The Authors Quill Author Patrick MacPhee Author Steven Heumann

As a young child, Patrick frequently saw his mother engrossed in a forest’s worth of fantasy and science fiction novels. Wanting to join in the fun, he read his first ‘big-person’ novel, The Fellowship of the Ring, when he was eight. Although far above his reading level, he pushed through, several hours a day, taking literally longer to reach Rivendell than Sam and Frodo. This magical experience hooked him on speculative fiction forever.

In his teens, he was bit by the writing bug and later abandoned a degree in engineering to pursue a degree in English literature. He fell into teaching, first as a way to support his writing hobby/habit, then as a vocation where he was lucky enough to spend every day helping young people become better versions of themselves. Over a twenty-year teaching career, Patrick has taught phys-ed (i.e. dodgeball) to Fortnite-obsessed middle schoolers, the enigmatic complexity of Hamlet to university-bound high schoolers and everything in between. He has learned that almost every part of the curriculum has room for a little humor — sometimes a lot of humor.

When he’s not writing fantasy and science fiction, Patrick enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons with his wife and two children and going on long walks in the woods with his golden retrievers, Ciri and Arwen.

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. Steven Heumann is a seasoned storyteller with over 20 years of experience crafting narratives across television, film, and publishing. As the founder of Super Heumann Creative, he leads a boutique agency dedicated to helping individuals and brands preserve their stories through ghostwritten books and documentary video. As a successful fiction author, Steven has published 10 full-length sci-fi thriller novels in the creative vein of the Twilight Zone, creating stories that can be enjoyed on multiple levels for readers who appreciate a deeper dive into character. He currently lives in Bluffdale, Utah with his wife and six children.

Find out more at: www.SuperHeumann.com