Kaniere-based author Wendy Scott has picked up a second international award for her teen novel Hieroglyph.
The archaeological supernatural mystery won a silver medal in the International Readers Favourite Book Awards.
Scott, who also writes adult fantasy novels, will travel to Miami next week to attend the awards ceremony.
"You have the option of it being posted but I thought I wanted to go along this time," Scott told the Hokitika Guardian yesterday.
Last year the book won a gold medal in the 9-12 years category of the Wishing Shelf Awards UK.
The author, who works by day at Westland Milk Products, plans to meet up with her sister while in the United States, and spend four days enjoying the Miami Book Festival to celebrate.
The US-based International Readers Favourite Book Awards are well known. Past winners have included the likes of American actor and children's author Jim Carrey.
While Heiroglyph had picked up awards in the children and teen categories, Scott said it was enjoyed by readers of all ages.
It tells the story of a supernatural power-yielding 13-year-old, TC, who is able to travel back in time when she touches artefacts.
While the book moves between Egypt and Australia, the teenage time traveller lives in Hokitika, where Scott has lived on and off since 1991.
Scott said that as the adventure series continued, more and more of Hokitika would feature in her books.
The author said as a child she had a "ferocious imagination" and immersed herself in creating stories and poems.
She also has a New Zealand certificate in chemistry which she says allows her to dabble with fuming potions and strange substances, "satisfying her inner witch".
As well as children's novels she also writes adult fantasy and romance novels under the pen names W J Scott and Wendy Jayne.
She published her first book in 2011 and now has seven under her belt, as well as a number of e-books.
- Hokitika Guardian