2026 Anthology Submission Calls
Fireworks and Flirtation, Starlit and Spellbound
Thank you for your interest in writing for Tender and Tempting Tales
Below find information about the publication, as well as submission guidelines.
UPCOMING CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS 2026
Fireworks and Flirtation: Summer stories of love and passion. You don’t need to include the Fourth of July, but fireworks should appear in the story.
Submissions open January 1-31, 2026
Publish date May 4, 2026
To Submit to Fireworks and Flirtation, please check that your story matches the theme and all our submission guidelines, and use this form.
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Starlit and Spellbound: Cozy (yet steamy) love stories for fall. Your story must mention starlight and someone or something being “spellbound,” but your story need not be romantasy or paranormal; the usage could be purely metaphorical.
Submissions open May 1-31, 2026
Publish date Sept 14, 2026
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To keep up to date on submissions and author news, subscribe to Tender and Tempting Tales Author News here.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
Tender and Tempting Tales is looking for romance stories that make readers swoon!
By romance, we mean a short story in which the relationship between the couple is the primary story and ends with a happily ever after or happily for now.
We’re looking for 5,000 to 10,000 word stories with well-developed characters who have powerful motivations for their choices (good and bad) and who send readers on an emotional journey.
Each anthology has a theme and indicated spice level that your submission should meet.
❤️ New and published authors will be considered
❤️ We are interested in a wide variety of characters, main and otherwise, including diverse, older, LGBTQIA+, or persons with disabilities, and we’re interested in different kinds of romances from across the spectrum of love.
❤️ We’re open to all romance categories and tropes; however, check the theme guidelines given for each anthology.
❤️ Stories can be a part of an existing series you write, but please no excerpts or cliffhangers. The story should be new and original.
❤️ Exclusive rights will be held for 12 months from publication date.
❤️ Authors are expected to participate in the promotion and marketing of the anthology they appear in. See details below.
What we’re not looking for:
⛔ No single chapters or excerpts of stories
⛔ No erotica (our anthologies are open to spicy stories, but there should be a plot)
⛔ No non-consensual
⛔ No underage main characters
⛔ No incest
⛔ No previously published works (self or traditional)
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
If we’re currently open for submissions (see top of page), check the information given there for theme and other requirements.
If accepted, your story needs to be submitted by the date given in the specific anthology project. Plus…
👉 Make sure your story fits the anthology theme AND is a romance (the couple is the focus of the story)
👉 Story must be human-written (See below for AI policy)
👉 Heat level of the story must be 3 ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 or more (see below for definition of heat levels)
👉 You must have the rights to the story you’re submitting. We don’t accept stories that are currently published elsewhere.
👉 Manuscripts must be full stories (no excerpts) of 10,000 words or less
👉 Your manuscript should be complete and fully edited
👉 Manuscripts must be in Word or Google Doc, Times New Roman, 12 pt font, single spaced, 5pt paragraph indent
Please note that any submissions that DO NOT follow these guidelines will not be considered. You can download our free Submission Prep resource for editing/revision tips, formatting guidelines, and the list of what our editors are looking for when they review submissions.
All stories will be reviewed by our editors in order to ensure they’ve met the guidelines.
We accept 10 to 15 authors per anthology, unless otherwise noted.
Authors published in the anthology receive a percentage of the royalties divided among the authors, editors, marketing manager, and publisher. The contract provides more details on royalties.
HEAT LEVELS ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Tender & Tempting Tales publishes romance stories that include on-page explicit intimate scenes. These scenes can be mild with soft language and sensuality over mechanics, however, it should be an open door sexy bit.
Higher steam levels are accepted as well; however, there should be a full story arc. We don’t publish erotica.
AUTHOR MARKETING
Tender & Tempting Tales expects authors to promote the anthology their story is in. Since we accept submissions from new and emerging authors, as well as from those who are established, we understand that new authors may not have large followings or experience in marketing. To assist all authors with marketing the anthology, we have a marketing manager who will keep you informed of book-related promotions, supply marketing resources, and is available to help you if needed.
Currently, Tender & Tempting Tales focuses on marketing through email and social media, and we provide resources for you to share through the same mediums. If you do not use these mediums, we are open to having you market through the mediums you do use, such as your website or on Youtube. If you are a new author, this is a good opportunity to use our resources and begin to develop a social media and marketing presence.
During launch, Tender & Tempting tales may run contests or host an author takeover as part of the promotional plan. We ask that authors participate in these events.
AI POLICY
Tender & Tempting Tales recognizes that AI can be a useful tool for authors for dictation, editing, and other non-generative tasks, and we have no issue with AI-assisted support.
However, we don’t accept AI-generated content, defined as text created by an AI-based tool. If you use a tool to write the actual story, it is considered AI-generated and will not be accepted.
CODE OF CONDUCT
T&TT values diversity and aims to ensure that authors feel valued and respected. As such, authors are required to maintain a social media and online presence that upholds these standards. Therefore, any posts, reels, stories, photos, etc. that may be deemed as “hate speech” directed at one or more groups of people are cause for rejection or immediate termination, if under contract. T&TT will review social media accounts prior to contract issuance and reserves the right to reject a submission based upon online presence.
HOW SUBMISSIONS ARE SELECTED
As mentioned above, we will reject stories that don’t meet the guidelines or if are AI-generated.
The review process for submissions are as follows:
Submissions are sent to the managing editor, Jenna Harte, who prepares and delivers them to Tender & Tempting Tales editors.
Stories that fit the guidelines are judged on a 10-item rubric used to score stories based on:
Initial reaction
Character development and chemistry
Plot and Structure
Emotional impact and reader engagement
Intimate scenes and sensuality
Dialogue and voice
Setting and atmosphere
Conflict and resolution
Originality and creativity
Language, style and tone
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Editors score the stories, making the determination of yes or no. Occasionally, they’ll decide a story isn’t quite ready, but with a revision could be, in which case they ask for a revise and resubmit. In those cases, you’ll receive an email from the managing editor with the details on what needs work and a due date for your story’s return.
If you have any questions about our calls, please contact our managing editor at editor@tenderandtemptingtales.com