“Hey! You!” The guard came running.
“Dad! Stop!”
“Stop!” the guard shouted, sprinting forward.
Walter quickly held up the gun. “Don’t come any closer!”
The guard stopped. He motioned to the other guard who began to radio for backup. A crowd of people began to form.
Walter pointed the gun at anyone who approached. With his other hand, he continued cutting. “Don’t try to stop me!” he yelled, trying to sound unstable. Then he did it. He shot the gun, straight up into the air. It was the only bullet in the gun. Walter had no intention of hurting anybody. But he needed them to believe that he might.
“Stand back!” the guard said, pointing his gun at Walter.
Lee lunged forward and put himself between the guard and Walter. “You can’t shoot him!”
“Put down your gun!” the guard ordered.
Walter ignored him. The hole widened. It was almost big enough.
Lee slowly began to approach.
Walter held up the gun. “Don’t come any closer. I’m doing this, Lee. Don’t try to stop me.”
Lee held up his hands. Tears streamed down his cheeks. “I won’t, Dad. Hand me the wire cutter. Let me help.”
Walter looked at him in surprise. His son was serious. Walter handed him the cutter.
Lee quickly knelt down and finished cutting the hole in the fence. He held it open for his father. “Okay, Dad. It’s big enough. You can go.”
“Lee,” Walter said. “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Just go. Quick.”
The guards watched the exchange, clearly hesitant to stop Walter. They knew him too well. They knew his love for Clare was too strong to keep them apart. Everybody knew about Walter and Clare.
Walter embraced his son, then slipped through the hole in the fence. Walter heard people screaming in the background as he ran toward Clare. He was almost there.
Walter ran. He hadn’t been this close to Clare since she got stuck. He didn’t stop to examine the edge. He didn’t turn around. Instead he kept his face hidden from Lee. Spared him the pain that Walter suffered seeing just a glimpse of Clare’s face. Better to see nothing at all.
He hit the edge.
Time.
Stopped.
A flash of light.
Dizziness. Colors swirled around him. He could barely breathe.
Pain coursed through his body. He felt himself losing consciousness. He gritted his teeth, pushed one foot in front of the other.
There was a soft popping noise.
And he was through!
He stumbled. Ran toward Clare.
She was turning around. His wife! She turned and looked at him. She smiled to see him, but very quickly her eyes widened in fear.
Walter embraced his wife, weeping. He inhaled her fragrance, ran his fingers through her soft hair. “Oh, Clare, you’re alive! I knew it!”
“I’m scared, Walt. What’s happened to you? You look so old.” She pointed to where Walter had come from and her eyes widened. “What is that?” She gripped his arm.
It was torture to tear his gaze from Clare’s face. He glanced quickly. He could see the inside of the bubble, and outside: nothing but a swirling gray with a barely detectable flickering. The flickering, Walter knew, was the passing of day and night.
He stared back deeply into Clare’s beautiful hazel eyes. “I’ll explain everything, my love. First please tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she said. “You only just left a moment ago. Walter, what’s going on?”
“I knew it!” Walter said, sweeping Clare into his arms. “The time bubbles aren’t frozen at all. It was us the whole time. Inside, time is normal. Outside, time is accelerated. They’re sanctuaries. That’s what they are.”
“Time bubbles? What are you talking about? Walter, you look twenty years older. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said. “Now that I’m here with you, I’m fine. Let’s go home. I’ll explain everything.”
“Wait,” she said. “Here comes someone.”
Walter turned around to see a frail old man approaching them from the border of the time bubble. “Lee?” Walter asked, shocked.
The man laughed. “You don’t recognize me? Dad died years ago. I’m Caleb.”
Walter rushed up and embraced him.
“Who’s Caleb?” Clare asked. She was crying.
“Your grandson,” he said. “Caleb.”
Clare held her hand over her mouth.
