Suddenly, into his cut and dried, strictly black and white life of moral and upright behavior, comes Eve Star, formerly one of Europe's foremost exotic dancers. Her life is anything but cut and dried, black and white. Bad enough that she's enrolled her son in Westover Academy under false pretenses. More, she runs the town's most disreputable bar. Worst, much to Daniel's dismay, he finds himself drawn to her like a kid to chocolate. Nothing good can come of this attraction. Or can it? fplaceHe is after all, a good man.
Teaching in the real world
I'm not sure I've lived an exciting life, but I've certainly lived an eclectic one! After graduating from college with a fairly useless degree in sociology, I married. From that point forward, my life was anything but staid, and, I'm sure, nothing like what my parents had planned for their only child. I've been a librarian, a technical writer, an editor, a receptionist, a long-distance trucker, and a teacher, in multiple residences and thirteen locations. Every move and each occupation has been interesting in its own way, but I'd like to focus on my 12+ years teaching for this post.
Before I started teaching—and I taught at a private school, so I imagine these things to be magnified in public schools—I thought education was a profession that embraced change and innovation, held thought and learning as the ideal, and valued the student above all else. It didn't take too long to find that teaching is like most every other job: neither the best nor the worst of professions, but definitely based in realism. I drew upon my years in the classroom as the basis for Daniel, the protagonist in my book, Only a Good Man Will Do (Book 1 of The Good Man Series). I'd like to draw the comparisons to Daniel and my own discoveries in the world of education.
1. Daniel Goodman teaches what his school calls upper form, which equates to my high school students. Michael Haynes, one of Daniel's students gets into a bit of trouble and calls on Daniel for help. Since his school was residential and mine was, too, I can identify with students who really wanted and needed positive attention from their parents but didn't receive it. After a weekend home, many kids came back to school with lower morale than before they'd gone home—the same situation Michael had to deal with. Just as I and my colleagues faced, there is only so much Daniel can do except wish to knock some sense into those parents. For the most part, the kids who attended the school where I taught were loved and had their parents' attention and care. But like Daniel, my colleagues and I sadly had to teach kids who didn't.
2. Daniel wants more than anything to gain the position of Headmaster of Westover Academy, a highly prestigious private school in New England. For that to happen, he had to toe the line in many ways. Any hint of impropriety would throw a monkey wrench in his dreams. Because of that, he fought his attraction to Eve, a former stripper who captures his heart. The academy where I worked was not a religious school, but it did have the backing of the Southern Baptist Association. I never would have been able to teach there if it had been discovered I wrote erotic romance, even if I wrote under a pen name. I had been writing for years before I breathed a word to any of my friends, and by then I had been gone from the school for a long time. I sympathize with Daniel!
3. Daniel wants to do what he thinks is best for the students—as do most teachers. But he learned, as did I, that while welfare of the students is important, their parents are the school's clients. Kids could be unhappy (not mistreated, mind you), but parents could not be. Without parents there was no money; without money there was no school. They should have had that engraved about the teacher lounge door!
4. In teaching, we try to prepare children for the world in which they will live once they leave the classroom. But no profession is slower to adjust and/or adapt to a changing world like education. Maybe it's part of the funding problem, but I think a larger part is the slowness (or in some cases, the refusal) of school officials and teachers to change what they know already. When computers started to become accepted in schools, we had teachers who outright refused to accept to use them for anything—grade keeping to helping kids write. Other teachers jumped in and loved using them. The administration refused to endorse either side, neither helping teachers see the good the machines could do nor admitting that technology in the classroom was a train that had left the station.
You might think from the descriptions above that I disliked teaching. Not true! I taught high school for 12 years and then taught as an adjunct teacher for another year and as a corporate computer application trainer for another two years. Teaching in all its forms is noble. Good teaching—the basics rather than all the touchy-feely stuff some schools do now—is so very necessary, especially in today's world where things shift so quickly. I know the world has changed but I can't help but think on my own school experiences and how I was taught.
When I applied for my last job, I had to pass an objective, job-based test before they would interview me. During the interview, I was asked how I managed to pass with so high a score—many other applicants hadn't passed at all. The answer? I had good teachers. They taught me to learn by rote at first, and then by application, and then by thinking within new experiences and environments. I worry that we don't do that so much now, and I fear for our students' futures because of it.
I guess Daniel Goodman is my dream of how all teachers should be: dedicated, hard when necessary, soft when needed, demanding high standards because otherwise how will our students know what they should strive for, and determined to provide what the student needs over and above everything else. Thank you to good teachers everywhere!
