A lady from Bicester has won the Oxfordshire eBook Short Story Competition with an unconventional sci-fi tale.

A dystopian sci-fi thriller, a magical tree and a much-loved grandad are the subjects of the well-written narratives that have been selected as winners of Oxfordshire County Council Library Service’s eBook Short Story Competition for 2022.

The winner in the adult section was Gabrielle Mullarkey, from Bicester.

The author’s short story entry was titled “The Beyond”, wherein Gabrielle took competition judges to a future not too distant from our own.

Gabrielle said: “I was delighted to win the competition and hope people will enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

“I love taking characters in new directions and seasoning dark themes with a spark of humour and humanity.”

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1

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