A Mason aerospace engineer researcher has won the grand prize in an international writing competition for his Cincinnati-based short story.
L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest honored science fiction writer Michael T. Kuester last month in Hollywood, California. Kuester’s story, “In Living Color,” has been published in an anthology including the work of other amateur writers as a part of their prize.
Aside from being the founder of Scientology, Hubbard himself was a science fiction writer known for his works “Battlefield Earth,” and “Fear.” He created the contest in 1983 to provide aspiring genre fiction writers with a “much-needed break,” according to a news release from the contest.
The international contests’ organizers notified Kuester he was one of the quarterly winners for his story and invited him to the award show and the writing workshops leading up to it.
It was only the night of the award show that he learned he had won the grand prize. Besides the honor of winning the competition, Kuester received a Golden Pen Award trophy and a $5,000 cash prize.
Kuester an engineer, science fiction writer, avid hiker and cooking enthusiast, lives in Mason with his partner Jen, their two children, and their freeloader housemate Eddie the Cat.
His work will be appearing soon in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, but L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42 was his professional debut.
Kuester started writing in 2013. Most of his writings before entering the competition were hard science fiction pieces emphasizing scientific accuracy fueled by his career expertise, “In Living Color” is different.
He started the noir-leaning story by writing a scene about a man who could project himself into paintings walking through Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies.” When the police find out about this man’s ability, they find him and ask him to enter crime scene photos to access the final moments of people who were killed.
“I pictured Cincinnati as he’s being driven from his home to the police precinct as he works on these crime scene photos, I pictured streets downtown,” Kuester said.
In Kuester’s grand prize speech, he spoke lovingly of Cincinnati.
He started the speech reminiscing on his five-hour trip from his one-horse hometown of Sharon, Pennsylvania to Ohio to attend the University of Cincinnati in 2003. He’s been a Cincinnati resident since then.
“To the people of Cincinnati,” Kuester said, “I know it seems sometimes like that city does not get enough respect, it does not get enough attention, I see you. And right now, the entire world sees you.”
Kuester thanked illustrator Nathan Deiwert of Greensburg, Indiana, who created a piece for “In Living Color.” Deiwert was also a quarterly winner for L. Ron Hubbard’s Illustrator of The Future contest.
Deiwert brought the oil-based illustration with him to Hollywood. He said many people at a signing after the awards event told him how terrifying the illustration was.
Kuester encourages people interested in looking for the Writers of the Future Volume 42 in their local independent bookstores.
Kuester won the Writers of the Future Contest for a short story but he has finished writing his first-ever novel, “Seven Days on Samarkand.” He’s currently looking for a literary agent to begin the publishing process. This process could take years, Kuester said.
Learn more about Kuester on https://michaeltkuester.com/ and more about Deiwart on https://www.artofnathandeiwert.com/.
“Don’t give up, because I have seen a lot of writers give up. Because again, its hard. Writing fiction is not for the faint of heart. The first thing I’d say is be able to deal with rejection. You’re going to get a lot of no’s and a lot of doors slammed in your face,” Kuester said.
He encourages all aspiring genre fiction writers to sign up for the Writers of The Future Contest. “There is not a good reason not to enter this contest and every reason to do so.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: This Mason engineer won an international writing contest
Reporting by Gillian Stawiszynski, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
