P.G. Shriver's Blog, page 9

Welcome, Contestants!

Shout Out! Kentucky and Ohio are joining in the fun of the Young Scholars' Contest! Welcome, Trae C. and Delvonna B. to the contest.

Beginning September 7, 2014, the first mind-blowing, puzzle-solving, treasure-hunting challenge will be posted and I can't wait to see which contestant finishes first! The end result of the challenge will be a creative, literary activity that each contestant will definitely enjoy.

Prepare your minds, read the books, and get into the hunt for that scholarship!

Book Donors Please consider donating to a student, teacher or library for this contest. Become a donor, today by clicking this link.

Flippant Thank Yous, the Forgotten, and Goodbyes

There's a great deal of discussion and complaining going on where I work. An attempt a couple of years ago to fix morale seems to only be making it worse. My morale at work is so low that I'm seriously considering not signing my contract this year and looking elsewhere. I mentioned that possibility to my students the last class meeting when they asked what classes I would be teaching next semester. They freaked out on me when they heard I might not be back! I know other instructors who rely on me to get their students through one of the most dreaded academic courses on our campus would not like to hear that news, either.

But when morale is down, it sucks the energy right out of you. I'm exhaustipated. One of the worst attempts to better a low morale situation is the flippant, written "thank yous" that have no meaning behind them. As a writer, I read between the lines, and sincerity is just not in those written thank yous.

Administration can thank you until they are blue, but it won't matter to the morale of the employees--I might get a laugh out of it because that's what Smurfs do for me.
Appreciation for the job employees do is not found in words. Though a thank you for helping out with a specific task is appreciated, redundant thank yous for doing a job are insulting and disheartening when there are no rewards or perks to back them up. Nobody is happy... still.

Want to thank your instructors or employees? Give them a raise in salary equal to the degree they hold or the time they've invested in their area of expertise.  Make instructors equal to instructors in their area, nine months contract and a salary equal to that of the time they have given you.

Instead you add new, higher paying positions to administration in order to accommodate a major change. What happened to employees being raised to the median of our salary range in two years? This year, I should be making that median--with a nine month contract!

Give employees an annual raise and treat them like other colleges treat their employees. We work hard for our students!

Public school teachers in our area (with a Bachelors degree), with equal expertise as myself, make $51,000 + a year and work on average 9 months. I'm ashamed to admit what I will be making for switching to a nine month contract! Plus, I'm pretty much pinned to campus for six hours a day or I have to take leave. Even the other local community college in our area gives raises every year, and instructors are not required to be on campus when they don't have class or office hours.

Public school teachers also get raises based on time served. The only raises given recently where I work were for a persons who already make over $300,000 a year. Of course, then there's the housing and automobile stipends given to administration in lieu of raises, the standard cover up for corruption--the stipend. I don't get a stipend for being the project coordinator in my department.

Honestly, I am beginning to feel like I work as a floor sweeper at Exxon Mobil, but alas, I only help train people who may go to work there.

Please don't misunderstand; I love my job and the students with whom I work. That's why I've stayed. I love it when my students enter my writing classes and say, "I hate writing. It's not my thing!" and leave my class saying, "Writing isn't so bad. I actually enjoyed this class." That's my "thank you" for a job well done. Unfortunately, only students, technology instructors and my department chair recognize that I do my job well. Students can't give raises, although they are ultimately the ones who pay my salary. If I were paid based on the number of students who entered my classroom and exited with a passing grade, I would be making a great deal more than I do. If I were given $1,000 for every student who left my classroom with a changed attitude about writing, I would make more than the President of the U.S. But alas, that cannot happen. I am a lowly instructor, even though I wouldn't get that student response if I didn't care and didn't creatively work hard.

Sadly, when corruption hits, I don't take it well. I start thinking it's time for a job change... or a picket. I am not alone in that thought.  At least in the majority of public schools, teachers are truly appreciated by their administration. They get little perks even. They are treated equal to administrators as they have a common goal. I don't see that we have a common goal anymore. If every instructor left and administration had to teach the classes to keep the campus alive, could they? Could they do their jobs and teach all the classes? They surely would ask for more money for teaching those classes.

Of course, morale dictates the statement,  "Well, if an instructor leaves, we'll hire someone right out of college for less. And they'll work 8-5 without complaint for a measly $30,000 a year, and we can mold them and shape them and beat them into submission to do our bidding. And then we'll give an administrator a raise with the difference!"

