Monday 9 March 2015

Thank you #UKYAB !

I’m still in shock. To be honest, I am swaying between being gobsmacked and shocked. Why you may ask?
Well it all started on Saturday - the day of the UKYA Book Awards in Waterstones,  High Street, Kensington. I should probably add that this was the FIRST EVER UKYA BOOK AWARDS!!!! I was convinced I was just going along for a jolly. After long discussions with Kirsty from The Overflowing Library and Sarah from Feeling Fictional over drinks at Costa Coffee, I was positive who the winners of the awards would be. I had it mapped it in my head and my name didn't feature anywhere. I even practiced my Joey from Friends loser face.
As soon as we walked into Waterstones it hit me how big an event it would be. The event organiser and well known author, Andy Robb, told me they were expecting around two hundred people, including representatives from The Bookseller and The Guardian, not to mention all the wonderful authors and publicists who took time out to attend the event.
These awards meant a lot to the blogging community, because they were voted for by the publishers and authors, basically telling us that we were loved!
Photo by Michelle from Fluttering Butterflies Author Andy Robb with Michelle, Anya, Kirsty and I.
 
As the room start to fill, the wine generously flowed and the cakes were devoured. Bloggers hugged bloggers, authors hugged bloggers, bloggers hugged publicists – basically it was one big hug fest. 
Photo by Michelle from Fluttering Butterflies - featured Lucy Saxon, me, Alexia Casale and Sara Grant
 
Then the awards begun. I got my camera out in readiness. I was going to be so good and document the whole event, then failed miserably. The main reason being, was because I won the first award of the evening. Champion of Content! I couldn’t believe it. I was up against such amazing bloggers such as Donna from Book Passion for Life, Sya from Mountains Of Instead, Raimy from Readarapter and Luna from Luna’s Little Library. I was convinced one of those would win. I mean seriously, have you read their blog posts??? As an aspiring writer, it was the award I wanted to win the most. So to actually win it was like a dream come true.
I was shaking when I went up to collect the award. I have no idea how I managed to thank anyone after being handed the award.
Photo by Jim (@YAYEAHYEAH)
 
However, I really would like to thank everyone  on here today.
 
I want to thank Andy Robb for all the hard work he put into the event. I know how hard he tried to keep his name out of the event, but that man needs a round of applause for such a brilliant job.
 
Thank you to  Waterstones  at High Street, Kensington for holding the event. It was the best place to be.
 
I want to thank the publicists and authors who voted for me in the first place. You have no idea how amazing that made me feel.  Thank you to Faber and Faber, who sponsored the award I won. It was lovely to have it presented to me by Hannah Love.
 
Huge thanks go to  my team of writers, who review books for me on a regular basis – KM Lockwood, Sophie Duffy, Liss Norton, Caroline Dubarbier and Elizabeth Dale.
 
Thank you to all the bloggers who have always welcomed me and the ones who have become such firm friends. I want to give  special thanks to Liz De Jager, who helped me out so much when I first started blogging. She took me under her wing, introducing me to so many people and for that I am so thankful to her. I also want to say thank you to Emma from Book Angel Booktopia, who has always been such a wonderful friend and inspiration over the years. There were many times I wanted to quit blogging and Emma always managed to stop me.
Thanks to my poor husband, who rarely gets to hold a proper conversation with me as I’ve normally got my head in a book.
 
Here are the other winners and nominees from the night. I have added links to the blogs of the winners in each category, so you can see how fabulous they are too.
 
Champion Vlogger (sponsored by Mira Ink) – QueenofContemporary/BookishBrits/BenjaminofTomes/DarkReaders
 
Champion of Social Media (sponsored by Bloomsbury) - YAYAYeah/BookclubForum/WingedReviews/PewterWolf
 
Champion Teen Blogger (sponsored by Egmont) – QueenofContemporary/MileLongBookshelf /ThirstforFiction/
CheezyFeetBooks/CicLovesBooks
 
Champion Adult Blogger (sponsored by Penguin Random House) – FlutteringButterflies/WritingfromtheTub/SisterSpooky/WondrousReads/
AnAwfulLotofReading/ BookAngelBooktopia/NarrativelySpeaking/Readaraptor/SerendipityReviews/
OverflowingLibrary
 
Champion of Diversity in YA (sponsored by Hot Key) – YAYAYeah/QueerYA/PewterWolf/LunasLittleLibrary
 
Champion of YA (sponsored by Hatchette) – QueenofContemporary/SisterSpooky/SnugglingontheSofa/ Readraptor/SerendipityReviews/OnceUponaBookcase/OverflowingLibrary
 
Blogger’s Blogger (sponsored by Catnip) – MileLongBookshelf/WritingfromtheTub/Books4Teens/SisterSpooky/
BookAngelBooktopia/Readaraptor/SerendipityReviews/OverflowingLibrary/
WingedReviews/PewterWolf
 
Blogger of the Year (sponsored by Walker) – Books4Teens/WondrousReads/SerendipityReviews/OverflowingLibrary/
YAYAYeah
 
Champion Newcomer (sponsored by Little Tiger Press)TalesofYesterday/ChrissiReads/PerksofBeingaBookGirl/
AlwaysthatBookAddict
 
To all the bloggers nominated, we want to share our awards with you. We are a tight community and each and everyone one of us is valued. When we except an award we accept it for all of us. If we could, we would carve our awards into tiny squares and give them out to each and everyone one of you.
 
That’s it now. The speeches are done. The award is polished and now living on my mantelpiece. I am hoping this event will run again next year, because it is really important to the blogging community.  But for now I promise to stop squeeing about it with excitement. Not another word from me about my award. *zips lips and steps back into the shadows*

7 comments:

  1. Aww what a lovely post. Congratulations lovely and well deserved. I have been a fan of your blog for forever and love so many of you. Well done to all the nominees and winners xx

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  2. Huge congratulations!!!

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  3. Congrats again! It really was a lovely evening, and so well deserved for all of you :)

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  4. Congrats again and it was great meeting you, however briefly!

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  5. Congrats again Viv! I was so happy when they announced your name :-) xx

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  6. Congratulations again Viv - and a lovely write up! :)

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