General News
14 September, 2023
A 'surreal' win for James
Students of author and teacher Biffy James might be paying closer attention than ever in class after she won the Young Adult Book award at the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards on Wednesday, September 6. The Warracknabeal Secondary College English...
Students of author and teacher Biffy James might be paying closer attention than ever in class after she won the Young Adult Book award at the 2023 Queensland Literary Awards on Wednesday, September 6.
The Warracknabeal Secondary College English teacher was awarded $15,000 for her book Completely Normal (and Other Lies), which is described as "a gripping contemporary young adult novel that explores love, grief, mental health and friendship".
Praising the "nuanced and highly engaging text depicting authentic teen characters navigating grief and trauma", judges were impressed by Ms James' lyrical language, complex structure and masterful plotting, which created effective tension while offering readers a thoughtful and challenging portrayal of the mental toll confronting modern youth.
An avid fan of young adult fiction since picking up her first Sweet Valley High book at the local second-hand bookshop, Ms James had her book also longlisted for the Indie Book Awards and shortlisted for the NSW Literary Awards and CBCA Book of the Year Award for Older Readers.
"I was completely overwhelmed to win and it all feels a bit surreal," Ms James said.
"I never played sport so I was excited to win a trophy."
Born during Covid lock down, Ms James' book was drafted in six weeks after the self-described "undisciplined writer" came across a competition.
"I then got a call from my now-publisher telling me I didn't win that competition but that they were going to publish my book anyway," she said.
"After 18 months of back and forth it was launched in mid-July 2022 and I was later shortlisted for several other awards over several months."
Ms James said she had always wanted to "write a book with a sticker on it".
She's now thrilled to have not only one but a few of those award stickers on her cover.
"I've always written," she said.
"Another book did the rounds but didn't get published.
"I do have another idea in the works and hope to work on it over the summer break."
Describing herself as 16-year-old stuck in an adult's body, Ms James said she thought teenagers were awesome.
"They're funny, smart, cool and living in a very different world than us 'grown-ups' did," she said.
"Unfortunately, a lot of people view teenagers through the lens of their own adolescence, when they are so far removed from that now with social media and mobile phones."
State Librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald AM applauded all winners, commenting that now more than ever society needed authors who helped readers to connect to stories that mattered and kept Australians "curious about our world".
“The calibre of award winners is exceptional and I look forward to watching their continuing journeys and celebrating their successes," Ms McDonald said.