That's the attitude that stems from the appearance of corruption, which grows and flourishes out of guilt of receiving something nobody else in the business has received... a raise!

Honestly, I feel forgotten. I feel mistreated. I feel unwanted. And I feel worth so much more than I'm offered. I would like to negotiate my contract this year, but I'm told they'll just hire someone else to do the job for less. There's no money for raises. Then how are administrators getting raises and stipends?

Happy instructors make happy students. Happy students make more happy students. More happy students build a bigger campus.

Unhappy students build a closing campus.

Someone is forgetting that.

Another Contestant!

Shout Out Welcome the newest contestant, Diana J. from CA, to my Young Scholars' Contest!

Registrants are popping up from all over the U.S. Scholarship totals are growing! It is so exciting to think that I might actually be able to give away three big scholarships in May 2015! 


2015/2016 ProjectThough my contest is off to a slow start, it's picking up as schools begin all over the country. I cannot say the same for the Young Scholars Read project that I'm trying to have funded through IndieGoGo. There are so many horrible events taking place in the world today, and sometimes I fear that the bad overpowers the good events taking place. I wish humanity wasn't so thirsty for the negative that the media feeds. I feel a little like my character, Cheater, trying to do good in a society that has lost hope of all good.

It's very sad.

The project could be a truly positive event for so many people. If I could get everyone to donate a dollar or two, it would make a huge difference, but the economy is so dire.

Emotional Rides I'm up; I'm down... tt's fun to open my email to a new registrant, but not fun to see my project fund sitting dormant. At least my contest scholarship totals are rising. :D
Call to Authors Authors, please consider joining my project and helping change the face of independent and self publishing! Together we can build an altruistic network of authors who will be the first to change the independent publishing world for children's and young adult books. I've always heard there's two ways to make money: give it away or be born with it.
Become a Book DonorPotential book donors for the Young Scholars' Contest, please donate books and share the news with schools in your area. It will help make this contest a success this coming May and possibly help three students go to college absolutely free.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Young Scholars' Contest Update

Good News Excitement is flowing through my house this morning! There's nothing better than to wake up to a new contest registration form for my Young Scholars' Contest!

This contest is going to be a huge success as schools enter their first semester all over the country! I feel the success of the contest coming on and I can't wait to give those three winners a scholarship in May 2015! 


Shout Out! Shout out to Tayvaris T in Florida; good luck, Doubled T! Glad you could join The Gifted Ones on their mission!
2015/2016 Project
In order to share the contest success with other indie authors, I've added a new perk to the Young Scholars Read project that I'm trying to have funded through IndieGoGo. The perks are designed specifically for indie authors of children's books and young adult books, as well as those who may be willing to become a book donor for the 2015/2016 contest.

If you are an author, or know an author who has a book for children or young adults, please visit the project page to check out the new perk. I would love to add your book to the 2015/2016 contests and help you market it to schools and libraries! This is a new, "think outside the box" way to get your book noticed!
Note: There is a guideline for a book submitted to the program: it must be clean in content. As this is a scholarly contest, no highly erotic books or books with high sexual content will be included. Books will be reviewed before adding them to the Young Scholars Read program.High Expectations I am thrilled that this contest is turning out the way I expected! As a veteran educator, I've always practiced the ideal that students perform by teacher expectations, and now I am applying that to my contest. It feels so good to set high expectations for myself for a change!
Call to Authors Authors, please join me in changing the face of independent and self publishing! Together we can build an altruistic network of authors who will be the first to change the independent publishing world for children's and young adult books.
Become a Book Donor
Potential book donors for the Young Scholars' Contest, please donate books and share the news with schools in your area. It will help make this contest a success this coming May and possibly help three students go to college absolutely free.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Indie Children's Book Authors: Don't Read this... or Do!

My Young Scholars Contest has generated so much excitement in local schools and businesses that my QR codes are literally being torn off the walls of area businesses!


Yep! That's my flyer with the missing codes! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing my books are getting that kind of local marketing! Next goal, national marketing!



