Announcing our 2022 Genre Fiction Contest Winners

After two weeks of pouring over contest submissions, Laterpress is proud to announce the winners of our 2022 Genre Fiction Contest! 

We had two categories in this competition - one for completed books, and one for ongoing serial fiction. In each category, two Fellowship winners will receive $10,000 prizes, have the 5% Laterpress platform fee waived for a year, and be invited to our Author Working Group, where they can help shape the future of our platform. Additionally, ten finalists in each category will receive the platform fee waivers and invitations to the Working Group. 

We received a tremendous response to our contest, which made judging among all the fantastic submissions no easy task. Our Finalists and Fellowship winners represent a wide range of genres, including science fiction, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, horror, and more. Please understand that with the number of submissions received, it’s not possible for us to provide feedback to contestants about their stories, beyond this announcement of winners.

Finalists

Before highlighting our grand prize winners, let’s start by unveiling the Finalists in each category! Books and serials are not listed in any particular order.

Completed Books Finalists

Lynne Sterley - Wolf in the House

When Jane gives in to a powerful attraction, she’s just looking for a little fun. But Blake Reave has a secret. He’s a werewolf, and werewolf mating season is only eleven months away. Claiming a mate is the most important thing he’ll ever do for his pack. Blake doesn’t need a one-night stand – he needs a mate. And Jane is the only one he wants…

Odessa Lynne - Of Magic and Mating

Gregory is a magic-wielding assassin who means to kill Thrace, one of the long-lived, shape-shifting aliens the humans call monsters. But magic and monsters don’t mix, and by the time Gregory realizes he might be in over his head, it’s already too late: He’s at the mercy of a monster who’s much more interested in sex than death.

J.R. Froemling - Mistress Giselle

At eighteen Hope-Marie strikes out from Kansas City to make it big in fashion, only to find nothing is as she imagined. Desperate to not go home defeated, she finds herself a stripper in New York City where she catches the eye of Big Tony Scapelli. He’s a man who doesn’t take no for an answer & he wants her. So what’s a good girl supposed to do?

LP Styles - Dark is a Way

In this supernatural horror, Finn, guardian to his teen sisters, has managed to keep his broken family together. That changes when an ancient demon invades his small town. To save his sisters, he must fight paranormal evils he’s never imagined. Including his mother.

Brian Xavier Cole - The Shattered Warrior

Perelor Krot must face his fears to save the Endowed, the mystical hero prophesied to end all suffering.

Allison Paige - After the Bees

It starts when the bees die and a plague sweeps across the Earth. The immune survive only to face a greater horror: a demon-ruled world where mankind is either marked or possessed. But Leah survives. For three years, she lives on her own after fleeing the fall of her city until she meets Raum, a demon who keeps her alive and unmarked.

Lisa Kumar - Bound to the Elvin King

Stranded in the elvin land of Eria, the all-too-human Maggie spends her days trying to figure out a way home while avoiding the secy yet provoking King Talion. The mysterious king intrigues and infuriates her as no one ever has. When she wakes up magically bound to him, there’s no escaping him – or her new role in a land on the brink of war.

Jules Crisare - Broken Hero

Bray isn’t a good man, but he’s a good wolf. He has one goal - keep his pack of young dominant males from killing each other. Bray’s wolf has another goal in mind. Find a mate.

E.A. West - Covered

Lacey’s abusive father is out of prison and more dangerous than ever. The Hawthorne Guardians, a local motorcycle club that protected her as a child, is her only hope for safety. Some of the faces have changed, but the credo is the same: protect the innocent. One Guardian, Ratchet, takes an interest in more than her safety. He wants her heart.

B. Pigeon - Worm in a Jar

After an attempt to summon a succubus goes awry, amateur witch Malee finds herself responsible for a shadowy, shapeshifting demon who she may not have the magic to send home.

Ongoing Serial Finalists

Isaac Young - The Matrioshka Divide

A signal has been detected on the outer edge of the galaxy, possibly from a colony ship thought lost nearly three thousand years ago. The Free Exchange, the dominant power of the known universe, puts together an unexpected crew to go find it. Only time will tell if this impossible beacon will change the course of human history forever.

