The Acceptance Speech

This is the gist of it.  I did ad-lib some things that weren't in my notes.  You all are getting "just the notes."  Because frankly it's easier for me to copy and paste than try to remember all the blathering moronic things I probably said in front of 2000+ people.

Enjoy the insanity below:

+++++

Mrs. D, my high school librarian, and the reason I hit upon the career in the first place.  Sign up to do a work-study in the media center, or suffer through another semester of geometry?  The choice was easy. 

DT, director of The Library That Gave Me My First Professional Job, for taking leave of his senses and hiring a very green 23-year-old fresh out of college, who had no idea what she was doing.  I couldn’t have asked for a better first boss in this profession.

My former supervisors at My Current Employer – GW for getting me in the door, and JT for giving me my dream job in collection management. 

My current supervisor, SQ, for being incredibly supportive, and all-around awesome.

The local RWA chapters I’ve begged and pleaded with over the years to do my library’s annual Literary Event.  Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego.  Your members have taken pity on me, and made me look good to my bosses.  Thank you.

To RWA, yes for this wonderful honor, but for also not having this conference during the baseball trade deadline.  Seriously, 2008 in San Francisco almost killed me. 

Dede Anderson and her staff at The Romance Reader for being the reason I got hooked on the genre in the first place.  My first Nora Roberts trilogy, my first category romance, my first Maggie Osborne, Susan Wiggs, Emma Holly, Megan Hart – yeah, all their doing. 

To all the fine folks I’ve met online and out in cyperspace thru the years.  The Scandalous Ladies for all the coffee klatch’ing, all the SoCalBloggers for the fabulous book talk, with a special shout-out to Rosie.  The first official meeting of our group was just the two of us, and now there are over 20. Sybil who exploits my category romance addiction for her own nefarious purposes, KristieJ for slapping me upside the head every now and then over all the great books I still have languishing in my TBR.  For the record, no Kristie, I still haven’t read Connor’s Way, Sugar Daddy or any of Patricia Potter’s westerns.  I know Kristie.  Yes, I know.  I suck.  And now everybody in this room knows it too.

My parents who have loved and respected each other for 40 years, for raising three relatively well-adjusted daughters – for supporting us, loving us, and most importantly, letting us go off on our own, even if they thought our “plans” were a disaster waiting to happen.  Some of them were, some of them weren’t – and we all turned out OK.

My two sisters for being more of everything I wish I was.  When I grow up, if I’m half as awesome as they are, I’ll consider myself rich beyond words.

And finally to My Man.  For being persistent, tolerant of the book mountain range growing in our apartment and loving me when it wasn’t always easy.  Thank you.