The World is My Audience
The desire of my heart has always been to publish for a worldwide audience. Today, it finally sunk in, that is exactly what I’m doing—and in more places than I ever thought possible. And to think this epiphany came to me because of a little icon titled Stat Counter on my blog site.
One click and I discovered that Saturday seems to be the most popular day for people to visit my blog. That may be because I often write on Friday or Saturday, or it could be because that’s when my readers are home with extra time on their hands.
Another click tells me readers are coming via other websites where I write (LuAnnsLibraryTechnology and Library MediaFriendzy, both at blogspotcom) or after visiting websites run by my friends (AnnetteLyon.com or WritersinHeels.com). Some viewers stopped in directly from blogger.com, and a few did Google or MSN searches for me by name. Cool, huh?
As I expected, the majority of my readers are from North America, but I had no idea they were coming from so many states. Canada also has a fair-sized showing, and I don’t even know anyone in Canada! The United Kingdom and Sweden join France, Israel, Australia, Germany, Turkey, Chili, The Philippines, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, and India who also have at least one person who has stopped by.
I don’t know how you found me, but welcome all! And thanks for making my dreams of being an internationally known author closer to becoming true.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Join the Nebo Reading Council and Come See James Dashner
Author James Dashner will be the featured speaker at the opening meeting for the Nebo Reading Council, Thursday, October 4, 2007, at the Grant Building (400 East 105 South, Springville, UT) at 4:00 p.m.
Dashner will be speaking about his transition from publishing in the local market (Jimmy Fincher Saga) to releasing his first national market book (The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters).
Atticus Higginbottom—better known as Tick—wishes his life were more interesting. But, as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for. On a snowy day in November, the first letter arrives and everything in Tick’s life changes---and only time will tell if the change is for better or worse.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Cleaning House the Clean Sweep Way
Just letting all of you know about my latest national publication.
Visit Desert Saints Magazine at the following link to read my article.
http://desertsaintsmagazine.com/2007/09/01/cleaning-house-the-clean-sweep-way/
Just letting all of you know about my latest national publication.
Visit Desert Saints Magazine at the following link to read my article.
http://desertsaintsmagazine.com/2007/09/01/cleaning-house-the-clean-sweep-way/
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Slamming My Head Against the Wall
When I was a young child, I used to get really bad ear-aches. My mother always tried to stop me, but the only way I found to relieve the pressure was to slam my head against the wall.
Tonight, I’m thinking that method might once again make it onto my list of possibilities. I don’t have an ear-ache, but the pressure and stress might just be beginning to get to me. I thought maybe if I had a way to let it all out, I’d at least feel better.
So, tonight I’m forgetting the teachings of The Secret for a few minutes and release my top five lists of reasons I’m under duress. Once I’m done, I plan to take a deep breath, log off my computer, and go to bed.
After all, like Scarlett O’Hara says, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Stress #1: Summer vacation is over and I’m back teaching school. This year is my first ever to have a class of 7th graders on top of three 8th grade and one 9th grade classes. The class sizes range from 25 to 43 students packed into a room that is wall-to-wall kid. Altogether, I have nearly 160 students in my classes. Just think about how many papers that adds up to each week to grade.
Stress #2: My husband in living and working in Los Angeles which is great for the finances, but it leaves me home with five children to watch out for, on top of all the others things I do. By the time I leave for work in the morning, no one is awake except the youngest who leaves with me to be dropped off at a neighbor’s who takes him to and from school. I have to hope all goes well and everyone makes it to school on time, come rain or shine.
Stress #3: One of our children has gotten a little too big for his britches in the last few weeks and keeps both my husband and I emotionally distraught, trying to figure out what to do to prevent him from having a negative impact on the other boys. Is it a sin to count the weeks until he graduates and moves into a life of his own?
Stress #4: I’m enrolled in graduate school and classes start again for me tomorrow. Now, if that isn’t enough, I just started reading the articles for this week’s discussion and I might as well be trying to read Greek! As a nearly thirty-year teacher who knows that educational theory is almost always a bunch of malarkey and rarely useful in the real classroom, reading this stuff, assigned by doctoral candidates who are years younger than me, makes me crazy.
Stress #5: I want nothing more than to publish full-length novels and non-fictions books, but every time I turn around it’s another major rejection for me. Tonight I had great hope that I had found an agent. Alas the e-mailed rejection came less that two hours after I had sent the sample chapters she had requested. I should be happy about my writing because a script option was recently renewed, but I’ve worked so much harder on the novels, only to receive yet another rejection.
It’s eight-thirty. My brain is fried. My body is tired. I’m going to bed to sleep, perchance to dream of better things. And tomorrow, I will awake and again pursue my dreams of holding my published novel in my hands before too many more days pass me by.
When I was a young child, I used to get really bad ear-aches. My mother always tried to stop me, but the only way I found to relieve the pressure was to slam my head against the wall.
Tonight, I’m thinking that method might once again make it onto my list of possibilities. I don’t have an ear-ache, but the pressure and stress might just be beginning to get to me. I thought maybe if I had a way to let it all out, I’d at least feel better.
So, tonight I’m forgetting the teachings of The Secret for a few minutes and release my top five lists of reasons I’m under duress. Once I’m done, I plan to take a deep breath, log off my computer, and go to bed.
After all, like Scarlett O’Hara says, “Tomorrow is another day.”
Stress #1: Summer vacation is over and I’m back teaching school. This year is my first ever to have a class of 7th graders on top of three 8th grade and one 9th grade classes. The class sizes range from 25 to 43 students packed into a room that is wall-to-wall kid. Altogether, I have nearly 160 students in my classes. Just think about how many papers that adds up to each week to grade.
Stress #2: My husband in living and working in Los Angeles which is great for the finances, but it leaves me home with five children to watch out for, on top of all the others things I do. By the time I leave for work in the morning, no one is awake except the youngest who leaves with me to be dropped off at a neighbor’s who takes him to and from school. I have to hope all goes well and everyone makes it to school on time, come rain or shine.
Stress #3: One of our children has gotten a little too big for his britches in the last few weeks and keeps both my husband and I emotionally distraught, trying to figure out what to do to prevent him from having a negative impact on the other boys. Is it a sin to count the weeks until he graduates and moves into a life of his own?
Stress #4: I’m enrolled in graduate school and classes start again for me tomorrow. Now, if that isn’t enough, I just started reading the articles for this week’s discussion and I might as well be trying to read Greek! As a nearly thirty-year teacher who knows that educational theory is almost always a bunch of malarkey and rarely useful in the real classroom, reading this stuff, assigned by doctoral candidates who are years younger than me, makes me crazy.
Stress #5: I want nothing more than to publish full-length novels and non-fictions books, but every time I turn around it’s another major rejection for me. Tonight I had great hope that I had found an agent. Alas the e-mailed rejection came less that two hours after I had sent the sample chapters she had requested. I should be happy about my writing because a script option was recently renewed, but I’ve worked so much harder on the novels, only to receive yet another rejection.
It’s eight-thirty. My brain is fried. My body is tired. I’m going to bed to sleep, perchance to dream of better things. And tomorrow, I will awake and again pursue my dreams of holding my published novel in my hands before too many more days pass me by.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Lest I Look Like a Slacker
If you've watched my progress in the Summer Reading Thing, you might think I've been such a slacker. Not true. I may not have yet finished all the books on that list---I go back to work on Wednesday, so summer is over for me---but I've read lots of other books this summer. I'm currently reading New Moon and the copy of Eclipse is on my desk next to where I am typing.
