We are pleased to announce UNTOUCHABLE (F+W Media/Tyrus, May 2011), the critically acclaimed debut novel by Scott O’Connor, was named the winner of the prestigious Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” Award. UNTOUCHABLE was one of the first titles published by F+W under the Tyrus Books/F+W Crime mystery imprint, which launched in April 2011.
The Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers program was established in 1990 to highlight works of exceptional literary quality that might otherwise be overlooked in a crowded book marketplace. Titles chosen for the program are handpicked by a select group of booksellers four times a year, and honors have been given to authors such as David Guterson (Snow Falling on Cedars), and David Sheff (Beautiful Boy).
Chosen by a panel of independent judges made up of Discover alumni and other notable writers, the six finalists for the Discover Great New Writers Award represent the best of what the bookseller selection committee read last year. The fiction prize was presented by judges Chris Abani, Lauren Belfer, and Bo Caldwell.
Bo Caldwell on UNTOUCHABLE: “This book won my heart from the start; as soon as I began reading about this father and son, I felt I knew them and cared deeply about them. David Darby and The Kid and their story, both harrowing and heartbreaking, have stayed with me since I read the last page of this beautiful novel, and I suspect they’ll remain with me for a long time. I’m in awe of the mix of emotion, hope, and realism that this author achieves, and grateful to him for doing so.”
The book follows the story of a father and son struggling to cope with their wife and mother’s unexpected death, as the impending arrival of Y2K casts a shadow of uncertainty around them.
“I knew immediately that UNTOUCHABLE was a special book and one that spoke to the core goals of Tyrus’ publishing philosophy—exploring the human condition from characters who are at once on the fringes, but also a part of the greater humanity we pass by in the grocery store, on the street, anywhere,” says Ben LeRoy, publisher of Tyrus Books and Prologue Books. “I called Scott’s agent after reading two paragraphs of Untouchable and acquired the book before reading another word. I was not disappointed.”
About the Author
Scott O’Connor was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of an air-traffic controller and a preschool teacher. He is a co-founder of GO Studios, a post-production and motion graphics design firm. Among Wolves, his 2004 novella, about a boy who believes his parents have been replaced by imposters, was praised by the Los Angeles Times Book Review for its “crisp, take-no-prisoners style.” He lives with his family in Los Angeles.