Scottish publisher Floris Books revealed author Tracy Traynor as the winner of their annual Scottish children’s fiction prize, the Kelpies Prize, on Friday. The announcement was made at a packed ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival attended by award-winning authors, agents, booksellers and bloggers.
Tracy received a cheque for £2,000 on the night. Her book, Nicking Time, will be published in the Kelpies range published in Spring 2013.
Carnegie award–winning author Theresa Breslin, whose stunning An Illustrated Treasury of Scottish Folk and Fairy Tales was recently published by Floris Books, presented the award. Theresa’s speech praised the three shortlisted authors for their achievement. She talked about the importance of competitions like the Kelpies Prize and Scottish children’s writing that today’s children can relate to.
A giant cheer erupted from the crowd as the winner was announced. A delighted Tracy thanked her friends and family for their support, and congratulated the two runners-up for being nominated.
Born and brought up in Glasgow, where Nicking Time is set, Tracy went to Greece to work as an English teacher before settling down near Oxford. Her main aim is to write many stories, which she loves testing out on her two daughters.
“All three shortlisted authors where full of original ideas and strong characters. It’s great to know there are so many gifted writers out there. Nicking Time won the judges’ hearts with its strong narrative, very funny dialogue, and eery plot. It was wonderful to read a story set in urban Scotland. Congratulations to Tracy Traynor for writing such a great novel for children,” commented Eleanor Collins, Editor for Floris Books.
Floris Books launched the Kelpies Prize in 2004 with support from the Scottish Arts Council, now Creative Scotland, to encourage and reward Scottish writing for children.
The other shortlisted authors were Debbie Richardson from Dunfermline, author of Pick ‘n’ Mix Mums, which explores the dangers and delights of swapping mums like books at the library, and Rebecca Smith from Surrey, author of Shadow Eyes, which ventures to the Highlands where a mysterious wild creature is attacking helpless animals.
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