On Thursday I shared my new cover for ZOE’S SCAVENGER HUNT. Guess what? It changed – the next day! Part 1 -Zoe’s Scavenger Hunt Fun – A Cover Story This was Thursday’s cover. I loved it! I still do. Blue’s my favorite color, and I thought it was perfect! I met with Brooke Friday at noon. That night she sent me an email. It said she was having some doubts about our cover, that she felt like this was Zoe’s story, and that she should be the focus of the cover. After I read that, I looked at the new covers. My heart still wanted this one, but my head said no. Here’s a screenshot of the new options. They’re green, and that’s not one of my favorite colors. I had a writing class later that day so I asked my teacher what she thought. She loved the original, but she said the main character is more important, especially if they’re the same age as your audience. Zoe is. She’s going into 3rd grade, and her book is written for grades 2-4. I tossed out my favorite cover and I picked one of these. When a book comes out, it’s not for me. It’s for the readers. It was easy to get rid of #1. The blue and green don’t match. I like #2 and 3, but I couldn’t pick. I went back and forth between the light and dark green. I emailed Brooke and told her what I thought. Scroll down, and you’ll see Brooke’s final choice. I think it works for our book, and its readers. This is it! #3! Brooke went with the lighter green and it looks great! Part 2 – Peek Inside ZOE’S SCAVENGER HUNT FUN Here’s a screenshot of Chapter 2, pages 8-12. It’s a tiny peek inside my new book. Brooke and I met online about the interior. She told me that we are already 5 hours over budget on the designer. Uh-oh! I had 3 pages of notes, and Brooke still went through them with me. We discussed what made sense to work on, and what to let go of. The map was something we decided to change. The one in the picture doesn’t match my words. By the time we finished talking, we put it inside a tablet. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! The other thing we changed was that little icon. I asked if we could switch it out. Now there will be a compass rose instead. Another thing I was worried about was that pages with the icons on the left were too crowded. Brooke said she’d check the gutter lines to make sure there’s room. Brooke added our comments/changes right into the interior PDF. She’ll send it to the designer who’ll make the changes. When I self-published NEIL ARMSTRONG’S WIND TUNNEL DREAM, I did all the work. I didn’t have anyone to consult, except my writing friends, and I made all the changes myself. THIS – is so much better! It’s fun being part of a team, and doing one part of the job.
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STEP INTO CHRISTMAS – I remember this song and the first time I heard it. It was on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand. I don’t remember the exact date, but it was released in November 1973. I have loved this song every Christmas since then. Fun Fact – Back in the day singles were released with A and B sides. If you didn’t have a hit, you wanted to be on the B side to earn royalties. The B side - HO, HO, HO (WHO’D BE A TURKEY AT CHRISTMAS). Not me! I never, ever heard that song, but the singer and songwriter both earned money because Elton John stepped into Christmas. Here’s the first verse from STEP INTO CHRISTMAS. As soon as I hear the guitar, I recognize it. Welcome to my Christmas song I'd like to thank you for the year So I'm sending you this Christmas card To say it's nice to have you here I'd like to sing about all the things Your eyes and mind can see So hop aboard the turntable Oh step into Christmas with me The picture above is Elton John with his writing partner Bernie Taupin (left) from 1971. STEP came out in 1973. I wonder, had they already written this song? It takes 2-3 years for a book to come out. I wonder how long it takes for a song. My search link is below. Click on that first video, and you’ll see Elton back in 1973 singing this song. It hit #1 on the Billboard Christmas Singles chart. Watch closely, or a 2nd time, and you’ll see Bernie hitting the gongs. Sorry, but Ray Cooper was actually playing them. Keep watching, and Elton will flash his Waterford Hornets Football Club (Waterford AFC). That’s Elton’s favorite soccer team. In 1976 he bought the team and became the chairman/director. He’s owned part of the team ever since. My Search Link: step into christmas elton john - Bing Source: Step into Christmas - Wikipedia Picture sources: By Uni/Universal City Records - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16672248 By David Shankbone - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=79809947 In October and November I got a blast from the past from a couple of TV commercials. First from Applebees, and then from JC Penneys! I was thrilled! Companies are still marketing me and my generation! Woohoo! This picture is a clue! Can you name that tune? No? Here’s another . . . It came out in 1971. I would have been in middle school. This song was silly. Really! The group that recorded it was Three Dog Night. Two of the three guys in the group voted no on this song. Can you name that tune? Here’s your last clue., the first line of that song . . . ‘Jeremiah was a bullfrog.’ Some people think that’s the name of the song. Sorry, it’s not. The real name – JOY TO THE WORLD. Meet the founding members of Three Dog Night back in 1969. From left to right, Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. So which one picked this song? It was the guy on the left, Chuck Negron. He thought they needed a silly song to bring the group back together, to play music like a team. It worked! The song hit #1 on Billboard’s Top 100. World-wide it sold 5 million records, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time! All from a silly song! Here’s the musician behind that #1 hit, Hoyt Axton. He thought the first line should be ‘Jeremiah was a prophet.’ Bullfrog is silly, but I can’t imagine where he could have gone with lyrics about a prophet. Here’s the basic lines of the chorus. Chuck was right! It is fun! Joy to the World To all the children To all the creatures To everyone! Sorry, I can’t give you a link for the video. The one I wanted to share is licensed to Reelin’ in the Years Productions, but I can give you my search link. The 1st video is the band in 2008. Scroll down, and you’ll find a video from 1972. That’s the group I remember. It’s what the cool guys looked like, back in the 1970’s! - Search link: joy to the world three dog night video - Bing - Sources: Three Dog Night - Wikipedia - Joy to the World (Three Dog Night song) - Wikipedia |
AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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