EDIT: Pizza Anthology submission due date has been extended to March 18, 2016.

Happy National Pizza Day! There’s no better day to announce this, so here we go!

Do you love pizza?

Do you love YA?

Do you like to YA while you pizza or pizza while you YA?

Well, my friend, you are in the right place at the pizza-iest time. Because I am looking for submissions for a YA pizza anthology. There are a few rules, which I’ll get to below. But first, a moment of pizza please.

^ I trust her

^ Yes I do if there is pizza.

^ Pizza Shimmy

^ That one’s for Brian.

^ That one’s for me.

^ OMG where is this. I’d go.

Ahem. Anywho. Okay, details.

Pizzathology (YA Pizza Anthology) Deets

1. Anyone is welcome to submit a story. Even if I don’t know you. Even if this is your first time writing. Even if you don’t live in the US. Even if you have never eaten a pizza. Okay, maybe not the last one.

2. You must love pizza and your story must include pizza as a key element in some way.

2. Your story must be YA, as in young adult, as in I am asking that your protagonist be between 14 and 18 years old. All genders and races of main characters welcome and encouraged. All genres welcome.

3. This will be an ebook release with physical book potential as end-goal (but physical book is not a promise).

4. Word count of your story should fall between 1,000 to 4,000 words (as a guideline). A little under or over is okay, but that’s the goal.

5. If you’d like to submit a drawing or pizza art with a YA pizza fun vibe, you may.

6. Submitted a story or a drawing does not guarantee you will be selected. There will only be 10-14 stories selected. However if this is successful and popular, I will likely do more!

7. THIS IS A PAID ANTHOLOGY. If selected, you will receive $5 US dollars via Paypal. That’s right. The exact amount of a Little Caesars Hot and Ready pizza lunch combo. Yes, I chose that on purpose. Yes, I wish that I could pay you more. But you know, I have to save some money for my pizza problem…I mean…non-problem.

8. This is to be released November 12th, 2016, which is National Pizza with the Works except Anchovies Day. Yes, I know that is not a Tuesday and it’s not a traditional publish date but this is not a traditional anthology. So. Also, if you are submit, you agree to have everything ready and to me in a timely manner so that we can release our goods on National Pizza with the Works except Anchovies Day.

9. All edits will be done through Google docs.

10. Deadline for submissions is March 18, 2016.

How to Submit

1. Write your story following the guidelines above.

2. Email it to pizzathology at gmail dot com. Your subject should be: Pizzathology Submission. Please include a little bit about you, your Twitter handle (if any), and your favorite pizza type. If you have name ideas for the anthology (clever puns, pizza names, whatever) feel free to include suggestions. I love them.

3. I will review all submissions and get back to you. Please note that if your story or picture is not accepted, it’s no reflection on you or your writing style. Anthologies are a different beast as you have to choose wisely to make sure that they flow together and there is sense to them. Also, you can only accept so many people, so sometimes you have to cut stories that you really, really love because you have 4,235 good subs.

A Little About Me

I love pizza. And YA. And the XFiles.

I’m an author of YA horror novel Harrowed (The Woodsview Murders #1) and forthcoming series Orchard Pointe, co-authored by the amazing Brian LeTendre.

I have put out previous anthologies, The Dark Carnival (which has been an Amazon best-seller) and Halloween Night: Trick or Treat.

I have worked for several publishing houses previously as interns and paid staff. I have also ran/run two of my own small presses (Pen and Muse Press and horror only Hocus Pocus & Co. (currently closed to subs)).

My goal is to start a new genre, pizza lit. Or something because how great would it be to have one genre all about pizza?

*If you are a graphic design God or Goddess or an editor God or Goddess, and would like to volunteer your services, such as making teasers or proof-reading, or you’re just enthusiastic AF, reach out to me okay? I’d love to hear from you.*

I’m using #PizzaFriends for all pizza related things. So, let’s meet there too.

Okay. Now, go eat pizza and send me all the pizza stories. And if you have questions, please ask them below. Or just tell me your favorite types of pizza or your best pizza memory or how pizza saved you from a burning school bus.