At the edge of the North Carolina coast lies a place that doesn’t show up on most maps. Waves End is a fictional barrier island where reality ripples, time warps, and the locals know better than to question the things that go bump in the tide. This is the setting of Weird Tales from Waves End Retreat, a forthcoming anthology from Planck Length Publishing born from a love for beach-side mobile home parks and vintage pulp fiction, and we’re inviting writers and readers to get wonderfully, wildly lost with us.
Launching officially at Winter Hauntings 2026, this collection will gather tales of speculative Southern Gothic, liminal horror, and backwoods uncanny (for a start)—all rooted in the peculiar logic of barrier island living. We’re looking for fiction that feels like sea spray on sunburn, like old radio static whispering warnings, like something you saw in your peripheral vision that wasn’t quite right.
This isn’t just Weird fiction. It’s Weird fiction with roots. Stories that bend genre and reality, yes—but that also dig deep into place, memory, and mystery.
Submissions open in July 2025, and we’ll be looking for original stories that expand the mysterious mythos of Waves End. You’ll find all the guidelines on our submissions page, and the anchor story “Lot 1” will be released May 1.
Writers: Start dreaming. Start plotting. Start eavesdropping on seagulls or questioning the intentions of your neighbor’s lawn flamingo. There’s something strange in the air down here—and it’s calling for you.
Readers: Save your pennies. This is the kind of book you’ll want on your shelf to show your esoteric literary tastes.
We’ll be sharing more soon about the cover contest, the immersive launch event, and sneak peeks into the Waves End canon. But for now, just know this:
The island is real. You just haven’t been there yet.
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