So, I've decided to share a little bit about the other books I've read this summer, so you'll know that I have been reading, just not always the books I said I'd get around to.
1. The Greatest Discovery - Sorensen. Very predictable, a little sappy, but a quick read.
2. My Point, and I do Have One - Ellen Degeneres. Some funny parts, some crude parts.
3. Nobody's Better Than You, Mom - Bowen. Should have made my boys read this one!
4. Aunt Dimity's Christmas - Atherton. Recommended by someoen at critique, but I abandoned.
5. The Elusive Mrs. Polifax - Gilman. A 2nd read for me. I love this series.
6. The Independence Club - Nunes. I enjoyed this one a lot and hope Rachel starts a series.
7. Purple Cow - Godin. Okay, I'm weird because I read marketing and business books for fun.
8. Free Prize Inside - Godin. Lots of good ideas to draw customers to your products.
9. The Peach Cobler Murder - Fluke. Another favorite mystery series for me.
10. Mrs. Polifax and the Whirling Dervish - Gilman. The trouble this woman gets into!
11. Secerts to Zarahemla - Wilson. I kept getting lost. The characters were confusing to me.
12. The Fudge Cupcake Murder - Fluke. I kept craving chocolate, but still loved this one.
13. Life As We Knew It - Pfeffer. Interesting YA novel about the moon moving closer.
14. Ghost of a Chance - Blair. Better than the first book, but some parts still bugged me.
15. Death on Demand - Hart. I discovered a new mystery writer that I liked.
16. Dead as a Doornail - Harris. A disappointing and somewhat crude vampire mystery.
17. Rickles' Book- Don Rickles. Like Ellen, sometimes funny, sometimes VERY crude.
18. Nothing to Regret - Pinkston. Liked it but wish it had been a series with more development.
19. It's All Too Much - Walsh. Loved the book, love the series (Clean Sweep). Loved the advice.
20. When Faith Endures - Van Nuygen. Taught me a lot about LDS, the Vietnamese, and war.
21. Deep Storm - Child. Another great thriller from one of my favorite writers.
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling. Thought the ending was PERFECT!
23. Farworld: City Under the Water - Savage. Don't look for this one yet; it's not out til 2008.
24. Loved Like That - Wright. Liked it a lot, but I wonder if my book is too similar in theme?
25. Religious Literacy - Prothero. Interesting view why we are religiously illiterate.
26. One Minute Millionaire - Allen & Hansen. 2nd time reading this. Good motivation.
27. Circle the Truth - Schmatz. MG religious fantasy. IT was oaky, but not a grabber.
28. Twilight - Meyer. Decided to reread this one. Liked it better this 2nd time.
29. Wild Worlds - Moore. YA Graphic novel. Why must the girls be half-naked?
30. Loving Will Shakespeare - Meyer. I'm related to both of Wills' parents.
If you've watched my progress in the Summer Reading Thing, you might think I've been such a slacker. Not true. I may not have yet finished all the books on that list---I go back to work on Wednesday, so summer is over for me---but I've read lots of other books this summer. I'm currently reading New Moon and the copy of Eclipse is on my desk next to where I am typing.
So, I've decided to share a little bit about the other books I've read this summer, so you'll know that I have been reading, just not always the books I said I'd get around to.
1. The Greatest Discovery - Sorensen. Very predictable, a little sappy, but a quick read.
2. My Point, and I do Have One - Ellen Degeneres. Some funny parts, some crude parts.
3. Nobody's Better Than You, Mom - Bowen. Should have made my boys read this one!
4. Aunt Dimity's Christmas - Atherton. Recommended by someoen at critique, but I abandoned.
5. The Elusive Mrs. Polifax - Gilman. A 2nd read for me. I love this series.
6. The Independence Club - Nunes. I enjoyed this one a lot and hope Rachel starts a series.
7. Purple Cow - Godin. Okay, I'm weird because I read marketing and business books for fun.
8. Free Prize Inside - Godin. Lots of good ideas to draw customers to your products.
9. The Peach Cobler Murder - Fluke. Another favorite mystery series for me.
10. Mrs. Polifax and the Whirling Dervish - Gilman. The trouble this woman gets into!
11. Secerts to Zarahemla - Wilson. I kept getting lost. The characters were confusing to me.
12. The Fudge Cupcake Murder - Fluke. I kept craving chocolate, but still loved this one.
13. Life As We Knew It - Pfeffer. Interesting YA novel about the moon moving closer.
14. Ghost of a Chance - Blair. Better than the first book, but some parts still bugged me.
15. Death on Demand - Hart. I discovered a new mystery writer that I liked.
16. Dead as a Doornail - Harris. A disappointing and somewhat crude vampire mystery.
17. Rickles' Book- Don Rickles. Like Ellen, sometimes funny, sometimes VERY crude.
18. Nothing to Regret - Pinkston. Liked it but wish it had been a series with more development.
19. It's All Too Much - Walsh. Loved the book, love the series (Clean Sweep). Loved the advice.
20. When Faith Endures - Van Nuygen. Taught me a lot about LDS, the Vietnamese, and war.
21. Deep Storm - Child. Another great thriller from one of my favorite writers.
22. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling. Thought the ending was PERFECT!
23. Farworld: City Under the Water - Savage. Don't look for this one yet; it's not out til 2008.
24. Loved Like That - Wright. Liked it a lot, but I wonder if my book is too similar in theme?
25. Religious Literacy - Prothero. Interesting view why we are religiously illiterate.
26. One Minute Millionaire - Allen & Hansen. 2nd time reading this. Good motivation.
27. Circle the Truth - Schmatz. MG religious fantasy. IT was oaky, but not a grabber.
28. Twilight - Meyer. Decided to reread this one. Liked it better this 2nd time.
29. Wild Worlds - Moore. YA Graphic novel. Why must the girls be half-naked?
30. Loving Will Shakespeare - Meyer. I'm related to both of Wills' parents.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Lucky Fours
Four Jobs I've had:
Administrative Assistant for McDonald's in Bloomington, IN
Associate Producer for Stadium of Fire, Alan Osmond Productions
Fan Club President and Promotions for Osmonds: Second Generation
English Department Chair, Payson Jr. High School
Four Places I've Lived:
Alexandria, IN
Bloomington, IN
Rockville, IN
Spanish Fork
Four Favorite TV Shows:
American Idol
Clean Sweep
The Partridge Family (now on video)
Everwood (even though my husband worked on the show and grew to dislike it)
Four Favorite Foods:
Fettucinni Alfredo
Pepperoni Pizza
Cheesecake
Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Four Websites I Frequent:
Drudge Report
Spanish Fork Library
Wikipedia
Writers in Heels (of course!)
Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
In a comfy spot, reading
In Los Angeles with my husband who is working on a commercial
Visiting family in Indiana
Back in the beginning of June, ready to start summer vacation again
Four Movies I Love:
Franco Zefferelli's Romeo & Juliet
Ever After
Back to the Future
Never Been Kissed
Four Bloggers I Tag Next:
Zac Quist
Alyssa Burrell
Heather Moore
Scott Franson
Four Jobs I've had:
Administrative Assistant for McDonald's in Bloomington, IN
Associate Producer for Stadium of Fire, Alan Osmond Productions
Fan Club President and Promotions for Osmonds: Second Generation
English Department Chair, Payson Jr. High School
Four Places I've Lived:
Alexandria, IN
Bloomington, IN
Rockville, IN
Spanish Fork
Four Favorite TV Shows:
American Idol
Clean Sweep
The Partridge Family (now on video)
Everwood (even though my husband worked on the show and grew to dislike it)
Four Favorite Foods:
Fettucinni Alfredo
Pepperoni Pizza
Cheesecake
Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Four Websites I Frequent:
Drudge Report
Spanish Fork Library
Wikipedia
Writers in Heels (of course!)
Four Places I'd Rather Be Right Now:
In a comfy spot, reading
In Los Angeles with my husband who is working on a commercial
Visiting family in Indiana
Back in the beginning of June, ready to start summer vacation again
Four Movies I Love:
Franco Zefferelli's Romeo & Juliet
Ever After
Back to the Future
Never Been Kissed
Four Bloggers I Tag Next:
Zac Quist
Alyssa Burrell
Heather Moore
Scott Franson
Monday, July 23, 2007
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
(No Spoilers)
It's midnight on Sunday evening. My copy of the final installment of Harry Potter arrived Saturday afternoon, and I just finished reading the last page. I refuse to give any details about the book because I want each of you to have the chance to read it spoiler-free like I did. (Although my oldest son ran through the house shouting out spoilers he had heard from someone. I was far enough along in the book at the time to know that only one thing he said was even true! The rest, bogus.)
Let me just say, I liked the book. So many questions were answered and the story held my attention to the very last page. For those of you with young children, I will say there is some strong language you might want to be aware of or perhaps edit out if you are reading it aloud. But overall, the book was well written and satisfying.
My poor husband has been begging for the book all day, so now that I'm finally done, he's starting to read, despite the fact that it is after midnight!
For any of you who don't yet have a copy, here's a great price through amazon.com.
(No Spoilers)
It's midnight on Sunday evening. My copy of the final installment of Harry Potter arrived Saturday afternoon, and I just finished reading the last page. I refuse to give any details about the book because I want each of you to have the chance to read it spoiler-free like I did. (Although my oldest son ran through the house shouting out spoilers he had heard from someone. I was far enough along in the book at the time to know that only one thing he said was even true! The rest, bogus.)
Let me just say, I liked the book. So many questions were answered and the story held my attention to the very last page. For those of you with young children, I will say there is some strong language you might want to be aware of or perhaps edit out if you are reading it aloud. But overall, the book was well written and satisfying.
My poor husband has been begging for the book all day, so now that I'm finally done, he's starting to read, despite the fact that it is after midnight!
For any of you who don't yet have a copy, here's a great price through amazon.com.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Off to the Rat’s House
I don’t know where it started, but one of my friends has always called anything associated with Disney “The Rat’s House.” Now, this friend used to work for Disney Pictures, so maybe the nickname is an inside code, or perhaps a commentary on how the employees were feeling about the place. Who knows? In any case, my husband picked up the nickname and anytime we’re off to the Magical Kingdom, he reminds us we’re going to visit the Rat’s House.
We’ve been to Disneyland lots of times now as a family. My husband and I even spent three days of our honeymoon there. So, this week, we’ve decided to go one better—we’re off to Orlando to visit the Giant Rat’s House. We’ve got seven days on the ground to park-hop between EPCOT, Disney-MGM, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and the Magic Kingdom.
I’ve been to Disney World twice before—long before EPCOT opened. This is a first time for my husband and the boys. Here’s to hoping they can find something new to experience that will keep them all happy. Lots of high-speed roller coasters for the older two, plenty of classic Disney for the other three, some culture for Dad—even though we’ve heard the Japan pavilion is closed for remodeling—and an occasional place for me to stop and breathe. A trip with my husband is sometimes called “The Forced March” rather than a vacation.
Before I leave, I wanted to write one more entry into the Summer Reading Thing, especially since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be here a few short days after I return.
It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh.
I LOVE the TLC program Clean Sweep. As a matter of fact, I think it’s a shame the network took it off their regular line-up. Even though I’ve seen each episode a dozen times, I still continue to watch it whenever they decide to run one, and organizer Peter Walsh is the reason why. When I listen to his fascinating Australian accent and his genteel way of approaching people who cling to their stuff, I am more motivated to clean house, de-clutter areas, and show respect toward those items that have meaning to me. One of my favorite ways to clean is to turn on Clean Sweep and watch the show while I de-junk a closet or sort through items shoved into a dresser drawer.
When TLC announced they weren’t doing any more episodes, I was so bummed, I thought, “How will I ever get anything done without Peter to guide me?” Someone at Free Press must have thought the same thing because they came to my rescue and published this book. Thank you Free Press, and thank you Peter Walsh. Now I can motivate myself to do a clean sweep of a room anytime I need to.
By the way, Peter Walsh’s other book—How to Organize Almost Everything—is a great reference tool also.
I don’t know where it started, but one of my friends has always called anything associated with Disney “The Rat’s House.” Now, this friend used to work for Disney Pictures, so maybe the nickname is an inside code, or perhaps a commentary on how the employees were feeling about the place. Who knows? In any case, my husband picked up the nickname and anytime we’re off to the Magical Kingdom, he reminds us we’re going to visit the Rat’s House.
We’ve been to Disneyland lots of times now as a family. My husband and I even spent three days of our honeymoon there. So, this week, we’ve decided to go one better—we’re off to Orlando to visit the Giant Rat’s House. We’ve got seven days on the ground to park-hop between EPCOT, Disney-MGM, Animal Kingdom, Downtown Disney, and the Magic Kingdom.
I’ve been to Disney World twice before—long before EPCOT opened. This is a first time for my husband and the boys. Here’s to hoping they can find something new to experience that will keep them all happy. Lots of high-speed roller coasters for the older two, plenty of classic Disney for the other three, some culture for Dad—even though we’ve heard the Japan pavilion is closed for remodeling—and an occasional place for me to stop and breathe. A trip with my husband is sometimes called “The Forced March” rather than a vacation.
Before I leave, I wanted to write one more entry into the Summer Reading Thing, especially since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be here a few short days after I return.
It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh.
I LOVE the TLC program Clean Sweep. As a matter of fact, I think it’s a shame the network took it off their regular line-up. Even though I’ve seen each episode a dozen times, I still continue to watch it whenever they decide to run one, and organizer Peter Walsh is the reason why. When I listen to his fascinating Australian accent and his genteel way of approaching people who cling to their stuff, I am more motivated to clean house, de-clutter areas, and show respect toward those items that have meaning to me. One of my favorite ways to clean is to turn on Clean Sweep and watch the show while I de-junk a closet or sort through items shoved into a dresser drawer.
When TLC announced they weren’t doing any more episodes, I was so bummed, I thought, “How will I ever get anything done without Peter to guide me?” Someone at Free Press must have thought the same thing because they came to my rescue and published this book. Thank you Free Press, and thank you Peter Walsh. Now I can motivate myself to do a clean sweep of a room anytime I need to.
