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L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41 Releases in the US and Canada

Hollywood, CA / April 22, 2025

L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41 will be released on April 22 in bookstores across the US and Canada. This includes Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million in the US, Chapters, Indigo, and Coles in Canada, and independent bookstores everywhere. The eBook, paperback, and unabridged audiobook will also be available on Amazon.com.

The release marks the series entry into its fifth decade of realizing Mr. Hubbard’s vision that “A culture is as rich and as capable of surviving as it has imaginative artists.”

The Writing Contest is the longest-running science fiction and fantasy competition of its kind in the world. “This year, we have winners from five countries—Canada, China, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America,” stated the Contest Director, Joni Labaqui. “So not only are the Writers and Illustrators Contests the largest competitions of their kind in the world, but their scope is truly international with 989 winners and published finalists from 50 countries throughout the Contests’ history.”

Winners published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41:

Kill Switch

by Robert F. Lowell

Illustrated by
Jordan Smajstrla (Grand Prize Illustrator)

When an obsolete police robot gets one last chance to avoid the scrapyard, he finds the line between justice and murder is as thin as a silicon wafer.

Blackbird Stone

by Ian Keith

Illustrated by
Marianna Mester

When a door to eternity opens in a downtown doctor’s office, a man and a woman from opposite sides forge a marriage of love between irreconcilable universes.

Storm Damage

by T. R. Naus

Illustrated by
Haileigh Enriquez

A beleaguered scientist discovers time travel is possible, but a brewing storm threatens to erase his legacy.

Karma Birds

by Lauren McGuire

Illustrated by
Breanda Petsch

As Claire and her sisters are on the run to avoid the deadly birds, a stop for gas may throw them into moral danger.

The Boy from Elsewhen

by Barlow Crassmont

Illustrated by
Daniel Montifar

In a world of mandated technology, one boy’s defiance sparks intrigue, envy, and a desire for forgotten freedoms.

Code L1

by Andrew Jackson

Illustrated by
HeatherAnne Lee

On an uncharted jungle world, a survey team meets an impossible horror from beyond death itself.

Ascii

by Randyn C. J. Bartholomew (Grand Prize Writer)

Illustrated by
Tremani Sutcliffe

A cheerful self-driving car gives a ride to a reclusive writer, and during the trip faces a choice with world-altering ramifications.

Slip Stone

by Sandra Skalski

Illustrated by
Haileigh Enriquez

Carlos Buela doesn’t know where or when he is, or how to find the bus back home—but that rock he bought as a souvenir is to blame.

The Stench of Freedom

by Joel C. Scoberg

Illustrated by
John Barlow

In a lightning-powered city, a father confronts the rotten truth of the man he has become as he discovers that no one is truly free in a society built on oppression.

The Rune Witch

by Jefferson Snow

Illustrated by
David Hoffrichter

In the wake of a devastating tragedy, the last member of a magical sisterhood must choose between forgiveness or unleashing a vengeful demon.

Thirty Minutes or It’s a Paradox

by Patrick MacPhee

Illustrated by
Cam Collins

When a pizza delivery guy meets his time-traveling future selves, he must juggle conspiracies, collapsing timelines, and cooling pizzas.

A World of Repetitionsb_CLFors

A World of Repetitions

by Seth Atwater Jr.

Illustrated by
CL Fors

The world is trapped in a thirty-four-hour time loop where everything resets except memories. With reality fractured, humanity struggles to forge a new normal.

Additional stories published by established authors:

Tough Old Man

by L. Ron Hubbard

Illustrated by
Dwayne Harris

A rookie constable on a desolate alien outpost faces the ultimate trial: proving himself under the guidance of the legendary Old Keno, whose training methods are as brutal as the terrain.

My Name Was Tom

by Tim Powers

Illustrated by
Gigi Hooper

A man trapped on an endless ship searches for his wife amid strange, forgotten decks and haunting memories.

Under False Colours

by Sean Williams

Inspired by Craig Elliott’s book cover image Creature of the Storm

When a ship emerges from the depths of a gas giant, a solitary observer intervenes, unraveling an ancient cycle of survival, identity, and evolution.

About The Contests

L. Ron Hubbard initiated the Writers of the Future Writing Contest in 1983 to provide “a means for new and budding writers to have a chance for their creative efforts to be seen and acknowledged.” Based on its success, its sister contest, Illustrators of the Future, was created five years later to provide that same opportunity for aspiring artists.

The intensive mentoring process has proven very successful. The 571 winners and published finalists of the Writing Contest have published over 8,000 novels and short stories, and their works have sold over 60 million copies.

The 418 past winners of the Illustrating Contest have created art for over 700 books, 500 comics and 130 major motion pictures, gaming feature films, television shows and documentaries.

For more information about Writers and Illustrators of the Future, visit www.writersofthefuture.com.

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