Cecilia Ekbäck has won the £1,000 (about $1,220) 2016 Historical Writers' Association's Goldsboro Debut Crown for Wolf Winter (published in the U.S. by Weinstein Books), and Philippa Gregory has won the association's Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award, the Bookseller reported.
Chair judge Andrew Taylor said that the judges were "unanimously impressed by Wolf Winter. Not only is it astonishingly accomplished for a first novel, but it plunges the reader into Swedish Lapland 300 years ago and plays havoc with your emotions. Dark, powerful and beautifully written, it's a worthy winner."
Gemma Rowland, operations manager at Harrogate International Festivals, said that Gregory's "novels have been integral in shaping, and leading the genre, which has become so popular in recent years."