By the way, Peter Walsh’s other book—How to Organize Almost Everything—is a great reference tool also.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Summertime Blues
I know . . . summer is supposed to be the time of vacations and free time . . . well, at least that’s what I thought when I was a kid. Now that I’m an adult, I see that summer is just as busy for me as the school year. Didn’t I go into teaching so that I would have my summers off?
Well, I guess that just isn’t an option when you are a workaholic like me, who has a crazy husband and five sons to boot. I’m done with classes until the first week of August when I head back to Logan for a three day introduction to my graduate program workshop. Of course, Im already half-way done now with that program, and we just got word that my husband will be working in California those three days (and a lot more), so what am I going to do with my kids while we’re both gone? Such a bother, as Winnie the Pooh might say, but I’ll play Scarlett O’Hara today and say, “Fiddle-dee-dee. I’ll think about that tomorrow.”
This week I’m trying desperately to finish a manuscript a publisher wants to see. Okay, I know it’s my fault for sending that e-mail query out the day before I left for Logan the first time, but how was I to ever guess I’d get a positive response in less than four minutes! I’m just too conditioned to those New York editors who take six months to tell me, “No.” Monday is my own drop-dead deadline for getting this nearly 600 page document into the mail.
Of course, that means I have to work like crazy between now and then because we are going to a family reunion in Beaver on Saturday and packing for a 10 day trip to Disney World Resorts. We leaved Tuesday, the day after my deadline, if I make it that long before collapsing!
Once the trip is over (if I’m not in jail for killing my husband or one of the kids—why is it teenagers can’t just stop the whining and be happy they are going to the Happiest Place on Earth????), I have a whole two weeks to enjoy my summer vacation, then I’m off and running, back to my graduate classes, getting ready to teach school (and those 7th graders I’ve never taught before), and still trying to finish the novel I’d hoped to have written by the end of June.
At least I spent an hour this afternoon watching my youngest play in his new pool. I guess that will have to count as my real summer vacation.
I did find the time to finish the second book from my Summer Reading Thing.
Ghost of a Chance by Kerry Blair
Samantha Shade, of the Nightshade Detective Agency, has been hired to find out what seems to be haunting the San Rafael Mission. But soon, Samantha is investigating a series of murders occurring within the parish. Several young men are found executed in the same gruesome manner—and each is discovered with a marigold between his lips. The clues all seem to lead to someone at the Mission. Who could be responsible? It’s Samantha’s job to find out, especially if she wants to live.
I love the book covers on this series, but unfortunately the books themselves have both been somewhat annoying. When I read a book, I want to be in the story with the main character, but not having them talk to me so often they draw me out of the intensity of the story, especially at a key time. At least this volume got rid of the crossword puzzle clues that ended every chapter in the first book (Mummy’s the Word). I think this author is really talented overall, but I have trouble staying hooked with the parts of the story that try to be “cutesy.” The joke just doesn’t translate onto paper for me. Because I thought book two was better than book one, I may give her one more chance when number three comes along.
I know . . . summer is supposed to be the time of vacations and free time . . . well, at least that’s what I thought when I was a kid. Now that I’m an adult, I see that summer is just as busy for me as the school year. Didn’t I go into teaching so that I would have my summers off?
Well, I guess that just isn’t an option when you are a workaholic like me, who has a crazy husband and five sons to boot. I’m done with classes until the first week of August when I head back to Logan for a three day introduction to my graduate program workshop. Of course, Im already half-way done now with that program, and we just got word that my husband will be working in California those three days (and a lot more), so what am I going to do with my kids while we’re both gone? Such a bother, as Winnie the Pooh might say, but I’ll play Scarlett O’Hara today and say, “Fiddle-dee-dee. I’ll think about that tomorrow.”
This week I’m trying desperately to finish a manuscript a publisher wants to see. Okay, I know it’s my fault for sending that e-mail query out the day before I left for Logan the first time, but how was I to ever guess I’d get a positive response in less than four minutes! I’m just too conditioned to those New York editors who take six months to tell me, “No.” Monday is my own drop-dead deadline for getting this nearly 600 page document into the mail.
Of course, that means I have to work like crazy between now and then because we are going to a family reunion in Beaver on Saturday and packing for a 10 day trip to Disney World Resorts. We leaved Tuesday, the day after my deadline, if I make it that long before collapsing!
Once the trip is over (if I’m not in jail for killing my husband or one of the kids—why is it teenagers can’t just stop the whining and be happy they are going to the Happiest Place on Earth????), I have a whole two weeks to enjoy my summer vacation, then I’m off and running, back to my graduate classes, getting ready to teach school (and those 7th graders I’ve never taught before), and still trying to finish the novel I’d hoped to have written by the end of June.
At least I spent an hour this afternoon watching my youngest play in his new pool. I guess that will have to count as my real summer vacation.
I did find the time to finish the second book from my Summer Reading Thing.
Ghost of a Chance by Kerry Blair
Samantha Shade, of the Nightshade Detective Agency, has been hired to find out what seems to be haunting the San Rafael Mission. But soon, Samantha is investigating a series of murders occurring within the parish. Several young men are found executed in the same gruesome manner—and each is discovered with a marigold between his lips. The clues all seem to lead to someone at the Mission. Who could be responsible? It’s Samantha’s job to find out, especially if she wants to live.
I love the book covers on this series, but unfortunately the books themselves have both been somewhat annoying. When I read a book, I want to be in the story with the main character, but not having them talk to me so often they draw me out of the intensity of the story, especially at a key time. At least this volume got rid of the crossword puzzle clues that ended every chapter in the first book (Mummy’s the Word). I think this author is really talented overall, but I have trouble staying hooked with the parts of the story that try to be “cutesy.” The joke just doesn’t translate onto paper for me. Because I thought book two was better than book one, I may give her one more chance when number three comes along.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Once Again, the Critics Got It Wrong
I often wonder who these people are who write the reviews for the latest Hollywood movies. What kind of a life must they lead? Do they all wait to read that first review before they make up their mind about a film and their opinion of it? Why do they so often get it wrong?
This weekend I took my sons to see Evan Almighty. Now, I admit, I have never seen Bruce Almighty, and the reasons have been clear: the previews for the Jim Carrey film were crass in my opinion. The MPAA rating service agreed with me: “Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some crude humor.” I did not want to pay money to watch a movie make fun of the very core of my beliefs.
There was something different about the tone of the trailers for Evan Almighty, however. The situations were funny and the characters seemed genuine, in a sweet and innocent way. The rating was only PG for mild rude humor and some peril. So off we went, including my 7 year-old, and I’m here to tell you, I was not disappointed.
The movie was hilarious, one of the best comedy films I’ve seen in the last couple of years. And that crude humor? Bird poop and alpaca spit. Seriously! Even when Evan Baxter and his wife get into bed at night, they are modestly clothed, and here’s the clincher—Evan gets onto his knees and PRAYS! When’s the last time you saw that happen in a movie made in Hollywood?
Morgan Freeman is great as God. He’s funny and personable, and someone I’d want to know as my Father in Heaven. The lesson Evan learns about following God’s will is beautiful, and even the bad guy gets what he deserves in the end.
There was not a single moment that I wasn’t enjoying myself. I never worried about my youngest watching this movie with me. I will admit, one of my teenagers thought it was stupid (of course, he thinks mostly everything is stupid—it comes with the age), but then, he loves Jim Carrey and crude humor so this one didn’t meet his lower level comedy standard. It required the audience to THINK.
