Something wonderful this way came...

I am deeply thrilled about this.
RUSA stands for the American Library Association (ALA)'s  Reference & User Services Association. 
If I had to save one type of institution and let all the others be destroyed, libraries would be my choice to save.
So to have my Curves for Days chosen by librarians, and short-listed alongside these amazing books and authors, and to have the winner of my category be one of my very favorite books I read in 2023 (Cathy Yardley 's Role Playing)--which will forevermore have me chuckling when I hear anyone say "Hold my earrings"?-- I am verklempt.
If you want, you can watch the award program here. They talk about all kinds of wonderful books I'd either already wanted to read or now want to read after hearing about them (including James McBride's The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store). The larger section of awards my book is short-listed in starts just before 11 minutes in, I think, and the romance category at about 16:40. 
Congratulations to all the winners and fellow short-listers!
Thank you, thank you RUSA for this honor, and thanks to librarians everywhere for all the good you do every day. Special shout out to Mychal, whose Insta reels raise my spirits and make me glad to be a library kid-turned-library-grownup every single day!
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[image: screenshot of the 2024 romance winner & short list, including my novel Curves for Days, for the ALA RUSA awards, against a rich red background with the caption: Why yes, I DID nearly pee myself]