“You were right, Grandpa. I can’t believe I’m talking to you. You have no idea how long it took me to get here, how many strings I had to pull, how many days and nights I watched you both, frozen in time. I read your note. I studied hard. You’d be proud of me. I became one of the world experts on the time bubbles. It was actually easy. You and grandma made it easy. You’re both incredibly famous.
“And you were right. It’s outside that time is broken. The time bubbles are growing much faster now. They are guarded very carefully. It’s only a matter of time before people find out what they really are.”
Walter paled. “Then more people are coming. We should prepare.”
Caleb shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry. Some may make it inside, but not many. The world’s a lot different than when you were alive, I mean, since you were outside. We’ve had … problems. Wars, famines, plagues—the world’s not a very nice place. There was another war. Not a lot of people have survived.”
“Let’s go home,” said Walter. “Tell me about Lee. He wasn’t too angry with me, was he?”
Caleb laughed. “No, Dad loved you. He became a world hero. They made a movie about him. He made a lot of money and became very famous.”
“You’re joking.”
Caleb shook his head. “Honest to God.”
“Tell me everything,” said Walter. And the three of them walked home.
The Year in the Contests
LAST YEAR’S ANTHOLOGY
Every year we strive to create the highest quality anthology possible. Our judges and administrators have the delightful task of searching for the best writers and illustrators in the world to win our contests. Thanks to the talented individuals who entered, the book was an international bestseller and received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
We are proud to announce that Volume 34 was on multiple bestseller lists, including Publishers Weekly and Amazon. In fact, WotF 34 was #1 in nine separate categories on Amazon, including, “Hot New Releases (for Short Stories—Sci-Fi Short Stories),” “Science Fiction—Canada,” “Anthologies—UK,” and “Sci-Fi and Fantasy Anthologies Kindle Edition—US.”
We are also happy to share that we were recognized by some of the most influential book reviewers in the industry. Publishers Weekly declared that Volume 34 “features expertly crafted and edited stories and art, running the gamut from humorous to bone-chilling.… This inspired, well-rounded anthology has a little something for everyone.” Midwest Book Review stated, “a ‘must read’ for all dedicated science fiction and fantasy fans.” Finally, Booklist said, “This delightful collection holds obvious appeal for fans of speculative fiction, but it should also be recommended to aspiring writers as well.”
In a first for us, WotF 34 was chosen by Book Authority as one of the best books to read for 2019. What is “Book Authority”? As featured on CNN, Forbes and Inc., Book Authority identifies and rates the best books in the world, based on public mentions, recommendations, ratings, and sentiment.
CONTEST GROWTH
The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests continue to grow. They are among the longest-running writing and art contests in the world and continue to attract thousands every year. And this past year, we once again had the highest number of entries since the beginning of both con
tests.
A NEW FIRST READER
Due to the high growth of the Contest, we invited award-winning author Kary English to act as first reader. Her job will be to make a first pass on the stories, deciding which to send on to David Farland for further judging and which can be easily rejected. Kary is a past first-place winner with the Contest and a Hugo finalist for her short fiction.
A FANTASTIC NEW JUDGE
This year, we were delighted to add a new judge to our Writers’ Contest, Katherine Kurtz. Katherine is the historical fantasy author of the very popular Deryni series, the Templar series, and the Adept series. With a strong interest in writing, history, and police work, she created her own subgenres of “historical fantasy” and “crypto-history.” She says, “I always try to help up-and-coming writers and am delighted to be able to judge in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.” We’re just as delighted to be able to work with her.
PUBLICATIONS AND MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS BY PAST WINNERS
With nearly 800 Contest winners, it is virtually impossible to keep track of everyone’s accomplishments. But here are some highlights from the past year:
Artem Mirolevich—Illustration winner, has been busy with art exhibits of his work and has started his own contest to get writers and illustrators to work together. He asks that writers create stories based on his illustrations.
Tobias S. Buckell—New York Times bestseller’s new release, The Tangled Lands, was a finalist at the Digital World Awards.
