Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Tuesday - Woo-Hoo Day!

Yesterday afternoon I went in to town to work with second graders (I love that...I just walk in, grab a clipboard and go hunting for students available to do some extra reading or writing...) as a volunteer in my old school (from which I am retired).  That in itself made it a great day.  I have one kid who asks throughout the week if I'm coming to read with him.  I like that.  Someone looks forward to seeing me.  AND then I leave.  I don't have to keep Running Records, score anything, write a report, etc...none of that.  All the good parts of teaching without the paperworky quirky things.
So yesterday was already a great day.
But when I got home, there was a small UPS package waiting for me, leaning up against my front door.
As an aside, I do have to tell you this.  If I hadn't even seen the package, I'd have known someone had been on our front porch by the dog's reaction when I got home.  She was standing over as far away from the door as possible, looking at us from between the open stairs to the loft, barking at us.  She didn't come to the door.  She's a Golden Retriever, and older, and when we come home sometimes she'll bark a little bit, but then comes to the door to greet us with her tail end all wiggly-twiggly.  But when someone has been there - like UPS, FedEx or the oil man, she's hiding out as far away as possible, barking from a safe distance.  She's a great "delayed alert" dog.

Anyway, there was a small package on the doorstep, and it was my paperback copy of Winter Ways!  When I had torn the package open in my own special way (which will be a blog another day), it looked just right, better even than I'd imagined.  It was shiny covered, just right for holding sized, with real paper pages inside and my poems and my pictures and my name and an ISBN.  No, it does not get any better than that.  Not yet anyway.

I'm still waiting for The Fall of the Leaves of Fall.  I think they lost it, being 4 days overdue now.  For some reason it did not have a tracking number as this one did and the book my grandson got.  So I can't tell you about that one yet.  I do know this one is just the way I had hoped it would look - and I'm being assured FLF will be beautiful, too.

So this is a reminder for anyone out there with any iBook reader for iPad, iPhone or Mac computer...Winter Ways is available as a free download this week and next.  Just click on the book to the right and select ebook for $0.00!
Who knows, you may want your own paperback...
Here it is:
An ISBN! It must be a real book!

The cover - my front yard in winter

Here's Twinkly Sprinkly...

And two more where that came from!

I had a great day!  Now let's go make someone else's day great by reading other Slices of Life over at Two Writing Teachers today because it is Tuesday - WooHoo Day!

11 comments:

  1. I could feel your excitement pouring off the page.It looks lovely. Is that something you will share with kids the next time you volunteer?

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    1. This was very exciting to see in my own grubby hands! And yes, I believe I will be sharing it next week with a few kids and the librarians at our two elementary schools.

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  2. So exciting Donna. The book looks wonderful. I really need to get going on my book for the grandchildren for Christmas. You've inspired me again! Funny about your dog. Each one its own personality...

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    1. Set a date goal for "done by". That is the only way I could do it.
      Yes, this dog is so strange that way. The UPS man used to try to give her a treat, but she wouldn't take it even after he left. If I held it for a while, she would finally accept it. No food from strangers, I guess. Has to smell like us!

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  3. That cover is beautiful! I always love pictures of trees, especially trees with snow. <3

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    1. Thanks, Chrys. I love tree pictures, too. This one was taken with an iPhone from my front window in the livingroom.

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  4. Wow! How exciting! Your book is beautiful.
    I read a short passage with each of my first-graders three times a week. I time them for a minute and they are so proud to go a little farther every day. Our chart with individual fluency goals is the hotspot of our class. I may even want to continue after I'm retired, too :)

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  5. Wait a minute! When did I miss that you were releasing a book?
    Bah!
    Going to pick it up, now.

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  6. How exciting! Your dog sounds like my cat. If someone comes to the house, she heads for under the bed. No one would ever know we had a cat unless we tell them.

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  7. How exciting Donna! You are so talented!

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  8. Wow...this is a great moment in an author's life...congratulations. I hope someday, maybe me. Can we find it on Amazon? xo

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