Alex H Johnson, who lives in Concord, US, was announced as a Writing Mentorship Award winner in the Page Turner Awards online ceremony, where Paul Michael Glaser from Starsky and Hutch fame was a special guest to announce the winners.
The Page Turner Awards, sponsored by ProWritingAid and Campfire, offers authors, writers, and screenwriters the chance to enter the first 10 pages of their writing project, where a judging panel of literary experts and film producers will read the work.
Johnson is a recent undergraduate in History who has found himself working in sustainable aquaculture. He uses his free time to hone his writing and interest in universal history and literature.
His novel, Three Paths Home, is the story of the Mueller Family who, after being separated from one another, must fight to survive the turmoil of World War Two while keeping faith that one day they might be reunited again.
Johnson received this story in the form of a screenplay written by his late grandmother nearly 40 years ago. She based the story on recordings she made of two brothers who described their experience during the war.
Johnson felt that the story had so much to offer and that a novel could better explore themes such as loss, faith, family, and innocence with attention to historical detail.
With the help of an appetite for reading and traveling in his childhood, Johnson began to see History not as a subject, but as an immense tapestry of stories that stretches on without end for it is always growing. It is stories like that of the Mueller family in Three Paths Home that bring events of 80 years ago to the here and now. They remind us that fundamentally, history is the study of human beings, their motivations, their means, and their choices. All of which are essential elements in literature and fiction.
Johnson said, “The toughest step in the career of an unpublished author is to get their work out to a wider audience where it can be recognized, critiqued, and encouraged. The Page Turner Awards is an excellent way for new writers to do just that. It is such an important step that, once taken, will give you the confidence to improve your writing. I had entered the contest on a whim and am amazed at how it has inspired me. I’m lucky to have been chosen among so many talented writers.”
See more about Johnson and his submission: https://pageturnerawards.com/2021-writing-mentorship-award-winners
This year several aspiring writers walked off the red carpet with life-changing prizes. One new unpublished writer won literary agency representation, while a screenwriter won literary management. Another new writer won a publishing deal, seven independent authors won an audiobook production, plus one other won a publishing package (including an edit, book cover and book trailer), and another author won a book adaptation.
The Page Turner Awards winners can be found here: https://pageturnerawards.com/2021-winners
Submissions for the 2022 Awards will open in January 2022. Find out how you too can enter your writing into The Page Turner Awards international writing contest: https://pageturnerawards.com