That's what inspired me to take my newly trademarked and copyrighted idea a step further and open it up to other indie children's book authors. I've always wanted to get into the publishing world, but couldn't quite figure out the niche I wanted to use. Three roadblocks have kept me from getting my books into schools:


They're not hardcover books--school libraries still prefer the touchy-feely experience with reading, and teachers prefer hardcover picture books for their classrooms!Independent books don't make the library catalogs unless they're published the right way! I discovered that as a teacher/ author.Social media marketing is so overblown with authors these days that nobody looks at twitter and Facebook links for books! I don't! Besides, most children are too young for social media and don't have the means to buy and read digital books!
I want to change that with my new publishing niche...



As a veteran educator, I love to read, write, and design literary challenges based on books.  I am having a blast designing the ones for my two books. So, I thought, why am I being so selfish about this? Why not open it up to other CB authors who may need a little extra boost to get their books into school libraries?

So I am.

The project is a big one, though, and very expensive to get it started. I've already invested so much in it, though, with lawyer fees, printing costs, trademarking and copyrighting, etc. and I can only pay so much a month out of my meager instructor and author incomes. I thought about going to a bank with the idea, but my brother suggested I try a different route first. So, I'm doing something I've never done before! I am enlisting the help of crowd funding, which I was skeptical about... not to mention a little too proud to use! But, hey, if breweries can get funded, surely scholarship programs can, too!

Anyway, this morning I made the project real for self-published children's book authors. I've added three perks for indie children's book authors to give them first chance to get their books into hardcover and the program to be ready for school libraries in August 2015! I'm hoping you all will make me a busy publishing woman this next year! So, come on and join me, indie CBAs and be the first to help me make a name for self-published children's book authors in the world of education! It's a great way to market your books to schools and boost your speaking career as an author! I don't think you'll want to refuse the contract, either! :D

Note: you have to be self-published to enter this program, because it's necessary that you have maintained all rights to your works. You don't want to get into a breach of contract with your publisher! If you have self-published your books in hardcover, we can still work your book into the program. You will maintain your rights, only this edition will be stamped with the Young Scholars Read logo on the front cover to let educators know it's part of the program.

It's about the scholarship program, not the publishing aspects!

Find out more about the project here: http://igg.me/at/YoungScholarsRead/x/8343562

The Tiger Ate My Goats

It was just a dream... wasn't it?

I remember watching with wild eyes as the principal approached me. I didn't do it. I wasn't a part of whatever it was he discovered. What was worse, I didn't know about any pranks the class had pulled lately. Had they left me out this time?

My fingers gripped the pencil in my hand and I quickly wrote my name on the test paper reluctant to move my eyes upward. He was standing right in front of me.

"I need to speak to you," he tapped on my desk, his stubby finger thumping three times to get my attention.

Graduation is a week away! I can't get suspended now! My mind raced through the possible reasons he might have for summoning me to the office. Nothing! I hadn't done anything to require a visit to the office. Unless... somebody had blamed me for something.

I followed him down the long hallway to his office. "Sit down," he pointed to a chair in front of his large mahogany desk and closed the door behind me.

"Sir, I didn't... " I shook my head as I sat.

"No, you didn't. I called you out of class to tell you that Mr. Durvin was caught cheating on an exam, with his cell phone. He was suspended this morning," the thick, dark brows drew together in expectation of a reply. His chin rested on his folded hands and his lips puckered in anticipation of my reaction.

"I didn't cheat," I defended myself.

"No, I know that. With Mr. Durvin's recent shenanaigans, he can no longer be Valedictorian," he paused, "which means you are the next in line."

"Me?" Surprise was an understatement.

"Yes, you. I suggest you get busy on preparing your Valedictory speech. And, Ms. Eual, there is a one thousand dollar school scholarship given for the honor. Do you intend to go to college? I hate to award it to someone who isn't going to use it."

"College?" I hadn't thought of that. I had a job. I had been supporting my family since my dad left. How could I think about college? Did I have time for college? I'd worked my way up to assistant manager at the D.Q. Those 40 hours a week had been difficult enough to maintain during my senior year. "Uhm, yes, sure."

A speech? In a week? Two weeks ago, I had been third in the class. I was content to be third. My hard work hadn't gone unnoticed, but at the same time, I didn't have to accept an award or give a speech. Suddenly, I was top of the class. Suddenly, I had to stand up in front of thousands and speak! The rest of the school day was a thick fog of fear.

