Castle Bangkok is a project for retelling classical folklore and fairytales from ghost stories to tales of princesses seeking happily ever after and magical creatures seeking to fulfill their purpose. 

​

This is a stand-alone anthology of short stories that aims to create a melange of the old and new by the use of imagery of Modern life in Bangkok and the power of fantasy and magical realms. This anthology is for anyone who has an extensive understanding of Thai culture and lifestyle, ever experienced living in magical Thailand, tasted its colorful and spicy food, emerged oneself in golden temples, busy markets, crazy long traffic, kind smiley crowd, skyscrapers, and beautiful nature. 

 

The prompt for this anthology:

 

A castle is reopened as a hotel in Bangkok called 'Castle Bangkok'. It's offering a fantastic promotion:

 

"Stay with us free for 3 nights, including food, entertainment, and a free ticket to a night dance festival in the hotel. No internet or phone signals are available."

 

As you need a social media detox, you find this a great opportunity and book a room there. As soon as you arrive, secrets spill out of the halls and empty rooms. Magical creatures fill the dance hall. What happened to the earlier inhabitants?

 

Hints: Start by writing about the hotel, the empty rooms, the secrets. See what characters or problems come out of this, or start with a character of your choosing. Make sure your main character is a human unaware of this secret world around. Try to retell an old Fairytale (preferably Thai but we're open to any international fairytales).

​

A good fairytale includes:  

 

• Crisis. A problem comes up in the story that must be solved

• Suspense. No one knows for sure how the problem can or will be solved.’

• Conflict. Good must overcome evil through a significant conflict.

• Climax. The problem is solved at the height of the conflict.

• Resolution. The story ends in victory and “happily ever after.”

​

Submission Requirement:

​

1) A short story is written from a first-person POV

2) The main character is a human

3) The story needs to retell an old or urban tale, preferably Thai fairytale/mythology/urban tale. 

4) Maximum word number 3000 in "Word Format" includes author name, a brief bio of no more than 50 words, author photo (in color)

5) We do not accept any inappropriate language or disrespect to Thai culture or people, so please keep that in mind. 

​

Please note that the submission does not mean that your story will be included in the final book. The submissions will be reviewed carefully and we will inform you in both cases of acceptance or rejection. In case of acceptance, you will receive a free copy of the book along with a set of writer goodies. 

​

Deadline March 31st 2023

​

• Please note that this is a volunteering contribution.

• All contributors living in Bangkok will receive a free copy of the book. Any contributor who lives outside of Bangkok can receive a free copy but they need to pay the shipment fee. 

• All participants whose stories are not accepted for publication will get a free ebook copy of Castle Bangkok. 

​