Story Resources

I'm excited I've already received so many stories for Building Red-The Colonization of Mars anthology! Some of the stories are funny, some serious, but one thing I want to emphasize: this is a science fiction anthology, not a fantasy anthology. Science fiction is based on science facts and extrapolation of what science could be in the future. That is one of the big reasons I'm having to either reject or ask for re-writes on stories. So for those of you who aren't familiar with life on Mars, here are a few resources you might check out to help fine-tune those stories.

I would suggest you read the specifics on these websites to get more detailed information, however, here are the highlights: Mars has longer days, has dangerous dust storms, no liquid water, has two moons, is extremely cold, has no atmosphere (therefore humans are subject to high levels of solar radiation! This is a big one people forget about.), and no oxygen, has several man-made craft flying in orbit around it, has a weaker gravitational pull than Earth, a lower air pressure, it only takes about a year (depending on technology and cycle of the orbits) to get to Mars.

1. Window to the Universe: http://www.windows2universe.org/kids_space/lifeonmars.html
2. NASA's Mars website: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-mars-k4.html#.U63d_vldXeI
3. Physics.org: http://www.physics.org/featuredetail.asp?id=69
4. Space.com: http://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html
5. Discovery Channel: http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/5-hurdles-conquer-before-colonizing-mars.htm

Here's a group who plans on going to Mars in 2018! http://www.mars-one.com/

If your story is well-written and compelling, I'm likely to ask for a re-write rather than reject it, so don't feel this is meant to intimidate anyone. I merely want to help you write the best science fiction story possible.

Keep sending more stories!

Submission Guidelines

Walrus Publishing, an independent press from St. Louis, Missouri, is now accepting submissions for our sci/fi anthology, Building Red-The Colonization of Mars. If you wish to be considered for this anthology, your story must be written with this prompt in mind:

"The year is 2050. Technology has finally progressed to the point humankind can begin colonization of Mars. Governments, corporations, and rich individuals are all sponsoring groups to tackle the task of surviving and thriving in a harsh and foreign atmosphere. It's a test of creativity, intelligence, and social skills; of genetic engineering, terraforming, and resources. The winners earn the right to incorporate their little corner of Mars as their own. It's a fool's adventure. It's an impossible dream. It's a risk that may cost everything, including lives. But adventures and dreams and risks are where stories begin."

Submissions should be your original, unpublished story approximately 1,000-6,000 words long. No gratuitous violence or erotica, please. Document should be typed in a .doc, .docx, or .txt format. You can also share it with us using Google Drive. Standard 1” margins, Times New Roman or equivalent font, double spaced, and all pages should have the title and the page number in the heading. 

Submissions should be e-mailed as an attachment to or shared via Google Drive with janetcannoneditor@gmail.com by November 1, 2014. In the body of the e-mail, include your name, contact information including phone number, and short (100 word) bio. Send only one piece to be considered at a time. Simultaneous submissions are fine, but please alert us immediately if your piece is accepted elsewhere.

Any submission not conforming to these specifications will not be accepted.

Contributing authors will receive $25, five copies of the finished anthology, and receive a 50% discount on purchasing the finished anthology scheduled for release Spring of 2015.

Please allow three months response time. You will notified whether your piece has been accepted or whether we feel it isn’t a good fit for this anthology. 

We're looking forward to Building Red with you!

Building Red: An Anthology

This is the beginning of a venture I've been wanting to tackle for a long time: an anthology. When the opportunity to work with Walrus Publishing came about, even though I'm insanely busy with everything else in my life, I had to take it. Just like those crazy folks who will one day step on Mars, you have to follow your dreams when they present themselves.

So here's what I'm looking for: themes along the lines of genetic engineering, terraforming, and resources. New information is pouring out of media resources daily, so please research before writing and sending your piece. If it doesn't fit with current science, or if you can't logically project a futuristic outcome of a current science, then the piece won't fit for this anthology.

Your writing also has to be well-edited and well-written. Just because it has solid science behind the settings, if your characters have no voice and your plot is thin, your piece won't make the cut. If you have a critique group or several trusted friends--who happen to know a thing or two about grammar--have them read your piece with a critical eye before sending it our way. You'll have a better chance of acceptance, guaranteed!

We'll take submissions through the summer and fall then send out contracts to the authors we would like to join our crew. Then we'll go through the editing and revision process--hopefully not too painful--and the plan is to publish both in e-book and softcover format spring of 2015 just in time to launch for the Missouri Writers' Guild State Conference. If any of our authors are Missouri writers, it would be awesome to have them there to sign copies!

So there's our sandbox. We've dug the foundation. We've secured the posts. We've filled it with sand and setup the toys. It's now up to you what to do with the contents. GO YE THEREFORE AND WRITE!