The Bouncy Castle in Space

JoyMC

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Hey, do you guys remember that Harry Potter quilt I made? It's up-thread a ways. I know several of you would love to have one for yourself - well, there's a charity raffle right now for a completed quilt just like it. I made one of the squares. You get a raffle entry for every dollar donated to a Texas children's charity, and I thought some of you might like to know. I wasn't sure, though, where to post it. Mods, can I post the link here? Or somewhere else?
 

heza

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That's cool, Joy!

So I did hang out with my niece and nephew. My stories aren't as funny, though, and probably only cute because the kids are related to me. But...

The nephew, six, was running around the yard, jumping and tumbling and stuff, when I arrived. He shot out to greet me and, in passing, mentioned he'd hurt his foot earlier. He continued to run and jump off furniture and wrestle the dog, right up until we had to go out to dinner. When Mom tried to put shoes on him, he started screaming and crying. He didn't want anything to touch his toes because they hurt so badly. So my sister wrapped his foot in an ace bandage so he wouldn't be completely barefoot (couldn't even bear a sock).

We were a bit worried he'd broken his toe because thereafter, he wouldn't put his foot on the ground and insisted on hopping around on his good foot. We got everyone in the car and got to the restaurant, and he was still teary-eyed. When he spotted the handicap ramp, he said, "Mom? I think I should take the ramp. I really think that's what'll be best for me right now."

More hopping around. Then when we got home, he insisted he needed a cane. So they got out a cane and put it on the shortest setting. Within five minutes he was jumping on the furniture and using the cane as a lightsaber.

But at the restaurant, while they were still trying to figure out how badly he was actually hurt, he decided he wanted to ride his bike when he got home, and my BIL asked how he planned to ride with just one foot. So my niece, ten, explained how you do that (pushing down hard with the one foot while you're going fast enough).

BIL said, "I'm not sure you can do that with training wheels. You have to hop along beside the bike and try to get it going fast enough, and then you try to hop on... if you make it, you make it. If you don't, though..."

And she was staring at him, wide-eyed and dire looking, and whispered, "... you die?"
 

sissybaby

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My son has been losing teeth at an accelerated rate lately. Don't know if that's common or not, but he's lost two in the last couple of weeks, and he has a couple more that are loose. Maybe he's just playing catch-up all at once.

Anyway, the tooth fairy screwed up big time because she missed too much sleep and had to go to bed early. So hubby assured her he could handle it. Of course, he fell asleep and then got caught in the morning when he tried to be slick and make up for his lapse during the night.

My son (who is twelve and still leaves notes for Ralph (his tooth fairy), was furious. What made it worse was he got into Dad's bedside drawer for some batteries - they've always been in that drawer so he wasn't snooping - and there was his tooth, and his note, so that added fuel to his already bad mood.

So he lost the second tooth, and Ralph didn't want to wake him up by turning on the printer and printing off the note as usual, so he hand-wrote a note and left it with the cash.

This morning my son came in and said, "Thanks for the note, Mom, and the money." I was all like, "What are you talking about?"

He leaned close and said, "Next time you want to try to fool me, you might remember that Ralph always types or writes his notes in cursive."
 

Britwriter

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Just catching up briefly, then back to work!

I'm so busy I can hardly catch breath, but it's all good. Tonight is my first book signing for my picture books, after making the keynote to a preschool group. I'm really looking forward to it!

Lots of other great stuff happening, and I'll have more to report here soon and do some bouncing! But I'm looking forward to hopefully getting a little time soon to return to some other projects, like Isaac Newton and the Pink Tutu, which is calling to me but has gone sadly neglected due to other work.

Very grateful this week to my incredibly organized 12 yo, who has done inventory on all my various titles, and packed for tonight's conference and signing, including drawing up checklists and a layout plan for materials and books. It's saved me so much work, and I'm very glad that I raised her with great organizational skills. :)
 

playground

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Maybe it was just good timing or more is starting to click, but I finally took the dive and bought Save the Cat to see what all the hype was about. I'm only about 10% in but when I read about the ironic log line and saw the examples it just clicked. I finally understood what my query was missing.

I was so against it because I was a HUGE believer that to become a better writer it is done from reading and writing more, I refused to believe a book about writing could help you become a better writer. I stand corrected. I'm a big supporter of this book now too, definitely worth the next-to-nothing price.
 

