Project 42 Stories Update

The 42 Stories Project: 42 categories of 42 accepted submissions containing 42-word stories was launched in July 2018. 

Submissions are coming in strong. 

As a reminder, replies will be sent when possible. 

There's got to be a reason . . .

A month after the launch, one of the most competitive graduate programs for my major unexpectedly accepted my application and offered me early entry with a partial scholarship. 

Here's a hint to where that online program is located:

Classes started last August 2018 and they take most of my time. 

I'm set to graduate December 2019.

Update: Now that I have graduated your submissions are being attended to at a much faster rate. Please have patience.

Replies will be sent:

TBA

Please look for updates on the 42 Stories Facebook Page or Medium Blog, and Google the 42 Stories Anthology.

We have a full staff, except artists. Please email me if you're interested in doing cover art for each chapter and the front and back of the anthology.

We have about 400 submissions and need a little over triple that (1,764), so please ask your fellow writer friends to send a 42-word story our way. Acceptances rates are high for now. 

Reminder of rules: Write a 42-word story with a beginning, middle, and end, a 42-character bio, and enter one of the categories below.

STRICT Submission guidelines: 

Email subject: 42SUB_Category_AUTHOR INITIALS

Example: 42SUB_SF_DNA

Example submission:
Body of the email

Dear BAM,

The name's Person Name Writer, email: person@name.com. Below the bio is my SF: Science Fiction, “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in 42-Words." One or two more sentences optional. 

YOUR 42-WORD 3RD-PERSON BIO HERE

YOUR STORY TITLE HERE
by YOUR WRITER NAME HERE

YOUR STORY HERE

No attachments.

NO ENTRY FEE

Categories here

email your submission here

Remember to remember,

Bam

BAM's Purchasable Stories

People often ask what stories I have for sale.

Here's a list of anthologies and a standalone mini novel where you can find the answer.

Click the pictures below for links.

Please read a few, review, and share the tales with others.

BAR BUDS

Summary: A small town sheriff and recent widower gets a call late at night about his best friend, Alex, dancing in a fountain. This story was dedicated my bar buds who were there for me during very dark times.

Note: I receive 50% of every purchase and 10% of each sale goes to the South Texas Persian Rescue: a non profit cat adoption clinic my niece, Barry, loves.

Write Out Publishing

***

GLASS PUZZLE

Summary: A locally famous comedian has a late night reunion with his childhood friend, now a serial killer. What can go wrong? Based on my childhood friend who moved to California to become famous.

Note: Under the pen name Shelly Macaroy - an author in my manuscript: Diaries of Karma.

MacKenzie Publishing's Two Eyes Open Anthology 

***

ZEITGEIST

Summary: English as a Second Language Teacher from America wakes up in a Japanese jail cell covered in someone else's blood. Detectives seem certain he killed someone. Yet, the poor guy can't remember anything, nor can he speak Japanese.

Note: One amazon reviewer called this piece, "Authentically scary as hell."

HellBound Books Publishing's Shopping List Anthology

***

ZOINKS

Summary: The dream team came to my middle school when I was a kid. Of all people Charles Barkley sat next to me, and inspired so much in a few seconds.

Peacock Journal Anthology, Little Red Tree Publishing

***

INKLING

Summary: A linguistics professor has a rare spine condition, which makes his back move like a slinky. Only the creatures from outer space he's teaching English to can save his life in this short comedy.

Tell-Tale Inklings #3 Anthology

***

Chain

Summary: The narrator describes what it feels like to lose a sister to alcohol addiction. 

Note: This drama is written under a pen name Scott "Allan" Terrier and it's based on my sister.

Embracing the Shadow Anthology with Down in the Dirt TV Scars Publications

***

YOU VALIDATED DESTINY THROUGH HAPPENSTANCE

Summary: It's a poem about a very strange experience.

Bindweed Magazine Issue 5 Anthology

***

HOW MY LIFE CHANGED THE TIME I ALMOST GOT MUGGED

Summary: A teen's life changes when he gets held at gunpoint, as will the mugger's. 

