And the award goes to...

So the finalists for the NZ Post Children's Book Awards for 2013 were announced yesterday. You can see them here. There are a lot of great titles on the lists, a couple I disagree with and several, to my mind, omissions. The omissions I'm thinking of are not my books although I wouldn't have complained if either my junior novel Sally Bangle: Unexpected Detective or picture book Made With Love had made it in. But knowing of some of the beautiful, thoughtful and thought provoking books that missed out makes me feel a little better about missing out myself. There can only be up to 5 in each category so deserving books will always miss out. A bit like Bradley Cooper doing a fantastic performance in The Silver Linings Playbook but missing out on the Oscar because Daniel Day Lewis made a movie the same year. You do not want Daniel Day Lewis acting the same year as you.  I don't know how you organise it to shine in a year without the heavy hitters. Especially when timing is so much at the mercy of so many other factors. You takes your chances and hopes for the best. It pays to remember however that whether or not Daniel Day Lewis turned out another masterpiece performance the same year as you, your own efforts are no less worthy (like how DDL got an Oscar for My Left Foot and yet Leonardo de Caprio missed out for his fantastic acting in What's Eating Gilbert Grape). Of course this is easy to say. Especially when we know that listings and awards do make a difference. And we want to believe in their power should it ever be our turn. People look to these lists to make their book choices and appreciate the guidance of these experienced judges. In any given year it seems like a lottery who the competition might be and what the judges might like. I think the judges do their best and aim to be fair. My response? I'm going to remember that folk are still publishing my work. Then I'm going to go and dig up some old good news and wallow in that for a while. Probably with some chocolate. And then I'm going to keep writing.

Oh and actually there is some new good news, although unrelated to awards, but I can't say what it is yet cos its sekrit. Don't imagine anything too big though, cos it isn't.