On October 30, 1938 Martian war machines landed at Grovers Corner, NJ. Before they could take over the world, they died of the common cold. In honor of this surprise twist to HG Wells’ The War of the Worlds, this month’s theme is Dumb Luck. Stories can be fantasy, science fiction, pretty much any genre, as long as it nails the theme. You have 1938 words.

Entries should be mailed to especbooks@aol.com as a .doc, .docx, or .rtf attachment. Please include your name, story title, and contact information on your manuscript itself. If we cannot identify your entry from the file you will be disqualified. Multiple submissions are permissible, but reprints are not. Winning entry will be published on the eSpec Books blog and the winner will receive a free ebook copy of the eSpec Books title of their choice. Prize can be reserved for a future book if the winner already has the available titles.

Visit http://www.especbooks.com for a list of titles.