I received some wonderful news via FB today that STARTERS has won its first award and a trophy! It was one of five finalists for the Crimezone Award for Best YA Thriller of 2012, an award given out in the Netherlands, but I didn’t expect to win against such heavyweights as Roth, Ransom Riggs and Michael Grant. Thank you, everyone who voted for Starters.
This is the lovely winner of the YA Thriller Award for an author from the Netherlands (I won as a foreign author). If I had been there at the ceremony in Den Hague, I would be up there, holding flowers too! After this pleasant meeting started the ceremony really.
This is from their website, after a Google translation: “After a brief introduction of Crime Zone Sales Manager Liesbeth Maaskant, Judith Visser and became the first prize in the category ‘Abroad’ announced. Lissa Price may itself with 32% of the votes cast on her debut Starters winner of this prize call. Her award was received on behalf of publishing house Unieboek taken. They were not really surprised, because they all find Starters “a really cool book”. The special children of Mrs. Peregrine Random Riggs (Clavis) was second (17%) and Inauguration of Veronica Roth (publisher Van Goor) was third (16%).”
I would have loved to have been there. But I will be getting this wonderful trophy:
The cover is best seen in person because the paper cover is made of a translucent paper, like tracing paper. All the text is printed on that so the drawing of the girl is beneath, giving her a beautifully haunting, ethereal quality. I am so grateful to my publisher Van Holkeme & Warendorf for this clever, memorable version of the cover.
I have visited the Netherlands twice, both visits for about a month, and I love the people, the countryside, the cities, the food. Now, dear Netherlands, I love you even more.
Congratulations! So well deserved. And that cover really is gorgeous!