
Publishing since 2019
UPCOMING RELEASES
Joyce — January 30, 2026Animal Noir — February 24, 2026Clocks — June 13, 2026
About
Little Key Press is a PNW small press that publishes anthologies featuring established and emerging authors and the work of publisher, Elizabeth / Elle Mitchell.
Publisher & Creative Director
Elizabeth Mitchell
Elizabeth Mitchell is a disabled author, multidisciplinary artist, and publisher who's lived many lives. Her work challenges, blends genres, explores haunted bodies, and delves into the human psyche. She's an activist, a gamer with potato aim, and an avid reader. As a woman with several invisible illnesses, she enjoys living a semi-horizontal life with her husband and spoiled furbutts in the PNW. Her writing is also under Elle. Find her at https://www.justanotherelizabeth.com/.

behind-the-scenes
Sarah Walker
Sarah Walker is an artist, anthropologist, and writer of horror living in the Pacific Northwest. Her work appears in publications such as Audient Void, Lovecraft Ezine Press, Vastarien, and many more. She co-edited the Folk Horror anthology, A Walk in A Darker Wood with Gordon White, Phil Breach, and Duane Pesice, and A Walk in a City of Shadows: Tales of Urban Legendry, with Nora B. Peevy, Jill Hand, Gordon White, and Phil Breach.
January 30th
Joyce in-person reading at Salon Rouge!
7pm / email for address
February 24th
Animal Noir online reading with Vintage Books!
Time 7pm / Visit here for more info!
March 6th
Animal Noir in-person reading with Bold Coffee & Books / 7pm
June 23rd
Clocks online reading with Vintage Books!
Time TBD / Link incoming

Anthologies

FICTION IN THE SAME WORLD
Dark

Janes series

Their Haunted Bodies series

embodied crip magical realism novella
Standalone fiction
Dark

Other
Non-Fiction
Story Rich Art
An Anthology

Story Rich Art is what happens when thirteen writers are asked to translate art into story.Writing and art have collided in an eclectic collection featuring speculative and dark short stories, flash fiction, and poems exploring Steve Graziani's artwork.A tale of a monster hunting summer settles alongside a woman on Death’s door. There is fear, romance, longing, loss. Time slips, space is all there is left, and our pasts call for us.By the last page, you’ll have visited many worlds, been many people, traveled through time, cried and laughed.Twenty-two stories and twenty-four etchings await you.
Stories by Adam Bolivar, Angela Yuriko Smith, Angelique O'Rourke, David Barker, Elle Mitchell, Gigi Little, G.R. Theron, Jacque Day Pallone, Kiyomi Appleton Gaines, Sarah Walker, Simone Cooper, Steve Graziani, Summer Olsson | Edited by Elle Mitchell & Sarah WalkerMORE ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Animal Noir
An Anthology

publishing February 2026
11 hard-boiled crimes featuring a cast of memorable anthropomorphic animals.New Growl has always had too much crime. From the 20s until its inevitable collapse, eleven authors are exposing the city's seedy underbelly.The upper echelon, the lower class, and all of the animals in between have their share of problems. Some hire the private detectives or jet to a private island to escape, while others are the ones on-call and in the trenches.It's familiar, it's different, it's Animal Noir.*Stories by Angelique O'Rourke, A.P. Howell, Ben Curl, Beth Cook, Camden Rose, Elad Haber, H.L. Fullerton, M Shedric Simpson, Megan Lee Bees, Pen Anderson, and Phoenix Bourgeois. / Illustrations and edits by Elizabeth Mitchell
clocks
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chantell Saunders—”Chimes at Midnight” / you think you know what a time loop is
Charlotte Van Ryswyk—”Memory Jars” / nothing like a storm
Courtney Raines—”Time Together” / is more time really more time?
Erin Hall—”You Can't Go Home Again” / what is time and is it what matters most?
J.S. Mercer—“Time's Up” / some things cannot be predicted
James Carraghan—“Checking the Time” / how much knowledge would you really want?
Katherine Quevedo—”Gearheart” / be careful who you tinker with
Katrina Jax—”Second Hand” / morals can be tricky
Madi Haab—”The Wind-Up Heart” / what if metaphors?
Mia Dalia—”Tick Tock” / you never know what’s real on the internet
Niyyah Ruscher-Haqq—”Grandmother Clock” / nothing is what you expect
Raymond Brunell—”Seventeen Calls” / liminal spaces hold so much
Reign Reeves Pearson—”Counting You” / the fluidity of time can be haunting
Sarah Walker—"The Last Hour" / it's not what you think... at all
Susan E. Rogers—”Clockmaker” / good deeds can go unpunishedART BY
Elizabeth Jaffari

