Little Red Flags: Stories of Cults, Cons, and Control

A project of Dark Matter Magazine (see other related projects).

Permanently Closed: This project is permanently closed to submissions (August 2024). We provide the following information as an archive.

About

The warning signs were there: those little red flags. But in the beginning, it all looked rose-colored. You thought you were getting community, belonging, and purpose. Maybe a lucrative new career. Maybe even salvation. Instead, you got control, fanaticism, greed, manipulation, and terror.
Bring us your fiction stories of fanaticism, fundamentalism, extremism, and control. We want to read about cons people pull off that make our jaws drop. The horrors hiding just beyond the edges of our better judgment.
We want the kind of monsters who hide in plain sight: charismatic cult leaders with a god-complex (think: NXIVM, Twin Flames Universe) and systems built to prey on the vulnerable (think: Lularoe). Give us MLM puppet masters, unhinged homeschooling movements, manipulative or extreme doomsday preppers, and weight-loss cults. We want characters who will give us a peek behind the veneer of a megachurch, an insider's view of the pressure to recruit for a pyramid scheme, an up-close look at love-bombing in action, along with the emotional fallout.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2024

Publication Media & Frequency

Audio Publication Audio Publication: One-time publication
Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: One-time publication
Print Publication Print Publication: One-time publication

Fiction Closed

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Open to all/most Genres, including:
Suspense/Thriller Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Psychological

Lengths:

Short Story: 1,000 - 4,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Payment:

Professional payment (5 or more US cents per word) Professional payment. Details: USD $0.05/word.

Submissions:

Method: Submission manager.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Simultaneous submissions are allowed.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.

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Little Red Flags: Stories of Cults, Cons, and Control Submission Statistics

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This listing is inactive and does not have any submission reports for the past 12 months.

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Dates

Last Updated: 22 May 2026