Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee
Our Up and Coming Award winner for 2015 is author Fonda Lee. The Willamette Writers board chose Fonda because she represents the best of emerging talent, and is an author who has already demonstrated amazing skills in the craft of writing.
Fonda is also a conference success story who first pitched her novel at the 2013 conference. She received three offers of representation that weekend and sold the book to a publisher in December. Her YA science fiction novel Zeroboxer hit the shelves this past April.
From her bio:
Author Fonda Lee
Fonda Lee writes science fiction and fantasy for teens and adults. Her debut novel, Zeroboxer, was published by Flux/Llewellyn in April 2015. A Junior Library Guild selection, Zeroboxer is a high-action young adult science fiction story about a young man battling to make it to the top in the world of zero gravity prizefighting amid brewing interplanetary conflict between Earth and Mars. Fonda spent years as a corporate strategist for Fortune 500 companies, is a black belt martial artist, a fan of smart action movies, and an Eggs Benedict enthusiast. Born and raised in Canada, she now lives in Portland, Oregon.
You can find Fonda at www.fondalee.com and on Twitter @fondajlee, and her new book is available for purchase at Powell’s, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.
The Up and Coming Award is a new Annual Award from Willamette Writers. In an effort to acknowledge a writer at every stage in his or her career, it completes the triad that also includes the Distinguished Northwest Writer Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award. We hope to see Fonda back again at the conference for the next stage of her writing career!
The winners of the Annual Awards are chosen by the Willamette Writers Board each spring. The 2015 award winners will be honored during an Awards Event at the Willamette Writers Conference on August 8th, 2015. For more information, and to purchase tickets, contact wilwrite[at]willamettewriters[dot]com or (503) 305-6729.