So, if you’re a follower of this site, you know we like to give back to the authors as much as humanly possible. We cover as much as we can, from masters of horror, to solid established talents, to young, inexperienced aspiring authors. But we provide you more than just novel reviews. We’re also big on exposing quality pieces of fiction… and giving away money.

Our first writing contest ended some time ago. I’m happy to inform you all that it went quite well. We fielded an impressive amount of submissions, many of which were awesome, and we’re (slowly but surely) moving forward with the release of our first official anthology. The book features the very best submissions received from our inaugural contest.

Now, we’re back at it again.

Come June 1st authors will have the chance to pick up $50 (Paypal) and a featured slot on the site for a relatively small work load. The second HNR contest will be a flash fiction contest. 1,000 words or less, your best effort.

We’re not going to provide the topic we’d like you to write on early, as we’re out to challenge you writers. How well do you work on the fly? Can you take a concept, and spin it into something impressive in a single day? I’d like to believe so. I’m not the greatest writer myself, but I average an output of 8,000-12,000 (total, non-fiction work included) words daily. If I can do that, you can probably squeeze 1,000 words out. If you can’t, hey, no knock from us. However, no moolah either.

If you’re up for the task, you should find yourself in the running for $50. And, for the three best works that just miss the “big” (no, $50 isn’t exactly big, but hey, we’re talking 1,000 words here!) prize, there’s some shine in waiting: The runners up will each be featured on the site as free reads.

You’ve got your official heads up. One week from tomorrow, you’ll be called upon as authors to put in some work, but you will indeed be rewarded.

Spread the word. There’s money and big exposure to be had next Saturday. Full details will go live as the Witching Hour passes Friday. Tune in and prepare to show us what you’re made of!