If you didn’t know already, I am a huge book nerd.

I am almost always reading more than one book at a time. Currently, I’m reading Pride and Provocateur by Melissa Yi (almost done and so absolutely fantastic and it fills me with so much happy) and Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (it’s my fourth time reading this gorgeous little book).

I collect books, live for words and I’ve lost count of how many books I have, or in some cases where I’ve put them. Books are portable magic. When I was a young kid, I would hold these books close, knowing that they held the keys to other worlds. These books showed me that anything was possible.

I’ve been an avid reader for so long and I knew that I wanted to be writer from an early age. Every time I read a book, I wanted to tell my stories even more. This continued into my teenage years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read The Thief of Always by Clive Barker or all of Christopher Pike’s books (literally all of them; name one, I’ve read it).  Books helped me breathe and still do.

I always enter my books to be considered by the Aurora Awards. As a hybrid author (traditionally published and self-published), you gotta fight for yourself, right? You never know. Every year, I have that feeling of imposter syndrome kick in as I’m entering my book. I mean, The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA) is so wonderfully diverse and the authors that are nominated every year are rock stars to me. You can learn more here: https://www.csffa.ca/

Every year, I’m thrilled to enter my work to be considered for the Auroa Awards for the nomination ballet. It makes me feel like a real author (I also know that I am already a real author because I put letters to paper, but you know what I mean). It just feels surreal to even enter. This year I was lucky enough to pass the nomination stage of the ballot and ended up on the short list.

I was now an Auroa Award nominated writer. I had never dreamed anything like that would happen to me. It felt out of this world to be on a ballot with Tanya Huff, Robert J. Sawyer, Julie E. Czerneda and Guy Gavriel Kay. See? Literal Rock Stars. There were so many incredible authors, and I was one of them on this ballot.

I posted a picture of a trophy that my friend Cait Gordon made for me (incidentally, she’s an AMAZEBALLS author). She said that everything should be celebrated. The nomination was a HUGE deal, and I had to celebrate it for the victory it already was. Nothing like this had ever happened to me. It deserves to be celebrated. It confused some of my friends and they were disappointed that I didn’t actually win, but thing is, I did win.

Something I had always dreamed would happen but never thought could happen did happen. If that’s not something to celebrate, I don’t know what is.

I didn’t get to say a thank you speech, so I hope you will humour a writer by letting me thank a few people:

I’d like to thank Rebel Satori Press for taking a chance on Minotaur. It’s wonderful that a novel about queer and disabled woman living in a labyrinth could find a home with you.

I’d like to thank everyone that’s read Minotaur and told me how much the story meant to them, and how much Roanne’s story has stayed with them.

Thank you to my friends and family who have supported me. You are usually the first ones to run out and buy my new book and then say what they love about it. You can’t know what that kind of support means to a writer. That kind of support goes beyond a mere thank you. All of you make my life better because I know you.

Thank you to my cat Anakin who was on my lap or by my side as I wrote Minotaur. It was such comfort to have you near while I was in the darkness for so long.

Finally, I’d like to thank my husband, Michael. Thank you for reading along with me as I wrote Minotaur and let me bounce ideas off you. Thank you for kindness, love and presence as I got lost in the labyrinth I created and calling me back home to you. Thank you for helping me to realize that true love is not just for the storybooks.

It’s been quite the ride with the Aurora Awards. I have felt like I’ve been riding a comet for a while and I had no idea where it would land. I may have not won Best YA Novel, but I won a dream come true and you can’t beat that.

Here’s to next time.