Wings of adventure

Lee Murray, a Tauranga writer and Oceanbooks author, has just won the 2012 Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel with her debut publication, Battle of the Birds (Taramea Publishing).

Lee, a 46-year-old mother of two with a Masters in Science, turned her hand to writing four years ago and was thrilled to be recognised with the award for science and fantasy writing.

"Battle of the Birds is my first novel and is set right here in the Bay of Plenty," she said.

"The award is the highest accolade that a science fiction fantasy writer can achieve in New Zealand, and this is the first time it has ever been awarded for a junior novel, so I am very excited.

"It has only been won by a Bay of Plenty writer once before and that was Margaret Mahy, so it is certainly an honour."

Murray was awarded the trophy at the beginning of the month at a science fiction convention in Auckland and hopes it will lead to more recognition of her writing.

"Naturally, with my science background, I like that genre but I have also written a chick-lit novel called a Dash Of Reality, which is set in Tauranga."

Murray is a member of Oceanbooks, the Tauranga publishing consortium.

Battle of the Birds is an engaging narrative for the 8 to 12-year-old age group. Homesick in Wisconsin, 11-year-old Annie lies on an eagle-shaped mound when the eagle breaks from the ground, flying her home to New Zealand 1000 years too early and during a battle between birds.

"They say you can never go home. Things change while you are away.

"I thought I'd explore this idea through Annie's adventure, while also drawing on my experience of trail running through New Zealand forests. So I sent Annie back to a time when moa and te hokioi (Haast's eagle) dominated the New Zealand bush."