FurPlanet Productions is announcing its next original short story anthology:
Gods With Fur (subtitle: or Feathers, Scales, … We haven’t forgotten them.)
To be published in July 2016, at Anthrocon 2016.
Wanted: original short stories (no reprints) featuring animal gods, preferably of 4,000 to 20,000 words. Lesser will be accepted. Longer … let’s discuss it.
These may be historic gods or “superbeings” such as the African Anansi (spider); the Akkadian/Babylonian Tiamat (dragon or sea serpent); the pre-Islamic Arabian Allāt (hyena) or Nasr (vulture); the Aztec Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent) or Tezcatlipoca (jaguar); the Egyptian Anubis (jackal-headed), Bast (cat-headed), or Sekhmet (lioness-headed); the Mayan Kayab (turtle), Muwan (owl), or Zotz (bat); the North American Coyote, Nanabozo (giant rabbit), or Raven; or original creations like Michael H. Payne’s 12 Curials or Rick Griffin’s congress of Cerberus, Great Kitsune, Pete the Gryphon, and the Spirit Dragon (but don’t use another author’s copyrighted characters. Create your own furry pantheon.). Since this is for a furry fandom readership, stories with a single god and all other humans are discouraged; although authors are encouraged to think of imaginative exceptions such as an animal god changing humans into furries. Some humans are acceptable, but make this a predominantly furry story.
(Many ancient religions described their gods and goddesses as alternating between human and anthropomorphic forms, or blending several forms. Tiamat has been depicted as a human woman, a giant sea serpent, a flying dragon with either one or multiple heads, and a woman with a tail and a cow’s udder. The Mesopotamian Pazuzu, god of disease, was usually shown as a human with snarling dog’s or cat’s fangs, scales, a predator’s foreclaws and a raptor’s hind talons, a scorpion’s tail, four large wings, and an erect penis with a snake’s head. The four large wings have resulted in the modern theory that Pazuzu was inspired by the mosquitos that brought disease. Zeus would appear as an animal whenever he wanted to. For this anthology, keep the anthropomorphic form predominant, although the blend of forms could be useful.)
Imaginative combinations of gods are good: one or more Egyptian gods versus North American gods, or all of them teaming up against a common adversary. Or the feline gods & goddesses of several different mythologies getting together or fighting each other. Would canine and feline gods fight like dogs and cats? (But many people have pet dogs & cats that live peacefully together.)
Use obscure and ugly gods. The Middle Eastern Mandaeans (who Wikipedia says are emigrating to the U.S. to escape the war in Iraq) still believe in the five lords of the underworld including Krun (anthro giant louse), Hagh (anthro giant scorpion), and Sargi (anthro giant hornet). Non-god mythological characters are acceptable, such as the Egyptian demoness Ammut, the crocodile-lion-hippopotamus “pet” of the goddess Ma’at (she ate the souls that Ma’at judged unworthy of being admitted to the Egyptian hereafter); or the Nordic giant serpent Ouroboros who circled the world, or Hugin & Munin, Odin’s two ravens.
Authors who want to contribute are urged to check with me (Fred Patten) first to make sure that story ideas are not too close to others already approved. We don’t want an overabundance of stories, for example, featuring the Egyptian animal-headed gods.
Deadline: May 1st, to allow a month for requested revisions.
Payment: ½¢ per word upon publication and a contributor’s copy of Gods With Fur, a $19.95 anthology. Contributors may buy additional copies at a 30% discount.
Send submissions to fredpatten@earthlink.net.
(Edited to add email address. --PT)
