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Dear Reader,
At first I thought only earthies and weirdos did it, but I ended up doing it anyway, and so did today's guest author Chuck Black. Homeschooling was only one of the surprises for the former United States Air Force F-16 fighter pilot and tactical combat communications engineer. Author of fourteen novels, including Light of the Last, the third book in the Wars of the Realm series for young adults, and the popular Kingdom Series and The Knights of Arrethtrae series for middle grade readers, Chuck and his wife, Andrea, have six children and live in North Dakota.
Read about other surprises in Chuck Black's life, in today's guest column, and enter to win sets of his books. Five winners will receive all three of his books in the Wars of the Realm series, including the new release, Light of the Last. Email, say hello and you're entered in the drawing: chuckblack1@gmail.com
My Transition as a Stay-At-Home Mom
My life is filled with guy stuff...combat gear, guns, jet fighters, tools, logic, and engineering, you know...manly stuff. It was while I was a fighter pilot that my lovely wife, Andrea, suggested we homeschool our three children for practical reasons. After all, we had moved eight times in eight years since entering the Air Force. After my initial "you're-crazy" shock wore off, I analyzed her suggestion and couldn't deny the logic of it. Uprooting our children from their schools every few months would be tough on them. Andrea was a certified secondary English teacher and I an engineer so we should be able to cover most of the academia, I reasoned.
Fast forward twenty-four years and three more children, and I became quite concerned about our last child graduating and leaving our home. For over two decades, Andrea had immersed herself into the lives our children through homeschooling. How would she possibly cope with the empty-nest syndrome? I, on the other hand, was so busy with writing, engineering, coaching basketball, and duties at church that I was barely able to squeeze a few hours of sleep in at night. When Keenan left our home it was going to leave a gaping hole in Andrea's life that would surely plummet her into depression. But then the reversal hit. Within just a couple of months my business sold, the church dissolved, and I was no longer coaching basketball. Then the local Christian school called Andrea and asked her to come teach their 5th graders for the year. Andrea was now busy and exhausted, too tired to think about the empty nest, but I on the other hand found myself walking around the house looking for purpose. As I prepared one of our last suppers with Keenan, I remember complaining to him. "Mother is late! Why hasn't she called? This food is getting cold and we are going to have to eat without her!"
I saw the bewildered and concerned look in my eighteen year-old son's face...the look that said, "Who are you and what have you done with my dad?" I smiled...then laughed thinking how many times my dear wife had to deal with late arrivals and so much more.
Andrea is still working, and I am adjusting slowly to the woes of an empty nest...something I didn't see coming through all of my "manly" cover. However, the extra time at home does allow me to write more story for those seeking intense adventure.
--Chuck Black
Email: chuckblack1@gmail.com for a chance to win all three books in his WARS OF THE REALM series. Five book club readers will be winners.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
AUTHORBUZZ: BITTER BITE (Fantasy) by Jennifer Estep
Magic, mayhem, and an assassin who never gives up are part of the latest book in my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. My new novel focuses on Gin Blanco, the assassin the Spider, who is trying to figure out why a long-lost relative has returned to Ashland--and how dangerous this person is.
Go to: http://authorbuzz.com/dearreader click on BITTER BITE to find out more about the book and the author, Jennifer Estep. Send her an email, she'd love to hear from you.
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