Dark Holme Inner Circle

We're giving our ShadowSphere members a head start!

Submissions for Urban Legends don't officially open until 10th January 2027, but we're opening them early, exclusively for members of our ShadowSphere community.

We're looking for original horror stories inspired by urban legends. Familiar tales with a fresh twist, local legends that deserve a wider audience, or something entirely new that could become the next story whispered around a campfire.

Submission details:

📖 Word count: 3,000–10,000 words

💷 Payment: £50 per accepted story

Your phone lights up at 3:17 a.m.

It's a text from someone who died five years ago.

"Whatever you do, don't answer the door."

A moment later, there's a knock.

Then another message arrives.

"I'm sorry. It knows you're awake."

It’s gone up a little earlier than usual because I’m away for the next week, so you’ve got some extra time to get your entries in. 👻

Have a look at the picture, see where it takes you, and get writing!

🖤 Submit your entry here:

www.darkholmepublishing.uk

Write from our dark micro horror image prompts for a chance to be featured in the monthly Dark Descent. The top 3 reader entries are showcased each month.

Good luck everyone — I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with! 🎃

I'm off to Belgium for my annual Aikido course, and this year the dates have managed to land right when I'd normally be announcing the Picture Prompt winners and the Nightmare Poetry top picks. Typical. 😂

Rather than trying to sort everything while I'm away, I'm going to announce both after I'm back on the 7th. So if you're waiting for either of those, don't panic when you don't see the usual announcement.

I've also opened October's Flash Fiction Frenzy and Nightmare Poetry early so nobody has to wait for me to get home before they can start joining in. Both are Halloween-themed this month. 🎃

Everything else will carry on as normal while I'm away — I've spent far too much of today making sure of that. 😂

I'll catch up properly with everything when I'm back. 🖤