DON'T VOTE FOR ME

Back on October 4th, I asked you to vote for Wasted in the Coventry Awards. It's a scary knockout X-factor-style voting system and the deadline for the first knockout is earlyish January sometime - I can't remember when - so I should be asking you to vote for me again. Otherwise I'll be the first to be knocked out.

But I'm not asking you to vote for me. I would feel really uncomfortable if I did. You should vote for Wasted if you think Wasted is the best book on the list. And unless you've read the others, you can't really know, unless you think Wasted is so good that none of the others could compare. Which is a bit unlikely. I haven't read most of the other books so I don't know either.

Don't get me wrong: I love that librarians create awards and generate enthusiasm for books and I know that schools and young readers in Coventry will really benefit. (I wish I'd been able to come and do a talk.) And gosh, I'm HUGELY grateful and proud to have been short-listed. But I am just pleased to be shortlisted, so let's leave it at that. Really, if I'm voted off at the first hurdle because I couldn't face asking you and all my friends and family to vote, that's fine.

So, don't vote for me. Unless you feel that Wasted really is the best book on the list. If so, go here. If not, not a problem. Seriously.

And to all the lovely readers in Coventry, have fun with all the fabulous books on the various shortlists! Thank you, Coventry librarians, for all your work, and to the readers who've commented to me already. It made me happy!