I don't know about you, but January seems to be flying by. Maybe it just seems that way because I'm so busy. Monday was the first day back at work after having two weeks off for the holidays. So not only am I writing and working on promotion stuff full time, but I'm back at school teaching full time. You've heard the saying, "burning both ends of the candle," haven't you? This week that's been a pretty accurate description. A/C guy has already warned me about the consequences of not getting enough sleep--the inevitable crash, which I've done before. I tend to get so focused on writing at night that I loose track of time and before I know it, it's 1 or 2 in the morning--I have to get up at 5 for work. A/C guy is worried about me crashing, so last night I managed to get to sleep a little earlier.
Progress on the zombie book is going great! A few changes from the outline have happened, but I like them and they add depth to the story. It's definitely MG (middle grade), but I think some of the older audience will like it too. Sunday, I'll have up another teaser from the manuscript. So watch for that.
I don't know about y'all, but here in Texas, we're having up and down weather--typical Texas weather. We had a cold spell, then two really rainy days, now it's sunny and back in the low 70s today, and it's supposed to be that way tomorrow, but on Sunday it's supposed to be cold again. Just checked the forecast--rain on Saturday into Sunday morning. (I like rainy weather.)
I teach at a smaller more rural district. After what happened in Connecticut, the decision was made to hire off-duty police officers to patrol the campuses. Most large districts have officers walking the halls and campuses, so no big deal, right? The media blew it way out of proportion and made no reference to what larger districts have been doing for years. If having an officer on campus helps protect our kids, I'm all for it.
There's a lot of talk about better gun control, but there's little to no talk about the other issues that cause individuals to do these horrific crimes. Programs and medical help are needed for those with mental health issues--and we need to quit treating it like it's a terrible secret to be hidden away until the person does something horrible.We also need better programs and training in place to help both the bullies and the victims in schools. We have to take responsibility for our actions to make this world a better place.
