This is the conversation that takes place in my head almost everyday:
Hey, look, there is a sticker on your book!
Huh, fancy that.
That means Where the Mountain Meets the Moon won the Newbery Honor!
It did?
Yes, remember the phone call?
Kind of. It's a blur.
All those e-mails? Your friends screaming? The flowers? Remember?
Wait, that was for real?
Because even now I still have a hard time believing that my book won an award. I find it a bit easier when I think of it as my book was "given" an award. Because then it is more like a gift. Which it is.
But it's starting to sink in, albeit a bit slowly. Most recently, during my visit to my publisher in NY they had an in-office party to celebrate:
and even though I knew they were going to toast me I was surprised. I almost looked around, behind me, to see who they were clapping for!
And, I couldn't decide what was a lovelier sight. The cupcakes:
Or the books with the pretty silver stickers:
In the end, I went with the books (hard decision though) and went for a group photo with them.
Because my book won the Newbery Honor. Really. It did. I think.