Work-for-hire deadlines

This juvenile barred owl was sitting on my next-door neighbor's deck.

In the writing world, it's common knowledge that work-for-hire books have tight deadlines. If you're considering this kind of work, you might want to know exactly what that means. Here are my deadlines for Lerner:

For two books in a 4-book series:
Length = 1600-1800 words

January 3 - received guidelines, compensation information, and deadlines
January 17 - sent outline to editor
January 23 - received editor's comments about outlines
April 2 - due date for book 2 (the harder one)
April 16 -  due date for book 1
May 23 - received edits for book 2 and the text for the frontrunner* in the series
May 24 - received edits for book 1
May 31 - sent revisions for book 2 to editor (they typically give author's a week for revisions)
June 7 - sent revisions for book 1 to editor
June 13 - received photo wish list for book 1
June 23 - received photo wish list for book 2
July 1 - I uploaded most of the photos (I had to wait on a few) 
July 30 - received book layouts for review
January 2019 - publication date 

When they're begging for food, juveniles have unusual calls.

*The first edited text in a series is referred to as the "frontrunner."

As you can see, these books kept me busy the first half of the year. If I had to do it over again, I'd ask more questions at the start to confirm that what I was thinking matched what they were looking for. The photo portion of the project was a lot of fun and there were no deadlines. I delivered the photos via a steady stream of Dropbox uploads. Since I had planned a vacation in early April, I lost a week of work time, so that added to my stress level, but I made all my deadlines. Even though the deadline for book 2 was shorter, I worked on and handed in book 1 first. Logically, it made sense to do it this way.

The nice thing about the process is that a published book is produced in a relatively short period of time.

The owl has spotted me hiding behind my neighbor's garage. It's ready to fly.

I wondered why the deadlines were so short? Do editors allocate less man-hours to save money? Is the demand for this book so strong that they have an urgent need for it? Have they found that giving writers an extra week or two doesn't affect the quality of the book? Got me.  

On Collaboration

barred owlets

In addition to writing nonfiction, I've been collaborating with a friend on a middle grade novel. The whole idea was born from loss--an untimely tragedy and a lost job. The project was immensely helpful keeping my mind busy with constant aggressive deadlines. Last year, it was exactly what I needed. In fact, I wonder some times how deep a hole I would have sunk into without this project.

Barred owl parent calling, "who cooks for you?"

The manuscript is different than the work I've been doing. It's fiction. It's fantasy. It's funny. Last year, I didn't have much of a sense of humor, but there were times when we were laughing hysterically. Even if it never goes anywhere, the project has served an important purpose. It was a healing project and for that I am immensely thankful.

Hazen Park, Avon

black bear track!

This coming weekend I'm driving to the 21st Century Children's Nonfiction Conference at SUNY, New Paltz.  Last year, I had a great time and I was glad I went.  I expect this year to be even better.  The conference has quite a collection of sessions on new media which sound intriguing.  I am also eager to see the 3-D printing demo.  It fits right in with my background and interest in cutting-edge technology and science.

quail

A couple weeks ago, we hiked to the Heublein Tower via Hazen Park in Avon, CT.   The trail started out at a gradual incline and got very steep near the top.  It was quite exciting when Walt discovered the fresh bear print in the mud.  Bears are often spotted in Avon.  I would have loved to have spent more time looking for other prints, but I was busy as the host of a whine and mosquito tasting.

Upper Bolton Lake, Vernon

A nest!

Yesterday, I had a Twitter exchange that is a classic example of how the denier camp (those that deny that humans are responsible for climate change) works.  First, notice that my wording is altered ever so slightly.   Secondly, he calls me an alarmist after he's changed my wording.  Finally, he rips apart the scientists by calling their work bull.  This is so typical of what I have seen.  Another thing I've noticed is that no matter how many research papers you may produce, they will pick them all apart, but they don't produce a single shred of their own evidence. 

