Over the course of the last two years Kobo has orchestrated an e-book writing contest that is only available to indie authors. The Toronto company wants to put the spotlight on the Canadian writing scene and promote their titles all over the world. Today, Kobo has just announced the winners of their Emerging Writer contest.
Winners of the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
The Literary Fiction prize has been awarded to Irina Kovalyova for Specimen, published by House of Anansi Press.
About the book: The stories in Specimen are a unique exploration of science and the human heart; the place where physical reality collides with our spiritual and emotional lives.
Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Author and Literary Fiction Judge, says: “I was entranced with Specimen. Irina Kovalyova is a magician who, with a nudge and a wink, makes us laugh in awe and recognition at each new trick. As at home in the experimental story as in a traditional narrative, she tackles the ordinary, the bizarre and the taboo with equal assuredness. Reading Kovalyova’s magical stories, I again felt that numinous, giddy joy I first experienced as a young writer discovering the endless possibilities found in narrative form.”
The Romance prize has been awarded to Nicola R. White for Fury’s Kiss, Strange Roads Press/Self-Published.
About the book: Tara Walker dreams of more excitement than slinging plates of seafood for Cape Cod tourists. Faced with strange new powers and embroiled in a murder investigation, Tara must now race to uncover the secrets of the ancient Fury that has woken inside of her – and of the evil that stalks her.
Lynsay Sands, Author and Romance Judge, says: “The idea behind the story was definitely original and Ms. White is a natural storyteller. Her writing flows smoothly, quickly drawing the reader into the world she’s created, and then keeps them there with high doses of action, suspense, and of course romance. Her female lead is strong but still relatable. However, her secondary characters really added to the story, giving it depth and personality. This story is definitely a winner.”
The Non-Fiction prize has been awarded to Wab Kinew for The Reason You Walk, published by Penguin Canada.
About the book: Invoking hope, healing and forgiveness, The Reason You Walk is a poignant story of a towering but damaged father and his son as they embark on a journey to repair their family bond.
Camilla Gibb, Author and Non-Fiction Judge, says: “Wab Kinew’s story is a deeply moving memoir about the possibility of forgiveness and healing within a family, a community and a country coming to terms with the damaging legacy of the residential school system. The son of an Anishinaabe chief and a non-native woman, Kinew moves within two worlds, as did his father, both seeking to reconcile conflicting parts of selves shaped by different cultural forces. Wab Kinew’s book is a gift to this country.”
“We’d like to congratulate our winners on their debut books—works that will further enrich the lives of readers in Canada and around the world,” says Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “It is our great pleasure to support new authors making such great first contributions to Canadian literature.”
More about the prize
The winners were selected among a shortlist of talented Canadian authors, chosen by Kobo’s team of booksellers, with book completion rates, customer ratings and reviews taken into consideration.
Shortlist (announced April 19, 2016):
Literary Fiction
- Meadowlark by Wendi Stewart – NeWest Press
- Pillow by Andrew Battershill – Coach House Books
- Specimen by Irina Kovalyova – House of Anansi Press
- Debris by Kevin Hardcastle – Biblioasis
- Birdie by Tracey Lindberg – HarperCollins Canada
- Nothing Like Love by Sabrina Ramnanan – Doubleday Canada
Romance
- Operation Wildcat by Megan Michelau – Self-Published
- Fury’s Kiss by Nicola R. White – Strange Roads Press/Self-Published
- Sway by Melanie Stanford – Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
- The Sisters of Versailles by Sally Christie – Atria Books
- Kiss and Makeup by Taryn Leigh Taylor – Harlequin
- No Conventional Miss by Eleanor Webster – Harlequin
Non-Fiction
- Let the Elephants Run by David Usher – House of Anansi Press
- Born to Walk by Dan Rubinstein – ECW Press
- That Lonely Section of Hell by Lori Shenher – Greystone Books
- The Right to Be Cold by Sheila Watt-Cloutier – Penguin Canada
- The Reason You Walk by Wab Kinew – Penguin Canada
- Beyond the Pale by Emily Urquhart – HarperCollins Canada
Each of the main winners received a $10,000 CAD cash prize as well as promotional, marketing, and communications support to help support their burgeoning careers.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
