Amanda Jayatissa, author of My Sweet Girl, was named the winner of the International Thriller Writers (ITW) Thriller Award for best first novel.
In a Tweet, she said winning the award was beyond her wildest dreams.
“I came here from Sri Lanka, and I fan-girled over many of you and nobody treated me like a fan. Thank you so much for this honour,” said Jayatissa when accepting the award.
R.L. Stine, known for his Goosebumps series, Tweeted: “Congratulations, Amanda. I loved meeting you and I can’t wait to read your book!” Jayatissa said meeting Stine was the highlight of the conference.
Jayatissa also spoke at one of the CraftFest classes during the event, dubbed Thrillerfest, on the topic “Plotter vs. Pantser: Which is right for you?”
The author spoke about the award on Instagram, saying: “I’m beyond honoured to have received the @internationalthrillerwriters award for Best First Novel last night at the Sheraton in New York. The nominees in my category were so fantastic that I was in pure shock – as was evidenced by my messy, rambling acceptance speech.”
She added that the last few days have been amazing, having met so many incredible writers, with the award being the cherry on top.
She thanked her agent Melissa Tabasco and editor Jen Monroe, saying: “None of this would have been possible if you both hadn’t believed in my story. This award is yours more than it is mine.”
Jayatissa added that she was forever grateful for her team at Berkley Publishing Group.
“I’d also like to appreciate the lovely team at Thrillerfest, especially Kimberly Howe and Jeff Ayers, for putting on such a marvellous event. This is my first international writing conference, and I loved every minute of it,” she wrote.
The author also thanked her fellow writers who supported her, cheered her on, and propped her up whenever she was feeling low. “There are too many of you to name here, but you all are in my heart – that is so full right now I fear it might burst.”
She also thanked her partner Chathura Jayatissa, saying: “I will never have enough words to convey how thankful I am that I have you in my life.”
Her next novel You’re Invited will be released in August.
Amada Jayatissa was nominated for My Sweet Girl under the best first novel category along with Abigail Dean for Girl A, Eloísa Díaz for Repentance, David McCloskey for Damascus Station, and Eric Redman for Bones of Hilo.
The ITW has more than 5,000 members in 49 countries, representing over 3.2 billion book sales. It is the world’s leading organisation for thriller writers and helps authors hone their craft, learn about the business aspects of publishing, and helps connect writers with readers.
On 4 June, ITW held its 17th annual banquet, where it presented the Thriller Awards and also honoured 2022 ThrillerMasters Frederick Forsyth and Diana Gabaldon.
The award for best hardcover novel as well as award for best audiobook went to S.A. Cosby for Razorblade Tears, while Jess Lourey won best paperback original novel for Bloodline. The Thriller Award for best short story went to The Lemonade Stand by Scott Loring Sanders, best e-book original novel went to Blood Parish by E.J. Findorff, and best young adult novel went to The Project by Courtney Summers.
