Why themes? Readers play favorites, you know. Everybody has their favorite genres and our contest’s season themes are here to assemble winning story collections that readers will love. These themes function as story prompts for our author base, suggesting fun mashups and settings for the most creative, hard-hitting fiction. We only accept stories that fit these themes, and we wish you much Havok as you craft your best work!
We have prepared a downloadable/printable PDF of the monthly themes and deadlines (click the thumbnail to download). We highly recommend checking out these resources for ideas as you craft your story! Feel free to tag @havokauthornews on Instagram or email authorcentral@gohavok.com with any questions about our themes and guidelines. Sign up for our author newsletter (see sidebar on this page; scroll down on mobile) for tips from our editors and news about author contests.
Our Season 12 flash fiction contest features a character prompt. We challenge you to take the character of the month — each designed by one of our stellar featured authors — and work it into your story in some way. And by “some way” we’re tapping into the theories of the fictional multiverse. Your interpretation of the character and how you write them to fit our five genres will be unique!
- Take the character and make him/her your own. The core traits listed here in the prompt should not be violated, but everything else is up for grabs. If the character profile includes genre-specific details you are allowed to adjust them to suit any of Havok’s accepted genres.
- The character must appear in your story, but does not have to be the protagonist. They could be a side character, an antagonist, or even just appear as a cameo. But keep in mind that your portrayal of the character does impact our selection of contest winners.
- We need stories for ALL FIVE HAVOK GENRES: mystery, science fiction, humor, thriller, and fantasy. How does this character appear in a mystery story? If they existed in a sci-fi or fantasy universe, what would that look like? In what sort of thriller or suspense plot did they get caught up? What’s the funniest scenario you can imagine for them?
Kytt Windthorn stories: SUBMISSIONS CLOSED
Character Prompt: Spark Spaulding
(Deadline: Dec 13)
Publishes in March. Character design by Ben Wolf. Ben has written north of ten books, including an award-winning children’s book and an award-winning novel.
Physical description: Lean but muscular, average height. Light-brown hair with a little curl in the front, green eyes. Always wears clothes that make him stand out rather than blend in.
Personality / traits: Chaotic neutral, but leaning toward good. He’s a roguish fellow who thinks he’s hot stuff, and he prides himself on being able to talk, weasel, schmooze, or fight (if it comes to it) his way out of anything. He’s pretty selfish in the sense that he’ll do just about anything to save his own skin, and he’s REALLY good at doing exactly that.
Core values: Nothing is more important to Spark than freedom. He wants to live unhindered, without anyone telling him how to do it.
Deepest desire / motivation: Spark wants to earn enough of a living (however he can) so he can buy his way out of whatever oppressive system he happens to find himself within.
Greatest weakness: Very self-absorbed and overconfident in his own abilities. Also, he hates pickles.
Worst habit: Physically, he chews his fingernails to the point where they sometimes bleed. Personality-wise, he likes to interrupt other people, and generally he thinks his voice is the most important.
Backstory: Spark Spaulding has ventured far and wide, throughout history, time, space, and every possible dimension. It’s all thanks to an ancient curse that has him trapped in a sort of karmic perpetual motion—he literally can’t stay in any one place more than a little while, or the curse might catch up to him. You might find him locked in a medieval fantasy dungeon, but he’s already worked up a scheme to buy or sneak his way out. Maybe he’s found himself tangled up with steampunk pirates (again), and he’s got to help them with one last heist before they cut him loose. Or maybe he’s adrift in a derelict spacecraft floating on solar winds toward an unknown destination. He thinks he’s alone on the ship… until he realizes that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
What tense and mischievous mayhem will Spark Spaulding get up to? Only you, the heroic HAVOK authors, can decide. Will he be the lovable rogue we all know he can be? Or is he in scoundrel-mode, desperate and willing to do whatever it takes to survive? The choice is yours!
Spark Spaulding character copyright © 2024 Ben Wolf, released with permission to create derivative works for Havok Season 12.
Deadline for Spark Spaulding stories: Friday, December 13, 2024
Character Prompt: Zaivar (Zai) Witz
(Deadline: Dec 13)
Publishes in April. Character design by Jill Williamson. Jill is a chocolate-loving, daydreaming, creator of kingdoms and the award-winning author of several teen novels including By Darkness Hid (fantasy) and Captives (dystopian).
