BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA— by Maria A. Karamitsos
Bestselling author Shelley Dark begins the New Year with international recognition, as both Hydra in Winter and Son of Hydra receive honors in the 2025 Global Book Awards.
The annual Global Book Awards recognize excellence across independent and traditionally published titles worldwide. They spotlight talented authors that have not received the recognition they deserve in self-publishing. Books are assessed on writing quality, presentation, and reader engagement, with gold, silver, and bronze medals awarded across multiple categories.
Son of Hydra, published in November 2025, has been awarded a Silver Medal in the Historical Fiction category. The story draws on the true story of Ghikas Voulgaris—Dark’s husband’s great-great-grandfather and Australia’s first Greek convict, a foundation figure in the story of Greek settlement in Australia. She intertwines piracy and exile with a love story, restoring a forgotten pioneer to the historical record. The award follows a strong international reader response, driven by predominantly five-star reviews.
Her 2024 memoir Hydra in Winter: An Island Escape in Search of a Greek Pirate has won a gold award in the Biographical – Travel & Explorer category. This book chronicles her transformative solo journey to Greece in search of the 1820s pirate Voulgaris. The light-hearted travel memoir also uncovers a little-known chapter of early Greek-Australian migration and highlights the tiny island of Hydra’s pivotal naval role in the Greek War of Independence.
“I believe Ghikas Voulgaris should be recognized as an Australian folk hero, and that has been my aim in writing these books”, Dark said. “To have both titles so warmly received by readers—and now recognized by the Global Book Awards—is enormously gratifying”,
Both books grew from Dark’s long engagement with historical research and studying narrative craft. Her meticulous research into the Greek pirates took her to Hydra, Malta, London, Cork, Portsmouth, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)—focusing on Voulgaris, the only one to leave descendants in Australia. Dark brings to Son of Hydra the same blend of curiosity, craft, and humor that made Hydra in Winter a word-of-mouth success—shooting to Amazon #1 in several categories including Humor Essays, Solo Travel, Travel Writing, Tourist Destinations, and Most Gifted, continuing to hold top-category positions a year after release. Hydra in Winter and Son of Hydra are available on Amazon and most platforms.
For more information about Shelley Dark and her books, visit www.shelleydark.com.
