The following review of SPOTD appears on Barnes and Noble's website:
"Great for 9-13 year old kids. I teach 8th grade and this is the number one book my students choose during silent sustained reading time. I now own 5 copies so they don't fight over it."
Wow.
That's why.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Cover #2? DONE!
Here's the finished cover for Super Power of the Day: The Hero Chronicle Continues.
I've had this image of Chase flying as my desktop image at work for the past few months. I don't get tired of looking at him. He's adorable, in my opinion.
As for the interior...
I have been making progress on the two messy chapters and final edits this past week. It's amazing to me how many sentences I want to revise I as read. At some point I have to let it go.
I've had this image of Chase flying as my desktop image at work for the past few months. I don't get tired of looking at him. He's adorable, in my opinion.
As for the interior...
I have been making progress on the two messy chapters and final edits this past week. It's amazing to me how many sentences I want to revise I as read. At some point I have to let it go.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Progress
Ladies and Gents, we have a (mostly complete, mostly edited, pretty fun to read) draft!
After the inspiration of a morning spent devouring the brilliant Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, I eschewed other responsibilities on Saturday in an effort to solidify the total number of pages in Super Power of the Day: The Hero Chronicle Continues. There were rewritten (first draft) versions of two chapters to add into the designed work and nearly final revisions to be made on the rest of the chapters. Despite missing by three months my intended deadline for getting this far on the second volume, I went to sleep content.
Today I typed up all the SPOTD related voice memos I had recorded on my iPhone while driving places over the past few months. I will address them this week. I also revised one of the new chapters. The last chapter for May 16, to be specific. Truthfully, it's not even close to done. But it will get there.
I also submitted the final page count to LSI and requested the cover template. Ryan is back from a break this week, and should be able to finish up the second cover in short order. I found it amusing to look back over the dozens and dozens of emails between us while we designed the first cover. Amusing and a little embarrassing. I'm probably one of those clients a designer dreads. Thankfully, the second cover came together quickly, and I might be redeeming myself.
Final thoughts:
It shouldn't surprise me that so little has been accomplished a) during the school year, when my day job takes over my brainspace and b) during the winter months, when darkness at an early hour seems to cloud my ambition and strengthen my will to procrastinate.
Why the turn around now? Spring. A student who caught me in the hallway, excitedly chattering her anticipation for the second book. John Green. Did I mention he's brilliant? Spring.
After the inspiration of a morning spent devouring the brilliant Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, I eschewed other responsibilities on Saturday in an effort to solidify the total number of pages in Super Power of the Day: The Hero Chronicle Continues. There were rewritten (first draft) versions of two chapters to add into the designed work and nearly final revisions to be made on the rest of the chapters. Despite missing by three months my intended deadline for getting this far on the second volume, I went to sleep content.
Today I typed up all the SPOTD related voice memos I had recorded on my iPhone while driving places over the past few months. I will address them this week. I also revised one of the new chapters. The last chapter for May 16, to be specific. Truthfully, it's not even close to done. But it will get there.
I also submitted the final page count to LSI and requested the cover template. Ryan is back from a break this week, and should be able to finish up the second cover in short order. I found it amusing to look back over the dozens and dozens of emails between us while we designed the first cover. Amusing and a little embarrassing. I'm probably one of those clients a designer dreads. Thankfully, the second cover came together quickly, and I might be redeeming myself.
Final thoughts:
It shouldn't surprise me that so little has been accomplished a) during the school year, when my day job takes over my brainspace and b) during the winter months, when darkness at an early hour seems to cloud my ambition and strengthen my will to procrastinate.
Why the turn around now? Spring. A student who caught me in the hallway, excitedly chattering her anticipation for the second book. John Green. Did I mention he's brilliant? Spring.
Monday, February 27, 2012
CURE
A few weeks ago I was invited to be a guest reader at the CURE annual meeting. Several local writers had been wrangled to mingle and read poetry, reports, essays, and (thanks to me) middle grade fiction -- all with connections to Minnesota and the land. As a former board member of the grassroots environmental group, I was especially pleased to join in the fun of the day.
And I was certain that pretty yellow kayak in the raffle was MINE.
Patrick Moore, one of CURE's founders and most ardent supporters, has spearheaded the renovation of a "Writer's Retreat" above the current CURE office on Main Street here in Montevideo. It was my first visit to the cozy space. Well done, Patrick.
I greatly enjoyed chatting with the other authors, as well as the many CURE members and volunteers who decided to join us, open house style. My favorite part was listening to Athena Kildegaard read from her book of poetry, Cloves & Honey: Love Poems. It is in my amazon cart now, along with the DVD of Bright Star (a John Keats biopic I've rented too many times not to purchase) and This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett (our April book club choice).
Before the Writer's Retreat open house was over, a familiar face appeared. Cody Maynus, a reader for the SPOTD series, was in town for the festivities. Here we are, happy as clams. Cody was probably thinking, "How nice to see my high school English teacher and talk about my crazy St. John's literary theory prof!" while I was thinking, "That pretty yellow kayak in the raffle is MINE."
And I was certain that pretty yellow kayak in the raffle was MINE.
Patrick Moore, one of CURE's founders and most ardent supporters, has spearheaded the renovation of a "Writer's Retreat" above the current CURE office on Main Street here in Montevideo. It was my first visit to the cozy space. Well done, Patrick.
I greatly enjoyed chatting with the other authors, as well as the many CURE members and volunteers who decided to join us, open house style. My favorite part was listening to Athena Kildegaard read from her book of poetry, Cloves & Honey: Love Poems. It is in my amazon cart now, along with the DVD of Bright Star (a John Keats biopic I've rented too many times not to purchase) and This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett (our April book club choice).
