Samoan-based novelist Lani Wendt Young has won the 2022 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel for her Fire's Caress book.
Lani Wendt Young's book 'Fire's Caress' has won the Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel. Photo: Supplied
Wendt Young said the award was "a lovely surprise".
She thanked the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand, which administers the awards and recognises excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror.
"I think there's a lot of pride from our people when someone is able to ... tell our stories" - Listen to Wendt Young's 2018 interview with Nine to Noon
Wendt Young and husband Darren self-published her first Telesa novel in 2011 after it was rejected by multiple publishers in New Zealand, Australia and the USA.
She is now the author of 16 books, and a recipient of multiple writing awards.