The 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Winner Was Announced!

Though I did not personally review this book at all, I'm so excited to see that a YA book took the grand prize at this year's ABNA contest.  So cool, I just had to share! 

Here's the official press release:

Rysa Walker Named Grand Prize Winner of the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Walker, author of the young adult fiction novel Timebound, receives a $50,000 advance and publishing contract with Amazon Publishing

SEATTLE—June 15, 2013—(NASDAQ:AMZN)—The votes are in and Amazon customers have chosen Rysa Walker of Carey, N.C. as the Grand Prize winner of the sixth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest for her young adult novel Timebound. The award was announced this evening during a ceremony at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle. Timebound will be released October 22, 2013 by Skyscape—an imprint of Amazon Children’s Publishing—and Walker will receive a $50,000 advance in addition to her publishing contract.

Walker’s Timebound was inspired by her love of history and science fiction and explores how the choices we make affect our future. In the novel, 17-year-old Kate learns that she’s inherited a genetic license to time travel when her grandmother shares a strange blue medallion, an even stranger tale about future historians, and the unshakeable conviction that the fate of half the planet lies in Kate’s hands. The book is now available for pre-order in print and Kindle formats on Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/abna.

The remaining four category winners, Ken Moraff (General Fiction, It Happened in Wisconsin), Jo Chumas (Mystery/Thriller, The Hidden), Evelyn Pryce (Romance, A Man Above Reproach) and J. Lincoln Fenn (Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, POE), each received publishing contracts from Amazon Publishing with a $15,000 advance. Their books will also be released in print and Kindle formats in the fall and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

“Rysa’s novel is one of those up-til-dawn reads that you just can't put down, so it’s no surprise Amazon customers gave her this award,” said Daphne Durham, Editor-in-Chief, Amazon Publishing. “We are looking forward to sharing all of the 2013 ABNA winners’ books with readers this fall.”

Amazon Publishing is the publishing arm of Amazon.com. Amazon Publishing is composed of ten imprints: AmazonEncore, AmazonCrossing, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, 47North, Little A, Amazon Children’s Publishing (Skyscape & Two Lions), Grand Harbor Press and Amazon Publishing. For more information about all imprints of Amazon Publishing, visit www.apub.com. Amazon Publishing is a brand used by Amazon Content Services, LLC.

The 2013 ABNA contest was hosted by Amazon’s CreateSpace, an independent publishing platform enabling authors to create, publish and distribute their books in print worldwide.

For the complete Official Rules for the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and more information, please visit www.amazon.com/abna.

So very, very cool. Congrats to all the winners, especially Rysa Walker! 

ALA's Youth Media Awards!!

Today was the announcement of all of the American Library Association Youth Media Awards at the ALA Midwinter meeting in Seattle.  I'm not going to list all of the winners and honors because the list is *really* long, but... I do want to give a full shout out to two of the winners:

I was SOOOOO happy to see that Ms. Tamora Pierce (my all-time favorite author EVAH!) won the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. *squee!!*

Rachel Hartman, author of Seraphina, which I gave a gold star review to here, won the William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens!!

Very exciting!!!

Congratulations to Tamora Pierce, Rachel Hartman and ALL of the other award winners and nominees.  You can check out the full list on ALA's website HERE.