Physical description: Zaivar stands at just over 5’5″, his short build compact but sturdy. His dark, slightly wavy hair falls just past his ears, framing a face that defies easy categorization. His skin is a warm, olive tone, somewhere between golden and bronze, lending him an almost sun-kissed glow regardless of the season. His brown eyes are deep, observant, with a glimmer of mischief, revealing little of his inner thoughts but much of his quick wit. He’s not exactly handsome, nor is he considered ugly. He’s rather plain, a look which he uses to his advantage.
What makes Zai truly unique is his chameleon-like appearance. With a rich heritage—one quarter Kinsman, one quarter Otherling, one quarter Chuman, and one quarter Poroo—his features carry a subtle amalgamation of his diverse ancestry. His dark hair and eyes along with his warm skin tone could easily be attributed to any number of ethnic backgrounds. His heritage will be hard for people to guess, no matter what world he wanders into.
Personality / traits: Zai is a free-spirit who thrives on unpredictability and adventure. He’s a self-employed warrant chaser, which is the Er’Retian version of a bounty hunter. (Some people call them huntsmen.) Due to his diminutive stature, he takes an unorthodox approach to warrant chasing. His Enneagram 7 personality has him always chasing the next thrill, using his quick wit, charm, and flair for disguises to outsmart his targets rather than overpower them. He’s not tied down by rules or loyalty to anyone but himself. He’ll bend or break any law, even beg and charm if it gets him closer to his goal, though he never acts out of malice. Life is too short to hold grudges. Whether he’s masquerading as a nobleman or a humble merchant, Zai is always a one step ahead, enjoying the game as much as the catch.
Core values: Zai’s core values are freedom and joy. He’s always looking for the next adventure. He hates boredom or the feeling of being trapped. He loves outsmarting others. He likes his independence and often refuses his father’s gifts of money.
Deepest desire / motivation: To be content, satisfied, and self-sufficient. To not need to depend on others.
Greatest weakness: Being trapped or imprisoned. He’s also claustrophobic. And he hates pain—is kind of a baby when sick or wounded.
Worst habit: Zai hates negative emotions. He avoids conflict and commitment and has many superficial relationships. He also has an odd quirk of keeping a memento from each of his arrests, which has resulted in a bizarre collection of random objects that clutter his living space.
Magic: Zaivar possesses a minor ability to bloodvoice, which is a form of telepathy. He uses this magic to read the thoughts of those he’s tracking, which helps him capture his targets more easily. Although it’s frowned upon to invade others’ thoughts without revealing oneself, Zai has kept his ability a secret—even from his family. His magic isn’t particularly strong. He cannot bloodvoice from a distance and must be within eyesight of anyone he wishes to spy on. He allows everyone to believe that his success as a warrant chaser relies solely on his wit, but in reality, his magic is a significant asset to his achievements.
Backstory: Zaivar is from the medieval fantasy world of Er’Rets, specifically the capital city of Armonguard. His father is a diplomat, traveling around the nation on behalf of Prince Oren Hadar. Zaivar has one brother named Rynley (Ryn), who was recently promoted to chamberlain to Prince Oren. Ryn offered to get Zai a jobin the prince’s household, but Zai finds the idea of such day-to-day tasks mundane.
Growing up, Zai craved adventure and excitement but also wanted to make a difference. Becoming a warrant chaser seemed like the perfect way to escape the dullness of everyday life while still doing something meaningful. For him, the constant action, problem-solving, and unpredictability of the job is an antidote to the boredom of his childhood. As a way to poke fun at his serious brother, each time he makes an arrest, he says something like, “This one’s for Ryn.”
Zaivar ‘Zai’ Witz character copyright © 2024 Jill Williamson, released with permission to create derivative works for Havok Season 12.
Deadline for Zaivar ‘Zai’ Witz stories: Friday, January 17, 2025
Deadlines close at 11:59pm Pacific time on the date shown.
The themes below will open for submissions ~2 months before their deadlines.
- Phezznibbet Maplebark by Rebecca P. Minor – character prompt for May 2025
Now Go Write!
Using the season theme above for ideas, go write and then send us your best story that fits any of our Accepted Genres. Be sure to download and use our Manuscript Formatting template and follow the Submission Guidelines!
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