The holidays are upon us. I’m finishing my second to last day of teaching before winter break, which starts this Friday. I have set a goal for the holidays: giving myself permission to say no. I’m going to start by saying no to buying those extra presents that will destroy my budget. No, I’m not…
I just finished reading Dick Francis’s book Under Orders. I’ve been a Dick Francis reader for years. I loved Banker and Bolt, and have read many of his other works. He’s very prolific. A writer friend of mine, Eileen Dreyer (go to www.eileendreyer.com), and I were discussing Dick Francis’s writing a while back. Her comment was that Dick Francis can lay…
My agent has a great blog on well, blogs. http://bookendslitagency.blogspot.com/ While I’m not able to blog every day, having a blog has been a fun experience. Because of this blog, I’ve been able to reconnect with one of my former eighth grade students, and that has been a great experience! I always love hearing from former…
I just finished David Baldacci’s The Camel Club. It’s the story of Oliver Stone (a former CIA agent turned squatter) who heads a group of conspiracy theorists. I had to admit, at one point in the book it was like being on the beginning of a roller coaster going click, click, click. You know that moment when…
My friend Julie called me today to tell me that Wal-mart in Union, MO, only had two of my books left on the shelves–meaning I’d sold eight out of 10 in a store I usually only sell half. I was thrilled. Every time a book gets into the stores I worry about it. The books…
One of the most influential pieces of literature on my philosophy is T. S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men.” I taught this in class the other day and hope that my students get it. Even though I read (and explained) the poem three times in one day, the ending still gave me chills. (This is the…
I’ve been off work for the past two days. The first day my school dismissed early and the second one the district I work for called off the night before. I love snow days. Thursday I took mulitple naps and worked on feeling better. By the evening I walked one hour on my treadmill–the first…
I’m looking forward to the end of November. I’m holding out hope that as December enters, these past two months will fade into a distant and not-too-pleasant memory. Frankly, I’m hoping that the string of bad luck fades as well. Not all has been horrible. My trip to Nashville with my journalism students was awesome….
I’m sick. One of those lingering colds that lasts about a week–so I’m midway through. I can’t breath right, I cough a lot, and my head pounds. My final proofs for my April book are here and have to be read and to my editor on Monday. I ache too much to even think about…
