Southern Fried Weirdness calling for submissions

I'm currently collecting fiction and art submissions for what I hope will become a yearly print anthology of Southern speculative fiction. www.southernfriedweirdness.com Guidelines below:

Southern Fried Weirdness 2007: An Annual Anthology of Southern Speculative Fiction
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
I am looking for submissions of speculative fiction with Southern attitude. All forms of speculative fiction will be considered: fantasy, science-fiction, horror, magic realism, possibly even some experimental surrealism (assuming the experimentalism has a point other than to simply "freak-out" the reader). You can look at my profile or recommended readings to get a good idea of where my tastes run. I would like to see Faulkner meets Lovecraft, Cold Mountain meets Lord of the Rings, or Stephen King meets Fannie Flagg (now that would be an interesting combination). I like writing that is crisp and clear. I especially love stories that are fairly straightforward on the surface while realms of hidden meaning lie just beneath the surface.

What I do not want: Excessive gore or profanity (some is okay as long as it serves a purpose within the story itself), stories with no discernable Southern element, anything formulaic, unoriginal, or using stock creatures (i.e. vampires, werewolves, the Bell Witch, etc.) in a way that has been done over and over again in the past. I want to see original characters, creatures, and situations in these stories, not the overused archetypes.

Stories should be in the 3,500-7,000-word range. Anything longer or shorter will be automatically rejected. Ideal length is around 5,000-words. I plan on the finished product being around 200 pages and comprised of 8-12 stories.
I will be seeking one piece of artwork for the cover. I am looking for something which captures the title -- feel free to take some artistic liberties. When I think of the south I think Appalachian/Rural settings, but I look forward to seeing other artists' visions. Please note that the artwork will most likely be the last thing I pick out as it must capture the overall mood of the collection, and people do judge books by the cover. Any artwork I like may be held until the end of the submission period before you hear anything back from me.

Submissions will be open through August 1, 2007. I hope to have the anthology ready to sell by the first of October, but this could be pushed back if I do not receive enough quality submissions.

Please include all submissions in the body of an email. Attachments will go unread/unseen. If I like your work, I may ask for it as an attachment later (as an .rtf, .doc, or .jpg file).

No reprints. I will accept simultaneous submissions (I'm a writer myself, so I understand). Please notify me as soon as possible if your piece is accepted for publication elsewhere. Please note by submitting here you are offering me First Rights. Once published, all rights revert back to you, the author, but please note with any reprint that it was printed here first.

Payment for contributors will be one free paperback copy of the finished anthology plus a token payment of one dollar (via PayPal). Hopefully, this will grow in time, if successful, into a better paying market, but for the time being, all expenses are coming out of my own pocket.

Please send all submissions to [email protected]. Please put Submission: "Story Name"/Your Last Name in the subject field. In the cover letter, please include a brief synopsis, word count, a brief bio (as you would like to see it printed in the anthology), and your contact information: Real Name (if using a pen name), Address, Phone #, and email address. If your piece is accepted, please let me know if any of your contact information changes prior to publication.

www.southernfriedweirdness.com