Silver Birch Nomination
"Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day!"
That's me cheerily singing (for the sake of your ears, please pretend it's Doris Day or maybe Barbra Streisand). I just can't help it. I'm super-thrilled! Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers: One Hundred Ancient Egyptian Jobs You Might Have Desired or Dreaded has just been shortlisted for the 2010 OLA Silver Birch Award (non-fiction category). How cool is that!!?!!
The only other time I was nominated for this award was way back in 1998 with my very first book, The Runaways. That was in the fiction category. The novel was a regional winner, but lost out on the big prize to Kenneth Oppel's Silverwing.
Considering Pharaohs and Foot Soldiers is pretty much my first venture into the land of factual books, I am especially pleased about this nomination, though it's a bit daunting to be in the company of such fine non-fiction veterans as Helaine Becker, Hugh Brewster, and my good friend, Diane Swanson, to name just three.
This is an Ontario Children's Choice Award, so Ontario school children have from now until late April to read the nominated titles. On April 23rd (my birthday -- could this be a lucky omen?) they vote for their favourites, and on May 13th, the winner will be announced at a big gala in Toronto.
It is my hope to attend the awards' ceremony. It is a wonderful celebration, and win or lose, it is a fabulous opportunity to mingle with other writers and meet a kazillion young, enthusiastic readers. Too much fun! So the plan is to try to book school visits for the week and a half prior to the gala to offset the travel costs.
Cross your fingers and wish me luck.