LegendFiction challenged Catholic storytellers to create short stories that keep you awake past bedtime. Stories where you close the book, set your teeth, and think: I want courage like that.
We asked for heroes with haloes. And seven stories delivered!
Authors include:
1st Place: Corinna Turner: The Undefeated King: St. Edmund, the Original Patron Saint of the English
2nd Place: Gianna Weissensel: Pier Giorgio Frassati: Terror of Fascists
3rd Place: C. S. Waters: The Shield of Saint Michael (St Patrick)
Also includes:
Maria Pasquale: The Door of the Dead (St Clare of Assisi)
Adrianna Odegaard: Daughter of Light (St Philomena)
Daniel Staudt: Maria Aegyptica (St Mary of Egypt)
Owen J. Dee: Ulrich & the Siege of Augsburg
FOREWORD: From the Founder
Here are seven stories crafted to challenge how you see your favorite saints in a new way. Patrick. Clare. Edmund. Pier Giorgio…
For too long, the lives of saints felt like stained glass—beautiful, distant, impossible. We remembered them as pretty pictures on church walls, separated from us by centuries and virtue.
But it’s more true that each of them once stood where you stand now, with no idea what came next. Their next choice could have cost them everything. And somehow, they found the courage to act.
This collection exists because Catholic storytellers of various ages answered a simple challenge: bring us those moments. Not the whole life story. Try a scene. One impossible choice. The pounding heart. The tight chest. The ordinary world around them that makes their courage real.
These aren’t devotional stories to read at Sunday School. We asked for ones that keep you awake past bedtime. Stories where you close the book, set your teeth, and think: I want courage like that.
We asked for heroes with haloes. And seven stories delivered.
The top three finalists are Corinna Turner in first place, Gianna Weissensel in second place, and C. S. Waters in third place.
These authors are also accepted for publication: Adrianna Odegaard , Daniel Staudt , Maria P., Owen Dee
Every dollar this book earns goes directly to these authors, forever. That’s how much we believe in what they’ve created.
We hope these saints stories inspire you—alive, terrifyingly human, and calling you to your own adventure.
Dominic de Souza
LegendFiction
Authors Include:
Gianna Weissensel: Catholic Artist, Writer, Storyteller, Aspiring Novelist, & Marketing Professional. Lover of fantasy, romance, historical fiction genres, & happily ever afters. Website: giannaweissensel.wordpress.com
C.S Waters: Catherine is a Catholic author who writes primarily in fantasy and other fictional genres. She’s endlessly fascinated by the craft of storytelling and can often be found reading, daydreaming, or building new worlds on the page.
Maria Pasquale: A Catholic teen who has been writing for as long as she can remember. She loves all things J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, J. Austen, and L.M. Montgomery. If she isn’t buried in a book, you can find her playing violin, sewing, or wandering in the forest, on the search for an adventure. Her motto is, as said by St. Teresa of Avila, “Life is to live in such a way that we are not afraid to die.”
Adrianna Odegaard is a homeschooled teen writer who lives in the northwest Chicago suburbs. Her first medieval fantasy novel, The Treasure of Navatile, will be published in mid-2026. She loves reading a variety of books on fantasy, historical fiction, apologetics, and theology. Adrianna enjoys baking, playing with her two dogs, tutoring, and is undefeated against her family in the board game Risk.
Daniel Staudt is a teen writer and programmer with an Associates in Integrated Humanities from Rosary College. His writing focuses on the Christian Middle East and neglected pockets of America; his programming focuses on UX-based web development. His free time is copiously occupied with reading Dostoevsky and Flannery O’Connor, and he’s interested in the aesthetics of storytelling.
Owen Dee is a homeschooled teen writer from northern Illinois. He typically writes about fantasy adventures in worlds full of war and magic. Outside of writing, some of his pastimes include reading exciting novels and cross country running.
Corinna Turner: Ignatius Press author Corinna Turner has been writing since she was fourteen and likes strong protagonists with plenty of integrity. Although she spends as much time as possible writing, she cannot keep up with the flow of ideas, for which she offers thanks—and occasional grumbles!—to the Holy Spirit. She is the author of over thirty books, including the Carnegie Medal Nominated I Am Margaret series (dystopian), the unSPARKed series (dinos), and the Friends in High Places series (saints). Awarded the St. Katherine Drexel award in 2022, her work has been translated into four languages. Website: iammargaret.co.uk
Special thanks to our contest sponsors:
“Youth today need heroes who choose courage when things get hard, and the saints lived that kind of bravery. The Saints & Sagas contest calls authors to tell those stories again, so others can see what true heroism looks like. And want to live it too.” Chris Mann, Operations, Heroic Men
“Young people are actively searching for meaning in their lives and are naturally drawn to stories of heroism. Contests like Saints & Sagas do more than publish stories; they help inspire the next generation and remind them that they are part of the greatest Story ever told and have their own part to play in it.”Philip Kosloski, Founder, Voyage Comics
“The writer’s imagination helps connect us to things beyond us, and bring those things into the here and now. This contest is an incredible opportunity to let your creative self explore a crucial moment in the lives of the saints and bring that moment to life for others to connect with in a very real and powerful way. “Rose John Sheffler, Author of ‘Past Watchful Dragons’
“Stories and literature are essential in every generation for translating faith into new lives and times. LegendFiction is a great place for faith-inspired fiction authors and readers to support each other, and contribute to the Catholic renaissance of the arts in our days. If we are made in the image of the creator, then we are called to be creators too.”Brett Salkeld, Making Every Class Catholic
“Kudos to Dominic de Souza and the LegendFiction team for encouraging emerging young authors with their creative gifts and talents. The Saints & Sagas writing contest promises to generate exciting new stories and promising new voices for a culture greatly in need of powerful entertainment.”Lisa M. Hendey, Author of the Chime Travelers series
“The world needs saints to set it on fire. Sometime we forget that some of the heroes who reached sainthood were just as normal as you and me, except they stormed Heaven with incredible grit and effort. This challenge seeks to inspire teens that the adventure of their life is just beginning, and the saints are standing by as guides and inspiration.”Jeff Schiefelbein, Undivided Life, The BeatiDUDES
“Heroism is definitely something that needs promoting! As a dad with nine children, I hope to inspire my children’s faith with lively saints stories that capture their imagination. Let’s create a must-read book for teen readers!”Charbel Raish, Parousia
“Stories shape the way we see the world and the way we live our lives. The stories of the saints remind us that holiness and greatness are possible for ordinary people. The LegendHaven Convention and Writing Contest is a wonderful opportunity for storytellers to share these powerful witnesses and inspire a new generation to pursue lives of courage, virtue, and faith.” Extraordinary Mission
WOW CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE WHO MADE IT IN!!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊🎊💃