College?  I thought about the word, what it meant, what I had agreed to. What would Mom say? She hadn't gone to college. Would she be happy? How could she be happy after Dad walked on us? I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want her to be torn between happiness for me and sadness for herself. I didn't want her to think she had to be happy right now.

Walking the few blocks home with my younger siblings--I was conserving my gas for work--I discussed it with my sister. By the time I twisted the doorknob, I had decided to downplay the whole idea, pretend it wasn't a big deal. That way, Mom wouldn't have to get excited.

She did anyway. Her pride lit the room, though it was a mask over the depression within. She began to call family members and spread the good news. Of course, I didn't tell her about the scholarship. "Oh yes, she's Valedictorian! Isn't that great? She's going to be giving a speech and everything!" Her voice faded as I slipped into my bedroom.

I did the math.

Valedictorian+College=$$

How much did it cost to go to college? Had anyone else in our family gone to college? Until today, I hadn't even spoke the word. Where would I even begin to check it out?

Did it even matter? I would have to take a second job just to pay for it; I was sure.

Nobody in my poverty stricken family could help...

That night, I dreamed about a herd of goats in a pasture and they were all eaten by a beautiful, Bengal tiger. I was surprised because tigers were not native to my country--unless they were in a zoo--and the only goats I had seen, other than my grandfather's, were the two baby goats the neighbors kept as pets in their house.

I just wanted to crawl under my bed and scream!

Who would help someone like me go to college?



     

Who is That?

Thought I'd warm up my fingers for the Young Scholars Contest challenges while offering a little game of guess the character in one paragraph. How about a game of...


Below is a descriptive paragraph I wrote about a book character. It is not a paragraph copied from the book itself. If you think you know the character, comment with the book and name of character.  No questions or hints will be given. The person who guesses correctly will be deemed the winner and receive a gold trophy (image, of course) posted to the social media of their choice with no comment! Won't that make your followers curious? ; ) Good luck!


Slender, pale fingers scratched the crown of her head and pulled through long, greasy strands. How long had it been since she'd taken a bath, or eaten?  "Ouch," a snarl gripped her fingers and tugged at her sensitive scalp. She shook her hand free of the tangle and pressed her chin into V-shaped palms; a thoughtful pout dawned her lower lip. Stiff, brown grass bit into her elbows and prickled her grumbling stomach. She'd learned to survive on her own, but it hadn't been easy. Some--from her past--would laugh at her, point their fingers, say, "You call that surviving?" She would have to laugh back and tell them, "I'm still here, still alive--still good." But why? To what end? What would happen when she arrived at her desired destination?

Nerves of Jelly

All the excitement generating about the Young Scholars' Contest has me on edge. Positive vibes... negative vibes... positive... negative... positive... negative... it's a 24 hour a day roller coaster of anticipation.


There is so much to do, yet. Prepare to take the contest to TWWF and Comic Con Waco, both are right around the corner. Great ideas to build on present themselves to me every day through my daughter and her marketing whiz boyfriend--write down that idea, this idea, plan it, do it, make it happen! Take the contest to the universe! Where is the "raggedy man", anyway? I could use his help.

And... the thought of giving away so much scholarship money--well, it's like an entire drum corp practicing inside my brain. The contest hasn't even begun and fear of the unknown is stealing my steel.

I would shake a Magic 8 Ball if I had one, and the Q & A would go like this:

Will the contest be a success? Cannot predict now

Will I give away three big scholarships in May? Better not tell you now

Will many students enter the contest? Ask again later

Will donors give the books to schools? Reply hazy, try again

What do you know, Magic 8 Ball? What?! Concentrate and ask again

Can you fly, Magic 8 Ball?! Crash!

There is only one more day between me and registration for the contest. One day... and the closer it gets, the less I sleep. I have worked very hard on preparations: flyers, letters, bookmarks, blog posts, FB posts, tweeting so loudly I feel I might be annoying. The real work will begin on Friday, and it won't end until May 15, 2015.

I'm not afraid of real work, mind you. I've done crazier things in the name of work.
I entered a contest that required me to write a novella, 30,000 words, in 30 hours (maybe six hours of sleep--coffee was my best friend and I still woke up and went to work Monday).I wrote an entire novel one November (My daughter could have run off with Dr. Who and I wouldn't have noticed).I stayed up all night writing, planning, reasoning ideas (I couldn't sleep anyway--somebody was snoring).I have forgone food and hygiene to meet a deadline (Pyew). And so many other tasks I dare not mention... in the name of writing--work. What upcoming craziness will happen to make this contest a success over the next 10 months? Ask again later. (Huh, I thought it was broken...)

