Backpack, backpack

Have I lost my mind? Of course not, dear friends! Tonight was my first night back in school. Nope, one master's degree wasn't enough. Your nearest and dearest author-desperately-seeking-publication (okay, one of your nearest and dearest) is on the road to a master's in education--secondary to be specific. No snickering allowed. I love the classroom! And I'm a damn good teacher, too. The only thing I lack is certification, so off I go!

It's been a long time since I've sat at a desk, next to my peers, listening to lecture while fighting to stay awake. None of the activity is boring. Quite the contrary. Tonight, I've discovered what the hero for my next book looks like. He sits across from me with hair so dark it's almost black and eyes like the ocean as it rolls into Haunauma Bay.

For those of you with more delicate sensibilities, you may want to avoid the next sentence or two. The next book opens with violence. Well, partial nudity and violence. But, dear friends, that little instance of violence is the flash introduction of our hero and heroine. [We now return to our scheduled programming]

Right now, she is a healthy-sized girl (woman)., one with curves who isn't exactly trying to lose them. He is dreamy, and not the type she'd expect to find even remotely attracted to her. All I'll say for now is HOT. And yes, it was imperative that it be in all caps. I'm back to a multi-cultural cast, unlike my last book. And the characters will have to overcome their differences to make what's fantasy oh-so-real. Yeah, somewhere in there, there will be a crime or life-threatening situation they must battle as well, but I haven't worked that out as of yet. I will have to keep you posted.

Should I be mildly embarrassed that I wrote this blog in the middle of lecture this evening? I'm not in the least, I assure you. My fellow classmates watched me scribe furiously, probably thinking I'm some sort of overachiever. If only they knew. What do you get up to when people around you think you're working?