submission:
EXALTED

Stories of Light and Longing

Of all the beings we’ve imagined, the angel is the one we keep looking up at. It has always been the most impossible: a creature of light and law, of vast wings and absolute purpose, too bright to look at directly and too high to reach. The angel has stood in for devotion, for perfection, for the terrible beauty of something greater than ourselves, in every age that has dreamt it. The angel endures because longing endures, and because some of us have always wanted to be seen by something that could see everything.

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For EXALTED, we want angel romance – without the religion. No gods, no heaven, no hell, no fall from grace. We want angels as their own worlds might make them: winged orders sworn to an ancient law, warrior hosts who hold a realm’s borders, beings of flame and light forged for a single purpose, celestial castes with their own politics and their own price. The romance must be central and the angel must be essential to the story. We’re not looking for a winged love interest who could just as easily be human. The angel’s nature should shape the desire, the stakes, and the transformation at the heart of the piece. Duty and devotion, perfection and the flaw that undoes it, the immortal who was never meant to want – give us the longing only an angel can carry.

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The romance can burn at any temperature. Spice is welcome but not required: a slow burn that never leaves the battlements, a single kiss that breaks an oath, an open-door night beneath the wings – all of it belongs here. What matters is that the longing is real and the love is at the centre.

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We want the full spectrum of love. Stories of every sexual orientation and gender are welcome and wanted, and queer stories especially so – we’re building a collection as varied as longing itself. Whatever the pairing or the configuration, we ask that the love be mutual and the wanting run both ways; even between a mortal and a being of terrible power, devotion should be a choice both partners make.

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Stories may be tender or fierce, epic or intimate, aching or playful, set in secondary worlds, far futures or anywhere else angels belong to the cosmology rather than to scripture. We’re drawn to strong character arcs, emotional clarity, and distinctive voices.

Dazzle us. Show us what the light wants.

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Submission guidelines

• Length: 8,000–12,000 words

• Language: English

• Theme: Angels and romance, both central to the story

• Angels: Secular – no gods, heaven, hell, scripture or named religious figures

• Heat level: Any, from closed door to open door

• Publication status: Unpublished work only (no reprints, blogs, or self-published pieces)

 

A note on boundaries

This is a luminous, romantic collection, and we want stories that reach for the grand, high and dangerous places the genre can go. But some lines we will not cross, and submissions that contain the following will be declined without further consideration:

• Any sexualisation of minors. Every character in a romantic or sexual situation must be an adult. An angel who has existed for millennia but appears, is described as, or reads as a child or adolescent – including cherubic or childlike forms – does not qualify. Apparent age matters as much as stated age. There are no exceptions to this, and no framing that makes it acceptable.

• Compulsion or coercion presented as romance. The gulf of power between an angel and a mortal is part of what makes this romance electric, and we welcome it, but the love itself must be freely chosen. An angel’s command, a binding vow, a glamour, or worship that cannot be refused is not consent. Stories that present sexual violence, or “dubious consent,” as the romantic draw are not what we’re looking for. The power can be vast; the wanting must run both ways.

 

How many stories will be included, and will I get paid?

We will select SIX stories for inclusion.
Each chosen author will sign a standard publishing agreement and receive royalties from every print and ebook sale.

 

Who can submit and where will it be published?

Anyone from anywhere in the world may submit.
The anthology will appear in print and ebook worldwide.

 

How do I submit?

Submissions are now open. Submit your story through the form below.

• Upload your story as a .docx file – the story only, with no synopsis or cover letter.

• Leave your name out of the manuscript, including headers and footers. We read blind.

• One submission per author.

• Emailed submissions will be deleted outright, and will not be considered for inclusion.

 

Deadlines and timeline

Submissions close: 28 February 2027 at midnight (UTC +2)
Selected stories announced: 30 April 2027
Publication: October 2027

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Look up. Be exalted.