UKYABA What!?

Every now and then, I have a mini impostor syndrome. And this week I had this two or three times. I rarely suffer from this with my blog, but then I got to an event or something happens and it creeps back!

First of all, I was at the #WalkerYA Bloggers Event on Tuesday (you can read my write-up on that here) and I mentioned this in passing. But every blogger and vlogger I mentioned this to said "we all suffer from that. Don't worry about it." (I am a worrier! Ask my Other Half about that!) Anyway, it was on the way to the event I remembered that the longlist for this year's UKYA Blogger Awards was going to be announced the following day.

I didn't think much of it - I managed to use a day's holiday to write up the event and go to the dentist (which I dislike hugely) so when the longlist was announced, I was in a bit here, there and everywhere. For a good five minutes, I stayed away from my twitter as I didn't want to see if my name was on the longlist.  It'll be nice to be on the longlist, I thought, but it won't be there. Am a bit of grown up on my reading lately.. 

And then I saw my @ replies had exploded. So I looked. And...

I WAS ON THE LONGLIST FOR FOUR CATEGORIES! FOUR! HOW THE HELL DID THAT HAPPEN?! 

As my Other Half was out most of that evening, I spent most of that evening pacing round my kitchen and lounge going "What?! WHAT?! How?! HOW?! THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE!" 

I was shocked, overwhelmed, delighted and honoured to be longlisted on these four categories! Plus, with some wonderful, badass book bloggers! It was just wonderful! 

Once I calmed down and thought "This is super cool!" and then carried on with my life on this mental high. Then I checked Twitter the following day, and then I read "The shortlist will be announced on Friday" ... wait. This Friday? THIS FRIDAY!? 

No time to get over this news. Have to go to work and carry on. So, by the time I got my head round it, it was Friday and the shortlist was going to be announced. Plus, I had to get ready to go out with Other Half and Neighbours as Neighbours were taking us to bingo. 

So, Friday evening was a blur of driving home from work, getting dressed, eating a quick dinner, reading shortlist then out the door. No time to process what I read till later that evening/Saturday. So, it was in a bit of a haze when I read this...

Ok, I do remember this. I read this tweet (my @ replies were freaking out again) and I sat next to my heating and said to my Other Half "I'm on the shortlist". Once I told him, he laughed and went "You're Old Now!" 

Hence my reaction to dye my hair silver and see if I figure out how to be what the gay community call an otter or a daddy. Let's see if he likes that reaction! 

... wait. Does this mean I need to be more a grown up now on my blog...?

Moving quickly away from that question, I was shocked, delighted and hugely honoured to be on the shortlist for Champion Adult Blogger with some wonderful bloggers (Hi Layla at @readable_life, Jo at @bookloverJo and Beth at @BookLoverx). 

There is no words to say. None. But thank you. 

Now, I suppose I better do the boring thing of going "if you want to vote for me...". I am but only on the condition that if you decide to vote, you vote for who you think deserves the award in that category. Ok? Ok. 

Right, apparently, my category is author only. So, authors, if you want to vote for Champion Adult Blogger (and other categories. You have 9 include mine!), check out UKYABA's website and details are there for voting form. 

There are always categories that us book bloggers/vloggers can vote for (I only realised this now. Shows how slow I am over the past few days!). Again, if you (and I, for that matter) wanna vote (there are 5 categories for us bloggers), again check out UKYABA's website and details will be there for your pleasure. 

Happy voting, and again, thank you. 

So... This Happened...

I should be writing. I should writing a story in my notepad and I should have written TONS of blog posts (but didn't because I suck and I spent day cleaning. Cleaning! I HATE CLEANING! I was meant to write blogpost about Cursed Child, a NetGalley I read and a few other fun posts [late night, me thinks...]).

While I was on my cleaning blitz, the UKYA Blogger Awards nominations were released on Twitter. There are several cool categories (Champion of Content, Champion Adult Blogger, Champion Teen Blogger, Champion Vlogger to name a few). And this tweet popped up...

Nominations for Champion of Diversity: @PewterWolf13 @darkdictator @serefinaxxx #UKYABA16

— ukyaba (@ukyaba) October 1, 2016

er... ok...

So... yeah... am nominated for Champion of Diversity. How? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN, INTERNET?! Yes, I know that publishers and authors voted and made the shortlist (and you guys are awesome, FYI!) but... 

I am, of course, delighted and honoured to be nominated in this category. Diversity is important and we must champion and fight for it. So, to be nominated with much cooler bloggers is a delight/shock!

Before I go into total "ARGH!!!" mood, I want to congratulate everyone else who was nominated in the other categories and I want to thank the publishers/authors who voted and decided the long-list (there must have been one!) and short-list for these categories. It must have been hard and it's an honour you thought of us. 

That's it. Just thank you. 

Now, how to do ruin this sweet moment...? 

