Award Nominations

It’s the time of year that award nominations start sprouting
for books published in 2013. All kinds of awards. And every single time one is
announced, nominees say the same thing: “It’s an honor simply to be nominated
with this group of high caliber authors.”

Now, we all know that each of them wants to win that award,
so why do they mess around saying something that everyone else has said a
million times? Because it’s the truth.

I just learned that my second Skeet Bannion mystery, Every Broken Trust, is a finalist for
the International Latino Book Award. This is a prestigious literary award, and
of course, I want to win it. Just as we all want to win those awards we get
nominated and become finalists for. But the other finalists are such fine
writers that I can say with equal truth, “It’s an honor simply to be nominated
with this group of high caliber authors.”

Last year, my first Skeet novel, Every Last Secret, was a finalist for the same award and came in
third. This was, of course, a disappointment in one way, but not in others. The
books which took first and second place were such fine books that I couldn’t be
upset. When a book that’s much weaker wins over yours, that hurts, but as
usually happens, when it’s a very strong, beautifully wrought book, you can only
feel happy and honored to have been considered to be in the same company.

So to all the award nominees and finalists out there, those
who have already heard and those who’ll be notified in the coming weeks and
months, congratulations! You’re all winners, simply for being in the small
group of finalists or nominees. No matter who finally takes home the medal or
teapot or statue, you’ve all done that marvelous thing—written an excellent
book the worth of which was recognized by experts in the field or your peers or
however your award is set up. Enjoy yourself, feel good about it, and whether
you win or not, go home and get started on the next book.

Because in the final hour that’s what we all are, not award
winners, nominees, or finalists, but writers. That’s the important part of us,
and that next book is calling seductively to us, making promises that we know
we’ll never be able to bring completely to fruition, but the real joy is in the
trying.