I'm back at my part-time job as a substitute teacher for Coweta schools, and today was my first day at Heritage Intermediate which is 4th-6th grade.

It was wonderful as usual to see all the smiling faces, get hugs, and hear the occasional, "yeah, it's Mrs. French!"  The students never fail to brighten my day with their unfiltered enthusiasm for life.

Today, I was thrilled to see my book Red Dirt Rocker was still in the hands of so many middle school boys.  With page markers in place they held it up proclaiming their love for my book baby!  I could not have more proud, and honored.

 Red Dirt Rocker is part of the Renaissance Accelerated Reader Program, so the students can read it, and take a comprehensive test which includes several questions about the story.  Points are compiled and go toward a certain reading goal for each child.

When I set out to write Red Dirt Rocker, I was a bit nervous about writing it in first person from a boy's perspective, but seeing a 6th grader with a Coweta Tiger football jersey on light up as he tells me how much he's enjoying the story sure makes my day! 

The kids  at school inspired me in a great way to continue plugging away on my new book, Rock Angel .  I absolutely cannot wait to finish it so my middle school friends can have it in their hands!

This just made my day perfect!  To see my book, with library stickers and worn out pages, on the desks of middle school students, and to hear them say how much they have enjoyed reading it is such an honor!  What an inspiration~

I've gotten five more chapters written for my new book, "Rock Angel" in the past couple of weeks.

I'm determined to have it finished before spring.

It's centered around a young, female musician named Emily, who looses her mother under tragic circumstances as a very young child.  Emily is a wounded bird that finds comfort in surrounding herself with music.  She also has a special gift that sometimes feels like a curse---Emily sees color. But, not just the color in our everyday, physical world.  Emily sees the color of people's souls---Emily sees an aura hovering over every human being~

Here's an excerpt from Chapter 2  (UN-edited)

      I came to realize at a very young age though, that apparently, I am the only one that sees the color of the soul.  Above each and every face, above every person I see, lofts a hued vapor---an aura.  These colors give me an insight into those I meet.  Their color is the essence of who they are---their traits, good and bad.  I see, lofting above each person, red, blue, green, orange, yellow, pink, and unfortunately sometimes gray.  And, just as in nature, the rarest color of all--- purple.