Before I started teaching—and I taught at a private school, so I imagine these things to be magnified in public schools—I thought education was a profession that embraced change and innovation, held thought and learning as the ideal, and valued the student above all else. It didn't take too long to find that teaching is like most every other job: neither the best nor the worst of professions, but definitely based in realism. I drew upon my years in the classroom as the basis for Daniel, the protagonist in my book, Only a Good Man Will Do (Book 1 of The Good Man Series). I'd like to draw the comparisons to Daniel and my own discoveries in the world of education.
1. Daniel Goodman teaches what his school calls upper form, which equates to my high school students. Michael Haynes, one of Daniel's students gets into a bit of trouble and calls on Daniel for help. Since his school was residential and mine was, too, I can identify with students who really wanted and needed positive attention from their parents but didn't receive it. After a weekend home, many kids came back to school with lower morale than before they'd gone home—the same situation Michael had to deal with. Just as I and my colleagues faced, there is only so much Daniel can do except wish to knock some sense into those parents. For the most part, the kids who attended the school where I taught were loved and had their parents' attention and care. But like Daniel, my colleagues and I sadly had to teach kids who didn't.
2. Daniel wants more than anything to gain the position of Headmaster of Westover Academy, a highly prestigious private school in New England. For that to happen, he had to toe the line in many ways. Any hint of impropriety would throw a monkey wrench in his dreams. Because of that, he fought his attraction to Eve, a former stripper who captures his heart. The academy where I worked was not a religious school, but it did have the backing of the Southern Baptist Association. I never would have been able to teach there if it had been discovered I wrote erotic romance, even if I wrote under a pen name. I had been writing for years before I breathed a word to any of my friends, and by then I had been gone from the school for a long time. I sympathize with Daniel!
3. Daniel wants to do what he thinks is best for the students—as do most teachers. But he learned, as did I, that while welfare of the students is important, their parents are the school's clients. Kids could be unhappy (not mistreated, mind you), but parents could not be. Without parents there was no money; without money there was no school. They should have had that engraved about the teacher lounge door!
4. In teaching, we try to prepare children for the world in which they will live once they leave the classroom. But no profession is slower to adjust and/or adapt to a changing world like education. Maybe it's part of the funding problem, but I think a larger part is the slowness (or in some cases, the refusal) of school officials and teachers to change what they know already. When computers started to become accepted in schools, we had teachers who outright refused to accept to use them for anything—grade keeping to helping kids write. Other teachers jumped in and loved using them. The administration refused to endorse either side, neither helping teachers see the good the machines could do nor admitting that technology in the classroom was a train that had left the station.
You might think from the descriptions above that I disliked teaching. Not true! I taught high school for 12 years and then taught as an adjunct teacher for another year and as a corporate computer application trainer for another two years. Teaching in all its forms is noble. Good teaching—the basics rather than all the touchy-feely stuff some schools do now—is so very necessary, especially in today's world where things shift so quickly. I know the world has changed but I can't help but think on my own school experiences and how I was taught.
When I applied for my last job, I had to pass an objective, job-based test before they would interview me. During the interview, I was asked how I managed to pass with so high a score—many other applicants hadn't passed at all. The answer? I had good teachers. They taught me to learn by rote at first, and then by application, and then by thinking within new experiences and environments. I worry that we don't do that so much now, and I fear for our students' futures because of it.
I guess Daniel Goodman is my dream of how all teachers should be: dedicated, hard when necessary, soft when needed, demanding high standards because otherwise how will our students know what they should strive for, and determined to provide what the student needs over and above everything else. Thank you to good teachers everywhere!
An incredibly well-written story!
This is one of those books that just flowed. I honestly wasn't sure if I would like it when I first started reading, but I was steadily pulled through the book like a building crescendo and then BAM! Daniel's big realization about Eve hit and everything changed from there and it was SO awesome!
Daniel certainly had a tough decision to make, follow his head or follow his heart, and I enjoyed reading how he rationalized and hashed out what the next step in his life should be. He had plenty of doubt, and I felt that made him a realistic character.
I admired Eve's dedication to her son. She was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he was taken care of, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. She fully accepted that, and Dee did an excellent job writing Eve's emotions as she prepared herself to make a life-changing decision. (No spoilers!!!)
I haven't read Dee's books before, but holy smokes is there some heat in here! Given that the setting is primarily in a boarding school, I wasn't expecting much in the heat department, but boy, was I wrong!
I learned of Daniel's two other brothers, and I hope they get their own stories too! I will DEFINITELY be reading them!!!
