Book prizes are the dream of all authors but debut novelist James Dawson didn't expect his first ever shortlisting to be for the "most glitzy and glamorous" – and pinkest – award out there: the Queen of Teen.
Given to "the feistiest, frothiest and most fantastic writers for the tween and teen market", the 10 nominated authors for this year's prize were voted for by thousands of teenagers across the country. Dawson, whose supernatural thriller Hollow Pike was published in February, is the first male author ever to be shortlisted, and is up against former Queen Cathy Cassidy, with Maureen Johnson, Sarah Webb, Joanna Nadin, Cathy Hopkins, Samantha Mackintosh, Chris Higgins, Hayley Long and SC Ransom also in the running.
"There really is a crown at stake – I'm very excited," said Dawson. "The award is mainly for teenage girl readers which is why I wanted to be nominated, because I wanted to show that it doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl as long as you enjoy the book."
With murder and "sinister witchcraft stuff" in Hollow Pike, Dawson admitted his entry "is a bit darker ... it's not as fluffy as the rest of the shortlist perhaps". He doesn't think he's "got a cat in hell's chance of winning [but] now it's all hands to action stations, trying to get readers to vote," he said. "And I think all the nominated authors get a sash and a little crown anyway, so everyone can be a queen for a day."
The Queen of Teen award was set up by The Book People "to encourage girls to turn off their computers and mobile phones and pick up a book instead", with shortlisted books chosen by readers votes via an onlline poll. Cassidy, the second author to win the prize after Louise Rennison took the inaugural gong in 2008, said: "My reign may be coming to an end but there is so much talent out there in the world of teen-lit that it won't be hard at all to find a worthy successor. And then I can go back to daydreaming and eating chocolate."
The winner of this year's competition will be announced in July. Readers between nine and 18 years old can vote for their choice at queenofteen.co.uk.
