6th August 2025 | The Eyes Among Us wins the Black Blade Literary competition

I’m thrilled to announce that my novel, The Eyes Among Us, has been awarded First Place in Black Blade Literary’s 2025 Speculative Fiction Competition. The event drew a large international field of submissions, judged by Philippa Thompson, whose expertise in genre fiction made the recognition especially rewarding.

According to Black Blade Literary, the standard of entries this year was exceptionally high, making the final decision “no easy feat.” I’m honoured that The Eyes Among Us—a fantasy spy thriller about two agents of a dark lord posing as newlyweds inside a hostile royal court—rose to the top of such a competitive shortlist.

As the first-place winner, I’ll receive a full manuscript critique valued at over £1000—my first comprehensive feedback on this project, and an opportunity I’m genuinely excited about.

Second place went to David Taylor for Far Sky 11, and third place to Mayowa Pamela Odunaiya for Morenike and the Magic Slippers. Congratulations to both runners-up and to all the shortlisted writers whose work impressed the judges.

My sincere thanks to the Black Blade Literary team and to Philippa Thompson for their time, care, and encouragement. This recognition is a tremendous boost as The Eyes Among Us moves into its next stage of development.