Quick Sigh from Bella

My Advanced Lit class and I have been having a wonderful time together.  They participate----they have opinions!  They argue with each other in an appropriate way!  They do their homework!

But yesterday, I sat in class, watching them peer review their first essay assignment with a sinking heart.  Nothing like a writing assignment to kill a good vibe.

I could tell the honeymoon phase was over by their worried glances at each other, their furtive peeks at me, and by the questions they asked ----"So, if we did not use two poems, as required, is that a big deal?" and "I can't tell where the intro ends and the body begins because this is all one paragraph."  and "Oh---I don't have a works cited page, is that okay?  I did not use any outside resources---is that okay?" and "Does it count for a draft if it is only one page?"

A quick peek at the stack when I got home tonight did not dispel my gloom.  Things are looking pretty dismal in that stack of papers.  I did all the things we do to make this work.  They did all the things they do to keep it from working.

Sigh.

I've been working on my research, I swear.

I just wrote a(nother) murder mystery, which I think should totally count as scholarship.

​

And I am going to offer it to my fellow Miserians, which means I'm a Public Intellectual now or something. 

The blurb: 

Seven on the crew. Six seats in the canoe. Everyone wants to paddle in the big Labor Day race.

What could go wrong?

Professor Molly Barda investigates a mysterious paddling accident near Hawaii's Mahina State University, and realizes it isn't just business majors who cheat to get what they want. Whether it's moving up in the college rankings, getting a seat in the big canoe race, or just looking out for themselves, some people will do whatever it takes-including murder.

How to get the ebook for free:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/617871

Use coupon code ET33E 

I hope you enjoy it. 

If you don't, then please recommend it to someone you dislike.