Claw Machine
An Anthology

When you hear of claw machines, what do you picture?In this anthology, claw machines aren’t just beacons for lost dollars and frustration, packed with cheap toys that rarely make it home with us. The claw machine is a game, a curse, a tool, even a drug-induced metaphor. It has omens of death, portals to other dimensions, plushies that aren't what they seem, eggs filled with wishful thinking, society's view on perfection, and so much more.Claw Machine is a collection of stories, with a special introduction, written by 18 established and emerging authors. Their unique speculative stories and dark fiction will grab and pull you in. Unlike the arcade game, you'll definitely walk away with something after reading these stories.
Stories by Angela Yuriko Smith, Angelique O'Rourke, Beth Cook, Curtis C. Chen, Elle Mitchell, Erik Grove, J.B. Kish, Katherine Quevedo, Laura Burge, Marianne Xenos, Mark Teppo, Pia Baur, Sarah Walker, Simone Cooper, Summer Olsson, Valerie Geary, Wes Mitchell, with an introduction by Will Errickson | Edited by Elle Mitchell.MORE ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Listen to the authors read their work here!
CLOSEDOfficial Clocks TOC will be announced in December!There are no plans for a 2027 anthology, but thank you so much to all who submitted in 2026!
Read all of this, of course. But the most pertinent/perhaps different than other contracts is bolded.
If you have need for verbiage to change or are uncomfortable with someone but still get accepted, please contact me and we can discuss.
This contract (hereinafter, the “AGREEMENT”) is made between Elizabeth Mitchell of Little Key Press (hereinafter, the “PUBLISHER”) and _______________________ (hereinafter,the “AUTHOR”), in regards to the story _______________________ (hereinafter, the “STORY”) being published in Clocks (hereinafter, the “ANTHOLOGY”). In consideration of mutual promises and forbearances, the parties agree as follows:1. Grants of Rights.
(a). The AUTHOR retains all rights to the STORY not specified here.
(b). The AUTHOR grants the PUBLISHER permission to include STORY in the ANTHOLOGY, to be printed, published, distributed, and sold in print and electronic editions.
(c). The PUBLISHER will use, sell, or distribute the STORY only in the ANTHOLOGY in accordant to the AGREEMENT.
(d). The AUTHOR agrees to not publish or permit others to publish the STORY in any form prior to the ANTHOLOGY publication and for one (1) month after the publication of the ANTHOLOGY, without prior written permission of the PUBLISHER. If the STORY is selected for a “best of” publication, the PUBLISHER agrees to waive this consideration, if the AUTHOR provides prior written notice of the selection.
(e). The AUTHOR grants the PUBLISHER permission to continue to sell the ANTHOLOGY after the period of exclusivity has ended with no further compensation beyond what’s stated in the AGREEMENT.
(f). The AUTHOR accepts that the PUBLISHER does not have a social media presence, aside from a newsletter, as of the date this contract is being signed. The PUBLISHER makes no promise to change this, only to create ads to increase visibility.
(g). If the PUBLISHER fails to publish the STORY by August 1, 2026, all rights revert back to the AUTHOR.2. Authors’ Warranties and Indemnities.
(a). The AUTHOR represents and warrants that they are the sole AUTHOR of the STORY, and that no one has previously reserved the rights granted in this AGREEMENT. The AUTHOR also represents that, the STORY does not contain any libelous material, is not in violation of any rights of privacy or any other rights of third persons, does not violate any existing common law or statutory copyrights, was not generated in part or in full by AI, and has not been published before in any form, whether paid or unpaid, in print, electronic, or other formats not specifically enumerated here.
(b). The AUTHOR agrees to hold the PUBLISHER harmless against any claims, demands, or recovery finally sustained, by reason of any violation of copyright or other property or personal right pertaining to the representations above, plagiarism, libel, and/or invasion of privacy.3. Payments and Selling.
(a). If the Kickstarter is successful, the AUTHOR will be paid a flat fee of $40 US dollars for the STORY. If the Kickstarter is not successful, the AUTHOR will be paid through royalties of the book as follows: a 40/60 split of royalties; 40 for the PUBLISHER and 60 between all authors in the ANTHOLOGY, for a five-year period, paid quarterly.
(b). The AUTHOR will receive a paperback contributor copy of the ANTHOLOGY no matter the success of the Kickstarter.
(c). The AUTHOR will be able to buy paperback editions of the ANTHOLOGY at cost, including taxes and shipping, plus $3 per order, to sell on their own, with the understanding they will not undercut the PUBLISHER or fellow authors, should they be selling in the same place.
(i). The AUTHOR may buy copies of the ANTHOLOGY at any time, with the understanding the PUBLISHER requires the funds before making the purchase.
(ii). To make the purchase, visit the #buy-copies section in the Discord and follow the instructions listed in the pinned post.4. Requirements.
