Author, Tim Napper & Artist, Quinlan Septer

When Tim Napper first got the call that he was a Writers of the Future winner, he start arguing with me—refusing to believe it!

Tim actually comes from a dedicated aid worker background, having lived in Mongolia, Laos, and Vietnam, while working on an international scope. He didn’t intend to, but after volunteering for a year on a project to support street children, international aid turned out to be an eleven-year career. When he became a stay-at-home dad, however, he tried his hand at writing, which wound up leading him to a new and unexpected career as a professional author. He’s been writing for two years now, having scaled back on his regular job to continue following his passion for prose (plus occasional Star Trek cosplay with his three-year-old son).

Tim’s story, “Twelve Minutes to Vinh Quang,” is a near-future noir piece set in Sydney’s criminal underbelly. Tim has always been an avid reader, citing notables such as Kurt Vonnegut, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Philip K. Dick as particular inspirations for his own imagination. Plus, he can’t quite ever get enough of Blade Runner.

Like all the other winning stories, “Twelve Minutes to Vinh Quang” was illustrated by one of the Illustrators of the Future winners. This turned out to be Quinlan Septer, who hails from a world away in Michigan. His art draws inspiration from studying (i.e. playing) video and card games with his brothers. Later, Quinlan began to study more classical work and traditional artistic masters, adding philosophical touches to his art. Now he strives to fuse the two different worlds into a unique and ever-evolving style all his own.

Congratulations to both Tim and Quinlan! Here’s to bright futures for you both.

*To find out how to win, make sure you read and see what is winning. That is your ticket and the book is just a click away.