My first book, A Dog Called Grk, was nominated for the Branford Boase, which is given to debut writers and their editors. I went to the ceremony practically dribbling with anticipation and terror.
The chair of the judges was Meg Rosoff, and up until the moment that her lips spoke someone else's name, I thought I had a pretty good chance of winning.
I left the ceremony disappointed and very drunk.
Since then, my books are been nominated for a few more prizes, and I've learnt that the best thing about them is not winning - because only one person wins, and it's invariably not me - but being there, and meeting the other writers, and talking to a bunch of excited kids who have come to the ceremony, and all the other bits and pieces generated by the fact of the prize.
I've just come back from the Salford Children's Book Award, which was held in the lovely Lowry Centre on Salford Quays. My novel The Island of Thieves was on the shortlist. I didn't win, but I went out to supper the night before with renowned blogger, the Bookwitch, and two of the other shortlisted authors, Gill Lewis, author of Sky Hawk, and Jamie Thomson, scribe and minion of the Dark Lord, Dirk Lloyd.
I'd already been shorlisted alongside Jamie for another prize, The Roald Dahl Funny Prize, which he had won, and with an evil-dark-lord-cackle, he told me how much he was looking forward to repeating the triumph.
In the end, he didn't; but Gill did, taking the award for Sky Hawk.
The ceremony was hosted with great wit and energy by Alan Gibbons. He kept a couple of hundred kids very entertained, and gave a passionate speech denouncing library closures.
Here's one of the less serious moments:
I came home with the best runner-up prize that I've ever been given: something which is not merely useful, but also rather beautiful. It's with me right now:
http://www.joshlacey.com
7 comments:
Great mug - better than a dust-collecting trophy any day!
Gorgeous mug - and am very pleased for Gill. Must modestly say that I gave Skyhawk a glowing review very early on, on this very blog - so there you go, the ripples of pleasure from awards spread far and wide!
Curse that Gill Lewis for crushing us both! Still, one day will we get our revenge! Mwah,hah,hah!
Though it is as you say, nice to meet other authors at this events. We don't get out much and even more rarely do we get to meet other authors.
Well, Jamie, the way you threaten people...
They'll all be hiding next time.
I want a mug like that! But I suppose I can go and buy one, at a pinch.
A mug never collects dust and it's a very lovely one! I don't win prizes, or get out much, either, but it's always great fun meeting other authors. Best of luck at the next award.
I was another loser on this occasion - but I did love my mug. Gill and I were both up for an earlier award - the Stockton Book Award - and that time I won. So I really didn't mind when she won this one. She's such a lovely woman.
I met Gill last night at Bishop's Storford college and she never breathed a word about this win! Modest of her! And no worries about not wining, Josh. It's good to be on the shortlist and after that I reckon it's a bit of a lottery!
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