The Fabulous Garden State Teen Book Award (Fiction Grades 6-8)

wasn't back from the framer's in time for the awards luncheon yesterday.

Very shrewdly, a box of chocolates was presented to me instead.

It was great to see John Green again (he was the luncheon speaker) and to meet fellow winners Ann Bausum and Bruce Degen. Ann's award was at the framer's also, but Bruce's was there for me to see and envy.

He, in turn, envied Ann's and my boxes of chocolate.

Do you know, I have no idea if it should be framer's or framers. I suppose if it's multiple owners of the framing store, it should be framers'.

Either way, I should get the award in a couple of weeks, and then (and only then) will I be able to finish the wall of ego. So my friends Joyce and Lew won't be able to see the new award when they visit this weekend, but they'll eat the chocolate, and that will probably make them every bit as happy.

What makes me happy is that I've been informed of yet another nomination for Life As We Knew It. It's up for the Maud Hart Lovelace Award, a young readers award in Minnesota. I keep the list of states over at thirdmoonbook, so the other night I counted, and throwing in a few nominations that aren't on the list, LAWKI has been nominated for over three dozen awards. I think that's astonishing. I currently have a winning percentage of .05, but if it goes down, it'll only be because LAWKI's been nominated for even more.

No one can take my Garden State Teen Book Award (Fiction Grades 6-8) or my Truman Readers Award away from me, even if I don't exactly have them to take!

The Week In (P)review

I've gotten into the dangerous habit on Monday mornings of looking ahead to the week and anticipating what wonderful things might happen. Of course, there is a chance by Friday, that nothing wonderful will have happened, but so far my luck is holding out quite nicely.

This morning I had no problems guessing what wonderful things would happen during the week, since a couple of them are already scheduled. On Wednesday, I'm going to the New Jersey Library Association Book Award Luncheon, where Life As We Knew It will receive the 2009 Garden State Teen Book Award (Grades 6-8), which I will proudly display on the Wall Of Ego. Then on Thursday, I'll go to New Haven to speak at the Connecticut Library Association Conference.

Both these events will be more fun than taking my mother to the dentist tomorrow to get her two cavities filled. Although even that will be more fun for me than for her.

But this week started off very nicely on its own. For those of you who enjoy reading interviews with me (a select group consisting of my mother, to whom reading an interview with me is preferable to getting her cavities filled), there is a brand new one at Inkweaver Review.

And this morning, while doing my now once every two weeks or so Googling, I discovered that LAWKI is nominated for the Green Mountain Book Award in Vermont. That makes it 27 individual state awards it's been nominated for.

Speaking of awards, I received one yesterday as the Friends Of The Middletown Thrall Library Volunteer Of The Year. As it happens, I couldn't attend the luncheon, so Marci accepted for me. She said I got a certificate, so maybe the Wall Of Ego will have yet another thing to show off. And speaking of Marci, she came over on Saturday to meet Scooter. She agreed that he was very cute, but she says his beard makes him look like Maynard G. Krebs.

At some point in the not too distant future, the new editor will send me This World We Live In, with all kinds of notes and suggestions for rewrites (or as Maynard G. Krebs would put it- WORK!). But until she does, I can spend the week looking forward to all the good things that are going to happen, and watching Scooter chase his tail.

Now that's something Maynard G. Krebs couldn't do!

ETA: While I was answering comments from NathanKP and Glen, Scooter was proving very distracting!

Two Pieces Of Good News (Neither Involving A Kitten)

Bonjour mes amis in Missouri.

Life As We Knew It is the first winner of the Truman Readers Award, selected by students sixth through eighth grade in Missouri. Notice how the link doesn't take you to some official announcement place. That's because I can't find an official announcement place. Actually, the place Google took me to last night was a blog by a librarian who didn't like LAWKI. So I waited until today to make the official (by me at least) announcement, by way of a librarian who is at least neutral on the subject.

I love that LAWKI is the first Truman Readers Award winner. It will always be the first (or last) book on the Truman Readers Award lists.

I hope students sixth through eighth grade in Missouri and elsewhere read French. Because my other piece of good news is that Pocket Jeunesse in France (bonjour France) will be publishing Life As We Knew It, The Dead And The Gone, and This World We Live In.

