The Authors Quill guest author Joel Scoberg second hour author Ian Keith

HOLLYWOOD - Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom author Joel C. Scoberg is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest and was honored along with eleven other writers and eleven artists at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California on April 10th. His story, "The Stench of Freedom," is published along with the other writers' and illustrators' stories and art in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41 which was officially released on April 22nd 2025.

Joel C. Scoberg lives on the beautiful Gower Peninsula in Wales, United Kingdom, with his very supportive wife, two somewhat feral children, and a growing menagerie of animals. He predominantly writes science fiction and fantasy stories, usually at night after his children have gone to bed and before he collapses from exhaustion. His stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, Gwyllion Science Fiction and Fantasy, 365tomorrows, and Every Day Fiction.

Joel’s love of science fiction and fantasy goes back further than his earliest memories. From watching The Never Ending Story so many times he wore out the video, to his family’s Christmas tradition of watching the original Star Wars trilogy back-to-back, and discovering The Hobbit on a caravan holiday as a teenager and reading it, utterly mesmerised, in one sitting. He hopes to one day write a story that will equally enthrall a reader and make them fall in love with fantastical characters that, currently, only exist in his head.

“The Stench of Freedom” was inspired by the transformational perspective that becoming a parent brings. Joel had long dreamt of becoming a writer, but pursuing a career in law and the long hours that entailed, as well as the fear of ridicule for putting something so personal as your own creation into the world, acted as excuses not to follow those dreams. Then, when his children were born, he realised he could hardly tell them to pursue their dreams if he hadn’t done so himself.

The Contest, one of the most prestigious writing and illustrating competitions in the world, is currently in its 42nd year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction.

The Writers of the Future Contest judges include, Tim Powers (author of On Stranger Tides), Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (Dune prequel series), Robert J. Sawyer (The Oppenheimer Alternative), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), Hugh Howey (Wool), and Katherine Kurtz (Deryni series) to name a few. HOLLYWOOD - Mesa, Arizona author Ian Keith is a winner in the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future Contest and was honored along with eleven other writers and eleven artists at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood, California on April 10th. His story, "Blackbird Stone," is published along with the other writers' and illustrators' stories and art in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 41 which will be officially released on April 22nd 2025.

Ian Keith went to philosophy school to learn how to tell the truth, and to law school to learn how to tailor a story to suit any set of appearances. Both trainings have helped him to write fiction, about equally. He lives with his partner and their two children in the Phoenix area, where he works as a ghostwriter. “Blackbird Stone” is his first professional publication.

“Blackbird Stone” started as an itch to write about the pigeons, lizards, and rocks that populate suburban backyards in the Southwest. It grew into a love story and a tribute to quirky families when a bachelorette with an addiction to time elbowed her way in at the conceptual stage. The pigeons became blackbirds, the lizards became telepathic, and the stones became eggs to accommodate her.

The Contest, one of the most prestigious writing and illustrating competitions in the world, is currently in its 42nd year and is judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction.

The Writers of the Future Contest judges include, Tim Powers (author of On Stranger Tides), Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert (Dune prequel series), Robert J. Sawyer (The Oppenheimer Alternative), Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn series, The Stormlight Archive), Larry Niven (Ringworld), Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game), Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death), Hugh Howey (Wool), and Katherine Kurt