I was in bed, in my pajamas, when I became an award winning author.

I was in bed at 1:30 AM, in my pajamas (plaid flannel), falling asleep with my phone an inch away from my nose, watching the live stream of an award ceremony when I became an award-winning author. I’ve dreamt of such a moment for decades, ever since I started writing, but I never imagined the flannel pajamas. That was an unexpected detail. At least I was in my bed and not up on stage, where the flannel pajamas would have been something out of the “at a party in your underwear” nightmare category.

I had planned to attend the ceremony, but complications on my end made that impossible. I canceled my flights and hotel room and anxiously awaited the streaming to begin. Since they were holding it in San Diego, and I was in Massachusetts, I knew it would be late, and it was. The stream didn't open up until 10 PM. That may not be late for you, but I get up at 4 AM every morning to write, so 10 PM feels like binging Stranger Things until midnight, and staying up until 1:30 AM feels like an all-nighter.

To be honest, it was the most bizarre feeling in the world watching the live feed when the announcer called my name. I had just won the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal for Children's / Young Adult Audiobook, and it was happening in real time on the opposite coast, but I was in bed here in Massachusetts. I felt like I was in that hall with all those people, but I couldn't head up to the podium to accept the award. All I could do was tap excitedly on my phone, as if they could look up and see me (yes, I did that). The announcer looked around the room, shrugged his shoulders, and the medal was carried away. I can only imagine that there is a plastic bin in the back labeled "No-show winner. Mail this, or whatever." Regardless, I was so excited, I didn’t sleep a wink the rest of the night.

It wasn’t like I had ghosted the Independent Book Publisher Association (IBPA). I emailed the COO to tell him I had planned to be there in case I won gold but, unfortunately, would be unable to attend. Still, I felt bad and sad not being there. The only silver lining is that I escaped a rare opportunity to ramble incoherently for a full minute and forget to thank my narrator, my wife, and my editors in front of several hundred people in the publishing industry.
I published Misfit’s Magic The Last Halloween last October after writing for decades but keeping it all private (I’ve got a whale-size imposter syndrome). My experience so far becoming an author has been great. Some people around the area know me for the fact that I’ve donated over two hundred copies of Misfit’s Magic to Little Free Libraries, Public Libraries and local brick-and-mortar bookstores. I’ve received many great reviews and even an Editor’s Pick from Booklife by Publisher’s weekly. And, now it’s an award winning audiobook. I’m still smiling, even a day later, while I type this.

Misfit’s Magic: The Last Halloween has an awkward, lonely, bullied young misfit thirteen-year-old boy as a hero (yes, he’s modeled after me at that age). It tells the story of how he accidentally becomes a wizard and must save the town he’s been desperately trying to escape. It’s spooky, whimsical, and carries a positive message about friendship and the idea that the heart has its own special kind of magic.

I think the combination of being a funny, exciting read and having a positive message, making it a "feel-good read,” is what has resonated with so many people, and I couldn’t be happier about that. It’s what I set out to accomplish when I started writing it. I’m a big kid at heart, and I like big, fun, exciting stories that don’t darken my soul. If that’s the kind of book you enjoy too, look for it at local libraries (Little ones and those larger Public ones) or at bookstores and online. Links are available on my site, fredgracely.com. Readers from 8+ have found it a great read.

On parting thought: if you wear plaid flannel pajamas, I recommend not wearing them when you accept a major award. As for me, I’ll be sleeping in a Tuxedo from now on. Just in case.