My Island And Other Thoughts
Last night I was one of four winners of the Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award, from PEN New England. The other winners were Jane Hawksworth, Cassie Gustafson and Laura Quinlan. It was a great experience. Each of us got a chance to read a section from our submissions. Jane’s was a hilarious middle grade romp with Australian accents and bald faced lies. Laura’s was a deeply researched, beautifully written picture book about whooping cranes. Cassie’s was an intense mystery dealing with sexual assault. I won with my book about monsters.
This was the first time I’ve read in front of people in a few years, so I was happy that the jokes landed where I meant for them to land. During the Q&A, I’m told I had very insightful ideas about Louis Sachar and Holes, but I was in a fugue state at that point and can’t confirm it.
And then we were presented with the awards.
BEHOLD!
That is my island. It is formed from something I thought would be a cool place to tell a ghost story, and then the award committee made it for me. They formed it into real lines and color, and a speck of light in the water that I had only seen in my head. I don’t think I will ever be so thankful for anything as I am for this.
During the reception, one of my writing heroes came up and shook my hand and it was much like this:
Only it wasn’t Levar Burton. Although I’d have the same reaction to Levar Burton. I think I said we are Facebook friends and he politely nodded. Ahh, peak awkward, thy name is OJ.
Overall, it was a great night.
The next step will be very much like the Bachelor, only for editors. The award committee will select an editor to send my submission to, and hopefully they will like it enough to contact me and ask, “Will you take this rose?”
And thus in an ideal world in which I am here for the right reasons, I will have a picture of my island, a rose, and an editor reading my book.
It’s been a great night, and I’m super happy to share it with you, my friends on the Internet.