This Year's Prize
Kelpies Prize 2010 -- shortlist announced
Wild Dogs, Guardian Angels and Monkey Business are shortlisted for the Kelpies Prize 2010
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Kelpies Prize 2010. The three shortlisted books (in alphabetical order) are:
- The Angel Ashariel by Ritske Rensma
- Operation Bonobo by Elizabeth Spalton
- Red Fever by Caroline Clough
See below for more information about each book.
The winner of the Kelpies Prize 2010 will be announced at a ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday 19 August 2010. The winning author will receive a £2,000 cash prize and have their book published in the Kelpies imprint before the end of the year.
This year, the prize will be presented by Scottish children's author, Gill Arbuthnott. Gill's debut novel, The Chaos Clock, was published by Floris Books in 2003 in the Kelpies imprint. Gill subsequently published two more Kelpies and has also worked with children's publishers Barrington Stoke and Chicken House, publishing non-fiction and young adult titles. With a wide variety of creative projects and critical acclaim for her books, Gill is sure to be an inspiration for the shortlisted authors.
We're confident that year's winner will be just as successful as previous Kelpies Prize novels, such as last year's winner Janis Mackay with her novel Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest, whose sequel will be published in spring 2011. Sally Martin, Commissioning Editor for Floris Books, comments: "The standard of entries for this year’s Kelpies Prize has been higher than ever before, with entrants from all over the UK and Europe writing great stories set in Scotland. The prize presents a wonderful opportunity for discovering talented new authors, who we can then support in forging successful writing careers."
The shortlist in detail
The Angel Ashariel by Ritske Rensma
Ashariel isn't your average guardian angel. She's not a fan of the white-feathery-wings look. She dresses for business and means business. On her latest mission she goes against angelic protocol to help Kathy from Edinburgh overcome her fears. If Kathy can carry out three tasks, she will earn her ultimate reward: seeing her dad more often.
But can Kathy find the courage to stand up to her mum and classmates and take charge of her own life?
Ritske Rensma was born and raised in the Netherlands, but began writing fiction in English after he moved to Australia in 2000. In 2004 he moved to Scotland and began working on The Angel Ashariel, his debut novel, while studying for a PhD in Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh. He currently teaches courses on World Religions and Eastern Philosophy at the Roosevelt Academy, an honours college of the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Operation Bonobo by Elizabeth Spalton
The world expert on the elusive ape, the Bonobo, is found dead in the Congo. Jamie's uncle is accused of the murder and goes missing. Then Jamie's dad is killed on the same army operation, and Jamie is supposed to believe it was an accident.
When a mysterious package arrives and two men in black suits come asking strange questions, Jamie is forced to investigate further. He sets out on a mission with his fugitive uncle to reveal the truth about his father's killers. Can they outwit the police and the men in black suits as they go on the run across Dumfries and Galloway?
Elizabeth Spalton was born in Macclesfield, Cheshire. She studied Zoology at Oxford University before becoming a secondary school Biology teacher. Her articles have previously appeared in various publications including the comic Twinkle, The People’s Friend and The Spectator. She is married with two grown-up children and currently lives in West Yorkshire. The Dumfries and Galloway landscape of her book was inspired by visiting the town of Rockcliffe every summer for the last 30 years.
Red Fever by Caroline Clough
A terrible virus has wiped out much of the human population and Scotland is now a wasteland, overrun by wild dogs. Toby's little sister Sylvie is dangerously ill and his family set out in a boat along the Aberdeenshire coast in desperate search of medicine.
On their journey they battle for food and fuel, try to outwit lawless pirates and struggle to stay one step ahead of the ever-more powerful dogs and their mighty leader Cerberus. But will they find a cure for Sylvie before it's too late?
Caroline Clough was born and raised in Yorkshire but has lived in the Aberdeen area for 30 years. Since giving up her animal behaviour consultancy to concentrate on her writing, she has had success with adult short story competitions and has recently written a children's book for The Refugee Council. After completing a Writers' Factory Screenwriting Course, she became involved in writing, directing and producing short films. She lives with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of pets, in rural Aberdeenshire.
Good luck to each of our shortlisted authors! If your manuscript didn't get shortlisted this year, we want to thank you anyway for submitting it, and wish you good writing for the future.
Kelpies Prize 2011 now open
We are now looking for entries for the Kelpies Prize 2011.
Have you got a brilliant idea for a children's novel set in Scotland? If you missed out on entering the Kelpies Prize this year, don't worry because you still have plenty of time to submit your entry for next year's prize. The deadline for the 2011 prize is not until 28 Februrary 2011, so get writing and you could see your novel in print later that year. Good luck!
Kelpies information for adults and children
For general information about the Kelpies range of books, visit the main Floris Books website.
If you're aged roughly between 7 and 12 and you're looking for information about Kelpies, the Discover Kelpies website is for you! Packed with exclusive previews, author interviews, the latest news and events, and other fun stuff like puzzles and downloads, it's the place for all Kelpies fans to be.