KOKOMO, Ind. (AP): An Indiana native whose love of science-fiction was born in a Kokomo library has won a national writing contest.
 
Stephen Sottong says he became hooked on the genre after checking out a Ben Bova novel called “Star Conquerors.” He began writing science fiction at the age of 10.
 
The Kokomo Tribune rep the 61-year-old Sottong will be honored Sunday in California as a winner in the Writers of the Future contest. It’s one of the most prestigious competitions for up-and-coming science-fiction writers.
 
The contest was founded in 1983 by pulp fiction author and Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
 
Sottong is one of three quarterly winners in the competition.
 
Sottong graduated from Purdue University. He currently lives in California.