Amy M. Schaefer
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From the Front Porch

I am an "accidental blogger". When I launched my writing career in March of 2014, one of the things that I decided to include was my journaling, which I have always found to be a comforting and therapeutic endeavor.  It was a big risk to open myself up in such a public forum, but it has taught me that, for the most part, we share far more experiences than we think. It's comforting to know I'm not alone!  (*the "Button Text" is the link to my first novel)
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The Gift

6/12/2015

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Image@bradylou.com
"Sometimes all you need is to take a breath, count to ten, and start again." ~A. Schaefer

In the 2012-2013 school year I swear I thought I was watching the slow and untimely demise of my teaching career. I was devastated and didn't know what to do. I tried in vain to relight the fire, going on interview after interview with zero results and a heart that grew heavier with each failed attempt. When it seemed all hope was lost for me ever being a teacher again, I was determined to reinvent myself instead of hanging out at my perpetual pity party. So, I got a wonderful part-time job at Wake Forest University and began to work diligently on building my writing career (...something I'd always dreamed of doing). I painstakingly taught myself the in's and out's of the publishing world (...and still have much to learn), web design, marketing techniques, and how to self-publish. Then, I finished and released my first novel Desperate Measures in July of 2014! I'd done it and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with this new, yet daunting career path that was little more than a mythical dream before. And then, life did what it frequently does...it threw a curve ball right at my head!

In January of this year I was contacted by the school system I thought had abandoned me. They had job openings for reading teachers and thought I'd be a good match. I was afraid to get my hopes up, but determined not to allow fear to hold me back from a potential opportunity. The interview I went on was amazing, the two principals I spoke with excited to have me. And just like that, I was back in the classroom falling in love with teaching all over again! As this school year comes to a close, I can't even express my happiness and gratitude towards the students, teachers, and other Interventionists I work with, who have made my time in this program amazing! It is one of the greatest gifts they didn't even know they were giving me! Now I'm working on merging my two career paths, writing & education, into something entirely new for me and I didn't even dream it was possible to be so elated about my "work"!

Wishing all of you a safe & wonderful weekend!

Love,
A.
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    About The Author

    I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter.

    Since then, I have learned to reach well beyond what I ever dared to think was possible. I've learned not to allow fear to stop me from whatever future I want to create!

    What keeps me grounded? My Tribe! What provides the wind beneath my wings? A well of reserves filled with unstoppable passion!

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  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery