Author's Guide to Good Behavior (or not) at an Awards Show
The SCIBA Book Awards was this weekend.

It was fun catching up with friends like Neal Schusterman . . .


Here, Moi and Debby Garfinkle and Marlene Perez and talented-newcomer-one-third-of-the-Disco-Mermaids, Jay Asher stand in front of our adoring fans . . .


So here's what goes down at these gala festive soirees -- first there is a trade show where you get to see what new books are being touted. ARCS (advanced readers copies) abound.

Now, there are two kinds of authors.
1) There's the classy type who leaf through the books and nod with recognition when they see ones their peers have written.
2) Then there's the other kind, who start squealing when they recognize their friends' BOOKS and then fill their bags with the FREE BOOKS and even though the bags are heavy, and you also get a FREE box of BOOKS, you don't care that it weighs 90,000 pounds, because it's BOOKS and they are FREE!!!!

Guess what category I fell in . . .


Okay, so as the trade show nears the dinner hour, the nominated authors were swept away and fed. Pam Munoz Ryan joined us and instantly became Peepy's new best friend, because Pam graciously shared her butternut soup with her . . .


(You may recall that recently someone else tried to eat Peepy, as documented here.)

Although we sat at the Children's Table, I truly believe we had more fun than the Adult Category nominees. Plus, we were unruly and asked personal questions . . .

(Above: Jay Asher being secretly unruly as Brian Selznick and Pam ask Peepy personal questions.)

Once fed, there is a formal dinner and the nominated authors rotate among tables of good-looking independent booksellers. (This is why were were given food ahead of time, so we wouldn't get sick and dizzy and have food in our teeth as we rotated, bantered and displayed flares of wit.)

While in a holding pattern from the rotation, the award winners are named. In the Adult Fiction Category, Lisa See was nominated. Lisa See and Lisa Yee are often mistaken for one another. She (Lisa See) wasn't able to attend and I (Lisa Yee) told Cecil that if she (Lisa See) won, I (Lisa Yee) would jump up, scream and run up and grab the award. The thought of this made Cecil Castellucci so giddy that she (Cecil) proclaimed she'd marry me (Lisa Yee) if I did. (We agreed not to tell Cecil's boyfriend or my Hubby.)

So, sure enough she (Lisa See) wins!!! Only, before I (Lisa Yee) could run on stage, her (Lisa See) publisher beat me to it. (Man he was fast!) Oh well, next time!

In the Children's Novel Category, the nominees were . . .

(Above: Brian Selznick, Lisa Yee, Cecil Castellucci, and Kerry Madden. Plus Marla Freeze, who is hiding.)

And the winner was . . . Brian Selznick. Not to brag but, I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW HIS AMAZING BOOK WOULD WIN! (as evidenced here.) What Brian has done has created a new genre. Henceforth, I declare it shall be known as Selznick-ian. If you haven't read/feasted your eyes on THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET you simply must.

Recently the book also won a Quills Award, and it's nominated for the National Book Award, along with my pal Sara Zarr's STORY OF A GIRL.

Congrats to all the winners! Next up (blogwise) . . . a beachy lunch with authors, and a fabulous school visit, and Peepy meets a mystery celebrity!


(Above: Brian is tall and talented, but Lisa and Cecil are even taller. Especially when there are chairs around.)