How many hats do YOU wear? A question and a giveaway!

       

         

Thank you to all who commented! You are all amazing! Our winner is Jennifer Hibdon! 

Clark Kent, eat your heart out! I've got a double life, too. Don't worry, it's a good thing on the days when I can keep everything straight! The first part of my week is spent clacking away on those keys, writing suspense novels. How in the world does a mild mannered suburbanite mother of two get into that wacky business? My husband will tell you I have a great deal of energy and an aversion to relaxation. When I took leave from teaching to stay home with my babies, I discovered that infants are not great conversationalists, nor do they care much about creative lesson planning or exploring chapter books. I really struggled after hanging up my teaching hat. My husband, Papa Bear (Mike), signed himself up for extra kid duty and urged me to "go do something you love that doesn't involve babies." I remembered my passion for writing and off I went to a community writing class. Fast forward a few years, and I was a bona fide mystery/suspense writer with thirty five novels under my belt. Imagine that! I still pinch myself sometimes!
Later in the week I leap into the nearest phone booth and morph into Super Teacher! Two days a week I teach third graders at our local elementary school. Multiplication to map skills, reading, writing, science and everything in between. Of course, my favorite subject is writing, which, ironically, is the area in which my students feel the least confident as we launch our school year. It's so precious to be able to tell kids that together, we will all grow as writers. Mistakes? They are wonderful tools for us to improve! Spelling errors? Easily corrected. Moving someone with the power of our well chosen words? Priceless! By the end of our third grade journey, we have all grown so much, myself included. It's the very best thing about being both a teacher and a writer.
       So how many hats do YOU wear? Writer? Mother? Career woman? Church ministry leader? Would love to hear your thoughts! Giving away a print copy (U.S. only) of Abducted or a Kindle copy (international entries welcome.) Comment and leave your contact info to enter.