I'm now an Award Winning Author!
Australian author, Mark T. Rasmussen, wins two awards at the 2023 Page Turner Awards!
After being shortlisted for the Page Turner Awards 2023, with my debut adult fiction novel, The Journey, back in October, this week the winners were announced. And I won! In two categories – one for Best Action & Adventure; the second for an Audiobook Prize (fiction), of which there was only one handed out.
The Page Turner Awards is an international writing competition, and this year it had over 2000 entrants!
I was also shortlisted for 'Best Novel', and 'Best Debut', however, to walk away with two wins from four nominations was very satisfying.
Other than a few school sports ribbons, and plenty of "second prize beauty contest wins" in Monopoly, this is a big deal for me. And to do it with my first adult fiction novel is something I never expected.
There were over 2000 submissions for this international contest, so to beat out some strong competition was humbling and deeply gratifying, especially after I had shelved the novel and didn't expect it to see the light of day.
So much time and energy goes into writing, editing, publishing, and launching a novel. To claim a win so early on in my novel writing career comes as a shock. I'm thrilled beyond words.
However, for those interested, you can see and hear my acceptance speech below, where I was not short of words. Acceptance Speech (Youtube).
Award-winning Australian author, Mark T. Rasmussen’s Page Turner Awards acceptance speech.
I'm absolutely stoked about the Audiobook prize, as it gives my novel an extra way for readers/listeners to find it and tune in.
Thank you everyone who supported my own journey of The Journey, especially my wife for her support and belief in me. I can only hope those who discover my book after this unexpected award win take as much satisfaction out of reading it as I did writing it.