(a). The AUTHOR must post on social media site or in their newsletter at least once about the Kickstarter and ANTHOLOGY.
(b). The AUTHOR must join the Little Key Press Discord to keep up with ANTHOLOGY news or check the Little Key Press author website frequently.
(c). The AUTHOR will to abide by all deadlines.5. Waiver.
(a). Any controversy or claim arising out of this AGREEMENT or breach of said AGREEMENT may be settled between parties, should that be possible. If not, it will be settled with arbitration, and judgment may be entered in the highest court of the forum, State or Federal, having jurisdiction. Such arbitration shall be held in the state of Washington, unless otherwise agreed by the parties.
(b). A waiver of any breach of this agreement or of any of the terms or conditions by either party thereto, shall not be deemed a waiver of any repetition of such breach or in any way affect any other terms or conditions hereof; no waiver shall be valid or binding unless it shall be in writing, and signed by the parties.
(c). Regardless of the place of its physical execution, this contract shall be interpreted under the laws of the State of Washington and of the United States of America.
By signing this contract, the PUBLISHER and the AUTHOR acknowledge that each party has read and understood this contract prior to execution.
1. I will download the stories, without reading the bios.2. If a story speaks to me, it goes into a first round pile. If it doesn't, it's a no.3. Slush readers will also read the stories and give me their opinions.4. Once we've all gone through the submissions, I will read the bios of the first rounded stories.—Though I hope to have a mix of emerging and established authors, I want to uplift unrepresented authors of all types first and foremost.*Authors under the age of 18 will need their parents to co-sign their contracts.—Not everyone has access to college, nor can they afford to apply to writing contests, and subsequently win awards. Not everyone has the energy to write so prolifically they have dozens of published works. Not everyone has the mental stamina for rejection after rejection, so they submit less often. I understand. But none of that diminishes talent. So please, if you like what you've written, send it. Don't self-reject.5. I will read the first rounded stories once more and make a cut.—Depending on how many that is, I may need to do another round of cuts. Then perhaps another and another, until I get to a total of 12 stories.6. I will read the final stories as a collection to make sure they flow nicely. If I have to swap something for another from a previous round, I will. It's not just one story that's important in an anthology, after all.—Transparency in these things is so important. I don't want anyone thinking that a rejection means their story is bad or trash or unworthy. It means that it didn't speak to me or fit with this collection. Nothing more.7. I'll send out acceptances and rejections. The rejections will be one form letter, because I am a fatigued person. Please do not read into the verbiage. It will not tell you whether I think your writing or story was better or worse than your peers. If you think you have a story for a future anthology, submit it! I don't want you to take a rejection letter to mean you are more or less likely to be involved in a future project.8. Along with acceptances, I'll send out a contract.9. Once the contract is signed, I'll edit the story. It could take up to a month.10. I'll send the edited stories out as they are ready, with a deadline of two weeks from that date (unless it interferes with a holiday).11. I take the finalized stories and put them into a collection.12. Meanwhile, the Kickstarter for the anthology will go live in March.—If the Kickstarter is unsuccessful, which is highly unlikely, there is a royalty contingency. That is addressed in the contract.13. After the Kickstarter dust settles, I pay you and send you your book.
13a. If the Kickstarter was unsuccessful, I send your your book and set up your royalty share, to be paid quarterly.14. I publish the book in June.15. We have an online event to celebrate.16. You go forth and share with the world, resubmit your story elsewhere if you'd like, and write your hearts out.17. The process begins again. And yes, you can submit again to any and all anthologies.
Shop
Honesty time:
The amount I make per book if you buy through me versus anywhere else is staggering. ($1.14 vs $7.80 in one case)
So, if it's in stock, please consider buying it directly through the Little Key Press shop.
–True, I am the one who ships the books, so that can take a few days.
–True, we are at the mercy of the post office, so that can take a week.
–True, the ebooks won't be auto-delivered, because I email you personally, so that can take a day
But how wonderful of you to accept the delay to support me and the anthology authors!
Contact
For rights inquiries, email littlekeypress (at) gmail (dot) com.Little Key Press authors welcome opportunities to meet with book clubs or speak with organizations about their work—published here or otherwise. Please don't hesitate to reach out via the Little Key Press email and/or the author’s personal website or email (bios available here).