This is certain, right now my super nerves are turning to jelly... in 38 hours, I may be curled up in the fetal position in a corner of my office sucking my thumb while trying to repair the 8 Ball. :D

Positive vibes, please...

This Year's Altruistic Educational Project

Donate Two Books Help Three Students go to College
Hello, it's altruistic project time in my house.
I am P. G. Shriver, author of the young adult, fantasy series The Gifted Ones, and I am a bit altruistic. My husband would say too much so, especially when it comes to children. Each year, I try to sponsor a special project with my books for children and young adults. Two years ago, I had a sign up contest for teachers and sent the winner free copies of my books, then I visited the six classrooms for that grade--at my expense. Last year, I did free presentations for schools--at my expense.

Allow me to explain the inspiration behind this year's project choice. Having grown up in a poor family, I had to rely on student loans to pay my way through college, and most adults know how long those take to pay off. I've had a graduate degree since 2005, and I just paid off my 20 year old loans last year! So with this old debt relieved and foremost in mind, I devised a plan. This year's project began to form and grew huge--bigger than huge... ginormous!
My goal this year is to relieve three college bound students from the potential pits of debt by providing them a full scholarship. I can visualize their faces now with the reaction I might have had if someone had done the same for me as a teenager. Few images are more precious to me than the face of a truly happy, excited child--that's why Christmas is so special in our household. My plan grew into a contest, a literary contest that involves a scavenger hunt and final creative project based on sections of books. I'm sure being an educator for the past 18 years helped me come up with this plan, but I didn't want the challenges to be mundane and simple. I wanted the challenges to challenge and to bring the love of reading back to students who have been so stifled by standardized reading tests, and I believe each challenge will do just that.
Now, my contest is ready for sign up beginning August 1, 2014. The contest is free for students to enter and win. The goal for them is to earn points by being among the first to complete each monthly challenge. In order for the Young Scholars' Contest to be a success, though, the students need to have the books The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream to complete the challenges. That's where caring people like you come in. I need your help making the books readily available for students to read. If you're a giving person, even if you're not a reader, you can help students obtain the books by:
Purchasing copies of The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream from August 1, 2014 -April 30, 2015 and donating them to a 13-18 year old in your family.Purchasing copies of The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream from August 1, 2014 -April 30, 2015 and donating them to a U. S. 7-12 grade teacher or classroom.Purchasing copies of The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream from August 1, 2014 -April 30, 2015 and donating them to a local community library or school library in the U. S.Gifting a digital copy of The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Gifted Ones: The Dream to a teacher, student or classroom in your area (This is a great option for teachers who have received grants for iPads to use in their classrooms).
When you donate the books, provide the contest flyer and educator letter with the books, or download them, save them and email them when you send the digital copies.
As a gift to you for your generous donation toward this year's project, I would love to you give you two free PDF books--one picture book and one novel. To receive them, forward a copy of your Amazon receipt email (please black out any personal information) to pgshriver@geanpenny.com and I'll be happy to send you a reply with the download links.
It's that simple! You provide the two books for the contest, receive two free books as a gift, and I donate the money for their college education!
Thanks in advance for your part in making this contest a success!

P. G. Shriver

Young Scholars' Contest

Happy Sunday all!

I have been busy preparing for a huge contest centered around my series The Gifted Ones: The Fairytale and The Dream. If any of my followers are parents of 13-18 year olds, or are in the field of education, I hope you will spread the word to other parents and educators. The contest is open to all U.S. students who plan to attend college. I would love for this contest to help the three highest scoring participants win full scholarships to the college of their choice!

You can help this contest be a success just by sharing this blog post, letter, flyer and press release with anyone who may have an interest in helping students achieve their dreams of going to college.

I have applied to have the scholarship listed on Scholarships.com during the upcoming school year, also.

The two paperback versions of the books will go on sale August 1, 2014 when the scholarship amounts begin to accrue, and remain on sale through April 30, 2015. The books are also available in digital format through Amazon.

Visit my website for more information.

Have a wonderful week!