Before the Writer's Retreat open house was over, a familiar face appeared. Cody Maynus, a reader for the SPOTD series, was in town for the festivities. Here we are, happy as clams. Cody was probably thinking, "How nice to see my high school English teacher and talk about my crazy St. John's literary theory prof!" while I was thinking, "That pretty yellow kayak in the raffle is MINE."
We palled around a bit at the evening banquet, as much as I could between frequent visits to see how much my donation of Super Power of the Day: Origins of a Sixth Grade Superhero was fetching in the silent auction ($18!!!). The meal of locally grown food was wonderful, the speakers -- especially Hudson Bay women Ann Raiho and Natalie Warren -- were brilliant, and a jolly time was had by all.
Alas, my name was not drawn in the raffle.
I was so sure.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
More book club visits...
Who knew that women (mostly) of a certain age (mostly) would be so taken with my little middle grade story?
I've been the special guest at four area book clubs in the past few months. The readers have been delightful, sharing their favorite parts (short chapters, the talking to animals super power, the realism of how school works, the silly substitute teachers) and their least favorite parts (the long finger mess on Super Stretch day, the prehensile hair superpower). They've asked great questions. They've tried to guess local students on whom the characters may have been partly based. They've read to me their favorite lines. They've shared which superpowers they'd want to have. They've helped me decide on the color of the volume 3 cover (black!!!!!). One reader (Robin S, love you) even had the gall to complain that I made the robin on Super Sight day fat!
More than anything, they've been curious and fascinated by my writing and publishing journey.
Said journey is having an important anniversary, by the way. It was exactly a year ago that I traveled to Minneapolis with my manuscript in tow and returned to do the soul searching that yielded Snow Moon Publishing and the SPOTD trilogy. I remember as clear as day sitting in my mother's guest bedroom and resolving, "I can do this. I am going to make it happen."
It's probably time for some new goals. First out of the gate, I need to finish making final edits to volumes 2 and 3 and get them out the door. Each time I set a deadline for myself, my day job and its resulting end-of-the-day exhaustion take over and I let the deadline slide. Perhaps the longer days of March will stir something in my veins to combat that. We'll see.
In any case, the cover for volume 2 is all but complete and looking fantastic. I'll post it soon!
I've been the special guest at four area book clubs in the past few months. The readers have been delightful, sharing their favorite parts (short chapters, the talking to animals super power, the realism of how school works, the silly substitute teachers) and their least favorite parts (the long finger mess on Super Stretch day, the prehensile hair superpower). They've asked great questions. They've tried to guess local students on whom the characters may have been partly based. They've read to me their favorite lines. They've shared which superpowers they'd want to have. They've helped me decide on the color of the volume 3 cover (black!!!!!). One reader (Robin S, love you) even had the gall to complain that I made the robin on Super Sight day fat!
More than anything, they've been curious and fascinated by my writing and publishing journey.
Said journey is having an important anniversary, by the way. It was exactly a year ago that I traveled to Minneapolis with my manuscript in tow and returned to do the soul searching that yielded Snow Moon Publishing and the SPOTD trilogy. I remember as clear as day sitting in my mother's guest bedroom and resolving, "I can do this. I am going to make it happen."
It's probably time for some new goals. First out of the gate, I need to finish making final edits to volumes 2 and 3 and get them out the door. Each time I set a deadline for myself, my day job and its resulting end-of-the-day exhaustion take over and I let the deadline slide. Perhaps the longer days of March will stir something in my veins to combat that. We'll see.
In any case, the cover for volume 2 is all but complete and looking fantastic. I'll post it soon!
Friday, February 10, 2012
It was Superhero day!
As one of the dress up days for snow week (yes, we have snow week even when there is no snow...) the students and staff at my day job dressed up as superheroes. I decided to go as Chase Cooper, from the cover of volume 2.
Chase does a much nicer job of flying than I do. Thanks, Kim and friends, for the great cape!
Here we are.
Chase does a much nicer job of flying than I do. Thanks, Kim and friends, for the great cape!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
2012 MELT
On MLK Day, teachers from the schools in my region (Minnesota River Valley) gathered to share our expertise and best practices. It was a busy day, filled with demonstrations of new technologies and a vision of where education is headed in this, the 21st Century. Most interesting, perhaps, was a demo where a science teacher created an etextbook in minutes, to be read online (e.g. over an iPad, which seem to be ubiquitous everywhere but my own home district). How interesting, then to hear three days later about Apple's foray into the same market.
Meanwhile, a teacher/speaker (yours truly) gave a presentation on the myriad of self-publishing options these days, from photo sites that let you create professional, modern scrapbooks to vanity presses, to online mentor publishers like lulu.com and createspace.com. Of course I began by sharing my own journey from idea to book-in-hand with the Super Power of the Day trilogy, complete with PowerPoint slideshow and lots of hands on show and tell.
My PLC group ended the day drinking mocha lattes and watching a flock of cardinals through the back windows of a local coffee shop. We rehashed the info of the day and speculated on the future of learning and storytelling. It is surely an exciting time for both.
Meanwhile, a teacher/speaker (yours truly) gave a presentation on the myriad of self-publishing options these days, from photo sites that let you create professional, modern scrapbooks to vanity presses, to online mentor publishers like lulu.com and createspace.com. Of course I began by sharing my own journey from idea to book-in-hand with the Super Power of the Day trilogy, complete with PowerPoint slideshow and lots of hands on show and tell.
My PLC group ended the day drinking mocha lattes and watching a flock of cardinals through the back windows of a local coffee shop. We rehashed the info of the day and speculated on the future of learning and storytelling. It is surely an exciting time for both.
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