Myke Cole—Former winner was cast on CBS’s Hunted last year and has released one more book in his Sacred Throne trilogy, The Armored Saint, as well as another novel, Legion Versus Phalanx: The Epic Struggle for Infantry Supremacy in the Ancient World.
Nnedi Okorafor—Author of the soon-to-be-released Black Panther movie tie-in story, Shuri: The Search for Black Panther, has written two other stories for the franchise: Long Live the King and Wakanda Forever. Okorafor was also seen at this year’s Emmys when she was escorted by George R. R. Martin, who is producing her award-winning novel Who Fears Death.
Each year, our winners and judges grace the covers of the three largest short story magazines in speculative fiction today: The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and Analog Science Fiction all throughout the year. We have at least one winner on each cover, sometimes more.
We also continue to see our award-winning and New York Times bestselling authors publish novels in their series. Two of the most prominent are Death’s End, translated by Ken Liu, and Binti: The Night Masquerade by Nnedi Okorafor.
RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS IN 2018 FOR L. RON HUBBARD, OUR JUDGES, AND WINNERS
Recognitions:
The L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests were recognized on their thirty-fourth anniversary with Certificates of Recognition from the California Senate, Senate President Kevin de León, and City of Los Angeles Councilmember Thirteenth District Mitch O’Farrell.
Awards:
NYC Big Book Award: We’re proud that L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 34 was the winner in the anthology category for the New York City Big Book Award. Book submissions were collected from six continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. The purpose of the award is to recognize high-quality writing from around the world.
Our Contest winners continue to be recognized for their talent. And this past year’s wins across sci-fi and fantasy are tremendous. We’re proud that their works were first published in the Writers of the Future anthology.
Analog Awards: In 2017, C. Stuart Hardwick’s “For All Mankind” won Best Novelette. Brian Trent’s “Galleon” was a finalist in the same category. Martin Shoemaker’s “Not Far Enough” and Howard V. Hendrix’s “The Girls with Kaleidoscope Eyes” were both finalists for Best Novella. Eldar Zakirov was a finalist for Best Cover.
Asimov’s Readers’ Award: In 2017, Eldar Zakirov won Best Cover for the September/October issue and Bob Eggleton was a finalist for his July/August issue. Robert Reed’s “The Speed of Belief,” Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s “The Runabout,” and R. Garcia y Robertson’s “The Girl Who Stole Herself” were all finalists for Best Novel/Novella.
Aurealis Awards: Shauna O’Meara’s “Island Green” was a finalist for Best Sci-Fi Novella. Cat Sparks’s Lotus Blue was a finalist for Best Sci-Fi Novel.
Aurora Awards: James Alan Gardner’s All Those Explosions Were Someone Else’s Fault was a finalist for Best Novel while his Compostela: Tesseracts Twenty was a finalist for Best Related Work.
Baen Awards: David VonAllmen’s “Dragon’s Hand” won Grand Prize—Fantasy Adventure. Stephen Lawson’s “Homunculus” won Grand Prize for the Jim Baen Memorial Short Story Award.
Compton Crook Award: Cat Sparks’s Lotus Blue was a finalist for Best Novel.
Digital Book World Award: Tobias S. Buckell’s The Tangled Lands was a finalist for Best Book (Science Fiction).
Ditmar Awards: Shauna O’Meara won for Best Fan Artist and was a finalist for Best Novella with “Island Green.” Cat Sparks’s Ecopunk! won Best Collected Work. Sparks was a finalist in three other categories as well: Best Novel for Lotus Blue, Best Short Story for “Prayers to Broken Stone,” and the William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review for “Science Fiction and Climate Fiction: Contemporary Literatures of Purpose.”
Dragon Awards: Brandon Sanderson won Best Graphic Novel for Brandon Sanderson’s White Sand: Volume One. He also won Best Fantasy Novel for Oathbringer. Kevin J. Anderson won Best Alternate History Novel for Uncharted (cowritten with Sarah A. Hoyt).
