Maureen Bush

A New Manuscript

I have a new manuscript, fully written and reasonably edited. It’s still a thrill to get to this point, to be able to carry it around and leave it out for family to read. It’s one of the few moments when writers have something concrete as an accomplishment.

Maureen

Podcasts

I’m working on recording short clips from my books for my website.

My husband is helping, using his flashy new computer music software (Logic Pro, for anyone who knows what that means). We’ve discovered all the complications of recording at home: squeaky old wooden floors, noisy kids even when they’re trying to stay quiet, furnace fans, computer fan, helicopters and airplanes overhead. We bought a new mike, which solves some of the problems, and are discovering some of the possiblities of Logic Pro for filtering and improving the sound qualilty. Derek Mah is coaching us on what to do, how to do it, and what to listen for . . . and it’s coming. I have no idea when anything will be ready for the website; I’ll mention it here when we’ve posted the podcasts.

Maureen

Dawn Near Lethbridge

Stories in Math

According to my daughter who lives for story, studying for a math exam and desperate to find something, anything interesting in it:

“I swear, if you knew what secret substance each letter stood for, you could raise the dead with a quadratic formula.”

Maureen

One School, One Book

Wednesday I spent the day at Park Meadows School, in Lethbridge. The entire school (K – 5) is reading Feather Brain, as a One School, One Book project. Each class is doing special activities – novel studies, spelling lists, visits to the dinosaur exhibit at the Galt Museum, dinosaur songs.

I wondered if the youngest kids would have trouble sitting through it, without any pictures, but I asked a grade 1 class and they said they loved it. I heard that a grade 1 teacher was using Feather Brain as a bribe: “If you’re really quiet, I’ll read another page.”

It turns out I use great verbs – who knew? The teachers are using them to teach vocabulary, and the kids are having fun slouching, strutting and stomping around their classrooms.

I did sessions with all the kids, so I was exhausted by the end of the day, but we had a lot of fun.

In one session, we turned the teachers into androids training the kids to work for them, trying to take over the world, one computer network at a time. This gave a whole new meaning to their school motto, “Many Hearts, Many Minds, One Purpose.”

In another session, part of the group descended into the earth and discovered a raptor race track. One teacher was eaten by a raptor and barfed up again – we decided we’d let her live after inflicting that on her.

One class wrote a song. Yes, Feather Brain now has a song! How cool is that? I’ve asked for a recording of it – I’d love to post it as a podcast.

Now I can’t wait for my next visit to Lethbridge in February, to a second school using Feather Brain for One School, One Book.

For now, back to writing.

Maureen