Abby Goldsmith - Majority

Popular opinion is law. But the perfect, popular thought leaders fail to foresee a threat: Thomas and his crew of outlaws are secretly forming a new civilization. They just need to evade space armadas and survive long enough to tap into illegal powers.

C.P. Night - Target 10: A Space Adventure

Abandoned planets. Alien artifacts. Teeny-tiny living spaces. Three explorers with their own agendas. What could go wrong? Reby, Jemy, and RJ are cruising way out beyond known space. They’ve got a list of targets to scavenge for alien artifacts and debts waiting for them when they get back. If they get back…

Fox Under Fire - The Hero Is Unchained, But Not Free

A down-on-her-luck author meets the most powerful superhuman alive, and becomes entangled in the struggle for use of his abilities. Now, she is unraveling the secrets of the superhuman world – if she can stay alive long enough to make use of them.

Kelsey Josephson - Forsaken Beauty and the Etherbeast

An unconventional beauty, a tormented beast, and the ether that binds their fate. Start reading this steampunk fairy tale retelling today!

Greg Vinzent - Free Ship Horatio

A competent crew, pulpy technobabble, and a core of optimistic humanism fuel this fun space adventure series. Join Free Ship Horatio with Jord Jorex, its newest recruit, as they explore a strange and distant galaxy where wonder and peril await in equal measure!

Naomi Ault - Chew

“Where were you when you turned?” The Wormwood Prion infected millions with an irresistible need to chew, demonstrating a distinct preference for human flesh. Allison Rose is lucky. She’s one of the fortunate few to wake up in a Recovery Center; cured, but with a head full of monstrous memories intact.

Rebecca Ehrick - Ocean of Dreams

Esar and Kelsam’s quiet life is thrown into disarray by the appearance of two teenagers from another world. One of them has dangerous untrained magic that can rend reality asunder, bringing about the destruction that Esar has seen in his prophetic dreams. But that power might be the only hope for defeating an even more dangerous foe.

L.P.M. Sinclair - Songs for Dead Gods

Silas was once the favorite musician of the forest gods, but he’s now a powerless fae with shattered memories. Eve is an undead violinist with a demonic bargain on her soul and a love of faerie tales. Together they could save the village of Heartsweet from a blight of dark magic but not without unlocking his memories one dark song at a time. 

Jeff Elkins & JP Rindfleisch - NRDS: National Recently Deceased Services

So, ghosts are real. And an underfunded agency helps them transition over to the other side. At least, that’s how it should be. Spiritual energy is running amuck in the rural Midwest, and a NRDS office has opened in the middle of it. Follow this cast as they navigate the day to day, hauntings, angry citizens, and the stacks of paperwork.

Fellowship Award Winners

Now without further ado, we’d like to announce our 2022 Genre Fiction Contest Fellowship award recipients. Congratulations to the incredible authors below!

Completed Books

Emily S Hurricane - The Beginning of the End

‍Daphne is the last person on Earth… or so she thinks. After a deadly disease wipes out all of humanity, she learns family secrets and must travel across Canada in search of answers to why she survived… and who she really is.

‍What our judges said: 

“That was an amazing hook, from the first sentence to the last sentence in the first paragraph. The first page and exposition is a pleasure to read, evocative and informative. Love Daphne's attitude straight at the beginning, especially with her first dialogue. 

Some lines make me stop, they are so gorgeous, like the necklace being a heavy brick of secrets and lies. Amazing. And I love how the ghost of her father's voice is in her head. It’s a fascinating way of using interesting flashbacks and keeping characters around that didn't have a lot of screen time before they were gone.

It’s a cool concept. The last human on earth is superhuman and learns they are a superhero after there's no one else to save. I also like her quest for knowledge, and it’s a good way to hook us along and keep moving us forward.”

“The plot is fascinating, and the conflict was quickly communicated. The protagonist's world was thrown into chaos without pause, the events stacking on each other until we round back to the scene from the very beginning. I enjoyed this writing strategy because it kept me invested.”