So... I Have Something To Tell You...

So... I kinda have something to tell you...

I will be at YALC this year. Not sure how it happened but yes, I shall be there! And... oh yeah... I might be on a panel.

Ok, I am on a panel. I'M GOING TO BE ON A PANEL. TALKING TO PEOPLE.

... excuse me while I try not to hyperventilate in the corner...

Not sure how that happened but yes, one day over that weekend, I will be sitting on a panel chatting about blogs. It's all very exciting! I only really asked to do this a few days ago so am in that state of "This is gonna be awesome" one moment and going "I'm gonna be s***!" the next!

And all because I won the UKYA Blogger Award. Yes, that award has come back and bitten me in the butt. As now, I have to talk to people about blogs. Trying to pass the knowledge and wisdom I have learnt to other people. People who probably know more about blogging than me, or to people who want to start blogging and  think I know some secret to blogging success...

But yes, I will be at YALC, chatting about UKYA Blogger Awards and other bloggy things.

Now, I don't have all the details as of yet so please bear with!

There should, to my knowledge at time of typing this, two panels in connection with the UKYA Bloggers Awards. The first is Blogging 101 (aka Blogging for Beginners) and the second is Taking Your Blog to the Next Level.

I should be on Blogging for Beginners/Blogging 101. I should be joined by the awesome Michelle from Tales of Yesterday and Laura from SisterSpooky (both who will be making sure I don't make a dive for the nearest exit!).

Taking Your Blog to the Next Level panel should have Lucy from Queen of Contemporary, Vivienne from Serendipity Reviews and Jim from YA Yeah Yeah.

Both these panels should be fun and chatty, but should be informative so if you are a blogger or thinking of starting a blog, you can come, make new bloggy friends, learn from our mistakes (Oh, I made LOADS!) but also get upbeat and excited about blogging.

I suddenly am feeling the pressure now. I hope I don't let the you guys down!

If you are coming to YALC and you fancying popping in on either/both panels, that would be awesome of you!

I hope you see you there!

UKYABA

Last night was surreal. In a cool and freaky way. 

Before I go into why that's my first line of this blog post, let me explain last night. Last night was the first EVER UKYA Book Awards, an award that has "been set up in recognition of the services given by authors and publishers by the book-blogging community." Which was awesome because we book bloggers love a meet up where we can drink, eat cake and stare lovingly/stroke lovingly/buy like savages books. 

So, yesterday, I (with my Other Half and a book-reader Pal - both of whom are slightly traumatized now. Sorry.) went to London (Waterstones: Kensington High Street - yes to those of you who shopped there. Downstairs was closed for this event!) and we got ready for this event. 

And almost at once, felt like I should have dressed up. I saw Laura from Sisterspooky, Stevie from SableCaught and Stephen from Dark Readers and went "I should have worn a suit. Try and look cool and suave! Oh well, too late now...!"

So, after saying a quick hi to a few bloggers and check my Other Half and Pal were ok, the awards began. And it was award giving time and each award was given out by someone from a publishing house sponsored by each award, and if not, an author represented the publishing house - James Dawson represented Hot Key and Jonathan Stroud represent Penguin Random House (and you should have heard the gasps when host and mastermind of the UKYABA, Andy Robb, introduced him). 

So, before I go further, let me show you all the awards and all the links (The winners will be in BOLD!)

Champion Vlogger (sponsored by Mira Ink) – QueenofContemporary/BookishBrits/BenjaminofTomes/DarkReaders

Champion of Social Media (sponsored by Bloomsbury) YAYAYeah/Bookclub Forum/Winged Reviews/Pewter Wolf (THAT'S ME!)

Champion Teen Blogger (sponsored by Egmont) – Queen of Contemporary/MileLong Bookshelf /ThirstforFiction/CheezyFeetBooks/CicLovesBooks

Champion Adult Blogger (sponsored by Penguin Random House) – Fluttering Butterflies/Writing from the Tub/SisterSpooky/Wondrous Reads/An Awful Lot of Reading/ BookAngel Booktopia/Narratively Speaking/Readaraptor/Serendipity Reviews/Overflowing Library

Champion of Diversity in YA (sponsored by Hot Key) - YAYAYeah/Queer YA/Pewter Wolf (Move along, nothing to see here!)/Luna's Little Library

Champion of YA (sponsored by Hatchette) – Queen of Contemporary/SisterSpooky/Snuggling on the Sofa/Readraptor/Serendipity Reviews/Once Upon a Bookcase/Overflowing Library

Champion of Content (sponsored by Faber and Faber) – Luna's Little Library/Readraptor/Serendipity Reviews/Mountains of Instead/BookPassion for Life

