Benjamin Franklin Award

[susanstinson]

Venus of Chalk is a finalist in the gay/lesbian category. Yay!

• This is an award to "recognize excellence in independent publishing": a small press award.


• Judy Frank's book Crybaby Butch is nominated, too, so Fireband Books are two out of the three finalists. The other one is a book published by the American Bar Associaton.


• There's an award ceremony on June 1 at a Marriot in NYC and the Lambda awards are on June 2. Ceremonial city.


• My first novel, Fat Girl Dances with Rocks, was a finalist in this category, too. My second novel, Martha Moody, won in the fiction category. There were silver stickers for finalist that my publisher put on FGDWR, and gold stickers for Martha Moody, but I was shy about them, and asked the publisher to stop putting them on my books, so, while you may see copies of FGDWR with the silver sticker, you won't see any of Martha Moody with the gold.


• I'm not shy quite like that any more.


• Books published by Readers' Digest have nominations in various categories.
Longtime readers here may remember my childhood devotion to Readers' Digest Condensed Books, but do they really count as "excellence in independent publishing?" There's a sprinkling of audio books from the BBC and Penguin, and a Random House finalist, but eight from Readers' Digest?

Comments

[francita.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, Susan! That's wonderful news. Makes me want to go round bookshops sticking gold stickers on all your books. :)

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Your love for my work is so steadfast and wonderful.

[little_star]

i'm glad you're not shy like that anymore :)

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Makes me laugh -- don't they say that necessity is the mother of invention. I recently read a letter of recommendation from one of my college writing teachers, amongst all the praise, mentioned my shyness -- it really has been a force throughout my life, although it's not always visible these days, it's still there in certain situations, and advocating for my work can be one of them. I've consciously worked hard on this, though.

Haven't mailed clothes! I have some good stuff! Have to do taxes first!

[gordonzola.livejournal.com]

Yay Susan! Sticker it up this time!

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

If there are stickers to be had, I will say, sticker away!

[wauwau.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!!! It really is a *fine* book and I'm so happy it's getting this recognition!

ps... I also loved Reader's Digest when I was a kid, and actually interviewed for a job at RD when I was in my mid-20s. It was a really odd office building. Reminded me more of an elderly aunt's over-gilded, over-decorated home than it did the suburban office building that it really was. The guy who interviewed me was wearing red plaid flannel. I don't know why that part especially sticks in my memory.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much. I love knowing this about the Reader's Digest building, and the red plaid flannel is absolutely perfect.

Are you going to the Lambda ceremony? And Saints and Sinners? That was so wonderful for me last year, I'm very sorry to miss it this year.

[desayunoencama.livejournal.com]

YAY on being a finalist for another award! What a nervous BookExpo you're going to have!

Fingers crossed for you!

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, Lawrence. I'll be keeping my eye open for you there!

[animikwaan.livejournal.com]

YAY!

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[lovelikeyeast.livejournal.com]

Go you! Congrats! I am at the ready with the confetti.

[susanstinson.livejournal.com]

That's an inspiring image, Ms. April.