About Blackened Roots
Blackened Roots is an anthology of stories written by Black writers from all over the world featuring tales of non-traditional zombies. Think The Girl With All The Gifts, not The Walking Dead.
The anthology is co-edited by Stoker-nominated and award-winning editor and writer Nicole Givens Kurtz at Mocha Memoirs Press, and 2022 World Fantasy Award Winner and 2022 Ignyte Winner, producer and editor Tonia Ransom at NIGHTLIGHT. At least three stories from the anthology will air on the NIGHTLIGHT podcast.
Blackened Roots will debut during February 2023, during Black History Month.
Planned Authors for Blackened Roots include:
- Sheree Renée Thomas: Hugo Nominated Editor, 2001 & 2005 World Fantasy Award Winner, 2021 IGNYTE Finalist
- Eden Royce: Shirley Jackson Award nominee, Walter Award Honoree, and a Nebula Award Finalist
- Brandon Massey: Winner, Gold Pen Award for Best Thriller
- Craig Gidney, Winner, Bronze Moonbeam Medal, Lambda Literary Awards Finalist, Gaylactic Spectrum Finalist
- Zin E. Rocklyn: Nebula-nominated Best Novella 2021
- Sumiko Saulson: Amazon Top 100 Horror Authors, Afrosurrealist Writer Award, HWA President’s Award
- Moustapha Mbacké Diop: Longlisted for the Nommo Award for Best Novel
- Steven Van Patten: Winner, African-American Literary Awards Best Science Fiction, Gamma XI Phi, Outstanding Achievements in the Arts
- L. Marie Wood: Stoker Finalist, Hollywood HorrorFest Winner, Shriekfest Quarterfinalist
- Milton Davis: British Science Fiction Association Award Nominee, Urban Action Showcase Award
- Marc Abbott: African American Literary Award
- Errick Nunnally: Hugo nominee
What We Need & What You Get
- You’ll be helping us pay Black writers
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Blackened Roots will be co-edited by award-winning Black woman editors
- You’ll help introduce new readers to Black horror authors
- Every contributor who selects a perk will be credited as zombie fodder in the anthology.
- Both digital and print copies of the anthology are available, depending on the tier you choose.
- Book bundles, podcast shoutouts, signed bookplates, and bookmarks are also up for grabs!
- Horror Shots:
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TELECOMMUTING by L. Marie Wood: Chris liked working from home… until the whispering started. TELECOMMUTING is a modern psychological horror story set in what could be your town, your street, your house.
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HOLLOW MEN by Todd Sullivan: Korean zombies. What more can you ask for?
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RISEN by Tonia Ransom: Alexandra is an ER doctor and staunch atheist, but when she's murdered, she finds that not only is death not the end, but the undead exist too.
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APOLLO GRANT by Rey Nichols: Apollo Grant, vampire hunter, learns just how hard it is to get glitter out of leather.
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THE BLACK HOLE by L. Marie Wood: This ground-breaking screenplay/novella combo is a classic tale of prey combined with slasher film “edge-of-your seat” vibes to keep you unsettled.
The Impact
First and foremost, we need to pay our writers. If we hit our goal, we’ll be able to pay all of our writers the professional wage of 5 cents per word, totaling $4,500 in payments to authors.
Aside from paying writers, we’ll also need to pay a designer to create the cover for the e-book and print book. This will cost about $500.
The remainder of the funds will be used to cover IndieGoGo’s fees, perk fulfillment, and marketing. We’ll also set aside about $1500 for marketing.
Risks & Challenges
Like many other industries, the printing industry is experiencing shortages and delays. While we plan to have printed copies available in February 2023, printing shortages may affect our ability to deliver print copies within our planned timeline. We appreciate your patience.
Other Ways You Can Help
First and foremost, donate whatever you can. You can contribute as little as $1. Just click the "Support This" button and put in whatever amount you can comfortably afford.
- If you're unable to help us financially, sharing this campaign is a huge help.
- Retweets and shares are great, but don't drive a lot of donations. Original posts/tweets generate far more donations, so ask your people to donate and tell them why you’re excited about this anthology. Be as specific as possible.
- Write a blog post
- Tag influencers in your social media post and ask them to help out
- Post regularly and often. Most people need to see a message at least 7 times before they take action, so frequent and thoughtful sharing helps most of all to generate word of mouth.