Partial Eclipse of My World

Like most people, I live in a few different worlds. There is my work world (a school), my writing world ( a desk jammed in the corner of my bedroom), my home (the rest of my house), my church, my family and on it goes. I like to keep them compartmentalized because I seriously don’t want any of them comparing notes and discovering that really I’m just a little old person behind a curtain. That was me inserting a literary allusion. Aren’t I clever?The real reason is that I don’t think any of them have anything in common with the other, especially my writing and work world. I spend my time with kids whose parents might be a little mortified that I write books about people finding love together. I mean, it’s okay to go to a movie with romance and it’s okay to go to a wedding, the ultimate fulfillment of the romance arc, and it’s okay to play matchmaker and make it the topic of gossip but once it’s written–well, then it’s trashy and worthy only of our derision.I digress.This past Thursday, the two worlds collided–no, that’s a little over-the-top–my life as an author entered into a partial eclipse with my working world when I announced on Facebook that the 12-book series I’m involved in launched its first book. The next day, the principal extended his congratulations and then proceeded to ask me questions about my novel. Relevant, respectful questions like whether or not it would interest him (“Not unless you like a man with PTSD. You do?”), and would it be appropriate to tell his high school class about it (“Uh, I think so. It’s all fade-to-black and no swear words and it’s about commitment and it’s funny.”) I was later asked by one of his students–the school is exceptionally small–what the title of my book was. I drew a blank, finally coughing it up as I beat a hasty retreat to anywhere.I need to face the fact that I live what I write about. I work in a small school in a smallish town. There are no secrets, not if you’re going to fully experience small town life. So, yes, my cat is out of the bag. The practical, multi-tasking educational aide writes stories of love and hope.I’d better get used to the fact because apparently everybody I know already has.