There’s such a thing as being too clever. Which is what I might’ve said to Cloaked Press editor Andrew M. Ferrell when I realized their series of fantasy short story anthologies, Fall Into Fantasy, usually come out in September, while the companion series, Spring Into SciFi, are typically released…well, you know. Took me a moment, too.
That is, until I read through the following email interview he and I did about Fall Into Fantasy 2024 (paperback, Kindle), in which Ferrell made a point of saying, “…this is a passion for me. I don’t choose my authors based on their marketability or only look for bigger names. … This is an anthology for fantasy lovers curated by a lover of fantasy.”
To start, what is the Fall Into Fantasy anthology series about? Obviously, the stories are fantasy, but are they one kind of fantasy or multiple kinds, is there some significance to the writers, what?
When I decided to take submissions and begin publishing anthologies back in 2017, I had no idea what I was doing or where this would go. I just knew I loved the fantasy genre and hated the gatekeeping at the big houses. So many great stories get lost in slush piles when they should get to see the light of day.
So with Fall Into Fantasy, it is never themed and may contain everything from high to low fantasy, Other world or contemporary. We could go from sword & sorcery to magical realism or portal magic and back. That’s the fun of these anthologies.
Most of the authors I have worked with are from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Recently Australia has been throwing me some good stories, but I have also worked with over a dozen other countries. One day I am going to get a big global map and put a pin in it for every country that holds a member of the Cloaked Press Family.
I’ve also worked with recently graduated college age authors, right up until retired golden years writers. It’s been a great adventure meeting these talented people from all over the globe and all walks of life.
What other parameters do they have to meet? Like, do they have to be under a certain word count?
When I open for submissions to an anthology, I review the guidelines from the previous year and tweak them. Over the years I have become more lenient with word counts because fantasy sometimes needs room to breathe. Usually I try to keep the cap under 10k, because at that point we start to get into novellas / novelettes, and those are just too long. On the shorter end, I find it rare that the story really grabs and holds on to you, with telling a good story, if it is shorter than 2500-3000. There have been a couple of exceptions to this over the years.
Also, do the stories have to be new, or are they reprints?
They do need to be unique and unpublished, which has caused some issues.
The reason for this is twofold: Firstly, I want to bring stories to the world that they haven’t seen yet. Why keep republishing the same old stories when everyday there are probably thousands of new stories created. Secondly was purely a business reason. All of our anthologies spend a year in the Kindle Unlimited program, which has strict guidelines we have to adhere to so we don’t risk our status.
And are there any steadfast rules about the stories that will get something automatically rejected? And I don’t mean like if it’s racist or erotic Frodo fanfic, but more like if it’s something too many people do, like Harry Potter but it’s a school for trolls instead of a wizards, or a group of frenemies have to make a long journey to destroy a magical pair of cufflinks?
I’m not squeamish, not really. But I have some hard and fast rules of things I do not want to promote or publish. I am not a fan of gore for the sake of gore. I also am not in favor of supporting sexual assault, child abuse / assault, or animal cruelty. Do I automatically reject stories if they mention one of those three? No, not all the time, but it needs to have a reason and certainly not “on screen.”
I also don’t shy away from adult topics, but I am not in the business of publishing smut, so sexual content needs to be fade to black and necessary to the story. Otherwise, why have it in the story? Shock value isn’t what I am after and that’s what some decisions come down to.
Contributors Erin L. Swann, Millie Abecassis
So then what do you think makes the Fall Into Fantasy anthologies different from other anthologies of fantasy short stories?
I can’t speak for all anthologies, but I never charge any sort of submission / reading fee. While that doesn’t make us completely unique, this is a passion for me. I don’t choose my authors based on their marketability or only look for bigger names. I enjoy finding the unknowns or barely knowns. There are many members of the Cloaked Press Family who got their first publication with us and then went on to bigger things. This is an anthology for fantasy lovers curated by a lover of fantasy.
Now, as far as Fall Into Fantasy 2024 is concerned, is there anything different about this year’s edition compared to the earlier ones?
Each year’s submissions tend to settle into a vibe or energy. Some years are heavier on magical realism or high fantasy themes. Some are more comical, but end up neighbors with heavier themes. While this isn’t intentional, it is a result of what is sent in each year. Usually the stories tend to run the gamut of the subgenres and may obliquely touch into sci-fi or horror. If they lean heavily into one of those two categories, I have reached out to the author that their story may be a better fit for the other anthologies we do, i.e. Spring Into SciFi or Nightmare Fuel. This happened more with the other themed anthologies we tried for a couple years before life happened and it got too overwhelming by myself. We’ve got a little corporate espionage in Millie Abecassis’ “The Corporate Witch,” as well as a little dystopia in Erin L. Swann’s “What’s In A Name.” Even amongst the stories considered more “pure” fantasy, they offer something for everyone.
Now, along with Fall Into Fantasy 2024, you have another short story anthology coming out soon, a very different one called Nightmare Fuel: Body Horror 2024, which will be out October 1st. What is the Nightmare Fuel anthology series about?
Nightmare Fuel was the brainchild of my cover designer, Carmilla Mayes. Each year we decide on a loose theme. This year was body horror, not something I was terribly familiar with, but I discovered some really great talent. Stories that will make you think and hopefully keep you up at night. Aside from the changing themes, Nightmare Fuel follows the same basic rules as our other two yearly anthologies and the one-offs we did previously. Obviously being horror, we have to relax the gore a little bit.
Obviously, given the title, Nightmare Fuel: Body Horror 2024 is full of body horror stories. But are there other genres at work in these stories as well?
Telling a great horror story sometimes requires a little different backdrop, and can lean into other genres a little heavier. In this year’s edition we had a few that leaned into fantasy, notably G. A. Babouche’s “Shrooms” and “Ardogan’s Mission” by Andrew P. McGregor. Our authors gave us a sci-fi backdrop with “The Activation” by Jim Mountfield, and Corinne Engber’s “Polly Says” specifically. You could say we even delved into romance with Michael Thomét’s “The Patchwork Boy.”
Going back to Fall Into Fantasy 2024, Hollywood has been big on fantasy lately. Are there any stories in Fall Into Fantasy 2024 that you think would work really well as a movie or TV show? And, more importantly, is one Hollywood would actually make into a movie or show?
I think every author dreams of getting that call from Hollywood. While I question the decision making of the relaunch / revamp executives in Hollywood, I get that they want to stick to IPs that are proven money makers. If I had the financing and ability, I’d love to take M.R. Wells’ “He Never Fell” and tell the whole story. Maybe give the MC a way to have a happier ending than he gets. I also think Sandy R. Stuckless’ “Devil’s Little Princess” would be hilarious as a TV show. The idea of the all-powerful Lord Of Hell having to deal with a child just cracks me up.
Finally, if someone enjoys Fall Into Fantasy 2024, which of the previous installments would you suggest they read next?
Fall Into Fantasy is about introducing the world to great stories. I don’t expect a reader to love every story, but I have no doubt there is at least one that will stick with you after the close the pages. Each year is like that. While some authors returned for several years with stories in the same setting, each collection can be read in any order. Some notable often returns are from the first few years of anthologies. Tony Conaway was featured in multiple Fall Into Fantasy and Spring Into SciFi editions with the same main character, beginning in the very first edition in 2017. Alex Minns has appeared in several Fall Into Fantasy editions in previous years with characters from the same universe. In recent years we have had Ian Martin Cassmeyer’s Boltstone stories.