And as for Hollywood? My husband is working on a shoot there this weekend as I write this. He passed on my review to their director who said, “I’m so glad to know. I was looking for a movie I could take my children to without having to worry.” Go figure!
I finished reading my first book for the Summer Reading Thing, so here’s my review.
The Fudge Cupcake Murder - Joanna Fluke
Hannah Swenson, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery, once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery, and it’s not just trying to discover the secret ingredient in a fudge cupcake recipe for the cookbook she’s compiling (although readers do get that recipe along with several others in the chapter divides.) After teaching her evening cooking class, while taking out the trash, Hannah discovers the body of Sheriff Grant, a not-well-liked man who was running a campaign for re-election against Hannah’s brother-in-law. The last thing the sheriff had been doing before his death? Eating one of Hannah’s trial fudge cupcakes, and the icing is all over him.
This fifth book in the series will continue to delight (and probably make hungry) fans of cozy mysteries. I know I’ll go back to Lake Eden, Minnesota, for another stop at The Cookie Jar.
I often wonder who these people are who write the reviews for the latest Hollywood movies. What kind of a life must they lead? Do they all wait to read that first review before they make up their mind about a film and their opinion of it? Why do they so often get it wrong?
This weekend I took my sons to see Evan Almighty. Now, I admit, I have never seen Bruce Almighty, and the reasons have been clear: the previews for the Jim Carrey film were crass in my opinion. The MPAA rating service agreed with me: “Rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and some crude humor.” I did not want to pay money to watch a movie make fun of the very core of my beliefs.
There was something different about the tone of the trailers for Evan Almighty, however. The situations were funny and the characters seemed genuine, in a sweet and innocent way. The rating was only PG for mild rude humor and some peril. So off we went, including my 7 year-old, and I’m here to tell you, I was not disappointed.
The movie was hilarious, one of the best comedy films I’ve seen in the last couple of years. And that crude humor? Bird poop and alpaca spit. Seriously! Even when Evan Baxter and his wife get into bed at night, they are modestly clothed, and here’s the clincher—Evan gets onto his knees and PRAYS! When’s the last time you saw that happen in a movie made in Hollywood?
Morgan Freeman is great as God. He’s funny and personable, and someone I’d want to know as my Father in Heaven. The lesson Evan learns about following God’s will is beautiful, and even the bad guy gets what he deserves in the end.
There was not a single moment that I wasn’t enjoying myself. I never worried about my youngest watching this movie with me. I will admit, one of my teenagers thought it was stupid (of course, he thinks mostly everything is stupid—it comes with the age), but then, he loves Jim Carrey and crude humor so this one didn’t meet his lower level comedy standard. It required the audience to THINK.
And as for Hollywood? My husband is working on a shoot there this weekend as I write this. He passed on my review to their director who said, “I’m so glad to know. I was looking for a movie I could take my children to without having to worry.” Go figure!
I finished reading my first book for the Summer Reading Thing, so here’s my review.
The Fudge Cupcake Murder - Joanna Fluke
Hannah Swenson, owner of The Cookie Jar bakery, once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery, and it’s not just trying to discover the secret ingredient in a fudge cupcake recipe for the cookbook she’s compiling (although readers do get that recipe along with several others in the chapter divides.) After teaching her evening cooking class, while taking out the trash, Hannah discovers the body of Sheriff Grant, a not-well-liked man who was running a campaign for re-election against Hannah’s brother-in-law. The last thing the sheriff had been doing before his death? Eating one of Hannah’s trial fudge cupcakes, and the icing is all over him.
This fifth book in the series will continue to delight (and probably make hungry) fans of cozy mysteries. I know I’ll go back to Lake Eden, Minnesota, for another stop at The Cookie Jar.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Logan Bound
As some of you know, I’m currently enrolled in the Utah State University Graduate Program for a MEd in Instructional Technology. My focus area is Library Media, so this week I’m off to Logan to finish up my practicum, hours spent working in real libraries alongside my professors.
Since Murphy seemed to know what he was talking about with his Law, the fact that have to be gone from Sunday night until Friday evening also means that my husband, who has been home nearly full time for the past couple of months, has now been called to work on a series of commercials in Los Angeles and a film being made in Salt Lake. Ya gotta love it, but now we need to figure out how to fit his job around watching the kids who are still home for the summer.
(Of course, life will only get more insane if Mike’s jobs overlap the BIG TRIP planned for July that takes us off to Disney World for ten days.)
In any case, being in Logan means a top ten list for me:
1. I’ll have a whole week without my husband and kids driving me insane.
2. I’ll have a busy week attending classes and working in libraries.
3. I’ll not have access to my computer or the files at home.
4. I’ll be totally out of touch with all of YOU.
5. I’ll be worrying like crazy about finishing my homework for my classes.
6. I’ll be wondering how I’ll ever get the manuscript ready that a local publisher has requested.
7. I’ll be thinking about the deadline I set for myself on the new novel that isn’t getting done.
8. I’ll be too tired every evening to read the books that will be overdue at the public library.
9. But maybe I’ll never sleep in a strange apartment, on a strange bed (should I take all 5 of my pillows?) While sharing the bathroom with people I don’t know.
10. I’ll be so worn out when I get back from this trip, I’ll be happy to be bothered by my husband and sons while I try to write that work of art which will bring me fame and fortune, if I only survive the week in Logan.
See you all when I return, but in the meantime, I think I’ll join Tristi in the Summer Reading Thing. Here’s my list of books, and in no particular order:
1. The Book Thief - Markus Suzak
2. The Fudge Cupcake Murder - Joanna Fluke
3. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith
5. Ghost of a Chance - Kerry Blair
6. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth - T. Harv Ecker
7. It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff - Peter Walsh
8. Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris
9. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
As some of you know, I’m currently enrolled in the Utah State University Graduate Program for a MEd in Instructional Technology. My focus area is Library Media, so this week I’m off to Logan to finish up my practicum, hours spent working in real libraries alongside my professors.
Since Murphy seemed to know what he was talking about with his Law, the fact that have to be gone from Sunday night until Friday evening also means that my husband, who has been home nearly full time for the past couple of months, has now been called to work on a series of commercials in Los Angeles and a film being made in Salt Lake. Ya gotta love it, but now we need to figure out how to fit his job around watching the kids who are still home for the summer.
(Of course, life will only get more insane if Mike’s jobs overlap the BIG TRIP planned for July that takes us off to Disney World for ten days.)
In any case, being in Logan means a top ten list for me:
1. I’ll have a whole week without my husband and kids driving me insane.
2. I’ll have a busy week attending classes and working in libraries.
3. I’ll not have access to my computer or the files at home.
4. I’ll be totally out of touch with all of YOU.
5. I’ll be worrying like crazy about finishing my homework for my classes.
6. I’ll be wondering how I’ll ever get the manuscript ready that a local publisher has requested.
7. I’ll be thinking about the deadline I set for myself on the new novel that isn’t getting done.
8. I’ll be too tired every evening to read the books that will be overdue at the public library.
9. But maybe I’ll never sleep in a strange apartment, on a strange bed (should I take all 5 of my pillows?) While sharing the bathroom with people I don’t know.
10. I’ll be so worn out when I get back from this trip, I’ll be happy to be bothered by my husband and sons while I try to write that work of art which will bring me fame and fortune, if I only survive the week in Logan.