Note: WINNER: Exceptional Short Story Award.

Writer's Ezine Volume VII to XII Anthology

***

NOT YOU AGAIN & ZILLION

Summary: 100-word comedies. 

Note: FEATURED STORIES.

The Stray Branch Anthology: Fall/Winter 2017

***

UNTIMELY DEMISE

Summary: Someone is about to die, and you get to read their final moments in this 100-word comedy.

Flash Fiction Magazine's #1 Anthology

***

KINDNESS and DECENCY

Summary: Experience a shooting from the point of view of a suicidal hero and then a homicidal maniac in an American grocery store.

Note: WINNER of the Wordsmith Competition and Story of the Month

Crack the Spine XIV Anthology

***

BIKUTIMU

Summary: An older man gets seduced by a teenage girl on a subway in Japan. He has dark motives for her, and vice versa. 

Note: Another Shelly Macaroy piece.

9 Tales Told in the Dark #21 Anthology's Bride of Chaos series

***

DEATH PIE

Summary: A kid wants to win a Halloween contest. 

Note: WINNER of a real Halloween Contest and Story of the Month

Bartleby Snopes Literary Journal and Press

***

Far From the Crowd

Summary: It's not easy to tell people goodbye because you'll probably die. That's what happens in the prequel to me having back operations in real life. 

Note: Editor's Favorite Story

StoryShelter's I Am Here. The Untold Stories of Everyday People Anthology

42 Stories Anthology

Call for submissions:

42-Word Stories Anthology

An anthology of 42 categories of 42 selected works of 42-word microfiction stories, and 42 art pieces, one per chapter. 

That's potentially 1,764 authors in one book. 

All submissions must contain a beginning, middle, and end. AFTER SUBMITTING, CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDERS FOR EMAILS FROM THE EDITOR.

Deadline: Until filled.

Release date: TBA

Word count: 42 words exactly, which does not include the title: roughly 42 characters including spaces and punctuation. DO NOT make the title 42 words. 

Use this counter:
https://wordcounter.net/

Every category (chapter) will have a Story of Excellence Award selected by a guest judge. 

Winners receive:

1) Either $0.42 payment or the option to donate the money to a pot that will go to United Through Reading.

2) Their story read (by themselves or a friend) on YouTube with all 42 selected Story of Excellence Award winners.

3) An award certificate signed by the compiler of the 42 Stories Anthology. 

4) A blog, email, and media spot with other winners that will be read by about 5,000 subscribers.

5) Writing the introduction to the chapter their story won the award in and their name on the first page of that category as the Story of Excellence Award winner. 

6) Possibly more.

Submission guidelines: 

Email subject: 42SUB_Category_AUTHOR INITIALS

Example: 42SUB_SF_DNA

Don't email asking "is it sub, SUB, or subs or SUBS?" We aren't that nitpicky.  

Specifics of your story that goes into the body of the email:

YOUR TITLE HERE (ROUGHLY "between 40 and 44" 42 Characters INCLUDING spaces)


by YOUR WRITER NAME HERE

Your story here

42-word third person bio here

Example of your email:


Dear BAM,

The name's Person Name Writer, email: person@name.com. Below is my Science Fiction, “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in 42-Words" and bio. One or two more sentences optional. 

No attachments

NO ENTRY FEE

See the example at the bottom to help you

Do not send more than one story with the same name. The goal is to publish 1,764 different writers. The more writers in the book, the more people who will talk about the anthology, so before sending multiple submissions, ask yourself if it's necessary. Instead, consider asking other writers to send their stories. If you have to send more than one piece for consideration, use a pen name for each piece. 

In addition to your nom de plume, you can use the same bio. However, if you try and sneak your real name into the bio of a multiple sub, your story will be rejected. Your stories will all be rejected if you do not follow this guideline. 

Last point: all submissions are considered separately, so do not send multi-subs together in one email. 

No plagiarism

Payment: Aside from name recognition, ONLY winners of the Story of Excellence in their genre will receive the award and $.42 which can optionally go into a charity pot. At this time, the project cannot afford to pay everyone.

