On vacation this week. See you again on June 11th. Thanks
Hi, I'm a writer of romantic suspense and contemporary romance, please share this blog with your friends and follow me. Thanks.
Hi, I'm a writer of romantic suspense and contemporary romance, please share this blog with your friends and follow me. Thanks.
My work in progress has a teacher as one of the main characters.
That got me thinking about my high school English teacher. I had moved to a new
school and didn’t know any of the faculty. I’d have avoided this man had I known he
was considered tough and gave lots of homework. Everyone said he
had no sense of humor, never smiled and was to be avoided at all cost. But I
learned that too late. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. : )
In a day of long haired, casually dressed teachers, he wore
his hair in a buzz cut and always dressed in a white dress shirt, bow tie and
sports jacket and slacks. His shoes looked military with a spit polish shine that
glistened in the overhead electric light. An ageless man, he wasn’t young or old.
During class he rarely looked directly at us. While he
lectured, he paced back and forth in front of the room his head down and his
hands clasped behind him. That whole year, I don’t remember him smiling. The
kids were right about that and he did assign mega homework.
When he spoke about the novels he assigned there was fire
in his voice and a depth of enthusiasm that was contagious. He talked about the
plot and the feelings of the characters as if they were real. Even kids who didn’t
like to read got caught up in the emotion. As we discussed the books he gave us
a chance to express our ideas, even unpopular ones. I was surprised that kids who
never spoke up in class were taking part by the middle of the year. He never
suggested our opinions were wrong or right only that we should respect other
opinions.
The two of the books he had us read stick in my mind even
today. Cry the Beloved Country by South
African author Alan Paton published in New York City in 1948 is a story about Apartheid
life in South Africa back in the day. At seventeen I was faced with issues I
wasn’t aware existed until that book. I remember it sparked lively uncensored
debate in the classroom and I heard the name of Nelson Mandela for the first
time.
The
other book needs no introduction for any romance reader, Pride and Prejudice by
Jane Austen January 1813. My very male English teacher wanted us to read Jane
Austen. He didn’t think of her as a romance writer but as an observer of society
of her day and that’s true. Though the love stories in her novels can’t be
denied and I could argue that it's the reason her books still sell today. Of course I
fell madly in love with her novels and read as many as I could get my
hands on. But Pride and Prejudice is still my favorite.
Even
now I think it strange that a gruff, unsmiling man would be the person to
introduce me to Jane Austen. I wonder if he was as bad-tempered as he seemed. Did
he have a softer side he hid from teenagers? Whether he did not, I’m
grateful to him. Who knows how long it would have been before I discovered the
Jane Austen without him. I hope he knew he made an indelible impression on me
and the rest of the class.
Jane
Austen’s books are still available. Her other novels include among others:
Sense & Sensibility
Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
Hollywood has made many films about teachers and the school
experience. Check out these classics:
Stand
and Deliver 1988
Staring Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips, Estelle
Harris.
A math teacher inspires his would be dropouts students to
lean calculus. This based on a true story.
Up
the Down Staircase 1967
Staring Sandy Dennis from a Bel Kaufman best-selling
novella. It’s about a new teacher’s first job teaching in a racially mixed
school with needy kids and little support from the administration.
Please
remember to check out my books on Amazon
Can
love win against the odds?
Five star
review: " A mystery novel thrill ride.Fast-paced, plot-driven conflicts
and characters that you can't tear yourself away lift it from an
ordinary story to a darn good read."
Why would business woman Kathryn Carlyle poison a man she only met
once? Reporter Holt Rand needs a scoop and won’t stop until he gets
answers. But when he meets Kathryn, his life is changed forever. Kathryn
is drawn to Holt but how can she trust a man who's using her to further
his career. Will a killer let her live long enough to find out?
Does
love always deserve a second chance?
Workaholic FBI agent Brick
Larson loves his job. He doesn’t need personal relationships. The last thing he
wants is to get involved with the younger sister of his ex-fiancé. But to
defend the United States that’s exactly what he’ll do.
When Kelly Shaw was a teenager she secretly loved Brick and would have trusted him with her life. That was years ago. Can she trust him with top secret information now? Will she live long enough to find out?
When Kelly Shaw was a teenager she secretly loved Brick and would have trusted him with her life. That was years ago. Can she trust him with top secret information now? Will she live long enough to find out?
