The Second Year Begins...

It’s me again. First, I need to apologize for the incredible delay in my posts. As a writer, I think the blog medium is something I’ve found difficult, especially in relating the more vivid accounts (e.g. my travels). I want to write a novella, when, really, none of you have time to read that in a blog entry. So on that note, I plan to post shorter blogs, more frequently. My travelogues and whatnot may not be quite as graphic and detailed, but I’ve got to save something for the inevitable book, right?

It having been nearly five months since my last post, I’ll bring you up to speed as quickly as possible:

Egypt was amazing. Went to the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Nile, the Cairo Museum, Khan al Khalily (a famous bazaar in Cairo), and the Al Hussein Mosque (the holiest mosque in all of Egypt, I believe, owing to its possession of a most important relic: the head of Hussein, the nephew of the Prophet Muhammad), among other fun-filled sites in and around Cairo. Didn’t have nearly enough time at the Pyramids or the Sphinx, but then, that’s what return trips are for.

My planned Iran trip fell through. By the time I got an Iranian sponsor for a visa, the seven-day waiting period would have all but eaten up my spring break. I don’t think it’s going to make the cut for this year’s travels, but I’m going to keep up with my Iranian students after I leave Dubai, using those contacts sometime in the next few years to visit the history-rich nation. At least two future novels will have Iran as a location, so I’ve gotta go there to do research… and take lots of pretty pictures.

The novel. After three years of planning, research, writing and rewriting, From the Ashes is finally complete. I went to New York this past July to attend a thriller writer’s conference, where I was afforded the opportunity not only to brush shoulders with some of the industry’s biggest authors (James Rollins has agreed to blurb my novel, and Jon Land and Kathryn Antrim were blown away by my novel’s premise), but also to pitch my novel, in person, to some of the best-recognized agents in the business. Nine agents wanted to read part or all of my manuscript, six of whom (including the four I perceived at the time to be the most enthusiastic about the project) are still reading it. In addition, I’m starting to send out query letters to other agents, trying to get as many balls in play as possible, hoping one will land in the hoop soon. I’ve started work on the sequel, of which I hope to have a finished first draft by the time I come back to the States in June. In addition, I’m working on networking and marketing myself for not only getting published, but also for selling copies when I’m on bookshelves (like on my Official Facebook Fan Page). And, of course, I’ll keep you updated on any updates in my writing and publishing endeavors. Stay tuned!

This past summer, I apparently couldn’t get the travel bug out of my system. I traveled to Dallas, the Bahamas, Manhattan, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Ontario. All in all, I was only in Tallahassee about half of my two months back Stateside. Right now, I’m back in Dubai, teaching again. It’s the second day of my second school year, and supposedly the second year is infinitely better than the first. Which is good, because last year was brutal. I’m curious to see what this year holds. I’m planning trips to another dozen or so more countries this year, as well as repeat trips to Jordan and Oman. The new faculty members (more than forty people, including a new school director, a new assistant principal, and a new English curriculum leader) is pretty cool. And I’m planning to see and experience a whole lot more of Dubai, the U.A.E., and the Gulf region in general this year.

Which brings me to my final point for this entry. In just a few months, I’ve got a pretty big decision to make: what to do after this school year. I can renew here for another year. I can look for a post at another international school. I can come back to the States. Or any number of options I haven’t thought of. I know what I’m leaning towards right now (rather heavily, in fact), but I’m open to prodding. Please keep this impending decision in your thoughts and prayers as I try to decide exactly what I need to do/where I need to be for this next season of my life.

That’s all for this entry. Stay tuned for another entry in the next few weeks or so, and, as always, thanks for stopping by… Planet Earth.

Cheers,
Jeremy