From the seemingly innocent humor of Arsenic and Old Lace
to the casual phrase, “death by chocolate,”
culinary cozies featuring toxic treats and lethal luncheons
fill the shelves of your local bookshop.
With this in mind, we thought it might be fun to “cook up” some chaos of our own!
WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR
- SOME SORT OF FOOD MUST BE USED AS THE MURDER METHOD.
This is a culinary cozy anthology, so food must be central to the story, not just a suspicion easily ruled out by an autopsy of the victim. Accidentally choking on fish or chicken bones isn’t going to work, either – unless the killer somehow managed to work them into a dish where they weren’t expected (it’s possible, but a bit of a stretch). I’m looking for premeditated murders, with potential victims innocently drinking the poisoned wine or eating the stuffed toxic mushrooms before succumbing to the lethal consequences, leaving other characters to worry about the contents of their own plates. - IN A PERFECT WORLD, I’D ALSO LIKE TO INCLUDE A RECIPE (NON-LETHAL!) OF A DISH / DRINK / TREAT / ETC. THAT IS FEATURED IN YOUR STORY.
Your story won’t be automatically rejected if you don’t include an accompanying recipe, but I will look more favorably on those that include one. Recipes must be your own (not from a copyrighted cookbook or a cooking blog, etc.), preferably simple in preparation, and not utilizing exotic ingredients or complicated instructions.
I will test every recipe before including them in the anthology. - Contemporary stories, set between Jan 1, 2000, and sometime next week.
I’m looking for thick, rich, settings, with well-developed characters, and relationships that make me care about the characters.
That said, I will reject stories containing real-world current events, political or otherwise. This is escapist fiction. Leave politics, pandemics, & such out of your stories. - Well-drawn characters and relationships.
The main character should be an amateur sleuth – whether by accident or just through their own curious nature. Local law enforcement may view them as a suspect or a nuisance, but they should solve the crime through their own intelligence, observations, and experience. - I want to see diversity in people, locations, and creatures.
Cozy mysteries are often set in small towns or close communities, and I’d like to see a wide variety of locations in these stories. Give me the beach town with troublesome tourists, the farming community with feuding families, the quiet village with deadly secrets hidden behind brightly-painted shutters. As we’ve seen in the television show Only Murders in the Building, even a New York City apartment building qualifies as a setting for a cozy mystery. Be creative! - Drama, action, suspense, mystery.
While cozies are quiet, often predictable, and reassuring, that doesn’t mean they’re boring. There should be an element of risk, a level of danger and suspense involved. Will the sleuth catch the killer? Or will they be the next victim? I want to worry – legitimately – and have a sense of relief at the surprising, yet inevitable result.
WHAT I DON’T WANT
- NO mention of real-world current events, political or otherwise. This is escapist fiction. Leave politics, pandemics, & such out of your stories.
- NO angsty teenagers. This is a murder mystery anthology, and the focus is on the who- and whydunit.
(Tip: I generally prefer stories about adult characters, not teens or YA.) - NO graphic depictions of blood, gore, violence, etc. This is a cozy mystery anthology – in other words, keep the yucky stuff off-the page.
A romantic subplot is okay, if it’s really necessary to the story, but I’m really not looking for romance. If you include a romantic element, be careful to not let it get in the way of the mystery (and keep the sexy times behind closed doors). - NO children or pets in peril. Period.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
- Anthology Title: COOKING UP DEATH
- Deadline: June 30, 2025
- Length: 6000 – 9000 words
NOTE: YES, we WILL consider reprints previously published prior to Jan 1, 2020, for which you have reprint rights. If your story is still in another collection, that’s okay. If it’s available for free somewhere, we will ask that you pull it down once it’s been accepted. Please include the original publication information with your submission. - Anticipated release: October 2025
- Exclusivity/Reversion of rights: We distribute our anthologies in both paper and ebook formats across multiple retailers. We ask for 6 months exclusivity post-publication, after which we continue to market the anthology in both print and ebook formats, but you have the right to submit the story elsewhere, publish it yourself, etc., as you wish (except in exclusive-only venues).
- Pay: Royalty-Share, via PayPal
NOTE: A royalty-share anthology is only successful if all of the participants help with the promotion. we will provide art and marketing copy, and promote the anthology as we are able; but if you submit, you should also be prepared to promote the anthology to your readers – and share ideas/successes with the group, if you can! - Send your stories to: editor at camdenparkpress dot com
- Submission Subject line: COOKING UP DEATH_Story Title
- Attachment types accepted: DOC, DOCX, or RTF file
- File Name: Please name your manuscript like this:
COOKING UP DEATH_Author Name_Story Title
IMPORTANT: We are often receiving submissions for multiple projects at the same time, so following the Subject line and File Name guidelines is critical to ensure your story ends up in the correct folder.
OTHER: These things should go without saying, but we’ve seen them ignored too many times:
- Please keep your cover letter brief. I’ll ask for more information after I accept your story.
- Use standard manuscript format. If you don’t know what that means, Google it. The Shunn format is a good one for most fiction submissions.
- Include your name, contact information (mailing address and email), and the story title on the manuscript.
- Please review and follow the submission guidelines (above).
SOCIAL MEDIA STUFF
We use a combination of email, Google Docs, and a private Facebook group to coordinate with authors and keep everyone aware of the project status. Just letting everyone know this ahead of time.
