Several of my characters are schoolteachers. Mallory Harrington in my contemporary inspirational romance, MARRYING MALLORY, teaches English at a private school. Shannon in WHITNEY IN CHARGE is a substitute high school teacher plus teaches college courses before starting a business with her sisters. Stephanie, a secondary character in another inspirational, NO GREATER LOSS, teaches second grade, and in my new wip, Lexi is a college instructor who teaches freshmen English. I was a teacher myself and that’s how I met my husband. We both were teaching at the Ohio Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home in Xenia, Ohio.

I thought it’d be fun to share past rules for teachers! I especially like the rule about wearing two petticoats.

These rules are posted in the one-room schoolhouse at the Little House on The Prairie, near Independence, Kansas for the school year 1915.”

• You will not marry during the term of your contract
• You are not to keep company with men.
• You must be home between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless attending a school function.
• You may not loiter downtown in any of the ice cream shops.
• You may not travel beyond the city limits unless you have permission of the Chairman of the Board.
• You may not ride in a carriage or automobile with any man unless he is your father or brother.
• You may not smoke cigarettes.
• You may not dress in bright colors.
• You may under no circumstances dye your hair.
• You must wear at least two petticoats.
• Your dress must not be any shorter than two-inches above your ankle.
• To keep the classroom clean, you must sweep the floor at least once a day; scrub the floor at least one a week with hot, soapy water; clean the blackboards at least once a day; and start the fire at 7 a.m. so the room will be warm by 8 a.m.

The Long and the Short of It’s Easter Egg scavenger hunt starts TODAY. There are TONS of prizes!The prize packages are absolutely amazing! There are a total of TEN packages between all three sites (LASR, Whipped Cream and Aurora) with hundreds of prizes worth hundreds of dollars.

The main page for the promotion is here: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/promo.htm

For the hunt, I’m donating an eBook copy of Whitney in Charge and winner’s choice of either a $6 GC to Amazon or Desert Breeze Publishing.

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Busy Weekend: Had a great time Saturday night. It was nice eating at the Italian restaurant. Sunday we looked at a house that daughter April and her fiancé are thinking of buying. It’s a great house for them. I can’t believe it was Palm Sunday already.

I started a scoring job this week so it’s been busy. My project is scoring Ohio 12th grade science tests, next will be 11th grade science. We had training Tuesday and Wednesday. After qualifying (I got 100 on both qualifying tests) I started scoring the tests. I wasn’t happy that we were sent home early today. The students just took the tests last week and they didn’t get all 60,000 scanned into the computer system. I have a 40 minute commute so it’s pretty far to drive for only 4 1/2 hrs. of work. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a full day!

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I finished reading Linda Poitevin’s book, A Fairy Tale for Gwyn. I thoroughly loved this romance. I fell in love with Gareth but could see why Gwyn couldn’t believe he was interested in her. She is a single mother with three young children and they are her first priority in life. She doesn’t have room in her heart for another man after being hurt by her ex-husband. Gareth’s a well-known actor, but he charms her and her adorable children. She worries that they will become too attached to him and will be devastated when he returns to his movie star life. She can’t imagine he’s actually in love with her and their chaotic family life.

I bought this delightful book in the Kindle edition but it’s also available in paperback!

BLURB OF A FAIRY TALE FOR GWYN

Gwyn Jacobs doesn’t believe in fairy tales. Ever since her ex-husband walked out four years ago, abandoning her with their three-year-old daughter and four-month-old twins, Gwyn has had to be mother, father, and bread-winner all rolled into one. Her own scarred heart and failed marriage aside, she refuses to open up her children’s lives to the possibility of another heartbreak, so she has an unbending policy of no dating and no unattached men in her home…Until her very own fairy tale falls into her lap - and the hero won’t take no for an answer.

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Have a great weekend! I’m hoping OSU will win their basketball game Friday night. GO BUCKEYES! Lea and Bart are taking us out to dinner on Saturday night to an Italian restaurant! I can’t wait - I love Italian food and will enjoy spending time with Bart and Lea.

I have to jump in the shower soon because I need to leave for my new scoring job. Amanda told me last night, “Good luck on your job.” Then she asked, “Will you miss me?” I told her that I would. She then wanted to know if I’d miss her the most. She amazes me how she says the appropriate things so many times in different situations. I wonder sometimes if she hadn’t been born with Down syndrome what she’d be like. But then she wouldn’t be our Amanda and she’s a joy just the way she is.

I wrote a post titled, “Introvert or Extrovert” for The Romance Studio Blog. If you’re interested and have time, please visit and leave a comment. Here’s the link: http://theromancestudio.blogspot.com/

See you there!

Celia Yeary wrote a blockbuster of a story. Marilee Weston is a larger than life character. I was stunned with how she survived at such a young age when abandoned by her father. She was only fourteen years old when her father’s friend raped her. Marilee’s reserved father takes her to an isolated place to live and to give birth to a baby girl. He never visits her or gives her any love. He blames her for his friend’s assault. Marilee is filled with warmth, strength, savvy and soft–heartedness. I felt like I was in Texas because of Yeary’s descriptions of the scenery. Buck Cameron is a vibrant and wonderful hero. There are several secondary characters that add to the richness of this book.

I highly recommend this historical western romance. I’m looking forward to reading future books by this author. If you’d like to learn more about Celia Yeary’s writing, visit her blog and website.

BLURB:

She wasn’t a fit mother…
So said the county judge who hired Buck Cameron to retrieve his little daughter. But when Buck finally locates the pretty mother and child, he finds the claim very hard to believe. Now, he faces a dilemma. Should he obey the order? Or should he defy the judge and rescue Marilee and her child from isolation?

She’d been banished…
Rejected and abandoned by her father, Marilee Weston used the pain of betrayal to survive. Now, she needs a way out of the forest, where she and her daughter had lived for five years. But the towering pines and fear of the unknown imprisoned her. How could she begin a new life for herself and five-year-old daughter? Will the alluring stranger free her, or prove to be even more dangerous?

(276 pages) Spicy
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press - Click here to buy!