Thank you. Thank you very much.

This week I'm traveling to Columbia, South Carolina to receive the South Carolina Association of School Librarians Young Adult Book Award. This is an awesome award to receive, as it's one of those state awards where the librarians and students come up with a list of books that they then have to read during the school year. The students vote for their favorite, and, whoomp, there it is! Oh, I failed to mention that Into the Wild Nerd Yonder was the Chosen One (just like Buffy). What a cool choice by the students, I must say. I wrote an acceptance speech and everything, and will be reading it (speaking it?) at the Authors Celebration Luncheon on Friday, along with the Picture Book Award winner, Cynthia Lord, and Junior Book Award winner, Rosanne Parry. The last time I received an award where I had to make a speech, I totally dorked it up. I can elaborate if you're interested in another blog post, but let's just say it involved hideous pants, horrid morning sickness, and every other award recipient being a previous Nobel Prize winner (I shit you not). This time around, I am thoroughly in my element: librarians, authors, and South Carolina (where my hubs is from). And I wrote out the speech. Printed it in 14 size font, just in case my eyes decide to go. My one fear? That my daughter, who is not the most independent of children, will feel the need to join me on stage because, duh, Mom doesn't do anything important that doesn't involve her, right? (Did that sound bitchy? I'm seriously going stir crazy with all of this frakkin' snow we're getting. Thank Mother Nature that it is supposed to be 70 in Columbia on Saturday.) Actually, I just practiced reading the speech to her, both practicing my reading and her listening. Lord. I may just go bury myself in the snow right now. Forever. If you hear about an author who doesn't show up to receive her award in South Carolina, you'll know where to find me.