I have pleasure in announcing the WINNER of this year’s MEGASAGA writing competition –

The winning story is…..is…. (drum roll)

BE WARNED

 The oceans are mine! I have lived in their depths for longer than your kind has existed. In earlier times I have come to the surface and drawings of me destroying your wooden ships can be found on older maps. But they are incorrect in so many ways. I am much, much bigger than depicted. Up to now, I’ve been prepared to live alongside your kind, but your wanton pollution is ruining my world. Cease now or I will surface near your cities and destroy them one by one.

I am the Kraken and you have been warned. 

The Judges said:

‘– I absolutely loved this story, it was everything a Megasaga needed, the use of language and powerful Narrative had me gripped…. Needless to say, this is an Author I would like to hear more from’. ‘Masterly, a perfect Megasaga with beginning, middle and a sting in the tail (excuse the pun)’ This is a writer with a surety of technique, whose writing is bound to bring him success’

THE AUTHOR

‘I live in a tiny seaside village in KwaZulu Natal in South Africa with my wife of 48 years. I have a married daughter, the light of my life, who has emigrated to England and now lives in Durham. I am a passionate Liverpool supporter and never miss a match. Fortunately, all of their games are broadcast live.

‘I spent my working life in the motor trade while inventing, designing, manufacturing and wholesaling games in my spare time. The most successful of these were ‘The Spintronic Home Casino’ and ‘Bible Walk.’ (The Spintronic Home Casino’ featured full size fold up playing boards for Roulette, Craps, and Black Jack, playing chips, and an electronic roulette
wheel, while ‘Bible Walk’ was a Christian question and answers board game.

‘Since my retirement, I have concentrated on writing and have completed three novels. These are ‘The Good Witch’, a 107 000 word YA fantasy, ‘The Monster at the End of the World‘, a 50 000 word YA Viking Saga, and ‘The Last Ogre,’ a 76 page Medieval saga told entirely in verse. The Last Ogre won a competition two years ago run by ‘Leading Edge,’ an online fantasy literary journal. Since then I have teamed up with the renowned South African illustrator Lawrence Moorcroft whose magic fingers have transformed my tale into an epic Picture book.

‘I am over the moon to have won this prestigious competition and would like to thank the judges for bestowing this honour on me. ‘

Second Prize: the runner -up:

SOMEWHERE BEYOND…

You are all powerful, you laugh at us within your undecipherable expanse.

You are power and give life and happiness, you are what some call a god, always there, always roaring, the sounds you make a constant murmur in our ears, reminding of your presence. But you take. Without mercy or compassion.

One second you promise, the other you steal. What joy you gave is so quickly transformed to sorrow and despair.

And my tears will join the rest of what you stole, in your rolling, crashing waves.

Grant my final wish: May I forever stay lost.

The Judges said: ‘The originality of this story is what had me captured, the language and structure was also something I found admirable amongst the other stories.. I enjoyed the use of metaphors, as well as the sadness I could feel emanating from each sentence.  It is one thing to make an audience see a clear picture but a whole new world when you are able to make them feel as well.’ ‘What I loved was the deep mystery in each sentence. You can tell the writer is a poet, who has a love of words and a commitment to their precise use’. ‘The story is embedded in the words, without being explicit. Very clever!’

THE AUTHOR

‘Hello,  I am 41 years old, I am a small scale organic farmer who loves Nature, the outdoors, working out, and writing. I mainly write science fiction because I think it’s a genre that encompasses all genres, and is apt to make us think and feel.The unknown can bring out the best or the worst in us, and I love to develop upon scenarios I see happening,  expanding them to build a new world of ‘what if?’. I also love poetry, because it is made with the express purpose of creating an image and a feeling, simple words that transport us in new realms and ideas by the graceful touch of the author. I write song lyrics if I am inspired,  although I am unable to sing properly :))).I’ve been writing – with the express purpose of bettering myself- since I am 18 , but I only recently published a novel, and became interested in the many online contests that help brighten an author’s day or push them beyond their limits and comfort zone.It takes a long time to master the craft ( for me, anyway) and I still have a lot to learn.

‘I live in Quebec,  Canada. I’m completely self taught, I learned to write by writing, reading,  and writing more. My book is called The Wanderer’s Quest, a dystopian scifi adventure  published by Olympia Publishers.’

CONGRATULATIONS VERONIQUE!

I want to thank the Judges, Beulah Lee Harris and Lorna Malan for all the time and effort they put into judging the Contest this year. This is the first time I have asked past winners to judge, and I know you would much rather have entered!

I also want to thank ALL the entrants, with a special shout out to the shortlisted authors: Paulos Ntswela Hlwaela for ‘Raging Sea’, Pavlova Maharaj for ‘Beauty‘, Bev Moss Reilly for ‘Uncharted Waters’, Grigor for ‘Captivity‘, You can read all their wonderful stories HERE

Illustration: “Le Poulpe Colossal” by malacologist Pierre Dénys de Montfort, 1801