or etiquette or speed limits. You know the type. These are the men you don't take home to meet Mother, who oftentimes have a rap sheet, and leave a trail of broken hearts in their wake.
Storm Moon Press is seeking submissions 20,000 words or more filled with the dark, dangerous world and romances of the bad boy. Any genre is welcome, but GLBT main characters, strong erotic content, and a thoroughly fleshed out world are a necessity. We want to feel for these bad boys with hearts of gold, and we want to see them get a relatively happy, satisfying ending to their stories.
Sacred Desire
There is something forbidden, something untouchable about men and women of the cloth. Society sets them on a pedestal of moral and ethical greatness. They are closer to the divine, beyond earthly desires, bound by vows to keep their lives according to a strict code. But what happens when that code contradicts the loves and passions they feel? Is resisting temptation truly the most holy path?
In this collection, we want to see stories that focus on characters considered to be amongst the religious elite. While you can choose any religion or ideology you like, we ask that you try to remain respectful of the religious beliefs in order to paint a realistic picture of your main characters' struggles. Feel free to touch on anything from a specific sect of Christianity all the way to Hinduism or Paganism. This is your chance to play around with priests or priestesses, monks, nuns, clerics, rabbis, gurus, or even shamans and tell their stories of romance and passion.
Stories submitted for this collection should be 20,000 words or longer (novella or novel length). Key required elements: a GLBT main character who struggles to balance religious beliefs with personal desires, a strong romantic and erotic plot, and at least a happily-for-now ending.
Twice Upon A Time
We've all heard the stories, damsels in distress being saved by knights in shining armor, little people the size of your thumb, a cloak-bedecked girl talking to a stranger, children finding a candy house in the woods. These days, most of the fairytales we were told as children have been remade several times, romanticized for what some may deem a more fragile generation. However, be it Grimm, H.C. Andersen, or local folktales, these stories linger, and in this line of releases, we're looking for fairytales retold with an erotic, GLBT twist.
Switch characters' sexes, change motivations, add twists and turns to answer those 'what if's surrounding the story's original conclusion. Set it in another world, introduce a magic spell that changes the entire story as we know it, turn everything topsy turvy! Just ensure we can recognize the original story and see where you departed from it to include the erotic and GLBT themes. We want to be swept up and see your creativity!
Stories in this line must be 20,000 words or longer (novella or novel length).
Worldpunk
The term 'cyberpunk' is now over 30 years old – old enough that the "future" settings of some early stories in the genre are now actually in the past. Still, the fascination with cyberpunk and its derivatives (like steampunk) continues to grow. Those historical and furturistic settings, gritty and fantastical, are what we're looking for with Worldpunk.
This line is for -punk stories: steampunk, cyberpunk, dieselpunk, clockpunk, atompunk... even ironpunk or bronzepunk if you think you can pull it off. While we will accept the steampunk submissions, we're actually eager to see authors stretch themselves and attempt the other -punks out there! Submissions must be 20,000 words or more, have GLBT main characters, contain a great romance with steamy aspects, and have a satisfactory ending.