Today begins a new semester of classes, and even though I’m prepped for all my courses and have been through it hundreds of times, I always feel nervous on the first day.  I’m not certain why, either.  I could teach these courses in my sleep and know my material as thoroughly as I can.  Still, each new course brings the butterflies.  Once I get through the first meeting with each class, I’m always fine, but for some reason, the first meeting makes me anxious.  After nearly 14 years, you might think that would pass, but so far, it hasn’t.

Last semester renewed my passion for teaching, and I hope that carries over into this semester.  While I still want to leave education and write full-time, I like feeling passionate about my job again.  It makes the long, tedious chore of grading a little less painful, and not dreading each day is refreshing.  I’m good at what I do, and even though I can’t always see the immediate results of my labor, I know deep inside that my efforts do make a difference in people’s live.  That’s a rewarding feeling that not everyone gets from their day-to-day work.  I’ve learned to appreciate that and be thankful for it.

On the writing front, books one and two should be available very soon.  All of the artwork for book one is complete and will be posted on here as soon as possible.  The art for book two is nearly finished, and the prelims are awesome.  I can’t wait to share them.  Once all three books are live, we’re going into a full court press with the series.  In terms of writing, I’m knocking out a short story for an anthology and should have it complete by the end of this week.  Once it’s done, I’ll dive back into book four and get my momentum rolling with it.  I hope to get into the routine of writing every night throughout this semester so the manuscript is ready for polishing by mid-summer.

That’s all for now.  Be on the lookout for the artwork for books one and two in the very near future.