Writers of the Future Welcomes Award-Winning Author Mark Leslie Lefebvre as its Newest Judge

The Writers of the Future Contest administrators welcome Mark Leslie Lefebvre (on the left in above photo) to the ranks as one of its esteemed judges for the internationally acclaimed Writers of the Future.

Mark Leslie Lefebvre is the author of more than thirty books that include the award-winning humorous urban fantasy Canadian Werewolf series, which readers have hailed as “the thinking man’s werewolf.”

Lefebvre is also a pioneer in digital publishing, embracing both traditional and self-publishing routes. His industry experience includes President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, board member of BookNet Canada, Director of Author Relations and Self-Publishing for Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program.

Lefebvre stated, “Fantastic fiction has long been considered the herald of possibility,” an earlier observation made by L. Ron Hubbard in his introduction to Battlefield Earth in 1982. Lefebvre continued, “If so, then writers are the pioneering champions of inspiring the world in creative and imaginative ways that can bring form and reality to that raw potential.” Science fiction and fantasy authors inspire others to dream well beyond the limits and constraints of our world—to imagine the infinite potency and wonders that lie just on the other side of “what if”—witness astronauts, robotics engineers, scientists, and similar professions who were initially inspired by the genre. Lefebvre concluded, “Those whose mission is to seek out and celebrate new imaginative voices, to offer them a platform to launch their words, dreams, and stories, and to provide guidance as they navigate a complex and ever-changing publishing industry are the purveyors of possibility in the finest sense. And that is what Writers of the Future has always been.”

Lefebvre is not new to Writers of the Future. As Director for Author Relations at Kobo, he was the keynote speaker in 2014 for the release of Writers of the Future Volume 30. He has also been a guest multiple times on the Writers and Illustrators of the Future podcast, where he discussed indie publishing. Joni Labaqui, the Contest Director, stated that with the continued growth of indie publishing combined with his experience, “Lefebvre rocketed to the top of our list to invite as a Contest judge.”

Lefebvre stated, “I am proud and honored to join the prestigious panel of world-class writers, artists, and all of the people who work tirelessly behind the scenes in continuing L. Ron Hubbard’s magnificent vision of paying it forward to the creative minds of tomorrow.”

He now joins the elite panel of Contest judges past and present, including legends Algis Budrys, Orson Scott Card, Hal Clement, Frank Herbert, Hugh Howey, Anne McCaffrey, C. L. Moore, Larry Niven, Andre Norton, Nnedi Okorafor, Frederik Pohl, Jerry Pournelle, Tim Powers, Mike Resnick, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer, Jack Williamson, and Dave Wolverton. For a complete list of Contest judges, go to writersofthefuture.com/writer-judges.

L. Ron Hubbard created the Writers of the Future Writing Contest to provide a means for aspiring writers to get that much-needed break, with the first volume released in 1985. Due to the success of the Writing Contest, the companion Illustrators of the Future Contest was created.

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award is the genre’s most prestigious prize and has now become the largest, most successful, and most influential vehicle for budding creative talent in contemporary fiction. Since its inception, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests have produced 39 anthology volumes, soon to be 40, and awarded over $1 million cumulatively in cash prizes and royalties.

For more information on the Writers of the Future Contest, visit www.writersofthefuture.com.