(I was given a copy of this book in consideration of my honest thoughts)
This is one of those books that just flowed. I honestly wasn't sure if I would like it when I first started reading, but I was steadily pulled through the book like a building crescendo and then BAM! Daniel's big realization about Eve hit and everything changed from there and it was SO awesome!
Daniel certainly had a tough decision to make, follow his head or follow his heart, and I enjoyed reading how he rationalized and hashed out what the next step in his life should be. He had plenty of doubt, and I felt that made him a realistic character.
I admired Eve's dedication to her son. She was willing to do whatever it took to make sure he was taken care of, even if it meant sacrificing her own happiness. She fully accepted that, and Dee did an excellent job writing Eve's emotions as she prepared herself to make a life-changing decision. (No spoilers!!!)
I haven't read Dee's books before, but holy smokes is there some heat in here! Given that the setting is primarily in a boarding school, I wasn't expecting much in the heat department, but boy, was I wrong!
I learned of Daniel's two other brothers, and I hope they get their own stories too! I will DEFINITELY be reading them!!!
(I was given a copy of this book in consideration of my honest thoughts)
Daniel walked into the parlor of the headmaster’s house Saturday afternoon seeking first the food table and second, his friend, Stan Baxter. He spotted them both near the front window.
“You’re late,” Stan said.
“Lots of people wanted to chat.” Parents’ Weekend, when teachers sat in their classrooms to meet their students’ mothers and fathers, meant mandatory tea afterwards for all professionals at the Academy. Board members and parents attended at their own discretion, and the boys—the reason the school existed and they were all there—mostly stayed out of sight and hearing.
“Fortunately for me, a good many parents now have grabbed their progeny and left campus, so I have access to the snacks unimpeded,” Daniel said, examining the finger food on display before making his selections. The challenge was always how to load his plate while appearing to take a socially acceptable portion. “Did I miss anything?”
“Only an angel.” Stan turned toward the window.. “Holy Mother! Look at that,” he muttered.
“What?” Daniel asked, fitting a cucumber sandwich beside the smoked salmon-topped cracker on his dessert plate. “Am I missing a table of fare? I swear, every year the offerings at these teas are more meager than the last.”
Stan chuckled and answered in the same low voice, “Is your stomach all you think about? I was talking about another kind of dish. One you can have fun eating in bed, if you catch my drift. And she just slipped out onto the lawn.”
“Is your libido all you think about?” Daniel bit a carrot stick in two and sighed. Only three more hours and he could order a pizza. With all of his charges gone from the dormitory for Parents’ Weekend, he had a rare, private, two-day holiday ahead of him. With the tiny plate full, he joined Stan at the large windows. “Where is this goddess?”
“There. In the red dress and hat.”
Daniel saw nothing but the shapely form of a woman walking away. Slender ankles topped three inch heels. A dress of some kind of lustrous material hit her mid-calf. The style was soft and feminine, and berry red. Not many women showed up at Westover in a color sure to make them the focus of attention. Not that most of them didn’t expect to be the focus—didn’t demand it, in fact—but they usually weren’t so obvious. The breeze at her back molded the material to the curves of her hips and ass, and fluttered the dress’s full sleeves. A wide-brimmed hat hid her hair, but based on what was visible, Daniel easily imagined a long column of neck designed for kissing.
“If the rest of her matches the back view, you’ve got reason to be drooling down the front of your gown.”
Frowning, Stan glanced down as though to make sure the drool comment was only facetious. “Can’t afford to drool on this. I had to use my tax refund to pay for the thing and show off my Master’s chevrons. I don't know how you afforded to pay for your Ph.D. paraphernalia.”
“The new degree looks sharp on you. Now, why are you mooning over a woman you see at the headmaster’s tea, when you know she’s some student’s mother and off limits?”
“She looks young enough to be a sister, so it’s not a given she’s out of bounds.”
At that moment, a young boy wearing the school uniform and a big grin ran up to the woman. She bent to catch him in her arms. When she straightened, she ruffled the boy’s hair. His expression and his wagging finger showed that he chastised her, but then he laughed and finger-combed the mussed hair back into place. She took his hand and they walked toward the circle where most of the parents parked. Looking up at the woman, the boy’s lips moved the whole while, carrying on a steady monologue.
Something in her actions captured Daniel’s attention. They were artless, performed naturally and with unabashed love. The child fairly skipped beside her and the frequent turns of her head showed she looked at him as though hanging on every word he spoke.
“How wonderful,” Daniel murmured, impressed with her total attention to the boy. “Did you see that?”
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t think her hips would ever stop swaying, and it’s a crime they make hemlines so long.”
Daniel laughed. “You’re such a hedonist.”
“And proud of it. But you were right. Looks like she’s a student’s mother after all. Damn the luck.”
