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Blue Sky July Comes Third in Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writer’s Awards

Welsh writer Nia Wyn’s highly acclaimed memoir Blue Sky July has been recognised by another top award. It came third in the Non-Fiction category of Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writer’s Awards. This annual prize honours works of fiction and non-fiction from the best new literary talent, and signifies the continuing success of the book far beyond the borders of Wales. Penguin UK and Penguin US bought the paperback rights to Blue Sky July from Seren early in 2008, and it was released in the summer of 2008 in the USA.

It has already won considerable acclaim, having reached the prestigious top 25 band on the bestseller list at amazon.co.uk shortly after Nia had been interviewed by Simon Mayo on his book review programme. It was serialised with the Guardian, Good Housekeeping and Daily Mail and was also Radio’s 4’s book of the week, Radio 5’s book of the month and WH Smith’s book of the month. Blue Sky July featured on ‘This Morning’ with Fern Britton and Philip Schofield in January, 2008, made the 2008 Wales Book of the Year Short List and won the biography/non-fiction category of the Glen Dimplex New Writers Awards 2008.

Judges Dina Temple-Raston, Edward Dolnick and J. Maarten Troost remarked on how such a beautifully lyrical and poetic book was striking because it was both elegant and terrifying at the same time. Nia received a sizeable cheque and an all-expenses paid trip to New York City. Blue Sky July will now be featured in all 800 Barnes and Noble stores across America.

The Non-Fiction category of the award was won by David Sheff for Beautiful Boy, the harrowing story of a father who tries to wrestle his teenage son from the horrors of drug addiction. Eric Weiner was awarded second place for The Geography of Bliss, a humorous travelogue. First prize in the Fiction category was awarded to Gin Phillips for The Well and the Mine, a story of the racial and class tensions. Nia Wyn was the only non-American on the Non-Fiction Short-List.