Fifth special submission window for 2015 is now open. Details are on the submissions page.
Author Archives: kraxon
Fifth special submission window for 2015
Submission status – Closed
This is the fifth of six special submission windows for 2015. One story from those submitted will be published on the date specified.
Write a story inspired by the specified theme and within the specified genre.
Theme – Time Travel.
In Back to the Future Part II, Dr Emmett Brown takes Marty McFly and Jennifer Parker into the future. They arrive on 21st October 2015.
Marty McFly: Hey, Doc, we better back up. We don’t have enough road to get up to 88.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.
Write a science fiction story involving time travel.
Please do not use elements from the Back to the Future series or other protected works which may infringe on copyright or trademarks.
Kraxon Publishing Ltd cannot publish material where relevant rights have not been obtained.
Genre – Science Fiction
Length – 1,500 (+/- 50) words excluding the title.
Payment – £45 GBP
Publication date – 21st October 2015
Submission Window – 2nd August 2015 to 20th August 2015
Submission Window – special5.sub at kraxonpublishing.co.uk
Please use the Chronicles discussion thread for any questions.
General submission guidelines and terms of publication apply unless specified otherwise. Please see the FAQ’s for commonly asked questions.
Flame of Desire by Rosie Oliver
“Promise me…” she whispered.
“Yes, mother?”
“A lit candle… on the table… when boyfriends come to dinner.”
Flame of Desire
My mother clutched my hand as she lay under the wreck of the vehicle whose auto-steering had gone crazy. Pain etched heavy lines across her face. Her body trembled. She tugged at my hand for me to come closer.
I bent my face over hers, trying to hold back the blurring tears.
“Promise me…” she whispered.
“Yes, mother?”
“A lit candle… on the table… when boyfriends come to dinner.”
It was a crazy thing to ask for, a small thing to beg of me and I wondered why it was so important to her.
“Promise…”
“Yes, mother.”
She closed her eyes and her hand relaxed, letting go of mine. She died smiling. My tears drowned out the sight of her and much of the days that followed.
Seventh Zodiac Eclipse – Naxos
Seventh Zodiac Eclipse story written by Thaddeus White is now online.
“By the stars,” Nicephorus moaned. “What are we supposed to do now?”
Drusus laughed. Like everyone, except Gertrude, his voice was modulated by a filter mask. “Calm down. You sound like a schoolgirl whose pigtails have been cut off.
Zodiac Eclipse – Naxos
“By the stars,” Nicephorus moaned. “What are we supposed to do now?”
Drusus laughed. Like everyone, except Gertrude, his voice was modulated by a filter mask. “Calm down. You sound like a schoolgirl whose pigtails have been cut off. The captain’s no fool, and he’ll have tracked us coming down. He’ll kit out one of the other boats with shielding and send it down to pick us up. In the meantime, we need to make for the temple.”
“Shouldn’t we stay near to The Tiger’s Eye?” Gertrude suggested. “The Sun Dancer probably tracked us as we came down. If we leave the crash site they won’t know where we are.”
Several other pirates nodded agreement.
“And if the sun comes up before the rescue boat comes down?” Drusus countered. “It’ll be fifty degrees or more during the day. Do any of you think sitting out in the sun is a good idea?” He gave them a moment to contemplate that prospect, and continued, “Besides, do you want to face the captain without the rhodium? There’s a fortune waiting to be claimed. So what if we’ve lost a bucket of rust? It’s time to plunder a ton of treasure. We’ll occupy the temple and use it to shelter from the sun.”
Continue reading
The Survivor by Kerry Buchanan
Not for the first time, I wondered why a man like this had been put in charge of an exploratory expedition. ‘No sentient beings on this planet,’ my arse.
The Survivor
We were not alone.
I’d the sense not to speak my thoughts aloud this time. One more word and I would be disciplined at best, demoted at worst. Spencer had no patience with my hunches.
When the screaming started, I was the only one to drop to the ground, pulling Spencer with me.
“What the f–?” He began. I clamped a hand over his mouth.
All around us our fellow scientists, my friends, were being snatched.
Only a few feet away, someone was hauled past us, yanked along by an unseen force. Odd socks identified her as Georgie, our xenobiologist. The bags of cuttings we’d collected still swung from her belt. I moved to grab her as she flashed past.
Spencer pulled me back. He gripped my wrist, glaring into my eyes, silently ordering me to stay put. He knew I’d gladly lay down my life for her. She was my best friend on this expedition. My lover.
The screams faded into the distance. I couldn’t leave the little rat to follow her – he’d die by himself. I had to get him back first. Spencer’s face had turned a sickly yellow.
Not for the first time, I wondered why a man like this had been put in charge of an exploratory expedition. ‘No sentient beings on this planet,’ my arse. Continue reading
Fourth Special submission window for 2015
Fourth special submission window for 2015 is now open. Details are on the submissions page.
Fourth special submission window for 2015
Submission status – Closed
This is the fourth of six special submission windows for 2015. One story from those submitted will be published on the date specified.
Write a story inspired by the specified theme and within the specified genre.
Theme – By Royal Appointment.
In September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II will surpass Queen Victoria as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
Write a fantasy story about a monarch. Preferably not a current or recent member of any royal families; British or otherwise.
Genre – Fantasy
Length – 1,500 (+/- 50) words excluding the title.
Payment – £45 GBP
Publication date – September 2015
Submission Window – 2nd July 2015 to 20th July 2015
Please use the Chronicles discussion thread for any questions.
General submission guidelines and terms of publication apply unless specified otherwise. Please see the FAQ’s for commonly asked questions.