Blogger’s Blogger (sponsored by Catnip) – Milelong Bookshelf/Writing from the Tub/Books4Teens/SisterSpooky/BookAngel Booktopia/Readaraptor/Serendipity Reviews/Overflowing Library/Winged Reviews/Pewter Wolf (Shhh...! That last one doesn't exist! It's a picture of a Squirrel)

Blogger of the Year (sponsored by Walker) – Books4Teens/WondrousReads/Serendipity Reviews/Overflowing Library/YAYAYeah

Champion Newcomer (sponsored by Little Tiger Press) – Tales of Yesterday/Chrissi Reads/Perks of Being a BookGirl/Always that BookAddict

Oh... yeah... I MIGHT have won an award. I think there was a mistake, a miscount of votes, a 

Oh. Well, I won't get an award. I mean, I have watched far too many episodes of How To Get Away with Murder to be given an award! I mean...

Wait! What? What?! WHAT?! 

So, yes, I won an award. And I can not remember what happened after I heard my name called. I think I went "WHAT?!", then asked Andy if he counted the votes right (he had...) and then had to do a tiny speech. A speech I can't remember. I think I said "Thank you". I think. My Other Half recorded my speech (he's going to share with my family and he thought I had planned my speech. Because yes, I plan things. Has he never seen my blog?!) and I haven't seen what I said.

But yes. I won. You are reading an Award-Winning Blog! OMAFG!!!

Ok, I need to write a tiny thank you before I go on.

Thank you.

Thank you to all the publishers who think my blog is cool enough to go "Do you want to read this?" or "Can we talk about this?" or "Come to an event!". Thank you to the authors who write books that make me laugh, gasp, throw books across rooms and fall into reading slumps, go in mourning/aftershock or scream "I NEED THE SEQUEL AND I NEED IT NOW!!!". Thank you to the book blogging community who welcomed me into this YA community when I was unemployed and wrote reviews just so I kept sane while looking for work all those years ago. Thank you to all my friends who went "I think you need to take a blog break. Come out. Have something, we call, fresh air!". Thank you for my family who are always there, kept me sane and who were always there, no matter what. Thank you to my Other Half, who loves me even though I have far too many books and makes me do "book culls" when I have "one or two too many". Thank you to you guys, who read the blog, comment and just are cool. Thank you.

And, what is lovely about this awards was no one felt bitter. I was thrilled to be nominated it and had no idea I would win so when someone in a caterory I was also nominated it, I was so excited and thrilled for them! Screw me and my little blog, that person deserves that award! No one did a fake "I'm so pleased that you won and not me" smile we see in nearly every awards. This is one of the many reasons why I love the YA book blogging community - we support and love each other!

Anyway, after the awards were given (and two of the winners nearly did a Gwyneth Paltrow & Halle Berry and no one did a JLaw!), we finished the night chatting, staring at books (and given permission to buy a few books. I have three beauties - I Was Here by Gayle Forman, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley by Shaun Hutchinson [a book George from George Lester forced into my hands and went "You will love this! This will get you out of your reading slump!" (my Pal also wanted this so she can borrow this after me!) which I blame him SOLELY on as I read the Half Bad trilogy]. And we were given a book (that am going to stay quiet over as it's not going to come out in September).

And chatting to old and new blogger friends (HI EVERYONE! YOU WERE AWESOME AND I WANA HUG YOU ALL!!!) and given Stephen from Dark Readers that very awkward moment where we didn't know whether to shake hands, hug or try and act cool (we hugged. OF COURSE WE HUGGED! I HUG BOOK BLOGGER PALS! Plus, the fear in their eyes is always an added bonus - KIDDING! KIDDING!!!) was wonderful! I forgot how much I miss chatting to you all in real life and not via facebook or twitter!

Last night was great fun, surreal and just wow. Thank you Andy for setting this up. Thank you to everyone who got involved! Thank you to everyone who came and had a blast! Thank you thank you thank you.

Not sure how to end this post. I could enter with a YouTube video I listened to while getting ready to go (Forget by Marina and the Diamonds). I could enter with a photo of me and the other winners with our awards (but there are so many on Twitter, Instagram, Vine, Facebook, etc). I could just end it now (but where would the fun in that be!). But I will end with this photo and another thank you - thank you. And remember...

What Did I Miss On My Week Break...?

I have been a tad quiet over the past few days on the wonderful/scary thing we call the Internet. Well, here's the thing. I went away for a few days with my family. So I had to leave my laptop behind. And with that, my blog...

But I thought I could be ok. I thought I could chat to you guys via Twitter briefly. I mean, I did decide that I would call these next few days my "Techno-Free Holiday", but then I discovered that the wifi was bad/awful, and, sod'slaw, this is when I realise I need the Internet. And the idea of talking to my family was... well... 