This is one tres excellent day!

Scooter Is A Healthy Kitten

I took Scooter to the vet today, to make sure he was a healthy kitten, and indeed he is. He weighs 1 pound 4 ounces, has a normal temperature, and may be less than 8 weeks old, which would help explain his meowing whenever I'm not right by his side. Although I think he's meowing less (or else it's turning into white noise, I've gotten so accustomed to it).

I promised Scooter if he did something sufficiently cute, I'd post a video along with this report. I put one of his toys out for him, but naturally that was of no interest to him.

Instead he found two other things to play with, neither one of which would have been my choice. The bag was a gift from one of the schools I visited this fall. The mini carnation was in a vase on the dining room table. Soon Scooter will be knocking over vases, and I won't think he's nearly as cute as I do now!

Scooter In The Kitchen

I promise I'm not going to post endless look at Scooter photos and videos. But this one, which I took about half an hour ago, shows what a little meower he is.

The ticking sound in the background is the toaster oven.

Scooter is now climbing on my back and purring. He's really a sweetheart, but a very noisy one!

I Named Him Scooter

I have a kitten on my lap. After an acquaintanceship of a mere two hours, Scooter understands how important it is to sleep on my lap.

As you can see, he's black and white and has a beard. It makes him look slightly Amish.

Thus far, he's expressed no interest in food or kitty litter, but he sure does love telephone wires. And my lap.

He knows how to purr. And to kvetch, which he did non-stop on the trip home. So maybe he isn't Amish. Maybe he's Chasidic.

If he were wearing a stovepipe hat, he'd look like Abraham Lincoln. But I refuse to believe he's a Republican.

Then again, I find it hard to believe any Republicans would want to sleep on my lap!

ETA: I've added the official portrait to the top of this entry; it has the best view of his beard.

My cousin Fran expressed surprise (perhaps even concern) that Scooter was named for Scooter Libby, which would truly make him a Republican kitty. I hadn't even thought of Scooter Libby when I decided if I got a boy kitten, he'd be named Scooter. He's named for Phil Rizzuto, who may well have been a Republican, but more importantly, was the shortstop and broadcaster for the New York Yankees.

Scooter the cat has discovered the food bowl, but still hasn't explored the delights of the kitty litter. He does love my lap though, and gets agitated when it's in another room without him on it.

He'd better learn to live without it. I'm taking my mother to the dentist tomorrow, and he's not invited!

Extra Credit

I love movies, old and new, and one difference I've noticed between old and new is the length of the credits.

It used to be the credits were short and sweet: Produced, Directed, Written, and Starring Orson Welles.

Nowadays the credits run forever, and include all kinds of jobs and responsibilities I never associated with movies (second assistant greensperson and the suchlike).

So while I continue to wait for a kitten and a rewrite, I thought I'd give the credits for my upcoming production of This World We Live In (all these credits, by the way, would be identical for Life As We Knew It and the dead and the gone).

Harcout Houghton Mifflin And Susan Beth Pfeffer Present

Susan Beth Pfeffer's

THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN

Written And Directed By: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Produced by Harcourt Houghton Mifflin
Executive Producer: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Edited By: The New Editor And Susan Beth Pfeffer
Copy Edited By: The Copy Editors
Assistant Copy Editor: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Cover Design: The Cover Designer
Titles: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Research: Google, Wikipedia
Head Researcher: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Marketing And Promotion: Harcourt Houghton Mifflin, Susan Beth Pfeffer
Catering: Lean Cuisine, Not Just Bagels, Susan Beth Pfeffer
Second Assistant Greensperson: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Electricity Provided By: Orange And Rockland Utilities Inc. (Bill Paid By Susan Beth Pfeffer)
Best Boy: Definitely Not Susan Beth Pfeffer
Best Mother: Freda Pfeffer
Special Thanks to:
Christy
Cynthia
Ellen
Fran
Hilarie
Jan
Janet
Kathy
Joyce
Marci
Renee
Susan
Todd
And
The Moon


No Animals Were Hurt In The Production of This World We Live In. However, Any Number Of Trees Sacrificed Their Lives For The Sake Of This And All Other Books.