Monday.

[velvetpage]

Dedication and acknowledgements are written for my book. I'll be sending those off shortly, as soon as I'm done fussing with them.

Everyone at work now knows that I'm about to become a published author. Half my kids want to buy the book. While it's not a kids' book, it's not so far above their maturity level that I would feel awkward with them reading it or knowing that I wrote it. I may have to avoid telling my students when the dolphin book gets published, though. :) I'm going to give them the web address just before summer vacation, so they can buy it when it becomes available if they want to.

The day went all right. The kids were loud but not obnoxious, and work was accomplished. They're happy with me right now because I'm teaching transformational geometry using quilt blocks that I printed out from a website. I'm going to have them make paper quilts, and if they want to keep the patterns, they can. I think a few of them are going to hit up their grandmothers for sewing lessons this summer. :) I think it's a great idea - a quilt would be a wonderful project for a summer. In fact, looking at those quilt blocks, I'm having significant quilt envy myself. I'm debating making a tie-quilt for Melissa's baby instead of an afghan. Tie-quilts are easy - all the fun of choosing fabrics, cutting, and piecing, and none of the tedium of hand-quilting. They don't last as long, but it's a baby quilt - it only has to last until the baby outgrows it.

I'm no longer doing guided reading using levelled books. I'm miles behind on social studies, and I can't fit it in anywhere unless I make use of guided reading to do on-topic reading and comprehension activities. So as of tomorrow, we're doing guided reading using pages photocopied out of books about Ancient Egypt and Medieval Times, respectively. At least I can use them to put units together for next year. The plan for the fall is to teach Mesopotamia in September, Egypt in October, Greece in November, Rome in December, and wrap up with a week each on China, the Aztecs, the Mayans, and whoever else I need to squeeze in there in January.

Comments

[purplkat.livejournal.com]

OMG!! When did I miss this?! You're getting published?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Yesterday. My publisher works really, really fast when he decides to get things done. :)

[purplkat.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, that RULES!

You've got to promise to write a post detailing how you went about it.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Um. . . I emailed the manuscript to my husband's publisher, who happens to be the main author and publisher of the role-playing game on which the book is based (meaning he owns the rights to the setting.) He liked it. Two years later, he has found the money to publish it. It's small-time - a few thousand copies max, because he doesn't have access to the big distributors. But it's a foot in the door.

[purplkat.livejournal.com]

Oh! So this isn't the dolphin book?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Nope. This is the first one. The dolphin book is a bit of a prequel to this, actually.

[catsarah.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!! Wow...I'll have to get you to sign a copy for me :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! You may actually see the finished book before I do, since you'll be at Anthrocon and I won't.

[melstra.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I've ever given proper congratulations for your book either, felicitations!! I'm horribly envious-- I started a novel back in college and still have those few chapters sitting around somewhere. Oh well, someday!

The quilt/geometry lessons sound great! Very creative and practical. Do you have a sewing machine? I hand pieced (and quilted!) a lovely quilt for a good friend's baby several years ago but it would go so much faster with a machine (for the piecing if not the quilting). I can recommend flannel if you do a quilt-- they hold up better and are so soft for babies.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I have a machine for the piecing, but it's really not big enough for machine quilting, and I don't have room to set up a quilting frame, so I really can't stitch it the traditional way. I usually use flannel for the backing of baby quilts, but I've never liked the fabrics enough to use them for the fronts. We'll see - the baby isn't due until October. :)

[melstra.livejournal.com]

You have to pin carefully, but with something as small and manageable as a baby quilt, you really don't need a quilting frame-- I have never used one and my quilts have come out fine. (I've only made one all by myself, but I've quilted one or two more with help from my mother who does them for AIDS babies). As for colors, I know what you mean, though I personally like the simple look and did my flannel quilt in large color blocks of hunter green, sage green and ivory. I've bought more flannel to do one in green, purple and ivory...when I can find the time! :-) For the last one I did, the baby was going to be either called Ash or Holly-- so I did cardstock templates of both types of leaves and quilted those onto the squares. It worked really beautifully, and with solid color blocks instead of patterns, the stitching showed quite well.

Tie quilts are definitely nice too, though. And fast!

quilting

[(Anonymous)]

You can machine quilt a baby quilt on a regular machine. I have a Viking 1090(old) and I have quilted at least 2 baby quilts - stitch in the ditch - with no quilting hoop or special attachment (except a good needle). I also used cotton batting - washable, and thinner.

Congrats on the book!

Jadecat's older sis & Mrs. Dagoski

Re: quilting

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I may try it, but probably not this summer. I need to finish book #2.

If you have an LJ, feel free to add me. :)

[toad-hall.livejournal.com]

congratulations on becoming published!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Wanna trade a copy of your new novel for one of mine?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Has yours been accepted?

I think I'm up for that. :)

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Yup! I sent in the final page proofs a few weeks ago, and Maggie Hogarth sent them the cover art too... getting close.

Yay, trade!

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Very cool! I'm looking forward to reading it! I ran out of the time and attention needed to keep up with Sythyry some time ago, but a novel is easier to work with. :)

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

All the best with your book getting published.

::B::

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[rallymama.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Can I get in on the novel-trading?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Do you have a book to trade? I didn't know that!

[(Anonymous)]

I've been working on it since National Novel Writing Month of 2005, when an idea dropped out of the sky and demanded to be written. I'm about 2/3 the way through it, I guess, and I would like to at least run it past a publisher when the time comes.

[neebs.livejournal.com]

Oooooooooh famousness!!!!

Congrats! =)