For once, Daniel agreed with his friend. But not just because of the woman’s obvious good figure. More because she seemed to love her son and didn’t care who knew it. He normally kept his distance from flashy women, as this one appeared to be, based on her dress color, but her easy manner with the boy would be enough to make him ignore his own inclination toward the conservative. If she weren’t also a patron of the school. Assuming the gods smiled on him and he became headmaster, he and the woman would be on business terms, and nothing good ever came from mixing business with pleasure. Pleasure is what every male instinct in him screamed she would be.
“You’re late,” Stan said.
“Lots of people wanted to chat.” Parents’ Weekend, when teachers sat in their classrooms to meet their students’ mothers and fathers, meant mandatory tea afterwards for all professionals at the Academy. Board members and parents attended at their own discretion, and the boys—the reason the school existed and they were all there—mostly stayed out of sight and hearing.
“Fortunately for me, a good many parents now have grabbed their progeny and left campus, so I have access to the snacks unimpeded,” Daniel said, examining the finger food on display before making his selections. The challenge was always how to load his plate while appearing to take a socially acceptable portion. “Did I miss anything?”
“Only an angel.” Stan turned toward the window.. “Holy Mother! Look at that,” he muttered.
“What?” Daniel asked, fitting a cucumber sandwich beside the smoked salmon-topped cracker on his dessert plate. “Am I missing a table of fare? I swear, every year the offerings at these teas are more meager than the last.”
Stan chuckled and answered in the same low voice, “Is your stomach all you think about? I was talking about another kind of dish. One you can have fun eating in bed, if you catch my drift. And she just slipped out onto the lawn.”
“Is your libido all you think about?” Daniel bit a carrot stick in two and sighed. Only three more hours and he could order a pizza. With all of his charges gone from the dormitory for Parents’ Weekend, he had a rare, private, two-day holiday ahead of him. With the tiny plate full, he joined Stan at the large windows. “Where is this goddess?”
“There. In the red dress and hat.”
Daniel saw nothing but the shapely form of a woman walking away. Slender ankles topped three inch heels. A dress of some kind of lustrous material hit her mid-calf. The style was soft and feminine, and berry red. Not many women showed up at Westover in a color sure to make them the focus of attention. Not that most of them didn’t expect to be the focus—didn’t demand it, in fact—but they usually weren’t so obvious. The breeze at her back molded the material to the curves of her hips and ass, and fluttered the dress’s full sleeves. A wide-brimmed hat hid her hair, but based on what was visible, Daniel easily imagined a long column of neck designed for kissing.
“If the rest of her matches the back view, you’ve got reason to be drooling down the front of your gown.”
Frowning, Stan glanced down as though to make sure the drool comment was only facetious. “Can’t afford to drool on this. I had to use my tax refund to pay for the thing and show off my Master’s chevrons. I don't know how you afforded to pay for your Ph.D. paraphernalia.”
“The new degree looks sharp on you. Now, why are you mooning over a woman you see at the headmaster’s tea, when you know she’s some student’s mother and off limits?”
“She looks young enough to be a sister, so it’s not a given she’s out of bounds.”
At that moment, a young boy wearing the school uniform and a big grin ran up to the woman. She bent to catch him in her arms. When she straightened, she ruffled the boy’s hair. His expression and his wagging finger showed that he chastised her, but then he laughed and finger-combed the mussed hair back into place. She took his hand and they walked toward the circle where most of the parents parked. Looking up at the woman, the boy’s lips moved the whole while, carrying on a steady monologue.
Something in her actions captured Daniel’s attention. They were artless, performed naturally and with unabashed love. The child fairly skipped beside her and the frequent turns of her head showed she looked at him as though hanging on every word he spoke.
“How wonderful,” Daniel murmured, impressed with her total attention to the boy. “Did you see that?”
“Oh, yeah. I didn’t think her hips would ever stop swaying, and it’s a crime they make hemlines so long.”
Daniel laughed. “You’re such a hedonist.”
“And proud of it. But you were right. Looks like she’s a student’s mother after all. Damn the luck.”
For once, Daniel agreed with his friend. But not just because of the woman’s obvious good figure. More because she seemed to love her son and didn’t care who knew it. He normally kept his distance from flashy women, as this one appeared to be, based on her dress color, but her easy manner with the boy would be enough to make him ignore his own inclination toward the conservative. If she weren’t also a patron of the school. Assuming the gods smiled on him and he became headmaster, he and the woman would be on business terms, and nothing good ever came from mixing business with pleasure. Pleasure is what every male instinct in him screamed she would be.
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Only a Good Man Will Do
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