My Tweet:
Up the CO2. Down goes zinc & iron. Less healthy food MAY be on its way. #climate #climatechange http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/08/global-warming-food-nutrients-idUSKBN0DO1LL20140508 … …

Him
Claim: As CO2 levels rise, some crop nutrients will fall

The soft colors, arched neck and glassy lake looked like a painting to me. 

Me:    Don't change my wording
Me:    I wrote MAY fall not WILL.
Him:   This is just alarmist
Me:    No, it's the results of a research study on what happens to crops when CO2 levels are raised.
Him:   Cereals have never been a major source od dietary iron. That’s why you’re supposed to eat your spinach.
Me:    I love spinach and salmon too and I don't care much for cereal.
Him:   There is an alleged slight drop in some minerals! #OMG
Him:   It is BULL SHIT
Me:   You have a foul mouth.

Knock, knock Mr. Beaver.

Some friends of mine are so kind, they invited me to go kayaking with them.  The day they picked started out pretty rainy, so I wore my fleece pants and Walt's hat.  It turns out the hat was waterproof.  Yes!  Anyhow, despite the gloomy day, I had the best time exploring Upper Bolton Lake.  We discovered several nests and a beaver lodge.  I maneuvered right up to that lodge entrance and peeked inside.  I wish I had a flashlight. 
  

Bird houses were attached to a number of trees.

It was a lot of fun paddling hard to bust through a beaver dam.  I got stuck and had to back up and try again several times.  In the distance there was a rare Atlantic white cedar forest.  When I got out of the kayak, I was pretty soaked, but it sure was fun. (Photos courtesy of Steve T) 

Laurel Marsh Trail, Manchester

Dewdrops clung to spider webs, glistening in the morning sun.

Canada goose

Today was such a great day of accomplishment.  I put the finishing touches on two separate pieces of writing, read them aloud, shoved my fist in the air and shouted, "YES! AWESOME!" twice in one day. 

Canadian geese flying off

Did you catch the CNN interview with Bill Nye and "Slow" Loris from the Heritage Foundation?  The guy from Heritage said sea ice was globally increasing.  Take a look at the graph of  Arctic sea ice on the National Snow and Ice Data Center website.  Clearly he is wrong.  How can he look himself in the mirror at the end of the day and think he's done a good job?

young grackle

The reality is....
 
1. Arctic sea ice is declining
2. The Heritage Foundation is linked to big oil (scroll down about halfway - They've received $$$ from the Koch Foundation and ExxonMobil)

3. Compared to other countries, Americans have a much lower concern about climate change

With such great efforts to misrepresent the facts, it is no wonder Americans are not as informed as other countries.


I took these photographs at the Laurel Marsh Trail in Manchester, Connecticut. 

mockingbird

The Laurel Marsh Trail, Manchester

Black-capped chickadee

I have been insanely busy in April trying to meet a too-short deadline.  There's nothing quite like chewing up half the month going in one direction, only to realize it's not the right direction.  Then came the frantic scramble to come up with something unique, something creative and something really exciting.  Done!  When someone asked, "what institution?"  Why is it that "mental" was the first word out of my mouth?   I thought it was funny, but there was no laughter on the other end.  LOL.

We watched a large crow polish off a mouse while it was atop a transmission tower.

We've started something new in our critique sessions.  We now deconstruct PB narratives by writing them up and analyzing them.  It's a bit time consuming, but it has been a really helpful exercise in many ways.

Downy woodpecker

LLBean held a free birding event at the Laurel Marsh Trail.  I would definitely do one of their walks again.  We spotted a number of birds and seeing them will help me identify them in the future.  I also downloaded, but have not yet used, Merlin, Cornell Lab's excellent bird ID iphone app.  The guy pointed out these spongy seed pods, but he didn't know what plant produced them.  I still have one in my coat pocket.  I did an image search and found this fascinating Pinterest board called textures and structures.  I have more birding photos, so I'll save them for next post.

Seed pods of a mystery plant? (a chestnut perhaps)