i like shiny things

I am a small mushroom in the forest of children's books, but every once and a while I get a nice ray of sun. The other day it was when my editor and friend sent me the cover for my new book. The Year of the Dog, my first middle grade novel is going to feature gold foil on the cover! This is a quite a landmark in my publishing career. To non-children's book types this is but a piddling accomplishment, but to one who has toiled the achievement of a shiny, additional cost cover is no small feat.

It is so pretty and gold that when Robert saw it he said, "Hey, it looks really good. They should give you that gold sticker award and it'll match."
"Uh, you mean the Newbury Award?" I said.
"Yeah," he said, "it would go perfectly."
Somehow I doubt aesthetic reasons are in their judging criteria.