SEATTLE
,
Sept. 23
/CNW/ - This evening, Amazon.ca presented the 2008 Amazon.ca First Novel Award and a cheque for
$7,500
(CDN) to
Joan Thomas
, author of Reading by Lightning, at a ceremony held at the Archeo Trattoria, Distillery District in
Toronto
, Ontario. Thomas was selected to receive the award from a group of six finalists, all of whom had their first novels published in 2008.
The Amazon.ca First Novel Award recognizes outstanding achievement by first-time Canadian novelists and has served as a springboard for the careers of many of Canada's most renowned authors. This is the 33rd year of the award.
Gil Adamson
, author of The Outlander, won the 2007 award; Madeleine Thien, author of Certainty, won the 2006 award;
Joseph Boyden
, author of Three Day Road, won the 2005 award; and Colin McAdam, author of Some Great Thing, won the 2004 award. Other previous winners include Michel Basilières, Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry,
Joan Barfoot
, Joy Kogawa,
Wayne Johnston
, Nino Ricci and
Deborah Joy Corey
.
Joan Thomas
has been a regular book reviewer for the Globe and Mail for more than a decade. Her essays, stories and articles have been published in numerous journals and magazines including Prairie Fire, Books in
Canada
, and the
Winnipeg
Free Press. She has won a National Magazine Award, co-edited Turn of the Story: Canadian Short Fiction on the Eve of the Millennium, and has served on the editorial boards of Turnstone Press and Prairie Fire Magazine. She lives in
Winnipeg
. Reading by Lightning is published by Goose Lane Editions and is available at Amazon.ca (www.amazon.ca).
Joining Thomas as 2008 First Novel Award finalists were
Michael Blouin
for Chase & Haven (Coach House Books);
Claudia Dey
for Stunt (Coach House Books);
Patrick Lane
for Red Dog, Red Dog (McClelland and Stewart);
Mary Swan
for The Boys in the Trees (
Henry Holt
); and Padma Viswanathan for The Toss of a Lemon (Random House). All six finalists were presented with Amazon.ca gift certificates in the amount of
$750
(CDN) at the event.
"We at Amazon.ca continue to be inspired by the many emerging authors who embody Canada's rich and longstanding literary history," said
Julie Todaro
, Director, Books. "We would like to thank and congratulate all of the talented novelists who participated in the 2008 Amazon.ca First Novel Award process, and we look forward to a bright future and many inspiring titles from all of these very talented authors."
For the second year in a row, the finalists were selected by Aritha van Herk, an award-winning Canadian novelist, critic and reviewer. She is the author of nine books, a member of the Royal Society of
Canada
, and a professor of Canadian literature and creative writing in the Department of English at the University of
Calgary
. Also serving as judges were
Russell Smith
, a writer whose last novel, Muriella Pent, was shortlisted for the Rogers Fiction Prize and the
Toronto
Book Award, and longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Prize; Geoffrey E. Taylor, Director of International Authors Festival at Harbourfront Centre and the recipient of numerous awards for his work in the publishing community, including being one of Quill and Quire's 30 most influential people in Canadian publishing in 2008; and
Lisa Moore
, a writer who has won the Author's Association Jubilee Prize for Short Fiction and the Commonwealth Prize for the Canadian Caribbean, as well as teaching at the University of British Columbia's online creative writing program.
"Joan Thomas's Reading by Lightning is a compelling story burnished by spare and powerful writing," said van Herk. "In this tale of redemption and growth,
Lily Piper
learns how much she has been gifted the strong spine of her family, and yet how much she must resist familial superstitions. This is a fabulous novel, full of grace and delicious discovery, haunted by the flavour of memory and the prairies in World War II."
For more information about the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, please go to www.amazon.ca/firstnovelaward. Amazon.ca will be accepting submissions for the 2009 First Novel Award until
Nov. 2, 2009
.
About Amazon.ca
Amazon.ca (www.amazon.ca) is part of the global family of Amazon Web sites that have become known for great prices, selection, and convenience. Amazon.ca customers can find and discover millions of English and French books, CDs, videos, DVDs and electronics, as well as a vast array of software, video games, and consoles--all at everyday low prices. Amazon.ca also offers FREE Super Saver Shipping, available on orders of
$39
CAD or more delivered to a single Canadian address. Amazon.ca sources products directly from Canadian publishers and distributors, ensuring a rich offering of Canadian titles and content. Features such as original editorial reviews in English and French and product recommendations help Amazon.ca customers find the right products for them among the site's broad selection. Through Amazon Marketplace, Amazon.ca customers can conveniently buy and sell used, new, and collectible merchandise on the same pages where Amazon.ca sells those items new.
To ensure all orders are delivered to customers quickly and efficiently, Amazon.ca works with
Canada
Post, one of the world's most progressive postal companies. Orders placed at Amazon.ca are fulfilled and shipped from within
Canada
by Assured Logistics, a part of the
Canada
Post Group of Companies.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.
For further information: For further information: Margaret Antkowski/Mark Van Tol, NATIONAL Public Relations, (416) 586-0180, [email protected]/[email protected]
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