July 2023 Newsletter
Posted on July 3, 2023
Welcome to the July 2023 newsletter. Lots of great progress has been made on my projects.
Last of the Litter Published This Month
My boy and his dog epic was published last week, and the e-book is $2.99 for the first month. I love the wraparound cover of the print edition and know it would look spiffy on anyone’s bookshelf. The book is near and dear to me as I’m such a fan of dogs. My Golden Retrievers, Timber and Ranger, were the inspiration for the charm hounds, but I went with the Doberman breed because they look sleeker, more futuristic, and more likely to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
Here’s the back cover summary:
The Rot Storms have brought death and destruction to the world for the past hundred years. Only Scouts bonded with charm hounds, complete with their protective auras, can survive against the Rot in all its deadly forms.
Accompanied by Seekers with knowledge of life before the fall, Scouts and their dogs comb the ruins to unearth precious secrets and tools from the Dim Times.
Young Pilk wants to honor his late parents and earn the title of Scout alongside his scholarly friend Rove, who’s obsessed with becoming a Seeker.
Pilk has one last chance to bond with a pup. Will his dream come true even if he’s saddled with the runt of the litter? Will their recklessness endanger or save those close to them? And will they awaken something far deadlier than the Rot amid the Waste?
Find out in this Broken Earth saga that’s a heartfelt exploration of a boy and his dog. 
Book Funnel Promo
This month, I have three Book Funnel promos running. Book one of the Irving Wishbutton quadrilogy and the first book in the Emery Fogg trilogy are free in all three promos with the first promo also offering Ned Firebreak for free, too. Please explore and find some great reads along with helping me drive my click rate up at Book Funnel by visiting all three.
Book Funnel Link 1
Book Funnel Link 2
Book Funnel Link 3
Thirty Years as an Educator
I have taught thirty classes so far and look forward to many more. While retirement is less than ten years away, I haven’t slowed down one bit with my classes.
My first teacher job had me finishing the year with a class of fifth graders who had lost their teacher. That was hard, and it never quite felt like my classroom as I had to tread lightly. The students were working through their loss, and I was a raw recruit, my drive and enthusiasm blunted by the circumstances. In some ways, it was very much a trial by fire. I had mostly great supportive parents and students, but I also dealt with some who acted up and were very guarded about me coming in and changing things too much.
It went as well as it could be, and that Fall, I was offered a new class of fourth graders. I taught that grade for three years before moving to fifth grade. And that’s where I’ve been ever since.
I taught for ten years up in Maryland at New Market Elementary and Deer Crossing Elementary. At both schools, I was overjoyed to feel very supported by my team, the students, and the administration. I really soared.
We moved to North Carolina in 2004, and I’ve taught fifth grade at Jones Dairy Elementary for the past nineteen years. It’s a year-round school where they are in session for nine to ten weeks and then have a three-week break. That schedule has allowed me to write during my track outs and edit when I’m actively in class teaching.
I’ve been fortunate to have had six principals who supported and encouraged me alongside communities that valued my love for writing and molding young minds to be inventive, determined, divergent thinkers and citizens.
I wish the world of education was in a better place than it is now. Wages have not kept up with inflation, not even close. The workload has grown astronomically, and the public has gotten a little more nitpicky about curriculum. I could go on at length with what I feel can be done to rectify education, but I fear that would be a little too political. While I only have six or seven more years, it matters greatly to me that education be uplifted and recognized both in fair pay and in respect as my own daughter has just started her teaching career and I want her to not have it harder than I did
It’s been gratifying to know that I’ve had a positive impact with each new class of eager young learners. And I plan to support education in some activist fashion in retirement.
Next newsletter, I’ll talk about a few of the stories I tell my students to help them connect to me and to also learn from my mistakes.