I started my professional teaching career in 1999. That seems like a hundred years ago now and so much has happened over those 24 years!
Teaching English was never my plan, but life’s journey took me to Busan, South Korea after completing my undergraduate degree. Unlike most people at the time, however, I wasn’t there to pay off a student loan. I went for the experience since all my other plans fell through. Initially, I thought I’d spend a year and then come back to Canada or go somewhere else, but I enjoyed teaching and ended staying in Korea for seven years.
During that time, I worked on my Master’s Degree and the initial inspiration for, The English Teacher’s Magic, drifted through my spare thoughts. At the time, I wrote journal entries and had originally called the series, The English Teacher’s Diary.
Fast forward, a few decades (2019) where I decided on the basic organization of the book: The series would be separated by months. Each month has four weeks and each week would have four chapters making sixteen chapters in total for each book. And I would write one book each month. (Can you hear my laughter!?) Well, I did manage to write the first draft of the first book in January of 2020! February started and I worked on book two but then life shifted. It took a little longer than expected to complete the second and third books.
When I initially thought of the series, I knew the main character would be an English teacher, and some of the story would take place in the classroom. A teacher’s job has many challenges, which I knew would end up in the stories. I didn’t want to offend any ethnic group since I wasn’t actually focusing on a specific culture, but all aspects of the job -good, bad, ugly, beautiful. So… since I love writing fantasy, I set the book in the Fae Realm.
I had so much fun writing Tea’s story from one issue to another. Her challenges and her love triangle. Throw in a touch of magic and things got even more interesting.
So are all the experiences of Tea my own? Of course not! Here are some examples:
Tea’s friend Hannah is completely fictional, but based off of stories told to me by friends who are ethnically Korean but were born and raised in Canada.
I never came across any teacher or human as vile as Jacklyn, but I wanted someone who had bitter experiences and was hopeless. She kind of represents the bad or ugly side of the profession. (NOTE: every profession has a bad and ugly side. Idealistic perfection only ever exists in our imaginations.)
Truthfully, I am incredibly thankful for my diverse career as an English teacher. I have had the privileges to meet many amazing people and have some incredible opportunities. So in a sense, The English Teacher’s Magic, is a bit of a tribute to my former career.
While the book falls under, Urban Fantasy, there is a definite romance thread with some laugh out loud, silent giggles, and soft chuckle moments. And with all my writing, the world building is strong with a wide variety of characters you’ll love, identify with, hate, love to hate, and cheer for.
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K. M. Wray 