See you all when I return, but in the meantime, I think I’ll join Tristi in the Summer Reading Thing. Here’s my list of books, and in no particular order:
1. The Book Thief - Markus Suzak
2. The Fudge Cupcake Murder - Joanna Fluke
3. The Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith
5. Ghost of a Chance - Kerry Blair
6. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth - T. Harv Ecker
7. It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff - Peter Walsh
8. Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris
9. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Publication by PiggybackOkay, okay, so it isn’t my book that’s new in the stores, but I feel like I’ve helped give birth to this baby all the same. Michele Paige Holmes (http://www.michelepaigeholmes.com/) has just released her first novel, Counting Stars. Since I’m a member of Michele’s critique group, and since I helped edit this book, I feel like it’s got a little part of me inside. As a matter of fact, it does—it has my name in the acknowledgment page.
Michele should be proud. This is a great story, and readers will love it. I’m happy to recommend it to all of you, especially since I played a small part of seeing it be released.
Thanks, Michele, for letting me be a support to you on this project, and for all the support you (and the rest of our illustrious group) give to me. Maybe next year, I’ll be the one standing at the autograph table, handing out chocolates and hoping people will buy my book. In the meantime, keep working on Jay’s story and I’ll get back to creating a romance for Jenny and James.
From the back cover of Counting Stars . . .
Jane was hoping for a date—maybe even a boyfriend. What she wasn't expecting was Paul Bryant's completely original and sincere pick-up line: Hi. I'm Paul. I have terminal cancer. My wife was killed in a car accident, and I'm looking for a woman to raise my children.
It was never Jane's plan to fall in love with a dying man and his two infants. But her seemingly simple decision to date someone outside her faith leads to one complication after another. With the stakes this high, is choosing to help Paul a choice to be alone forever?
And how can Paul feel so confident that this woman—who's never managed to keep a checking account for more than six months—should be the one to raise his children?
How can something that seems so unbelievably insane feel so completely right?
Sometimes love is found in the least likely places, and the greatest blessings are discovered while counting stars.
Available now: http://www.covenant-lds.com/osb2/itemdetails.cfm?ID=2023
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Take A Meeting
We have become a world filled with meetings. There are meetings for planning, meetings for training, meetings to plan for meetings! No organization seems to be able to run anymore without heaping on meetings.
Take the church for instance. Elder Henry B. Eyring reminded us the November 1996 General Conference: “Prophets in our time have consolidated our meetings on Sunday to allow time for families to be together.” Yet this morning, three of my teenage sons are already at the church—four hours before our block starts—attending a training meeting. Once this meeting is done, they will be off doing fast offerings. Tonight there is a Stake Fireside kick-off to this week’s Youth Conference which takes them out of town for two days, after an evening of doing service projects in the neighborhood. Last night, one of the boys had a meeting to plan this morning’s meeting, and a phone call earlier today confirmed that all three of the boys have an extra meeting every Sunday this month except for Father’s Day, which is always our stake conference. So, would someone please remind me, when we are supposed to have extra family time on Sunday?
Church isn’t the only place we’ve become meeting-happy. I teach school and it seems that preparing lessons and spending quality time in my classroom isn’t enough, despite the fact that my students’ scores on the time-wasting tests are sky-high. Last year we started collaboration—which so far has meant that my former student teacher tries to tell our entire department what to do. Next year, the district has found this extra meeting to be so important that we have a late-start every Wednesday—more time away from teaching—so the teachers can meet to collaborate (lock-step might be a better description of the intention in my opinion). Isn’t is amazing that I’ve survived 28 years of successful teaching without this extra weekly meeting?
Then there are board meetings. I’m on several boards for education-related organizations. What used to be monthly on-line meetings for one board is once again swaying toward in-person meetings that require members to travel from the far reaches of the state for an hour of face-to-face. Another local board calls for a small group (3-5 people) to meet at a central location each month, despite the fact that a conference phone call or e-mail could handle all of the decisions in a matter of minutes.
Add to this the meetings we have to attend as parents (state-required SEOPs four times a year per child, for example), and the list of places we have to be can suddenly become overwhelming! Is it any wonder people skip out, don’t participate, or are always running late? Obviously, they are scheduled for too many meetings!
How I long for the good old days, when life seemed to go along smoothly and was not run by a day-planner scheduled full of excess meetings that some leader has deemed as vital to the success of their program.
We have become a world filled with meetings. There are meetings for planning, meetings for training, meetings to plan for meetings! No organization seems to be able to run anymore without heaping on meetings.
Take the church for instance. Elder Henry B. Eyring reminded us the November 1996 General Conference: “Prophets in our time have consolidated our meetings on Sunday to allow time for families to be together.” Yet this morning, three of my teenage sons are already at the church—four hours before our block starts—attending a training meeting. Once this meeting is done, they will be off doing fast offerings. Tonight there is a Stake Fireside kick-off to this week’s Youth Conference which takes them out of town for two days, after an evening of doing service projects in the neighborhood. Last night, one of the boys had a meeting to plan this morning’s meeting, and a phone call earlier today confirmed that all three of the boys have an extra meeting every Sunday this month except for Father’s Day, which is always our stake conference. So, would someone please remind me, when we are supposed to have extra family time on Sunday?
Church isn’t the only place we’ve become meeting-happy. I teach school and it seems that preparing lessons and spending quality time in my classroom isn’t enough, despite the fact that my students’ scores on the time-wasting tests are sky-high. Last year we started collaboration—which so far has meant that my former student teacher tries to tell our entire department what to do. Next year, the district has found this extra meeting to be so important that we have a late-start every Wednesday—more time away from teaching—so the teachers can meet to collaborate (lock-step might be a better description of the intention in my opinion). Isn’t is amazing that I’ve survived 28 years of successful teaching without this extra weekly meeting?
Then there are board meetings. I’m on several boards for education-related organizations. What used to be monthly on-line meetings for one board is once again swaying toward in-person meetings that require members to travel from the far reaches of the state for an hour of face-to-face. Another local board calls for a small group (3-5 people) to meet at a central location each month, despite the fact that a conference phone call or e-mail could handle all of the decisions in a matter of minutes.
Add to this the meetings we have to attend as parents (state-required SEOPs four times a year per child, for example), and the list of places we have to be can suddenly become overwhelming! Is it any wonder people skip out, don’t participate, or are always running late? Obviously, they are scheduled for too many meetings!
How I long for the good old days, when life seemed to go along smoothly and was not run by a day-planner scheduled full of excess meetings that some leader has deemed as vital to the success of their program.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
My Summer Writing Schedule
Summer vacation is supposed to be a time of relaxation, but that never seems to happen for me. Instead, my time away from teaching school is my window of opportunity for writing. This summer’s schedule is no different from any others, except that this year I’m going to graduate school at the same time.
Here’s a rundown of what I’ll try to complete in the 80 days between the time school gets out and when the teachers go back to work:
1. Finish the new romance novel I’ve been working on.
2. Finish the Middle Grade novel I started this year.
3. Finish the book guides for Books, Books, and More Books: Volume 2.
4. Write a screenplay adaptation of a novel I’ve wanted to see made into a movie.
5. Write several magazine articles and submit.
6. Continue my columns, blogs, and zines.
Then there is the marketing. These are my summer goals for the things that are already written, edited, and looking for a publisher:
1. Follow-up with editors and the agent for the three books already submitted.
2. Query publishers for three more books.
3. Search for a film agent for the three scripts I’ve written.
4. Check with the producer who optioned one of my scripts to see what’s happening with funding.
5. Query magazines and submit articles.
6. Do interviews and assemble podcasts to post to my blog.
Oh, and I can’t forget the editing.