Elgin Awards: Mary Turzillo won second place in Best Full-Length Collection for Satan’s Sweethearts.
Geffen Awards: Brandon Sanderson’s Calamity was a finalist for Best Translated YA Book.
Gemmell Awards: Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer was a finalist for The Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel.
Hugo Awards: Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti: Home was a finalist for Best Novella. Aliette de Bodard’s “Children of Thorns, Children of Water” was nominated for Best Novelette. Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archive was nominated for Best Series.
The World Science Fiction Society Award: Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior won Best Young Adult Book.
Life, The Universe and Everything Award: presented to L. Ron Hubbard for the Writers of the Future Contest.
Locus Awards: Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior won Young Adult Book. Okorafor’s Binti: Home was a finalist for Novella. Aliette de Bodard’s The House of Binding Thorns was a finalist for Fantasy Novel. Aliette de Bodard’s “Children of Thorns, Children of Water” and Ken Liu’s “The Hidden Girl” were both finalists for Novelette. Tobias S. Buckell’s “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance,” Karen Joy Fowler’s “Persephone of the Crows,” and Nancy Kress’s “Dear Sarah” were all finalists for Short Story. Bob Eggleton and Shaun Tan were both finalists for Best Artist. Omar Rayyan’s Goblin Market was a finalist for Art Book.
World Fantasy Award: Tim Powers’s Down and Out in Purgatory was nominated for Best Collection. Omar Rayyan was nominated for Best Artist.
Mexico’s National Literature Award: Presented by the Mexican Association of Publishing Houses and the Federal Government of Mexico, Kevin J. Anderson and Orson Scott Card were awarded in the categories of science fiction and fantasy, respectively.
Spectrum Fantastic Art: Omar Rayyan, Andrew Sonea, Sarah Webb, and Contest judge Cliff Nielsen were all selected for Spectrum 25.
Chesley Awards: Stephen Youll was nominated for Best Cover Illustration: Paperback or Ebook for Acadie. Omar Rayyan was nominated for Best Interior Illustration for Goblin Market. Rachel Quinlan was nominated for Best Product Illustration for Knight of Cups. Christine Rhee was nominated for Best Monochrome Work.
This is all the news for this year. We’d like to congratulate all of our
fine writers and illustrators for a great year. We look forward to next!
FOR CONTEST YEAR 35, THE WINNERS ARE:
* * *
Writers of the Future Contest Winners
First Quarter
1. Kyle Kirrin
A HARVEST OF ASTRONAUTS
2. Preston Dennett
A CERTAIN SLANT OF LIGHT
3. Kai Wolden
THE FIRST WARDEN
Second Quarter
1. David Cleden
DARK EQUATIONS OF THE HEART
2. Rustin Lovewell
RELEASE FROM SERVICE
3. Carrie Callahan
DIRT ROAD MAGIC
Third Quarter
1. Elise Stephens
UNTRAINED LUCK
2. Christopher Baker
AN ITCH
3. Mica Scotti Kole
ARE YOU THE LIFE OF THE PARTY?
Fourth Quarter
1. Andrew Dykstal
THANATOS DRIVE
2. Wulf Moon
SUPER-DUPER MOONGIRL AND THE AMAZING MOON DAWDLER
3. John Haas
THE DAMNED VOYAGE
* * *
Illustrators of the Future Contest Winners
First Quarter
Emerson Rabbitt
Vytautas Vasiliauskas
Yingying Jiang
Second Quarter
Alexander Gustafson
Christine Rhee
Sam Kemp
Third Quarter
Allen Morris
Jennifer Ober
Josh Pemberton
Fourth Quarter
Qianjiao Ma
Alice Wang
Aliya Chen
FREE BOOK OFFER
Down load your free copy of
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 25
Includes articles by L. Ron Hubbard and Robert Silverberg along with 24 award-winning authors and illustrators.
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35 Page 39
