4/27/26:
We are now CLOSED to fiction submissions for our Demented Mother’s Day issue. We are open to fiction submissions to our Something in the Water contest, deadline is June 25, 2026. Until further notice, we will no longer be accepting poetry submissions.
To track and see if we received your story, visit: Where’s My Story?
Please note: If you do not want your story title added to the tracking page, let us know when you submit your work. (Author name is not listed, only story title).
***We were unable to send out individual status emails for our Bloody Valentine’s Day issue story submissions. If you did not receive an acceptance, please consider your story not accepted at this time. Thank you so much and we apologize for this, as it is not how we prefer to do things, but sometimes life gets in the way! ***
Tales from the Moonlit Path publishes dark, eerie, speculative stories. Horror is not a necessary element, although fiction should contain some aspect of the weak, frail, changeable human condition.
Gore and explicit sex for the sake of visceral shock will not find a home here, though we are not opposed to it in general, if it belongs in the story.
We are interested in character-driven stories more so than plot-driven, and we prefer dark fiction that makes us think, makes us feel, wraps us in its well-spun dream.
Hard sci-fi and fantasy are a hard sell for us, but not impossible. Revenge and ironic stories are also a hard sell.
Although we would love to publish fiction longer than 2,000 words, it is our experience that reading stories longer than that on a monitor can be tiresome and hard on the eyes. So please, fiction must be no longer than 2,000 words.
Our issues are usually themed. Keep in mind that we will always accept stories that are on theme, as well as those that aren’t. We prefer to have a mix in every issue.
Please include a short cover letter with your story, your name, email address, word count (please make sure an accurate word count is included in your short cover letter) and bio if we choose to publish your work. We accept email submissions only at fiction@talesmoonlitpath.com. WE DO NOT ACCEPT ATTACHMENTS. If your story is attached, it will be deleted unread. Please submit your story embedded within the email, with this format in the subject line: Your last name: Fiction-submission.
Please use regular formatting. 12 point Helvetica or similar font, double spaced is HIGHLY appreciated.
We do NOT send received notifications for fiction submissions but feel free to query us after six weeks if you have not heard back from us for a status update. Please also remember to check the Where’s My Story page for a quick answer.
***Since we still consider writing a HUMAN outlet for creativity we will not AT ALL consider stories that are completely or even partially written by AI. ***