Lacey Chase's Blog
October 8, 2024
Diary of a Sub
Once upon a time, I was a substitute teacher for a year. It was post-pandemic, and teachers kept getting sick, and there was a serious need for substitutes. I figured.... I'm already taking my kids to school. Why not stay and get paid?
Diary of a Sub began. I simply had to post my daily experiences for friends on social media to read and laugh over. Mostly silly things the junior high or high schoolers would say or do.
Over a year later, I said goodbye to substitute teaching as I got a full-time job, but the experience never left me entirely.
"This should be a book," I kept thinking. AND everyone who had read my Diary of a Sub posts kept telling me.
I attempeted to write a middle grade chapter that included substitute teacher in it. I brought it to a workshop at a writers conference. The mentor said, "Honey, this isn't middle grade. Your true protagonist is the substitute teacher."
"But I write middle grade. I don't write romcoms," I replied.
"I would read the heck out of an entire series of books about substitute teachers falling in love." To which everyone at the table nodded and proceeded to convince me to write the story as a romcom.
OK FINE! So I finally did. And I had so much fun doing it. I hope you enjoy Substitute for Love!
Diary of a Sub began. I simply had to post my daily experiences for friends on social media to read and laugh over. Mostly silly things the junior high or high schoolers would say or do.
Over a year later, I said goodbye to substitute teaching as I got a full-time job, but the experience never left me entirely.
"This should be a book," I kept thinking. AND everyone who had read my Diary of a Sub posts kept telling me.
I attempeted to write a middle grade chapter that included substitute teacher in it. I brought it to a workshop at a writers conference. The mentor said, "Honey, this isn't middle grade. Your true protagonist is the substitute teacher."
"But I write middle grade. I don't write romcoms," I replied.
"I would read the heck out of an entire series of books about substitute teachers falling in love." To which everyone at the table nodded and proceeded to convince me to write the story as a romcom.
OK FINE! So I finally did. And I had so much fun doing it. I hope you enjoy Substitute for Love!