Most of the money earned from book sales will pay for anthology expenses such as editing, art, beta reads, and advertising. 

The anthology will be posted on Amazon.com and other platforms. 

Rule: Check your work. It’s easy to have a grammar-loving friend read the piece as a second pair of eyes. VERY IMPORTANT: Format: Make sure your subject line was written properly. 

Response time: About six months from the submission date, maybe longer. 

RIGHTS and FACTS:

By submitting your work, you agree and confirm that we can publish your piece in the anthology. However, you will have 30 days after acceptance to withdraw your story if you change your mind about having it in the anthology. More...
You grant the 42 Stories Anthology and staff first serial rights to your original work submitted. Rights revert back to you the author one year after publication. If your work is that of plagiarism, you agree to take full responsibility legally and otherwise for work you have claimed is originally yours.
Moreover, by submitting a story, you agree that we can reformat and make punctuation changes without your prior consent. If the story is formatted a specific way that you prefer, let us know in your cover letter. However, we will contact you if we want to change any of the words.

Send:

Nothing that's been published anywhere.

No Erotica. 

No Animal Abuse.

VERY IMPORTANT: Format the subject line correctly. 

No simultaneous submissions. 

Send us your best work. 

42 categories:

VERY IMPORTANT: Format the subject line correctly.

Note: Categories with few submissions are subject to alterations. 

1. Alternate Reality
(Alternative History)

filled

2. Apocalyptic

filled

3. Clown

filled

4. Craft of Writing 

Craft of Writing details: If you have won any prestigious awards in writing, or are a publisher, agent, or editor and do not have stories in the anthology already, you can send the following for our consideration. Persons in this chapter will receive $42 and act as guest judges for the Best Of piece for one of the other 41 categories, which is approximately 11 pages of reading. Specifics and Q & A here: https://bamwrites.blogspot.com/2021/08/42-stories-anthology-craft-of-writing.html

5. Crime

filled

6. Culture

filled

7. Dystopia/Utopia

filled

8. Escape

filled

9. Fairy Tale

filled

10. Fantasy

filled

11. Fight

filled

12. Macabre & Morbid

filled

13. Hitchhiker's Guide to History or HGH

filled

14. Horror

filled

15. Humor

filled

16. Impairment

filled 

  17. Indigenous 

filled

18. Monster

filled

19. Mystery

filled

20. Mythopoeia

filled

21. Noir

filled

22. Oddball

filled

23. Outer space

filled

24. Paranormal

filled

25. Parents

filled

26. Poetic Prose

filled

27. Romance

filled

28. Satire

filled

29. Science Fiction

filled

30. Siblings

filled

31. Sports

filled

32. Steampunk

filled

33. Sword & Sorcery

filled

34. Thriller / Suspense

filled

35. Tragedy

filled

36. Trapped

filled

37. Travel story

filled

38. Vampire

filled

39. War

      filled

40. Werewolf

filled

41. Western

filled

42. Zombie

filled

  Example submission:

   Email subject line: 42Subs_CLOWN_EAJ

   Hello. My email is eaj@eaj.com. This story would fit into your clown or monster categories. Thank you. 

 MY FIRST AND LAST ENCOUNTER WITH A MONSTER

by Eval Allan Jaeger

          I was seven years old when the clown attacked. 

      Right in my face, zany. Scary white hands. 

      Aggressive smile. “Hi, little boy," he exclaimed. "Do you       like balloo—ugh.” 

      Bozo never saw my fist coming. 

      Blood slid down from his squeaky red nose.

         

         Bio

    Eval Allan Jaeger was a blogger who went by Devilsthrill back in the Myspace days. He had the number one read blog then vanished from the Internet until the Project 42 Stories Anthology launched. He looks like Don Quixote and is fictitious.

           

Submit your story through Submittable
or email it here     (42anthologysubs@gmail.com)                                   

         

All entries will be automatically subscribed to BAM Writes' email updates. It's easy to unsubscribe. But this will keep you informed of the project's progress.

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Anthology updated NUMBERS