I'm Now an Award Winning Author

Isaiah Washington, Victoria Christopher Murray, Me and Yvette Hayward

This past Thursday I embarked on a journey to the African American Literary Awards Show held in New York. It was a rocky start, beginning with my connecting flight that I missed due to inclement weather and my plane running out of fuel causing the plane to make a detour and refuel. After many delays, I finally made it to New York with two hours to prepare for the awards. I didn't have time for the mental break down I felt I deserved, instead I put on my big girl shoes and persevered.

I had the concierge send for a car to take me to the awards show, and again bad luck reared its ugly head. The concierge had written down the wrong address, writing the address numbers backward. By now the car that dropped me off was now gone and I was stranded. Next, I walked down the block in my five inch heels and hailed a taxi to take me to the correct address, which cost me an additional $10. Tired, frustrated and sleepy as hell, I walked in the building feeling slightly defeated. But by the time I stepped off the elevator, I had given myself a stern pep talk. I said, "Lena, you made this far in spite of the obstacles, just go a little further and claim what God has in store for you. You are already a winner, you just need to get your award." So I stepped out that elevator confident and assured. I was met by familiar faces that I admire, like authors Victoria Christopher Murray and Reshonda Tate Billingsley. Then I met new authors that I recognized through Facebook and the back of book covers, like Walter Mosley, Wahida Clark and K'Wan. I also met editors of Kensington Publishing and the founder of AALBC, Troy Johnson.

Me and Victoria Christopher Murray

The time finally arrived to have dinner and to announce the winners. My category was Anthologies/Short Stories and the presenter was none other than Victoria Christopher Murray, whom I sincerely adore. When she announced my name as the winner, she smiled so wide and said, "one of mine won. Yes!" She gave me a kiss and a hug and I felt overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation. I became teary-eyed and thanked my blog followers and readers for their support. Because I knew without them, I couldn't have made it this far. I took photos with the AALAS founder Yvette Hayward, Victoria Christopher Murray and actor Isaiah Washington. 

I took my seat, stared at my award and exhaled. I was now ready to go home. I was elated to be there but I missed my husband who was back home in Alabama with our kids. Without him there to share in my joy, it just didn't feel complete. He has been my biggest cheerleader from day one. He bought me my first computer and told me to write. So without him, the moment felt imperfect. I needed to get home and show him our award. After the awards were over, I took lots of pictures and networked. I hailed a taxi back to my hotel room and packed my suitcase. I had to be at the airport in less than fours hours, I had no time to relax or decompress. Not wanting to wake up my husband with a late phone call, I texted him the words, "I did it." He texted me back, "We won?" I texted him back, "We sure did." Then I called him and told him all about my exhausting day, while he listened attentively. My heart and my award truly belonged in sweet home Alabama and I couldn't wait to get them both there.

KaPow! I'm a 5 Time Black Weblog Award Nominee

I've been happy dancing for some time. As I mentioned before, I was on hiatus this past summer due to health reasons. But in the midst of my recuperation a lot of positive things happened. I was nominated for an African American Literary Award for my book, If I Had My Way. I won't find out if I've won until the awards ceremony being held in New York on September 27, 2012. Keep your fingers crossed and wish my good luck. I also want to thank ALL of you that took the time to vote for me. I truly appreciate the love and support.

I have also been nominated five times for the Black Weblog Awards. I am nominated in the following categories: Best Book or Author Blog, Best Blog Post Series, Best International Blog, Best Personal Blog and Best Blog for Writing. You can win an award two ways, by judges vote and by public vote. Public voting began on September 15th and you can cast your vote for me on the Voting Ballot.

The BWA was founded in 2005 to give recognition to Black bloggers (and those of the African diaspora) which were largely overlooked by other Internet award events online. What started out as a barely-known event has now grown into an international showcase. With participants from over 90 countries, the Black Weblog Awards stands out as one of the most widespread Internet award events for Black bloggers.

To date, the Black Weblog Awards has recognized nearly 180 blogs in over 30 categories. The Awards has also been featured in several mainstream and online media outlets, including NPR, CNN, and others. Winners of the Black Weblog Awards have also went on to appear in other media outlets, like MSNBC, the Huffington Post, BET, and many others.

A big thank you to those that nominated me, those that voted for me and those that will vote for me. I couldn't have gotten this far without your support. A humongous hug from me to YOU!!!

And Tango Makes Three... Banned

 An award-winning fictional juvenile book, "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, has taken the #1 spot on the American Library Association's Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2010. The book was banned, challenged and/or deemed inappropriate by librarians, teachers and parents because of homosexuality, religious viewpoint and for being unsuitable for its age group (ages 4-7).

The book is based on a true story of two male Chinstrap Penguins, Roy and Silo, in New York's Central Park Zoo, who for six years formed a pairing. After the two male penguins were observed trying to hatch a rock that resembled an egg, zookeepers decided to give them a real egg to hatch that had come from a male & female pairing who had difficulty hatching two eggs at once.

The male penguins hatched the egg successfully, and a healthy chick named "Tango" was born. The males raised Tango, forming a family unit.

Also on the American Library Association's Top Ten List of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2010 is "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins and "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer.

Coming off the list is "The Color Purple" by Alice Walker, "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee and "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.



So what do you think about "And Tango Makes Three"? Should this book be banned or challenged by public libraries & school libraries? Should it even be on the list? Would you let your children read this book?