Holiday Book Celebration

What Is The Holiday Book Celebration?

Every day in November and December, the Writer's Vineyard will be featuring an excerpt or original short story from one of our favorite authors.We'll start with a Thanksgiving road trip,and end with a New Years not to be forgotten. Along the way,we'll celebrate love during Kwanzaa, dodge dragons in the cold of winter and find dead bodies under the mistletoe. We'll have contests and prizes but, best of all, discussions about our favorite holiday books and memories.

Get into the holiday spirit and visit each day at http://thewritersvineyard.com/


A Christmas excerpt from my novel due out November 1st 2008 will be featured on Monday November 3rd. Check out my website at http://www.lindalaroque.com/ for an additional giveaway.


Happy Reading,

Linda

Attending a High School Reunion as a Teacher

I’ve attended many of my high school reunions and loved seeing all my classmates and the teachers who were able to attend. Next summer we will have our 45th. It hardly seems possible. I don’t feel that old.

Last month, I received a note on my website email address asking if I was the Linda LaRoque who taught Homemaking at Everman High School in the early 1980s. I quickly replied that I was indeed that person. A few weeks later, I received an invitation in the mail to attend the early 1980s class reunion.

Oh, the memories I have of teaching there. A few bad ones, but most were good. I was a Senior Sponsor so accompanied the students on their Senior Trip to a dude ranch. They tubed on the river, swam in the pool, and participated in a variety of other activities. One of their favorites was to toss the teachers in the pool. It was all in good fun. One year the pool was out of commission and we sat in a swing, were hoisted up into the air, it seemed like three stories high, and then the rope was released to send us flying down where we bounced against rubber tires to stop. It was fun but I didn’t want to try it twice.

The late 70’s was the time of the afro hairdo. I never could get my beautician to understand I wanted a spiral perm. I always came out with over curly hair. One year during Everman High School’s Black Heritage celebration, I, along with the biology teacher were elected Black History Faculty Queen and King. The kids had a great time with the joke and gave us a rake as a prize.

That same biology teacher was a real character. One year during in-service, he stuck a suction ended arrow to his forehead and walked around. Of course, he got plenty of laughs. He got even more the next day when he showed up with a big hickey on his forehead. At the end of the year, the faculty had a luncheon and awards were handed out. For that stunt, he was awarded the “Green Weenie Award.”

It was fun to see some of my former students and hard to believe they are in their mid-forties now. Most of the former faculty members who attended are like me, retired now and loving ever minute. Though, I do admit I miss being in the classroom from time to time. I guess what I miss most is the interaction with the kids.

Here are a few pictures.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment if you have time.

Thanks,

Linda

I Got Tagged!

I got tagged by one of my new critique partners, Ciara Gold. She's a wonderful new friend and fellow writer with loads of wisdom to share. Check out her wonderful releases at Champagne Books. Soooo, I'm supposed to tell you six things about myself and tag six friends. Hmmm, let me see. Okay.

1. My husband and will have been married 41 years on December 23, 2008. We have two grown children, especially good looking and talented if I do say so myself, and an extraordinarily smart, charming, handsome grandson.

2. I love to crochet and knit in my spare time, mostly while watching television and make items for new babies and some afghans.

3. Later this month we'll be leaving to tour the east end of Route 66. Last November we toured the west end but didn't make it all the way to California. We'll do that possibly next fall.

4. This weekend I attended an early 1980s reunion at the high school where I used to teach. It was fun to see my students as adults and fellow teachers as senior citizens :-).

5. I'm having foot surgery October 30th so will be propped up in bed or the recliner all day for a couple of weeks. Thank goodness for laptops!

6. I have several life long friends that mean the world to me. Though we don't get to see each other often, when we do it's as if we'd never been separated by time or space.


I'm tagging these people.

1. My good friend from a former critique group Sandra Marshall. Sandy's first book The Catalyst is now out in ebook format with Forbidden Publications and will soon be out in trade paperback.

2. Sandra Kay is a an author on Writers and Readers of Distinction. Check out her new book Heart of Stone at The Wild Rose Press.

3. Hywela Lyn , a lady from the U.K. writes romantic sci fi and western adventure stories. Her new book, Starquest, is at The Wild Rose Press.

4. I first met Judith Leger at the RWC group. She's been a long time online friend and one day I hope we get to meet in person. She has an awesome dragon story she's shopping and several works out and coming soon with The Wild Rose Press.

5. Celia Yeary is a Texas lady like myself. She writes Western Romances. She has several titles out with The Wild Rose Press.

6. Jenna Leigh is a Champagne Books author with several interesting titles. I don't know you, Jenna, but hope to soon. Check out Jenna's releases.

There were so many authors I'd love to have listed but had difficulty finding ones with a blog and ones not already tagged. This has been loads of fun and an interesting exercise. I hope those of you've I've tagged will participate. This is a great promotional tool.

Kind regards!

Linda

Linda LaRoque, Pres. HOTRWA; When the Ocotillo Bloom, Wings 2007. A Law of Her Own, 8-27-08; Desires of the Heart; My Heart Will Find yours; and Flames on the Sky coming soon from The Wild Rose Press. Forever Faithful, 11-08 and Investment of the Heart 5-09 from Champagne Books.
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