No updates in two weeks. That’s quite a while, even for me. Last week was brutal. I worked four out of five evenings, then spent the fifth getting ready for FenCon. So, what’s been going on with me? Hmm.

I’ve been drowning in paperwork from school. I’ve switched to a mostly participation-based grading system. I don’t like it, but I simply don’t have time to grade that many papers. And I’m lucky. My biggest class is 24; some of the English teachers have 36 kids to a class. Add to my three high school preps my ESL class at the college, and it’s a big load. Then I had ESL testing last week, too.

My childcare issue has been resolved. A former student will watch my kids. This will be an added, and unexpected, expense.

The administration at our school is already talking about taking away our second plan period. This was expected, but I can tell you there will be a huge revolt if that happens. The classes are too big and we’re expected to do too much other stuff, like mess with that horrible new lesson planning software. I know several teachers who are already saying they won’t be back next year because of the schedule change this year.

I’ve been so busy I hadn’t done any writing since school started. That was until last night, when I finally knocked out a few pages of Nadia’s Children. It would have been better if I wasn’t so damn tired. I’m still very, very tired. I don’t know why, really. I just feel wrung out.

FenCon was fun. It would have been better if I hadn’t been so tired the whole time. Saw lots of friends, sat on some good panels, and sold some books. It was good. On the way home I started listening to John Steinbeck’s East of Eden on CD.

I got home to find a returned package from a publisher. This was very depressing. I sent Shara to this mass market publisher in January 2007, along with the synopsis of Ulrik, blurbs, etc. After two years and eight months, the editor sent it back unread, saying because his inventory is so backlogged that it was only fair to me to return the material. WTF? I just don’t understand what it takes to break into the mass market. This editor said in late 2006 that werewolves would be the new zombies. He was right. I pitched Shara, he asked for it, had it for over two and a half years … but didn’t even read it? I don’t get it.