I won! I won, I won, I won !
What did you win? you ask.
I won the Writer's Federation of Nova Scotia Unpublished Manuscript prize. It is officially the Joyce Barkhouse for Children and Young Adults Prize. I didn't realize it when I submitted in November of last year that there is a cash amount as well as the honour. That's a great bonus, but I just so thrilled that my chapter book for young readers was chosen.
The book is called "Beach Meadow Friends". It is about Fox, Crane, Eagle and Crab as they live through a season on Beach Meadows.
Crane is silent most of the time, Crab is a slightly panic stricken crustacean, Eagle is a huge boaster with an enormous sense of self and Fox patiently keeps the community going. Each chapter has its own challenge or joke and different combinations of the characters are featured.
Beach Meadows is an actual place, about a 20 minute drive from our summer camp.
One very cold windy day as we were walking along the beach at low tide, a young fox walked alongside us for about 200 metres. I have a photo of him on the kitchen wall but can't find it in my archive. Maybe Steve took it.
We discussed the nature of the fox and Steve said if you had a totem animal, it would be the fox. It felt so completely right. Over the course of a few summers, seven short chapters evolved and with some editorial help from some very nice friends, the book was written. I get to read from it at the award ceremony on June 10 and immediately afterwards, go to Iceland. What a great day it will be. What shoes will I wear?
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