I'm absolutely blown away.

These Tangled Roots is a finalist in the YA Fantasy category of the Whitney Awards!

When I first got the notification, I kept checking my email, certain that the committee would send a message saying they'd made a mistake. 😅 Now that the news has sunk in, I'm carrying this combination of intense gratitude, quiet wonder, and a sprinkling of sorrow.

I attended the Whitney awards during a previous Storymakers conference to cheer on a friend. The swag from the event included a sticker-that signature Whitney "W" on the gold background. I put it on my laptop, thinking it would be incredible to someday attend the Whitneys for my own book. It felt like an unlikely stretch dream, particularly for my debut, and yet... here we are. Cue the gratitude and wonder.

Sorrow--even a sprinkling--is an unexpected response, I know. But for me, this happy news is coexisting with grief. My big sister passed away recently, and I keep wanting to text her the news. Instead I have to imagine her reaction. (I'm betting that she and my stepdad are doing high fives in Heaven, probably with mutually smug faces. ❤️)

But joy and sorrow often co-exist, and sometimes one sharpens the other. For now, I'm leaning into joy. My debut is in the running with four amazing books by experienced authors. What greater blessing could I ask for?