Cheah Kit Sun - Babylon Blues

In Nova Babylonia, the New Gods rule with an iron fist. Only one group dares to challenge them: the Special Tasks Section. Within the STS, the most dangerous assignments got to Team Black Watch. These are their stories.

‍What our judges said:

“The world is complex and believable, helping transport me further into this new world. Amazing storytelling is proven through how engrossing, interesting and well paced the exposition is. I love the addition of spiritualism, polytheism, new tech and eldritch horror. I love how the author takes his time in describing this new world and yet it's all succinct too.

Multiple ideas run into each other: scifi, police procedural drama, samurai, new gods, high tech, eldritch monsters, fallen angels, in only the way that the future would make all that make sense. It fits and works, it's interesting and vivid, it has the weight of the past with the novelty of the future.”

“I love the amount of detail. It leaves me feeling the heaviness, seriousness, fear of it all, without compromising the integrity of the character's steeling their way through the mess. The deeper I get, the more I love this world and need to know more.”

Ongoing Serials

Novae Caelum - The Stars and Green Magics

Dressa has no wish to be the heir, but she’s falling for her sister’s betrothed. Two heirs, one kingdom, and with the title comes the bride. When rulers can shapeshift and masquerade as each other, who will rule?

‍From the judges:

“This was an excellent manuscript, with solid narration, excellent dialogue, and well-thought-out, engaging worldbuilding. The verses of scripture and quotes at the beginning of each chapter were unique, but also effective in conveying just what kind of world we live in. Our characters were diverse and interesting, and who doesn’t love a bit of well-written court intrigue.”

“There’s a lot going on here. Shapeshifting royals. Court intrigue. A disease. Aliens. It all flows and builds naturally, giving readers time to acclimate to the world without getting lost in details. I love that the emotional depth and social nuance of scenes gets explored so deeply, yet in a way that doesn’t bog down pacing or feel like an exposition dump.”

‍Nia Quinn - Sigils & Sushi

I suck at magic, but make up for it with style – ask my demon roomies. Checking in rental cars for supernatural beings, I score whatever they ditch flying home – and they leave some weird stuff behind. Sometimes it’s a toss-up if it’ll help pay the bills, or cause an apocalypse. I don’t wanna start an apocalypse, but I gotta eat. What’s a girl to do?

‍From the judges:

“... this was a blast to read and it reminded me of my favorite urban fantasy series, The Dresden Files. There were so many cool ideas, from having literal demons as roommates to magic sigil tattoos and dragon storms, this was just a fun read. Our main character was also a joy. She was tough, snarky, funny, and relatable in a lot of ways. Definitely someone I could have a beer with, or four! There really was so much to love here, and mirror demons and under-the-bed demons just sound so cool.” 

“Sigils & Sushi oozes personality. It’s so relentlessly charming and funny that it’s hard to put down. The whole sequence in Kor’s domain is absurd (in the best way). The world building is subtle, but effective, and the monster variety sometimes reminded me of creature-rich scenes like the Mos Eisley Cantina in A New Hope. I want to live in Immy’s world.”

Congratulations to our Finalists and Fellowship winners!

The competition was fierce, so take a bow if you are named on this list! It was extremely challenging to pare down the list from so many fantastic stories. We hope everyone can  find a new read (or more!) to enjoy from amongst our finalists and winners. Of course, you’re welcome to join our Discord and congratulate the winners there, as well.

We will be contacting winners by email this week to discuss the details of claiming their prizes.

There’s a lot to look forward to with Laterpress in the coming months. Coming next week, we’ll be rolling out a feature that lets authors host their stories on their own website domain. In May, we’re going live with Bookshelf functionality to help readers see all the authors they follow in one place. We also recently announced our plans for “Instant Audiobooks” – a feature which will let authors turn their stories into audiobooks with the click of a button.

And that’s just the beginning! 

When the time’s right, we’ll unveil details about the launch of our new Author Community features, which will help authors band together to build a new kind of publishing platform  – one created by authors, for authors. Stay tuned!