1. Finish the 90,000 word manuscript that was dropped off to me this week.
2. Go through my own stack of edits from my critique group and revise my manuscripts accordingly.
3. Edit manuscripts for Precision Editing Group.
4. Get to critique group every week.
5. Meet with a fledgling critique group to help them know how to get started.
And at last, I’ll have time to read the hundred or so novels that publishers have sent me to review for my newspaper columns, educator magazines, or workshops I present.
Oh, no! That means I’m back at list one with more things to write! And they call this a VACATION.
Summer vacation is supposed to be a time of relaxation, but that never seems to happen for me. Instead, my time away from teaching school is my window of opportunity for writing. This summer’s schedule is no different from any others, except that this year I’m going to graduate school at the same time.
Here’s a rundown of what I’ll try to complete in the 80 days between the time school gets out and when the teachers go back to work:
1. Finish the new romance novel I’ve been working on.
2. Finish the Middle Grade novel I started this year.
3. Finish the book guides for Books, Books, and More Books: Volume 2.
4. Write a screenplay adaptation of a novel I’ve wanted to see made into a movie.
5. Write several magazine articles and submit.
6. Continue my columns, blogs, and zines.
Then there is the marketing. These are my summer goals for the things that are already written, edited, and looking for a publisher:
1. Follow-up with editors and the agent for the three books already submitted.
2. Query publishers for three more books.
3. Search for a film agent for the three scripts I’ve written.
4. Check with the producer who optioned one of my scripts to see what’s happening with funding.
5. Query magazines and submit articles.
6. Do interviews and assemble podcasts to post to my blog.
Oh, and I can’t forget the editing.
1. Finish the 90,000 word manuscript that was dropped off to me this week.
2. Go through my own stack of edits from my critique group and revise my manuscripts accordingly.
3. Edit manuscripts for Precision Editing Group.
4. Get to critique group every week.
5. Meet with a fledgling critique group to help them know how to get started.
And at last, I’ll have time to read the hundred or so novels that publishers have sent me to review for my newspaper columns, educator magazines, or workshops I present.
Oh, no! That means I’m back at list one with more things to write! And they call this a VACATION.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Give Me a Break!
My entire life I’ve wanted to be a writer. Somewhere in my future scrap-booking projects box are copies of papers and poems I wrote clear back in grade school, as well as works from my high school and college years.
My computer hard drive is filled with more recent works—five completed middle grade novels, several film scripts, the new adult novel I’m working on, and countless non-fiction projects, both short and long. And, of course, the drafts of all those query letters and a chart filled with rejections from most of them.
All of this can sometimes get depressing, especially when I have a day like today. I was doing inventory in my classroom library and picked up a copy of Veggiemorphs: The Fungus Among Us, and I had to wonder, what on earth am I missing?
I slave for months—sometimes years—over a manuscript, doing rough drafts, research, and revising until I think I can’t look at the pages one more time. I follow the same process with the query, even running those past my well-published critique group. I study the guidelines for publishers and agents, then send my polished letters and manuscripts off into the world, hoping someone will love my babies enough to send me a contract.
But, when it comes to a novel or full-length non-fiction book, that hasn’t happened. And that’s why it was so depressing to see the Veggiemorphs book in my class library inventory. Not only did an editor offer a contract for this book, but someone—not me, I can assure you!—actually paid money to buy the book once it was published.
Granted, I hope what I write is much, much better than the quality of a Veggiemorph book (I’ll admit, I haven’t read one, but my students have totally panned the series). The book may not be a work of art, but at least that author got something published, got a foot in the door.
Why can’t an editor give me such a break?
My entire life I’ve wanted to be a writer. Somewhere in my future scrap-booking projects box are copies of papers and poems I wrote clear back in grade school, as well as works from my high school and college years.
My computer hard drive is filled with more recent works—five completed middle grade novels, several film scripts, the new adult novel I’m working on, and countless non-fiction projects, both short and long. And, of course, the drafts of all those query letters and a chart filled with rejections from most of them.
All of this can sometimes get depressing, especially when I have a day like today. I was doing inventory in my classroom library and picked up a copy of Veggiemorphs: The Fungus Among Us, and I had to wonder, what on earth am I missing?
I slave for months—sometimes years—over a manuscript, doing rough drafts, research, and revising until I think I can’t look at the pages one more time. I follow the same process with the query, even running those past my well-published critique group. I study the guidelines for publishers and agents, then send my polished letters and manuscripts off into the world, hoping someone will love my babies enough to send me a contract.
But, when it comes to a novel or full-length non-fiction book, that hasn’t happened. And that’s why it was so depressing to see the Veggiemorphs book in my class library inventory. Not only did an editor offer a contract for this book, but someone—not me, I can assure you!—actually paid money to buy the book once it was published.
Granted, I hope what I write is much, much better than the quality of a Veggiemorph book (I’ll admit, I haven’t read one, but my students have totally panned the series). The book may not be a work of art, but at least that author got something published, got a foot in the door.
Why can’t an editor give me such a break?
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Where Does the Weekend Go?
I always have such high hopes of getting lots of stuff done over the weekend. Alas, the stack of historical fiction papers from my 9th graders still sitting in my school bag, 23 books perched on the top of my desk awaiting guides, and two novels that absolutely must be read and reviewed before next weekend prove that the time I thought I have never seems to be enough to cover all the things I have to do.
As I write this blog entry, it’s nearly six o’clock on Sunday evening. I still haven’t sent my two weekly e-zines to subscribers, and the three thousand words I wanted to write this weekend on my new novel will be lucky to make it to two.
Of course, I have sent two submissions, written two newspaper columns, composed three blog entries, and graded a few student papers, but it all seems so insufficient compared to all that I still need to finish.
All I have to do is make it through 19 more days, and my time will suddenly be as free as that of a queen. School will be through, and I’ll be able to concentrate on all of those tasks that get set aside for when there is nothing else to do.
Ah, the luxury of it all—until August, that is, when the back to school panic once again sets in. But in the meantime, there is still so much to do!
I always have such high hopes of getting lots of stuff done over the weekend. Alas, the stack of historical fiction papers from my 9th graders still sitting in my school bag, 23 books perched on the top of my desk awaiting guides, and two novels that absolutely must be read and reviewed before next weekend prove that the time I thought I have never seems to be enough to cover all the things I have to do.
As I write this blog entry, it’s nearly six o’clock on Sunday evening. I still haven’t sent my two weekly e-zines to subscribers, and the three thousand words I wanted to write this weekend on my new novel will be lucky to make it to two.
Of course, I have sent two submissions, written two newspaper columns, composed three blog entries, and graded a few student papers, but it all seems so insufficient compared to all that I still need to finish.
All I have to do is make it through 19 more days, and my time will suddenly be as free as that of a queen. School will be through, and I’ll be able to concentrate on all of those tasks that get set aside for when there is nothing else to do.
