How Contact Lenses Led to a New Job

This Week's Newsletter

This week's newsletter contains the following features:
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What's new with Ashleigh?

While I love writing and editing, the truth is that I am not earning enough consistantly to pay for the bills we are anticipating for 2024. Therefore, my family and I decided I should return to work. Once upon a time, I was a classroom teacher, so I applied for some teaching positions. However, my teaching certificate expired while I was a homeschooling mommy.

Once upon a time, I taught middle school science. And I loved it. But it was a lot of work to prepare experiments and grade lab reports in addition to correcting homework assignments and tests. As I updated my resume, I realized that I have been tutoring children (and adults) in math for almost 30 years. If I returned to the classroom, I would love a math teaching position. However, since my certification is in science, it would have to be at a private school.

Knowing that renewing my certificate could take months, I applied for some substitute teaching positions. But there was a job nearby that really caught my eye. Middle school math at a private school less than 10 miles from my house. Unfortunately, I couldn't apply because they required an active teaching certificate (in any subject at the middle school level).

One Friday, in the chaos of getting ready to leave for our homeschool co-op, I realized I had run out of contacts. Long story, but I can only wear daily disposibles. I had thought I had another box (three-months supply), but I was wrong. Since I had a few minutes before we had to leave, I hurriedly went to reorder them. And the company I usually use was super expensive. After a quick search, I found a few other companies. One of them offered discounts to teachers.

I knew it was a long shot, so I checked the status of my certification. (No, I didn't have the window already open, refreshing it a couple of times a day.) To my surprise, it had gone through, even though I had just paid the second payment the night before.

Well, since I was on my computer, I might as well apply for that math position I had seen, right? It made us a little late for our co-op and I really didn't think I had a chance. But I would have felt guilty not applying.

The following Tuesday, I received a phone call. The principal and I had a long conversation and he more or less told me I was the only candidate he wanted for this job. The more I learned about the position, the more I loved it. Except for the fact the teacher I would be replacing was leaving in less than two weeks.

Needless to say, the last ten days have been a whirlwind. I needed to find a nanny to finish our homeschooling for the rest of the school year. I had to rush to get my fingerprinting and background checks finished so they could clear. Before I even signed my contract, the principal had me come to the school to review the books, show me the online support for the math program, and basically give me a 30-minute crash course of my new position.

Of course, working does not mean an end to my writing. In fact, I wrote my first novel while working full-time as a classroom teacher. However, juggling work and a family will mean less writing. (So will my daughter's dancing. Competition season has started!) I had hoped to publish four books this year. Now I will be happy to get two out. And I'm glad I decided to take a year off from in-person events.

The dust is settling and I begin my new job tomorrow. It has been 14 years since I taught in a traditional classroom. While the transition will be difficult, I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life.

While you're waiting for new material from me, why not try some of these free reads and deals?


Free Books


The Wolf and the Moon Seeker


The Wolf and the Moon Seeker
The League of Warriors Series

They told him that he was destined for greatness.
He told them they were delusional.

At fourteen, Mateo Reyes considered himself the champion of nobodies in his small pathetic nowhere town. The proof was everywhere. His principal thinks that he’ll never amount to anything. His mom couldn’t care less if he’s home or not, and the string of bullies that torment him is a never-ending cycle. His whole world is covered in a dark cloud of misery.

But his life takes a crazy, twisted turn when three League Warriors show up one night, saving him from the bullies and rescuing him from the evil forces coming for him. The Dark Order. Not wanting any part of the League, Mateo wants to do what he does best. Run. But when the warriors expose their mystical spirit animals, he can’t deny the longing in his own soul for the white wolf that invades his dreams, night after night.

They tell him that he’s one of the most feared warriors in the League, but with no memory of his true identity, how can he truly believe anything they have to say? How is he supposed to find the courage to embark on a journey destined for a hero, when the voices in his life remind him that he’s unwanted in the world?

But the only voice that truly matters is hers. The moon. She says it’s time to trust. And she’s never wrong!


Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!

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Other Books on Sale


Mission 1: All in a Day's Work


Mission 1: All in a Day's Work
Sophia of the Bright Red Sneakers

Life's full of adventure! Right? Middle-grade detectives Sophia MacGregor and Pedro Gonzalez think so. Especially when you are telepathic and speak multiple animal languages!

Being a brilliant ten-year-old in a competitive Eighth Grade Honors Class is a minute-by-minute challenge. Outside school, more challenges abound. When Jack the Polar Bear's regular zookeeper is the victim of a mysterious hit-and-run accident, Super Sleuths Sophia and Pedro find themselves investigating his replacement. A replacement whom Jack and the seals fear and distrust.

Their investigation uncovers a plot by Russian poachers to abduct Jack. Never have the stakes been higher. Instead of battling middle school snobs and bullies, they have just become a target of the Russian mob!


You may also be interested in these books

Mid-month book fair - Ends 3/21 - MG,YA,Romance,Mystery,

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