Sequels and Other Things
Last week I was horribly sick. I had an upper respiratory infection that lasted for a week. But I am much better now, which is good because so many things are happening!
I’m currently continuing to take steps towards becoming a full-time substitute teacher. Today we had a registration presentation that laid out the process of getting our restricted substitute teaching license, what that means, and how the company works. It was an informative and inspiring presentation. I could, in only a year or two, be a fully licensed, full-time, permanent teacher in one of our local school districts, and that excites me more than I possibly say. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was in elementary school, and now it’s going to happen!
It’s been really nice, having all this time off of work. Not only am I able to rest and purge the stress and anger I have over the last job I worked, but I’m able to write and read and get my schoolwork done. It’s a little uncanny since last year around this time, I had time off while I switched jobs. But this time will be different since this is a full career change, not just a change in my place of employment.
For school we’ve read The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot which, while it was beautifully written book, was not one that left a good impression. (I’m sure I’ll write a book review on it eventually.) And now we’re reading Hard Times by Charles Dickens. And in my other class, we’re reading a post-apocalyptic novel called Snow Crash which I am not enjoying, but we can’t enjoy every book assigned for us in school.
On a more exciting note, now that I’m no longer sick, I’ve been able to actually start drafting the sequel to my debut novel! The fifth draft of my debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, is currently in my last round of feedback from my beta readers. Once they send me their feedback, I’ll be digging into it and getting it as polished as I can. Then, it will be time for the interior design, then the printed proof copies to make sure everything looks good, then sending out ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies), and then opening up pre-orders for the book! Publishing Day will be June 30th, 2023, and I cannot believe we’re only a little over four months out from that!
I’ll be drafting the sequel through the end of March, which is when I hope to get my feedback from my beta readers. Then, once A Kiss of Glass is published, I’ll start revising and expanding the sequel. I already have a full 2,152 words written in the rough draft! Not only have I never, ever, completed so many drafts on a novel before, I also haven’t, ever, started drafting a sequel. So here I am, busting down barriers and setting personal writing records! The next record will be when I complete the rough draft of the sequel, so keep coming back and checking for announcements regarding that step.
I’m also extremely excited about getting into teaching because it means that I will have summers off! I’m hoping I can make it so that I don’t have to work through the summer, but even if I do need to pick up a part time seasonal position somewhere, it’ll be easy enough to do. Regardless, it will be incredible to have extra time to read, to write, to camp, to spend time at the coast, even to travel, depending on the financial situation. I can actually see a really bright, really fulfilling future ahead of me. One filled with literature and writing and teaching, which is, literally, all I’ve ever wanted for myself.
I didn’t anticipate that the new year would start out this way, but I think it will be a really amazing move for myself.
