The Golden Apples

Last night was the Golden Apple Awards sponsored by the Romance Writers of America New York City chapter, where I was extremely honoured to be named Author of the Year, alongside lifetime achievement winner Mary Jo Putney, Agent of the Year Lori Perkins, Editor of the Year Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks, who was named Publisher of the Year. (I'm proud to mention my editor, Chris Keeslar, won Editor of the Year last year). Thanks to Biz Urban Photography for taking lovely photos of our awards and of ourselves.

I'm posting my speech, as it sums up just about everything I- and Miss Percy- have to say about this whirlwind year:

"For any year to receive this incredible honour, this certainly has been the most amazing year of my life. A year ago, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker hit the shelves and I began a hell-bent course of promotion, appearances, guerilla marketing at its most frenetic, and you’ve been kind enough to want to hear about it along the way, and I want to share anything and everything about the journey. Because an award doesn’t happen in a vaccum. It happens because north stars are generous enough to lead someone in the right direction. There are so many north stars in this room. Isabo Kelly who got me here in the first place, then president Elizabeth Kerri Mahon, who at my very first meeting pointed me in several right directions, one of which landed me my agent, Nicholas Roman Lewis (More about him in a second). Marcos, my love and strong help always. And thank all of you, for being the net under me while I’ve been off doing crazy aerial tricks and unsure if I was going to stick the landings, we all need such a net. Wonderful parents are a great net too, and I was blessed with the best. Since my desire to publish has been the sole fault of one strange young woman and this year has indeed been her year, here are closing words from Miss Percy Parker herself:
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“Hello, friends. She Who Created Me knows I’m too shy for crowds so since she’s so good at putting words in my mouth, it’s only right and proper she offer my personal thanks. For in honouring her you honour me; her fierce labour of love for a decade, me; an awkward, overwhelmed girl with a story of love conquering all odds that so desperately wanted to get out into the world. But, as I so dearly feared, no one wanted me. I was too strange, too hard to pin down, too ‘cross-genre’ – but it only takes one person to accept you, and suddenly you’re on your way to finding a community. Thank you, Nicholas Roman Lewis, for seeing some glimmer of possibility in my eerie eyes and never doubting me for a moment. And he’s even landed me a musical! Isn’t it marvelous? And then to the man who took that greatest chance upon my tale, Chris Keeslar, editor extraordinaire who refined my tale and helped it win awards and lovely things, you gave me very the gift of life, and there’s naught more precious than that. And then you, for accepting the tale of a simple girl who dared to dream. And isn’t that what you all do, by that brave act of putting pen to paper, daring to dream against those terrible odds called the Publishing World? Don’t ever doubt the dream, even for a second. Despite all odds, provided you believe, and you rely on this beloved community, your tales must and will be told, and then you’ll tell another. And another. Because you must. I cannot thank you enough for helping me to tell my tale, and for honoring it.”