M.J. Fredrick's Blog, page 78

Whimper

I spent three hours grading tonight, and didn't touch reading, science or social studies. Even my son pitched in for a bit. This day was nuts–getting to work half an hour before traffic duty, then computer lab (more grading while the kids worked on a math assignment), then revising as a class (we kicked BUTT on that sample paper), then library, music, silent reading, lunch (more grading), math (2-digit multiplying), science, traffic duty, faculty meeting, then home for more grading. I still have a TON of paperwork and my newsletter for next week. I'm hoping next week when my student teacher starts teaching math things will calm down.

I'm dying to work on my own revisions, and I got my FLEs for my Samhain short story, and I haven't seen Hawaii 5-0 in over 24 hours

New Developments and Obsessions

Monday morning I was pretty tired, and had some plain-old lessons to give my kids while I caught up on paperwork. I was talking attendance when the VP walked in. Turns out I'm getting a student teacher after all (3 weeks after everyone else) and he was on campus and would be down in a few minutes.

Um.

On one hand I'm glad I didn't know or I would have been nervous. On the other hand…poor guy. I haven't had time to plan anything fun or good, and we're kinda boring right now, because we're so far behind, and that paperwork? Not even CLOSE to catching up and I have a meeting Friday when it's due.

We're at the time of year in SA when it's too cold with the AC on and too hot with it off. Please to send another cool front!

Also, very obsessed now with Alex O. Bought two episodes of 5-0, the pilot (because it's not on Hulu) and last night's, because, well, did you see it? :::fans self::: Watched The Oyster Farmer. Found tons of pictures. I think he's going to be the bartender in my series.

Revisions Sent, Long Live Revisions

I sent the revisions for my short story back to my Samhain editor. Now I'm focusing on Midnight Sun for the next 2 weeks, until  NaNoWriMo. If I'm very good, I can finish it, then maybe work on revisions on my bodyguard book and send it out again. It's too short to go to print at Lyrical or TWRP, so I want to make it longer.

I finished reading Maybe This Time this weekend, and finished watching The Tudors, so I'm feeling very accomplished. Too bad I couldn't sleep last night Not going to be able to stay up for Hawaii 5-0! (Also, to update you on my new obsession–my ringtone is now the Hawaii 5-0 theme song and I bought the first episode from iTunes because it's not on Hulu.

Goals for the Week of Carnival

So last week was nuts, though I didn't get to everything on my list. This week is even worse. Add to it a guest blog (already done, but…) I'm really glad the carnival is this week, though, which means I'll be able to actually enjoy Halloween week.

 

1)      Traffic duty

2)      Faculty meeting

3)      More SPED meetings

4)      Carnival

5)      Requested revisions on short story for Samhain

6)      SPN Sisters blog

7)      Revisions on Midnight Sun

8)      Walk

9)      House

 

I recast the hero in the short story because I just wasn't feeling a spark. So now I give you:

 

What to Listen to Next

I'm ALMOST done with the audio book that's been making me so mad. I swear, road rage could have been caused by two of the characters in this book. I called the woman more names than you'd want to hear, and the hero, well, he's just too good to be true, and has no spine. Not to mention, every time they're onscreen, the conflict is rehashed, and we get more pregnancy details than you ever want to know. Anyway, I like the other parts of the book, but I should be done listening today.

So, what to listen to next?

I have the next Sookie. I love the narrator of these books.

I have Covet, by JR Ward. Right now this is the frontrunner.

But I've been watching The Tudors, and I have The Boleyn Inheritance, too.

I also have the next book in the series, but I need to give that town some space for a bit.

I still haven't written this week

This School Year

I'm not sure what it is about this school year that is kicking my butt. I've brought work home more this year than any other year in my career! I get to work at 7, I work through planning and sometimes lunch. I don't get anything done after school because 1) I'm wiped and 2) my last child doesn't get picked up until around 3:15.

A couple of things have changed. We HAVE to have 2 grades per subject per week entered into our online gradebook. Now, I've always kept up with grades but if I didn't get my two a week, I could always let it slide until the next week. This year, no choice, and just knowing stresses me out.

I have SIX low-performing students, and in addition to working with them, I have to document the skills and the grades. Yesterday during planning I wanted to work on the paperwork, but one of my former parents came in to talk, and I only did half. Also, I need to add another student to that list, because, God bless her, she's struggling.

I'm trying to do centers, which are easy once you get them set up, but the setting up part? Not so much.

Oh, and we have to do our lesson plans differently. Everyone in the grade level is supposed to do them on the computer and send them to me, then I send them to the boss. I'm getting lesson plans turned in to me on Wednesday, when we've already been teaching 2 days. I mean, I know what I'm supposed to be doing, but it's annoying, knowing I need to turn them in.

