Title: Lessons Learned
Author: Sydney Logan
Date of Publication: October 17th
2014
About Lessons Learned:
A young girl needs to spread her wings, but a young woman
needs roots.
English teacher Sarah Bray never thought she’d return to
Sycamore Falls, but a traumatic event at her inner-city school leaves her
desperate for the sanctuary of home. By returning to her roots, an older and
wiser Sarah hopes to deal with the demons of her present and confront the
ghosts of her past.
She discovers a kindred spirit in Lucas Miller, a teacher
from New York with demons of his own. As the newest faculty members at Sycamore
High School, they quickly become friends – bonding through Lucas’s culture
shock and their mutual desire to build new lives. When they open their wounded
hearts to each other, their friendship effortlessly evolves into romance.
Their love is put to the test when Matt, the quarterback of
the football team, shares his deepest secret with Sarah. When the conservative
community finds out, Sarah and Lucas – along with the town of Sycamore Falls –
are schooled in the lessons of acceptance, tolerance, and love.
NOTE: Sydney will be donating
10% of all sales during the month of October to http://www.pacer.org/bullying/ in honor
of October's Bullying Awareness month. In LESSONS LEARNED a secret of the
quarterback of the football team sends a small conservative community reeling.
Bullying can take on all forms and Sydney would like to give back to this
worthy cause.
Q/A with Sydney Logan
How did you come up with the idea for this story?
They say to write what you know, so for
Lessons Learned, I knew I wanted to write about teaching since
that’s my “day job.” Thankfully, I haven’t had to deal with the traumas my main
character faces. I also knew I wanted to write a love story with a message, and
bullying is such an epidemic in our society that I wanted to highlight that in
this book.
Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your
writing?
The most challenging thing is balancing
writing and promotion. I’m not very good at it. It was easier when I only had
one book, but the more I write, the harder it gets to juggle it all. I’m not
complaining, because I love it, but that’s the biggest challenge for
me.
What are your current projects?
I’m getting ready to release a holiday
collection of short stories titled Once Upon a December. It
will include two previously published Kindle short stories along with a new
short story. It will release on November 28. I’m also working on my fourth
novel.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
The piercing chime of my phone jerked me awake. Disoriented
and shaking, I grabbed my cell and struggled to focus on the screen.
Congratulations, Sarah. You slept a whole three
hours.
Falling asleep had been difficult. My restlessness could
easily be blamed on yesterday’s long drive or spending the night in a new
place, but I hadn’t slept well in months, so my fitful sleep wasn’t all that
surprising.
However, I could do without the nightmares.
It was nearly three in the morning when I’d finally arrived
in Sycamore Falls. Exhausted from the drive, I’d collapsed on the couch, but
sleeping proved impossible. It was just too quiet. I’d grown accustomed to
noisy neighbors and blasting car horns.
A change of scenery could be exactly what I need, my
therapist had told me.
Sycamore Falls was definitely a change in scenery.
Stiff and sore from the uncomfortable couch, I groaned as I
struggled to sit up. My body trembled when my bare feet hit the hardwood floor.
I’d forgotten how cold this house could be, even in the summer, but
anything with long sleeves would be in a box, and all the boxes were arranged
in a chaotic mess in my living room.
Maybe some sunshine will warm me up.
I wrapped my blanket around me and circled the maze of boxes
before shuffling toward the kitchen. It was neat and tidy as ever, with its
faded yellow wallpaper. Grandma Grace had always loved wildflowers, and I
smiled as I gazed at the collection of daisy canisters lining the wall next to
the sink. Mom had been a terrible cook, so grandma had taken it upon herself to
teach me. Baking was my favorite, and we’d spent countless nights in this
kitchen with my apron covered in flour. Grandma had been fine with making a
mess—as long as I cleaned it up—and that freedom had led to many honest discussions
throughout the years.
“Sycamore Falls has its issues,” Grandma had told me one
autumn day while teaching me how to make fried apple pies. “We’re too sheltered
from the rest of the world. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes it isn’t.
The world can be a scary place. It’s good to know you have a safe place to come
home to when the world gets a little crazy. You’re one of the lucky ones,
Sarah. You will always have a home here. Remember that.”
I remember.
I opened the front door and was instantly greeted with cool
morning air. Eager to see the house in the daylight, I gingerly walked
down the steps and onto the sidewalk. Thankfully, Mr. Johnson had hired someone
to mow the grass before I arrived, which allowed me to mark one thing off my to-do
list.
As I gazed up at the house, I could see my list would be
long.
Growing up, I’d thought my grandmother’s home was the most
beautiful in Sycamore Falls. Majestic and blue with its white shutters and
wrap-around porch, it was the place I’d always felt the most comfortable and
safe.
Time hadn’t been kind to the house, and that was my fault.
Mr. Johnson had done his best, but a house needs tender loving care, and its
last two years without an occupant had been rough on the place. The chipped
siding needed a coat of paint, the flowerbeds resembled a jungle, and some of
the shingles needed to be replaced, but none of that mattered.
I felt a small sense of satisfaction and breathed a sigh of
relief.
I was safe.
I was home.
About Sydney Logan:
Amazon bestselling author Sydney Logan holds a Master's degree
in Elementary Education. She is the author of three novels - Lessons Learned,
Mountain Charm, and Soldier On. Sydney has also penned four short stories and
is a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul. A native of East Tennessee,
Sydney enjoys playing piano and relaxing on her porch with her wonderful
husband and their very spoiled cat.
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