14 Comments
Oct 5Liked by CB Mason

This is amazing, thank you for sharing this!

I moved every 2-3 years growing up. 7th grade I went to 3 different schools. Oh the memories.

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Wow. Three schools in one year sounds awful! 😣 but, yes, the memories!

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Firstly, I love the drawings.

I appreciated how you captured the overwhelming experience of starting fresh in a new environment, especially with that vivid cafeteria scene. I avoided the cafeterias during my high school years because talking to people wasn't my thing lol

Thank you for sharing.

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Thanks, Neela! Wait until you see my drawing of Tessa’s aunt and uncle’s house! I even did elevations! 😜

We mostly ate outside or in front of our lockers (because high school hallway floors were SO sanitary 🫣🤢)

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This post is interesting, both for the references to the first book in the series (which I'm eagerly awaiting) and for the insight into how an author's life can influence the writing (which is true for all of us, in one way or another).

I actually liked high school. But I also became a high school teacher, and in my experience, people who go into teaching usually like school.

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Thanks, Bill! Glad I’ve piqued your interest!!!

I would much rather someone who enjoyed ‘it’s to be the one to teach ‘it’ to me—school, a game, how to crochet… you have a better chance at absorbing their love into your own experience!

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How true!

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I avoided the cafeteria. Usually found a friendly teacher that let me hang in their room. I went to 3 different high schools. Not because I was a problem😉. My dad was in the Air Force and we never lived anywhere longer than two years.

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Moving so often is tough! (Fun to start fresh. And tough to keep doing it!) My dad worked for the airlines so my early years included a move every 3 to 4 years. Glad that ended by the time I hit junior high.

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I usually took a sack lunch and ate it in the band room.

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I’m assuming you were a band kid… what was your instrument?

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Percussion first and then trumpet

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Do you still play? We have a “jam” room in our house—drums set, mics, amps, sound system, the works. (Though the keyboard was taken by our youngest and the piano is buried under other gear.)

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I used to noodle a bit on guitar but not recently. Maybe I’ll get back to it one day.

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