Ah, the luxury of it all—until August, that is, when the back to school panic once again sets in. But in the meantime, there is still so much to do!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
It's a Techno-World, After All!
This past week has taken me deeper and deeper into the world of technology.
First, I finished two more Master's classes toward my degree in Information Technology.
Then, Annette Lyon got a group of us all technologically tied together through her Planet: www.WritersinHeels.com.
I set up a second blog of my own, www.LuAnnsLibraryTechnology.blogspot.com, plus posted at www.WritingontheWallblog.blogspot.com.
Next, I got myself registered all over the internet so I could post files at blink.tv, get subcribers hooked up through my blog at feedburner.com, and signed up to follow how many people are reading my blogs at technorati.com.
But, the biggest feat of all, is tonight I'm ready to advertise the first episode of "The Author's Corner," my podcast. This week features an interview with author Jeff Savage.
Those of you who listen to podcasts can subscribe and your computer will download new episodes to your MP3 (iPod) files as they become available.
Next, I'll be setting up interviews with some of YOU, but maybe I should take a few days off and grade that HUGE and growing stack of papers from my students now that only 20 days are left of school.
To listen to the podcast, click below.
This past week has taken me deeper and deeper into the world of technology.
First, I finished two more Master's classes toward my degree in Information Technology.
Then, Annette Lyon got a group of us all technologically tied together through her Planet: www.WritersinHeels.com.
I set up a second blog of my own, www.LuAnnsLibraryTechnology.blogspot.com, plus posted at www.WritingontheWallblog.blogspot.com.
Next, I got myself registered all over the internet so I could post files at blink.tv, get subcribers hooked up through my blog at feedburner.com, and signed up to follow how many people are reading my blogs at technorati.com.But, the biggest feat of all, is tonight I'm ready to advertise the first episode of "The Author's Corner," my podcast. This week features an interview with author Jeff Savage.
Those of you who listen to podcasts can subscribe and your computer will download new episodes to your MP3 (iPod) files as they become available.
Next, I'll be setting up interviews with some of YOU, but maybe I should take a few days off and grade that HUGE and growing stack of papers from my students now that only 20 days are left of school.
To listen to the podcast, click below.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Lu Ann’s Top Ten Classics
My honors students have proven the point that reading the classics does help with vocabulary development, especially when it comes to doing well on standardized tests. I’ve been reading classics since my own school days, and I’ve put together a list of ten books I’ve enjoyed. If you haven’t already ready them, pick one and give it a chance. You might be surprised by how fun it can be to read a novel written before you were born.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Signet Classics, 1997.
True gothic romance. The story of plain Jane, orphaned as a girl and raised in an abusive school, who becomes a governess of a young girl whose benefactor is irresistible to Jane. Despite their love for one another, his dark past comes between them just as they are to be married.
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. Bantam, 1986.
Must you ask? The story of Scrooge, miserliness, and finding love in the world. Incredible descriptions are lost if you’ve only seen the movie.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Warner Books, 1988.
Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, the story follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus—three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Signet Classics, 2004.
Believe it or not, I just read this fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong for the first time this year. And who said English majors couldn’t graduate without reading the classic canon?
Shakespeare, William. Romeo & Juliet. Folger Library, 2004.
How could I ever omit my favorite play by my first cousin, twelve times removed ? (We share common ancestors of Robert Arden and Mary Webb.) I memorized the soundtrack to the Zefferelli film version in 1968 and teach this tragic love story every year, yet I continue to love it and learn something new each time I teach it.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Peter Bedrick Books, 1989.
The original vampire tale begins when a young Englishman travels to Transylvania to do business with a client, Count Dracula. After showing his true and terrifying colors, Dracula boards a ship for England in search of new, fresh blood.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Oxford World’s Classic, 1984.
As Eliza flees slavery to protect her son, we see into three plantations, each worse than the other, where even the best plantation leaves a slave at the mercy of fate or death.
Stratton-Porter, Gene. A Girl of the Limberlost. The Library of Indiana Classics, 1984.
This was my mother’s favorite novel when she was a girl. I read it every year from 4th - 12th grade. Once I even visited the Limberlost—or what’s left of it—and Stratton-Porter’s home where Elnora’s butterfly collection is still displayed. The movie doesn’t do this book justice.
Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. Signet Classic, 2004.
Another classic that I just discovered this past year. The hard-edged irony and the flashback technique provides an incredible climax in this story of Ethan Frome, his wife Zenobia, and her young cousin Mattie Silver, the woman Ethan learns to love.
Wilder, Thornton. Our Town: A Play in Three Acts. Harper Collins, 2003.
Set in Grover's Corners, N.H., the play relates the story of George Gibbs and Emily Webb as they go through courtship, Emily’s early death from child-birth, and her thoughts as a spirit in the local graveyard.
My honors students have proven the point that reading the classics does help with vocabulary development, especially when it comes to doing well on standardized tests. I’ve been reading classics since my own school days, and I’ve put together a list of ten books I’ve enjoyed. If you haven’t already ready them, pick one and give it a chance. You might be surprised by how fun it can be to read a novel written before you were born.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Signet Classics, 1997.
True gothic romance. The story of plain Jane, orphaned as a girl and raised in an abusive school, who becomes a governess of a young girl whose benefactor is irresistible to Jane. Despite their love for one another, his dark past comes between them just as they are to be married.
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. Bantam, 1986.
Must you ask? The story of Scrooge, miserliness, and finding love in the world. Incredible descriptions are lost if you’ve only seen the movie.
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Warner Books, 1988.
Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, the story follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus—three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Signet Classics, 2004.
Believe it or not, I just read this fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong for the first time this year. And who said English majors couldn’t graduate without reading the classic canon?
Shakespeare, William. Romeo & Juliet. Folger Library, 2004.
How could I ever omit my favorite play by my first cousin, twelve times removed ? (We share common ancestors of Robert Arden and Mary Webb.) I memorized the soundtrack to the Zefferelli film version in 1968 and teach this tragic love story every year, yet I continue to love it and learn something new each time I teach it.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Peter Bedrick Books, 1989.
The original vampire tale begins when a young Englishman travels to Transylvania to do business with a client, Count Dracula. After showing his true and terrifying colors, Dracula boards a ship for England in search of new, fresh blood.
Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Oxford World’s Classic, 1984.
As Eliza flees slavery to protect her son, we see into three plantations, each worse than the other, where even the best plantation leaves a slave at the mercy of fate or death.
Stratton-Porter, Gene. A Girl of the Limberlost. The Library of Indiana Classics, 1984.
This was my mother’s favorite novel when she was a girl. I read it every year from 4th - 12th grade. Once I even visited the Limberlost—or what’s left of it—and Stratton-Porter’s home where Elnora’s butterfly collection is still displayed. The movie doesn’t do this book justice.
Wharton, Edith. Ethan Frome. Signet Classic, 2004.
Another classic that I just discovered this past year. The hard-edged irony and the flashback technique provides an incredible climax in this story of Ethan Frome, his wife Zenobia, and her young cousin Mattie Silver, the woman Ethan learns to love.
Wilder, Thornton. Our Town: A Play in Three Acts. Harper Collins, 2003.
Set in Grover's Corners, N.H., the play relates the story of George Gibbs and Emily Webb as they go through courtship, Emily’s early death from child-birth, and her thoughts as a spirit in the local graveyard.
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