I've already taken 3 days off, 2 to go to California and one to spend with my dh last week on his vacation. The one holiday we've had, I was traveling. I am REALLY looking forward to Thanksgiving break.

I feel weird posting this because I've not written since Monday.

Things I'm Waiting On

The cover for my next short story from Samhain

The cover for Road Signs

Revisions on STTA

Word about a short story for Harlequin Undone

Word about a short story for TWRP

My author copies of Breaking Daylight! I just checked to see how far in advance of release date I got my Surface copies, and it was three weeks. Well, this week is three weeks!

More time!

What are you waiting on?

Goals for Week of Teh Crazy

Happy 10-10-10!!! I hope it's as lucky as they say!

BUSY week ahead. Not as busy as October usually is, but still. All this and the last season of The Tudors on DVD. I think I'm not going to be able to glom them.

1)     Finish edits on short story, due Friday

2)     Edits on Road Signs, due Monday

3)     Shower for teacher who had her baby in August (but told us she was pregnant the last day of school last year. Otherwise we would have had her shower THEN. Also, 3rd grade had a shower in September for THEIR pregnant teacher, so…)

4)     Go to my students' volleyball game. They've been begging me and there are only 2 games left. It may not look like it, but this week is better than next.  It can't be that long, right? And I'll just stay at school, get work done, grab dinner, then go.

5)     Dinner with SARAs after Jane Porter's booksigning at The Twig on Thursday.

6)     My own booksigning at school.

7)     Two guest blogs to turn in and a blog for SPN Sisters

8)     Prepare some promo stuff for a loop event Friday. I need to send it to another author to post for me, since I'll be at work.

9)     Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork for meetings this week.

10)  Requested revisions on another short story. (this may have to wait)

11)  Revisions on Midnight Sun. (this, too)

12)  House

13)  Walking (I got off schedule last week with the dh home.)

 

Star Power Up for Book of the Week!

Star Power got a 4 1/2 book review at Long and Short Reviews, so it's up for Book of the Week! If you're so inclined, please vote!

I have caught up on Vampire Diaries, except for this week's episode, which is on the Tivo. Next–watch the first episode of this season of Fringe online, then can watch the rest on Tivo. The Tudors' final season is on DVD Tuesday. Can. Not. Wait.

BUT. Today I need to clear some stuff off my plate–finish edits for my Samhain short story, get promo stuff together for a Hispanic Heritage month promo next Friday on the Samhain loop, read a short story for another Samhain author, and perhaps work on Midnight Sun. If I can just get past this one scene, the next few should flow a little better. And maybe get a little paperwork done for school. If I could work in the yard, that would be nice, too. Still haven't gotten any new plants.

What are you doing today?

Timeline of my Books

I wrote Star Power in June, contracted it in July and it's out in October. That's astonishing to me. True, it's only like 70 pages, but still. I started thinking about the length of time from writing to publication on my other books. Sometimes it was because I was waiting waiting waiting to hear. Sometimes it was a ton of revisions. But here's what I remember:

Hot Shot: Started writing in 2000. Finalled in Golden Heart and requested by SIM in 2003. Finalled in Golden Heart and had revision call from an editor in 2004. Rejected in 2004. Got agent in 2006. Spent most of 2007 revising. Broke up with agent in 2007. Finalled in the Maggies in 2007. Sold to Samhain in 2007. Book released in 2008. Won Eppie in 2009.

Where There's Smoke: Started writing in 2002. Finalled in first contest in 2002. Requested by SSE in 2003. My first set of requested revisions in 2003. Entered in Golden Heart in 2004. Sold in 2007, released in 2008.

Beneath the Surface: Started writing in 2004. Finalled in the Golden Heart in 2006. Requested and rejected in 2006 by Harlequin. Was an Emily winner, too, but I forget the year. Sold February 2009, released September 2009.

Don't Look Back: Started writing in 2005.Finalled in Golden Heart 2006. Was an Emily winner, but I forget the year. Sold to The Wild Rose Press in July 2009. Released in Sept. 2010.

Breaking Daylight: Started writing in 2007. Requested and rejected by Harlequin in 2008. Sold to Samhain in July 2009. Released January 2010.

Bull by the Horns: Started writing in February (2008? I think), sold to The Wild Rose Press in May, published in October.

Sunrise Over Texas: Started writing November 2008. Rejected by Harlequin in 2009. Sold to Carina Press May 2010, released September 2010.

Road Signs: Started writing November 2009. Sold to Carina Press August 2010, released March 2011.

Something to Talk About: Started writing 2008, sold to Lyrical Press June 2010. Expecting revisions any day now. (Who wants to bet they'll come during NaNoWriMo?)

I'm working on revisions on 2 stories right now, so don't know if I'm coming or going here