THE BOOKS ARE HERE!! THE BOOKS ARE HERE!!!
Honestly, I think my UPS man loves me best. Not many of his other deliveries jump up and down and scream when he shows up.
Here they are! Drum roll…….
So much work all wrapped up in a drop-dead gorgeous cover.
If you’re interesting in hearing me talk about my work for teens in general and WINTERGIRLS in particular, head over to this audio interview of me. The interview was conducted by Jennifer Buehler of ReadWriteThink.org. If you’re an educator, you will love the resources on their website.
Cottage update: BH is working hard on the magic window. Right now he’s sanding it. Next step is to strengthen the entire structure so that it can stand up to the eventual weight of the glass. The plan is to put clear glass in all of the panes now, and replace a couple with stained glass when we can afford it.
We have run into a quandary about the roof. We did not want to use traditional roofing shingles because they are made with a petroleum byproduct. If we were to use traditional asphalt shingles, it would cost about $800 for the roof (for comparison, I’m only giving the cost of the shingles).
A slate roof was my first choice; it would last 100 years, is a natural product, and looks great. But the slate alone would cost about $3000 and have a much, much higher labor cost on top of that. Next up; shingles made from recycled rubber and plastic. The shingles alone would cost almost $4500.
Photovoltaic cells won’t work because the cottage is being built in the woods. (We are going to generate solar energy to power the building, but it will come solar panels that are a distance from the cottage.) Eco-shakes cost about the same as slate.
We’re still exploring options. If you have any tips or advice, please leave it in the comments.
Theo the Web God almost has the WINTERGIRLS pages ready to go live. Can’t wait for you to see them. In celebration, we’re going to hold a contest. The winners will receive a laptop skin printed with the cover image of WINTERGIRLS. We only have one thing to figure out.
How to structure the contest? What do you think? What is a fast and fair contest? Again, please leave your advice in the comment section.
WINTERGIRLS comes out in two weeks.