Author of ‘Emancipation Day’ selected to receive this year’s award from a shortlist of five first-time novelists
SEATTLE, 2014-5-7 — /EPR Retail News/ — Amazon.ca and Quill & Quire today unveiled Wayne Grady as the winner for the 2013 Amazon.ca First Novel Award. Grady’s novel Emancipation Day (Doubleday Canada) earned him the title of the 2013 Amazon.ca First Novel Award and a cheque for CAD $7,500 at this year’s award ceremony held at The Four Seasons in Toronto.
Steeped in the jazz and big band music of the 1930s and ‘40s, Emancipation Day, Grady’s first novel, is an arresting, heart-rending story about fathers and sons, love and denial, and race relations in a world on the cusp of momentous change. Grady has written fourteen books of science and natural history, travel and personal essays, translated fifteen novels and edited eleven anthologies of literary fiction and nonfiction. Born in Windsor, Ontario, he currently lives near Kingston, Ontario.
In addition to Grady, the 2013 Amazon.ca First Novel Award finalists included Kenneth Bonert for The Lion Seeker(Knopf Canada), Krista Bridge for The Eliot Girls (Douglas & McIntyre), Susan Downe for Juanita Wildrose: My True Life (Pedlar Press) and D.W. Wilson for Ballistics (Hamish Hamilton Canada) – all of whom will earn a CAD $750 gift certificate from Amazon.ca.
“It is an honour to again be a part of a program that celebrates Canadian novelists and we are thrilled to recognize these incredible authors,” said Alexandre Gagnon, country manager for Amazon.ca. “The Amazon.ca First Novel Award is one way we can help foster Canadian literature and raise awareness for emerging Canadian authors. We wish this year’s First Novel Award finalists much success.”
This year’s shortlist of finalists was selected by Stuart Woods, editor of Quill & Quire. The winner was selected from the list of nominees by a panel of judges including Kamal Al-Solaylee, journalist and author of the memoir Intolerable: A Memoir of Extremes; Angie Abdou, author of the novels The Bone Cage and The Canterbury Trail; and Brian Francis, author of the novelsFruit and Natural Order.
Over the last three decades, the First Novel Award has recognized outstanding literary achievements by first-time Canadian authors and has launched the careers of some of Canada’s most beloved novelists, including most recently, Eleanor Catton (2010) for The Rehearsal, David Bezmozgis (2011) for The Free World and Anakana Schofield (2012)for Malarky.
For more information about the Amazon.ca First Novel Awards, visit www.amazon.ca/firstnovelaward.
About Amazon.ca
Amazon.ca (www.amazon.ca) is part of the global family of Amazon websites that have become known for great prices, selection, and convenience. Amazon.ca customers can find and discover millions of English and French books, Kindle books, CDs, sports and outdoors products, DVDs, electronics, watches, tools, baby, beauty, health and personal care items, home and garden, toys, grocery products, auto items, and pet products, as well as a vast array of software, video games, and consoles–all at everyday low prices. Amazon.ca offers FREE Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime, and FREE Super Saver Shipping on qualified orders of $25 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 and product recommendations help Amazon.ca customers find the right products for them among the site’s broad selection. Kindle Paperwhite features new display technology with higher contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de,www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es,www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.in, www.amazon.com.mx, and www.amazon.com.au. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
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 and data 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.