sinking in

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.

L to R: Ames, my publicist (well, not my publicist but rather my publisher's), Alvina, my editor (well, not just my editor but other people's too), me, and Rebecca, my agent (also shared)

Because my book won the Newbery Honor. Really. It did. I think.