Sequel Ideas

Hot off some writing for Discovery Education, the subject of plastic has been on my mind. Plastic in the ocean. A beach day in Israel illustrated the issue is not just in the oceans, but also the Mediterranean. Washed up on the beach was a line of beautiful, tiny little seashells and stones. On closer inspection, I discovered it was a tide-line of teeny pieces of plastic in a rainbow of colors. Red Lukas carries the environmental message of pesticide dangers and a sequel has taken shape in my mind on the subject of ocean plastic. It will be more difficult to have the book end well, but we're relying on the youth to fix that horrible mess that we left them, so introducing them to the problem in middle grade may be our only hope.

Discovery Education

My last post was in 2012 and a lot has happened since then. The publication of Is it Smooth or Rough? resulted in steady part-time writing work. All this is good, although at times I have amazed even myself at how I managed to get it all finished. Writing K-12 curriculum-based science material for Discovery Education has been an exciting part-time job. There's always something new to learn whether it's the science behind the Big Bang Theory or the communication protocols to submit the work. I just finished up a 2 week stint of high school Hands-on Labs and reading passages. And just in time, since report cards are due next week. You do all remember that I teach full-time? However, in between the two paid jobs I have managed to complete Red Lukas--actually complete and revise it. I can't seem to leave it alone yet. I'm reading it aloud slowly now and can always find a sentence here or there to tweak. But I'm starting to think about the next one. I have an idea for a second one with Lukas, but also another 2 or 3 different stories percolating away. I've decided to give Red Lukas one more read-through, and then start the next one. I'll start whichever one decides to spill out first.

A long time passing

I've decided to jump (perhaps tiptoe) back into expressing myself through writing. A return to teaching 3 years ago was exhausting, both physically and mentally, and I had to let certain things in my life go. But I discovered that as rewarding as working with the students is, it was still not fulfilling me creatively.

With the publication of Is it Smooth or Rough? in the What's the Matter series by Crabtree Publishing, I feel ready to get back to the pursuit of my dream-- writing stories.

This time I am wiser and more confident, and I hope, more persistent.

And here is the first real publication:

Is it Smooth or Rough?

RLGL

I'm having a blast with Cynthea Liu's RLGL race. Red Lukas has made it to the 3rd page and I'm eagerly waiting for the next round's results.

Crumpled Paper is well represented and S’s picture book made it to the 4th page before being sent back to the start, while L’s CB has continued on to the 5th page. Wouldn’t it be cool if she won the whole race?

No idea what I’m talkin’ about? Check out
THIS and read up on the many contests and games Cynthea offers to help out new writers.

While you're there stop by and help out a worthy cause-- libraries.

Thanks Cynthea! You're a spot of light in this dark, rejection-riddled world of publishing.

SOLAR GADGETS

First, let me start by expressing my dismay at the endless number of things that require batteries. From clocks, fire alarms and remotes to Nintendos, MP3 players and toys -- they're in everything. The need for electricity to run anything, even a light switch, was making me a little queasy. So I came up with a solution to lessen the damage we do to the planet.

A newly installed 55 w solar panel was my answer. It fills a battery in our laundry room and that battery recharges all of our gadgets. Unbelievably, it was a brainless installation - ready to go once the panel was mounted.

Now it may seem just a tad foolish to try and power up a house with sunshine when it's overcast or raining most days of the year in our locale, but we're giving it a test drive.

So far so good. The solar panel is churning out the free power even on a cloudy day. The rechargeable batteries have all been powered up and I'm feeling a little bit better about my legacy to the world.

It's all working so well it might just be time to invest in a second battery and see what else we can run off the sun.

Today batteries, tomorrow, straight into the grid!