I'm Pouting on the Inside

This year, as well as last year, I was asked to vote on my favorite books for 2012 for the Whitney Awards.  If you're unfamiliar with the Whitneys, the awards go to LDS authors, who don't have to write LDS fiction, as long as they have membership in our Church.

I chose several categories to vote in, which means I have to read each book chosen in each category I want to vote in.  I'm finding it... interesting.

I don't read a lot of LDS books in general (which may sound odd, since that what my book is).  I like a few authors, like Sarah M. Eden, who only write LDS fiction.  Mostly, I like to find LDS authors out in the mainstream and then feel cool because we have something in common.  The books I've been reading for the Whitneys have been mostly written for LDS audiences, and some of them have given me a hard time.

I have to admit that I didn't actually read every page in the harder ones for me to get into.

As my BFF Shannon Hale says, it's not the book that's bad, it's just not a good fit for the person reading it.  And I have felt that to be true in some of these cases.  I'm sorry to say, I won't be voting for the ones I didn't like.  After all, isn't that kind of the point?  To vote for what I like?

Now, because this is my blog, and I am an LDS author and the Whitneys are for people like me, I will confess to something:  I'm wondering why wasn't my book on the list?  If you have an answer for me, I'd like to hear it because my book was something to be awarded, even if it is just by me.

Look for the Whitney Awards to come out in April.  And when that happens, I'll tell you if the ones I voted for won.