Morrell

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Britwriter, congrats on your first book signing! Come back and tell us all about it, okay? :)

PK, that book is seriously good stuff. Glad you are a convert, lol.

I'm going to the Missouri Writers Guild Conference this weekend, and I am SOOOO looking forward to it. No pressure... I'm not pitching, or getting critiqued, or anything. Just hanging out with friends and soaking up info and good writerly vibes.
 

Smish

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Have a great time, Ruth! :Jump:

Maybe it was just good timing or more is starting to click, but I finally took the dive and bought Save the Cat to see what all the hype was about. I'm only about 10% in but when I read about the ironic log line and saw the examples it just clicked. I finally understood what my query was missing.

I was so against it because I was a HUGE believer that to become a better writer it is done from reading and writing more, I refused to believe a book about writing could help you become a better writer. I stand corrected. I'm a big supporter of this book now too, definitely worth the next-to-nothing price.

Yes, the best way to learn is to read, read, read. For me, that includes a book on writing from time to time. :Thumbs:
 

Spiral

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:hi: kidlit gang! I've stopped by for a bounce. :Jump::Jump::Jump:

Yesterday I started re-plotting my WIP...I haven't written in ages (again) but I'm determined to get back into the habit of writing and get this book done. I actually made a lot of progress. I figured out a new beginning that's going to work so much better than the way it was before, and I came up with a bunch of new stuff...now I just need to figure out how the darn thing is going to end.

But hey, yay for brainstorms. :)
 

Smish

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:hi: kidlit gang! I've stopped by for a bounce. :Jump::Jump::Jump:

Yesterday I started re-plotting my WIP...I haven't written in ages (again) but I'm determined to get back into the habit of writing and get this book done. I actually made a lot of progress. I figured out a new beginning that's going to work so much better than the way it was before, and I came up with a bunch of new stuff...now I just need to figure out how the darn thing is going to end.

But hey, yay for brainstorms. :)

:e2woo:
 

DavidBrett

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I finally have internet on my laptop (albeit a moderately slow one), and want to get stuck into creating ebooks. Is there a popular yet free program I can download for the transference and formatting process?

Dave
 

Britwriter

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Just surfaced from my first book signing with the picture books. I'm lost for words. It was tremendous, stupendous, fabulous and fantastic. And more!

My presentation lasted an hour, then the biggest compliment was from a dad who came up to tell me that he usually played around on his smartphone during these events (his wife had made him come with her) but for the first time, had been taking notes instead of thinking about work. He then bought a set of books for his son, and rushed off home all excited to read them to him. Very cool. :)

Books flew off the table to lots of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' about how super-cute they are (and they are!) I wrote and signed until I came up for air, and afterwards was told that I'd signed over 70 copies in just over an hour. No wonder my hand hurt!

Now I'm fired up and can't wait to do it again!
 

jvc

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Just surfaced from my first book signing with the picture books. I'm lost for words. It was tremendous, stupendous, fabulous and fantastic. And more!

My presentation lasted an hour, then the biggest compliment was from a dad who came up to tell me that he usually played around on his smartphone during these events (his wife had made him come with her) but for the first time, had been taking notes instead of thinking about work. He then bought a set of books for his son, and rushed off home all excited to read them to him. Very cool. :)

Books flew off the table to lots of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' about how super-cute they are (and they are!) I wrote and signed until I came up for air, and afterwards was told that I'd signed over 70 copies in just over an hour. No wonder my hand hurt!

Now I'm fired up and can't wait to do it again!
That is awesome, very well done and congratulations. :TheWave:
 

sissybaby

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Congratulations, Britwriter. That must be an absolutely amazing feeling. But I've seen your book covers, so I can understand it.
 

DavidBrett

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That's amazing, Nicola! Is literally kill, like, a million evil space monkeys for that kinda experience.

Then again, that would be a kinda awesome experience all in itself XDD
 

Britwriter

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Thanks everyone. It was pretty awesome. Even through to this evening, getting an email from a parent telling me how much her daughter loves the books, and knows them by heart already. :)

I can't wait to get out again, it was so fun. I've just got to allow time to meet all my writing deadlines too, so it's a juggling act right now.....but a very fun juggling act!