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The week after I won the Yerby Prize, I was surprised over and over.\u00a0 First, I was amazed that HALLEY got that award.\u00a0 There were four other nominees, after all, and I told myself, as I suppose Oscar nominees do, \u201cThe odds are against me–just being nominated is an honor.\u201d\u00a0 Then I did win and was overwhelmed by the number of people who congratulated me–mainly by email or Facebook. Four days after the Yerby Festival, a package arrived from Amazon, addressed to me.\u00a0 I had ordered nothing.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t Mother\u2019s Day or Christmas, and Valentine\u2019s Day was history.\u00a0 I opened it and found a frog puppet and a pop up book about a big-mouth frog.\u00a0 The giver of this present had not revealed his or her name.\u00a0 Who knew I loved puppets?\u00a0 Maybe a few people, since I own about ten animal puppets that many visitors have played with.\u00a0 But how many know I love frogs?\u00a0 How many know I don\u2019t spray for bugs on my back porch or carport because I might harm some of my little green tree frogs that come back in warm weather year after year? Very few.<\/p>\n
My husband suggested one of our daughters-in-law.\u00a0 \u201cNot me,\u201d said Aca.\u00a0 \u201cBut it could be anybody, Mom.\u00a0 So many people love you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, shucks,\u201d I said, modestly, looking around for a tire to kick.<\/p>\n
The next day I had no time for investigation–I had an appointment in Montgomery. But I thought about the book and the frog.\u00a0 Both seemed too fragile to allow the youngest grandkids to play with unsupervised.\u00a0 No, they would fare best on a high shelf, I decided,\u00a0 except for those special occasions when I could make sure they were handled with care.\u00a0 When I arrived home Benjamin announced that the mystery was solved.\u00a0 Our older son Ben had called.\u00a0 \u201cHe said since his family won\u2019t be here for Jacob\u2019s birthday, (Jacob is our youngest grand child), he hoped you wouldn\u2019t mind wrapping the gift they are sending from Amazon.\u201d<\/p>\n
POOF!\u00a0 So much for all those loving and thoughtful anonymous gift-givers I had on my list!<\/p>\n
But the surprises were\u2019t over.\u00a0 At the end of the week, I received another package, which announced on the outside that it contained flowers.\u00a0 \u201cBenjamin,\u201d I cried, \u201cyou shouldn\u2019t have!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Opening the box, I found two dozen perfect pink roses and a note from my friend and first editor, Miriam Rinn. She congratulated me on my Yerby Prize.\u00a0 What an extravagant gift!<\/p>\n
Finally there came the announcement from my only granddaughter–also my prettiest, smartest, and best granddaughter.\u00a0 \u201cOh, Grandmama,\u201d I can already hear her saying, \u201cEverybody knows I\u2019m your ONLY granddaughter.\u201d\u00a0 Anyway, Sarah told me that she is now reading my blog.\u00a0 Wow!\u00a0 Sarah doesn\u2019t read just anything.\u00a0 This both a surprise and a prize.\u00a0 That\u2019s about as good as it gets, folks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My latest book, HALLEY, awarded 2015 Jefferson Cup Honor for Historical Fiction, awarded the 2015 Moonbeam Silver Medal for Young Adult Fiction, and the 2016 Frank Yerby Award for Fiction. The week after I won the Yerby Prize, I … Continue reading