Sirens, the fourth title in Rhonda Parrish's Magical Menageries anthology series from World Weaver Press featuring Fae, Scarecrow, and Corvidae, is seeking submissions right now.

Greek mythology describes the Sirens as being charismatic monsters; part bird, part woman, with enchanting voices whose songs either lure men to, or foretell, their deaths. In Roman mythology they play a similar role but shift their domain to the sea and take the form of mermaid-like creatures. Mythological Sirens such as these come with a capital ess; there are only a small number of them, they have names, Godly parents and occupations. Those Sirens are welcome within the pages of this anthology, but so are their lower-case sisters.

In Sirens, we will honor and share stories of historical Sirens, but we’ve equal room for modern re-imaginings and will be giving matching space to both avian and aquatic varieties.

Whether from the sea or sky, sirens are beautiful, dangerous and musical, and we’re open to works that exemplify as well as those which defy those expectations.Sirens will be a book full of tales that evoke a vast spectrum of emotions toward these maidens, empathy, disdain, sorrow, awe and anger. I want stories of wretched and cursed sirens who fight against the roles imposed upon them and tales of those who revel in them. I’m hoping for pieces re-telling or playing upon the traditional myths and others which create their own mythologies, and all the little niches in between.

We are looking for speculative stories up to 7,500 words long.

Rights and compensation: Payment: $10 and a paperback copy of the anthology from World Weaver Press. We are looking for previously unpublished works in English. Seeking first world rights in English and exclusive right to publish in print and electronic format for six months after publication date, after which publisher retains nonexclusive right to continue to publish for the life of the anthology.

Open submission period: August 15 - November 15, 2015

Length: Under 7,500 words

Submission method: Email story as a .doc or .rtf attachment to fae [at] worldweaverpress [dot] com. Subject line: Sirens Submission: TITLE

Simultaneous submissions = okay. Multiple submissions = no.

Listed at Duotrope, Dark Markets, Literarium, and other sites.

About the anthologist: Rhonda Parrish is driven by a desire to do All The Things. She has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine for over five years now (which is like 25 years in internet time) and is the editor of World Weaver Press anthology Fae. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been included or is forthcoming in dozens of publications including Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast and Mythic Delirium. Her website, updated weekly, is at rhondaparrish.com.

Want to know more about the editor's tastes? Pick up a copy of one of the three already published anthologies in the series, Fae, Corvidae, and Scarecrow.

Far Orbit Apogee cover art has arrived. The second volume in the critically acclaimed Far Orbit anthology series of modern science fiction adventures crafted by a new generation of Grand Tradition writers, edited by Bascomb James.

The anticipated sequel to Shards of History is here!  Follow Malia and her journey in Rebecca Roland’s Fractured Days, and read more about Roland’s world building, including the naming of characters and her love of dragons, here!

Author picks! Rebecca Roland talks her favorite aspects of Fractured Days, including the relationship between the Taakwa people and the Jeguduns [Read more here].

Research is an author’s best friend! Rebecca Roland can now survive stranded in the woods-thanks to her research on treating ailments, pain, and fatigue for Fractured Days [Read more here].

Lions, tigers, and…dragons? If you share Rebecca Roland’s love of dragons, the Shards of History series is for you! [Read more here].

More than a name…Rebecca Roland recognizes the importance of a name, in particular that a name can connote myriad personality traits, as Roland describes here.

No castles here! Rebecca Roland talks her inspiration for the setting of Shards of History, and it doesn’t include the classic medieval imagery usually conjured by dragons [Read more here]. 

Editor Rhonda Parrish is driven by a desire to do All The Things. She has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of Niteblade Magazine for nearly eight years now (which is like forever in internet time) and is the editor of several anthologies including Fae, Corvidae, Scarecrow, and B is for Broken. In addition, Rhonda is a writer whose work has been in dozens of publications like Tesseracts 17: Speculating Canada from Coast to Coast, Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing (2012) and Mythic Delirium. Her website, updated weekly, is at rhondaparrish.com.

Tangent reviewer Eric Kimminau is "a BBS geek turned IT professional for a Fortune 10 global IT company. And now seeker of further Corvidae stories." Read his full review at Tangent Online where he delivers more thoughts on the anthology as a whole and each individual story (individual story reviews might be a smidge spoilery.)

Tangent, the genre's premiere review magazine for short SF & Fantasy since 1993, has been described as a "one-stop clearinghouse for information on the good, the bad and the ugly in the short-story jungle" by Paul Di Filippo of SciFi.com, it provides insightful, in-depth coverage of the width and breadth of the short SF/F field.