Houma Junior High School student Addison Hill is likely to be found submerged in a crime, fantasy or sci-fi book at any given time. If she’s not reading, then she’s probably writing one of her own stories and working on getting published — again.
Hill, 13, had her first published story earlier this year after being named as a winner of the 2020 Lune Spark Short Story Contest. She was among 28 other young writers who had their written works published in the anthology, “Through Their Lenses.”
Her story in the book is titled “Imperfect” and is published under her pen name, Cress Wallwalker. The story is about a girl named Azuria who was considered an outcast by her village because of her imperfections but eventually finds where she belongs. The anthology can be purchased online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Hill was 12 years old when she wrote “Imperfect” and was 13 when it was published in January. She plans to enter the short story contest again this year, with the hopes of being published for a second time.
Hill also thrived in other writing-related contests over the past year. She won first place in the state-level creative writing contest with the Beta Club’s Virtual State Convention and fourth place in language arts academics. At the National Junior Beta Convention, she placed fourth on the national level for creative writing.
She said participating in the National Junior Beta Convention was a “surreal opportunity.”
“I was able to participate in something that I only could have dreamed of. The convention filled a gap within me by giving me a chance to exercise my ability to write and showcase my passion for it,” she said.
At the national level, more than 13,000 Junior Beta and Senior Beta members were able to represent their schools at the Beta Convention.
Watch this video of Hill giving writing advice:
Outside the short-story contests, Hill focuses on writing novels. She has been working on a series called “The Blonde Bandit,” whose characters are loosely based on Bonnie and Clyde but heist expensive art.
Hill said she began writing when she was 8 years old and hopes she can convert her passion into a career.
“It’s this passion that I never want to drop, and it’s a passion that still feels new to me whenever I sit in front of the keyboard,” Hill said.
“There’s nothing that will make me happier than actually making a career, making money. Having a fan base of people who want to read my work will make me extremely happy. It’s definitely a career that I want,” she said.
— Emily Enfinger is a reporter for The Courier and the Daily Comet. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyEnfinger. Email Emily at eenfinger@gannett.com.
