Welcome to The Pitch, a monthly discussion thread of the best speculative fiction on Substack, introduced by the authors themselves!
Whether you’re a reader searching for new worlds or a writer ready to promote your latest piece, this thread is for you! Here’s how it works:
📝 Are you a writer?
Head to the comments and add:
A link to the speculative fiction that will keep your readers up at night (short story, serial chapter, anthology excerpt, essay, etc.).
A 1–2 sentence pitch to hook new readers.
Bonus: Share the inspiration behind the story, a moodboard, the first line, favorite reader tropes. Be creative!
🔖Are you a reader?
Head to the comments:
Browse the comments to discover fresh speculative fiction directly from the authors.
Like the ones that catch your eye.
Leave a comment on a story you enjoyed—it makes a writer’s day and starts great conversations.
Already have a favorite ghost story to fit the theme of this spooky month (on or off Substack)? Leave a comment to drop a rec of your own!
🖖Support the Community
Want to help these stories reach more readers?
Restack. Restack this thread. Restack the stories you are reading. Let fellow Substackers know what you enjoy.
Share it to Reddit, Discord, X, Instagram, Facebook, share it with your mom, uncle, best friend, grandpa, neighbor who weirdly does yardwork at midnight—anywhere speculative fiction lives, let them hear from you.
Your word of mouth holds so much power. The more you share, the more readers will read, the more connections we build. Let’s keep the signal strong.
The Mercy Seat
https://wendycockcroft.substack.com/p/the-mercy-seat
A woman accused of murder. A system determined to break her.
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Sunlight didn’t reach the cell where Dearbhla Uí Conchobhair waited for sentencing. Sister Mary Assumpta had left after an hour of spiritual counselling during which she basically told her to repent of her pagan faith, warning her that Father Monaghan would come soon to try to talk some sense into her.
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This is my first attempt at Irish Gothic, and was inspired by Mediterranean Gothic writer Ausiàs Tsel. My version draws on our history, myths, and legends, a culture shaped by paternalistic extractive colonization, and the Irish landscape itself.