My short story, “Maddy Dune’s First and Only Spelling Bee” won a first prize in the Writers of the Future contest. Later it was published as a standalone story.
You can still get a copy of the short story from all the usual places. However, the full text of the short story is now available for free simply by reading the preview of Flame in Shadow available here.
The Maddy Dune short story is the first chapter of the novel. The novel that takes off where the short story ends.
Here’s the cover for the standalone short story:
And the blurb:
A dozen of the best young spellcasters in the land. The heir to the throne, determined to beat them all. And Maddy Dune, a half-human enchanter who’ll settle for getting through the competition without killing anyone.
This story was first published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 27.