It’s been a very exciting week for me – a weird, amazing, crazy three days since I found out Not Thomas has made it on to the longlist of The Guardian’s annual Not the Booker prize.
To be fair, it didn’t have to do anything to qualify, apart from meet the simple criteria that the regular Booker prize entrants meet.
But it did have to be nominated.
I’m very proud to say that Not Thomas was initially nominated by book blogger, Anne Williams. I’m so delighted that out of all the very many books she’s read this year, she chose my little Not Thomas.
If you’ve read Not Thomas too, and liked what you read, you can vote now for it in the public voting stage. This ends at midnight on Monday, 7th August, so not long to go!
There are a couple of rules: you must vote for two different titles & you must review one of the titles you’ve chosen.
Why not go to the Guardian’s Not the Booker prize page and take a look at what people are saying in the comment thread?
And if you’re curious about Not Thomas – a novel for adults in the voice of a five-year-old child – you can find a sample on Amazon.
Not Thomas is available to buy for £2.84 on Kindle today.
Read it by Monday and then if you like it, please consider giving it one of your votes!
I’ve been keeping a nightly diary on my Facebook page since I heard about the Not the Booker longlisting. I thought I’d share last night’s snippet here:
Before I crawl off to bed after another weird but wonderful day, I thought I’d post a quick round-up of ‘Being on the Not the Booker prize Longlist’ Day 3.
It’s been a day when I’ve realised that there are so many people – who I’ve never even met in real life – going that extra mile to support me and Not Thomas.
I turned on my laptop this morning and found the wonderful book reviewer Being Anne’s blog post about why she loves The Guardian’s Not the Booker prize and why she nominated Not Thomas for it. It’s so kind of her to choose Not T out of all the books she’s read this year, and I’m very honoured she did.
This afternoon, the very talented YA author, Amy Kitcher created a wonderful graphic on twitter for Not T, plus a voting & buying link. It’s brilliant! I wouldn’t have a clue how to do it. She’s made one with all four of us authors from Wales on too. They’re on my twitter feed if you’d like to take a look.
There are lots of other instances of people showing their support too – the re-tweets, the shares, the supportive comments. My lovely neighbour kindly put a post on our town’s FB page, and my local post office suggested I put a poster up there.
And then there’s been the votes.
A huge thank you to everyone who’s voted or reminded someone else to vote – the tally was creeping towards 20 when I last looked, far more than I dreamed possible on Monday afternoon, when I first heard I was long-listed.
So that’s the end of Day 3. Thanks for your support. Dare I say this? I’ll whisper it:
If voting carries on the way it’s going, with nearly 20 votes at the end of today, maybe there’s actually a tiny, tiny chance of getting Not Thomas onto the short-list. A tiny chance. Tiny tiny…
Thanks for reading. There’ll be an update of Day 4 on my Sara Gethin Writer Facebook page tonight. Until then…
Sara x
Here are those voting and Amazon links again, just in case I’ve tempted you…
Sara Gethin 
Like you, Sara, last year I had the lovely Anne Williams to thank for my own NTB nomination. It was the biggest surprise of my writing life which is why I know exactly how you feel. Of all the books Anne must have read … And so forth…
Not Thomas thoroughly deserves both its nomination[s] & its subsequent elevation to the possibility of the shortlist.
I have everything crossed for you & Tomos; even my hair!
Love in abundance & pob lwc, cariad! xXx
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Thank you so much, Carol. Today is the last day of voting, so not long left now of this absolutely crazy and all-consuming process. Results tomorrow afternoon, hopefully – and a very long lie-in for me in the morning!
Whatever the outcome, the whole experience has been just wonderful!
Can’t wait for your Snow Sisters – not long now.
Lots of love,
Sara x
P.S. Isn’t Anne Williams just brilliant?!
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I’m beyond stoked your incredible book got on the Not the Book short list!
I just realized I haven’t been on your Facebook page, so I want to sign up for that! Please, please, please orgive me for not voting – last week looked at the requirements: “You need to choose two books from the longlist, from two different publishers, and accompany those choices with a short review of at least one of your chosen books” but I’ve been extra-overwhelmed with the book and with life, and when I read the rules, I freaked.
Plus (and I mean this in all seriousness) I had a very strong feeling you’d win a spot, my dear!
I just bought your book and I definitely look forward to reading it and giving it a review that will be so bright, one will need to wear shades whilst reading it! 😉
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Oh Dyane, you’ve just made me both cry & laugh! I’m reading this @ 4.30 a.m. – I’m wide awake & marveling at all the exciting possibilities that have suddenly opened up for little Tomos, when really I should be getting some sleep before my book signing tomorrow.
The weird thing is, before I put on the light & started looking at my emails, I was thinking about your book and decided that I would get it to read myself when it’s out in October, and then I’d donate it to my local library. I thought it seemed a shame to keep it on my shelf at home when it could be doing someone else some good.
So I’m pretty spooked to think we were both thinking about buying each other’s books a few moments ago!!
Have a great weekend & thank you for your wonderful support as always. All your RTing was definitely the equivalent of a good lot of votes for Not T!
Lots of love xxx
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THAT is sooooo weird, my friend, because —-I can’t believe this—- I thought about emailing you the ARC of my book last night after I read your blog!!!!!!!
Then I thought, “She’s super-busy with the book promotion, etc., plus I don’t know if the memoir would appeal to her…blah blah blah!!!!!!!”
We are truly connected!!!!!! It’s 3:00 p.m. over there in Cardiff according to my World Time Converter, and I can’t remember your signing hours, but I have a feeling you’re there right now!! I’m there too in spirit! I hope you’re having an amazing time!
And thanks for your incredible idea of buying my book & donating it to the library! I’d rather send you a copy because it’ll be pricier to ship it over there. We can “battle” that out together come October!
Keep in touch, my wonderful scribe! 😉
XOXOXO
Dy
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(Yeah, we’ll fight over that one!) Thanks, Dyane!
Sara / Wendy xxx
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