TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

Mrs. Fredericksen taught 4th , 5th and 6th graders in a tiny school. She gave many of us unique, tailored, special assignments. Mine, for all three years, was to write a story a week.


Mr. Doohan crammed 36 weeks of high school grammar, composition writing, and other required studies into six weeks so we could read glorious books and poetry the rest of the year. The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in 8 Fits), Pride and Prejudice, The Invisible Man… I will always hear his voice in my head as he paced, shouting and whispering the courtroom scene in To Kill A Mockingbird.

They were both getting old when I was in their classrooms. I never went back to tell them how much they had shaped me. So I use their names in my novels. And during school visits, I look around for the best teachers, the ones who shine, the ones the kids obviously love, respect, listen to, trust...and I thank *them*.


** The classroom in the picture is in Abu Dhabi.  International schools, oh, yes, I will fly anywhere! Call me**

Faeries and Unicorns

Lord Dunraven forbids people and magical creatures to have any contact at all. He is convinced that people who see dragons sail past overhead, or glimpse a unicorn in the woods, or hear faerie flutes on the light air of morning, are more likely to daydream--and less likely to work from dawn to dark.

When I was in 3rd and 4th grade, I dreamed about Lord Dunraven's lands every night for a year and a half. I would close my eyes here and wake up *there*. And when I lay down to sleep in the dream, I would open my eyes *here*.  It was seamless. I had two lives.

I have written two series based on those dreams:

The Unicorn's Secret (8 titles) is getting flashy-lovely new covers to celebrate 10 wonderful years in print.
The Faeries' Promise (4 titles) is almost finished.

The first Faeries' Promise title and two Unicorn's Secret titles will release together in June 2010. The rest will follow soon.

The lovely covers and chapter excerpts are here: http://kathleenduey.com/KidsBooks/