KIDDING, FAMILY MEMBERS WHO ACTUALLY READ MY BLOG! KIDDING!!! I had a wonderful time with my family and it was nice not to worry about my "real life" job and real life in general. And while I had a lovely time with family and swum and had fun, I read. I finished off one book, read 2 eNovellas (I think) and am about 3 quarters of another book (which Stevie from SableCaught reacted by leaving a comment on my Goodreads, saying "OMG IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING!" [she was with me when I bought this book... around 2 years or so ago]) and NONE of them have had me reacting like this:

I KNOW! Am shocked myself! The reviews of these will be coming in the nextish future as... well... one of them is linked to a planned themed-month. 

And what happens when I was away, I discover that I'm ON THE SHORTLIST FOR TWO CATEGORIES IN THE UKYA BLOGGER AWARDS 2015! 

No, wait, I lie... three categories. THREE CATEGORIES?!!?!?! 

There has to be a mistake. Three - three - really, three?! Plus the public vote of the "Vote for the blogger who has been most active in the UKYA blogging community" and the other UKYA Book Blogger Awards nominations as well... I need a lie down...

I mean... wow. Just... wow. Again. I know I wrote a tiny GIF-filled blog post about this on the blog a few weeks ago but -

Thank you. Now, I was going to say "VOTE!" but seeing as I have plans to write a blog post about the general elections in the near future so, I won't. I better get those reviews up! 

I'm Nominated?!

So, I was having a good day today, scaring Twitter like I do when I saw author Holly Smale (author of Geek Girl, a book I haven't read yet), asking where my booky pal, Stevie from SableCaught was on the UKYA Book Blogger Awards Shortlist. As I hadn't seen the list, I tweet hugged her. Only to get a reply back saying, "I voted for you, Andrew." Wait. Wait! Are you... are you saying I'm on this list?

*goes to check shortlist out* Oh crap. I'm on the shortlist. Under THREE CATEGORIES!!!

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! HOW DID I NOT KNOW?! WHO DO I NEED TO SEND MY CHEQUE TO FOR "OFFICIALLY" MAKING ME ONE OF THE SHORTLIST?!

But, seriously, I am shocked and super thrilled to be nominated! I honestly thought I wasn't going to be nominated or considered as... well... let's be honest, shall we? My blog isn't the biggest or the coolest book blog out so to be nominated under three categories is just... I don't know what to feel!

But thank you. Thank you so much.

Oh, for those of you not sure on what the UKYA Book Bloggers Awards are, they are awards (the brainchild of Faye from daydreamerthoughts.co.uk) where members of the public (aka you lot) voted. This is not to be confused with another UKYA Book Blogger Award (set up by author Andy Robb) where nominatees are chosen by people within the publishing industry.

Actually, come to think of it, I don't know who was nominateed within this other UKYA Book Blogger Awards post. Hang on...

Oh crap. OH CRAP! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! THIS SHORTLIST HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND I ONLY DISCOVER I'M ON IT NOW!!!

Oh dear God. Ok... mustn't freak out... DON'T FREAK OUT, ANDREW!!!!

*goes away from laptop to make calming mug of tea*

Ok, am back. So, that was unexpected.

Just... wow. wow and thank you.

Ok (I know I'm saying ok a lot in the post but am freaking out and trying not to freak out more than I am!), I need to give you links and lie down.

So, under UKYA Book Blogger Awards (which I originally was writing this blog post about), I am nominated under 3 categories: Best Male Blogger, Most Enthusiastic and Most Fun Blogger.

And under the other UKYA Book Blogger Awards (which I only just discovered now, and I think I'm not actually nominated [thank goodness]), I am up for the "your vote" thingy of "Vote for the blogger who has been most active in supporting the UKYA blogging community". Most active? Wait, you mean, as in doing that awful think called exercise...?

Ok, am going to go now before I panic.

So, if you want to vote for the UKYA Book Blogger Awards (where I'm nominated for 3 categories - my brain still doesn't understand with me writing those words), please go to  http://daydreamersthoughts.co.uk/ukya-book-blogger-awards-shortlist-voting/#more-9204 or if you want to vote for the other UKYA Book Blogger Awards (the one I discovered in the past ten minutes), go to http://ukyabloggerawards.co.uk/?page_id=36.

Vote for whoever you want, please (I'm not going to order you to vote for me. That's not sportperson like nor is it kind).

I believe both polls/awards/I-don't-know-what-to-call-them run out soonish, run. RUN THERE NOW!!!

Before I go, as I am called "fun" (a typo, surely!), I shall leave you with this and I will not hide in the corner and take DEEP BREATHS!!!

Murder She Wrote - The Many Epiphanies Of Jessica Fletcher by Isaac Royffe from Isaac Royffe on Vimeo.

PS - I doubt I will win anything, but I promise to do my best Gwyneth Paltrow crying acceptance speech if I do. I have to. Stevie from SableCaught said she wants to direct me in that video... therefore, I MUSTN'T WIN! I mean, do you want to watch me do this?