I can finally tell you the big secret which I have been waiting to tell you for AGES. I’m really good at keeping secrets, but not usually my own.
Sadly, it’s not a really controversial secret (though it is really cool and exciting) like ‘I’m gay’ or ‘I’m actually a Stephen’ or ‘I love Edward Cullen’ (if I had have said that last thing, I give you full permission to hunt me down and stab me with a wooden stake).
So, no gender reassignments or declarations of love for sparkly vampires today, but – and this is the bit where I stop making bad jokes that make no sense and actually tell you – I am going to be a judge for the Inkys, Australia’s teen choice book awards!
This is very exciting and unexpected and I am very honoured and a little bit scared. You know how when you're really excited and you can't keep still and your toes kind of won't stop wriggling? I'm supercalifragilisticexpialidocious excited.
And here are some more details about the Inkys:"The Inkys are international awards for teenage literature, voted for online by the readers of insideadog.com.au. There are three awards: the Golden Inky for an Australian book, the Silver Inky for an international book, and the Creative Reading Prize, won by a young person for a creative response to a book they love, in any format they choose. "
The online launch is on August 20th, and that's when you'll find out the longlist (I already know. Ooh, it's good to know stuff.) You can come along without even leaving your computer chair. Just click here.
Asides from me, the other judges are author James Roy, who was last year’s Golden Inky winner for his novel Town, the lovely Adele of Persnickety Snark and three other teenage reader-judges.
I'm excited.
