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Book: Classroom Confidential: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom…and You Can Too!

Q1.  Hello Ma’am, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

My name is Victoria Lucido, but I go by Vickie.  I grew up on the Monterey Peninsula, was a student of Monterey Peninsula Unified School District from K-12, and ended up teaching in my home district for 33 years.  When I decided to retire, I wanted to share what I learned with other teachers so they wouldn’t have to struggle to figure things out the way I did when I first started teaching.

Q2.  What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘Classroom Confidential: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom…and You Can Too!’ book?

Writing the book was actually the easy part.  It truly just flowed out of me once I started writing it.  I had so many things I wanted to say and share, and it was very cathartic getting to write them all down.  The hard part came when it was time to pitch it to publishers hoping someone would pick it up.  The next hard part has been marketing a book on teaching during a pandemic when schools are closed down.  I never saw that coming in a million years!  It’s been a challenge not being able to have a launch party or do book signings during COVID.  Fortunately, the message in my book is timeless, so I will hit the ground running as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

Being from the Monterey Peninsula, I have always been a fan of John Steinbeck.  Being a former social studies teacher, I love reading historical fiction.  I don’t particularly have an author who influenced my writing because I wanted my book to be uniquely me and my voice.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

I love to travel and visit all sorts of different places.  I just got back from visiting Bass Lake, California, which is very special because I grew up there camping and water skiing with my family.  But I would have to say my favorite spot in my country is my hometown and my favorite place to visit is wherever I can spend time with my family.

Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?

I don’t think so.  I think you need to just do it.  Since I got my book published, many people have said to me, “I have an idea for writing a book” or “I’m thinking about writing a book,” and I always tell them, “Just start writing!”  The main thing, for me, about writing a book is be sure you have something to say.  I definitely felt I had something to say when I wrote my book.

Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘Classroom Confidential: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom…and You Can Too!’ book?

On one hand, I suppose you could say it took me a lifetime to write my book because I couldn’t have written it without living through all of the experiences I shared.  But if the question is how long did it take to do the actual writing, I would say 6 months for the rough draft and another six months with all of the edits.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find your book ‘Classroom Confidential: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom…and You Can Too!’  to buy?

I am selling my book on my website: victorialucidobooks.com and it is also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other book stores.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Classroom Confidential: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom…and You Can Too!’?

My brother actually came up with the idea of Classroom Confidential as a homage to Anthony Bourdain with his book Kitchen Confidential.  My editor and I came up with the tag line: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom… and You Can Too! We wanted to make sure people knew I would be sharing my secrets to help others. Being a classroom teacher all of those years, I envisioned a chalk board on the cover of the book because while a lot of my advice is “old school” the lessons will never go out of style since people are people and that doesn’t change.  Morgan James Publishing took the cover idea in my head and made it a reality.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

I believe the best way to keep things fresh is to be authentic and write from your heart and not your ego.  Don’t ever try to manipulate the audience into feeling a certain way.  When you tell your truth with honesty,  it has a universality to it and others can relate.

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

Those of you who choose to read my book will see that it is like having a safe conversation with an experienced teacher.  While my book is set in the classroom, it’s really a no-nonsense book about life and best practices for managing and working with others.

Author’s Profile

Book Is Available On Amazon

Classroom Confidential: How I Survived 33 Years in a Public School Classroom…and You Can Too!

Book: How to Survive Your 20s

Q1.  Hello Ma’am, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.

Hi, my name is Portia Ingram and I am the author of How to Survive Your 20s. I am a thirty-something born and raised in New York. I graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and City University of New York with a Masters in Disability Studies. I’m active in my community and despite my diplomas ended up working for my local government and nothing to do with science. But as my book points out…life can be funny like that. Lol.

Q2.  What were the key challenges you faced while writing ‘How to Survive Your 20s’ book?

I must say the only real obstacle I had was understanding the publishing process. I had already authored two workbooks called The Helpful Planner & The Helpful Planner Kids however I self-published them through Amazon. Since I wanted to reach a wider audience, I wanted to go with a publishing company and was accepted by Mascot Publishing.

Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

I enjoy reading Napolean Hill’s books as well as Agatha Christi (And Then There Were None is an all-time favorite!). One author crucial to my development and storytelling ability was Shel Silverstein.

Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?

Being raised on Long Island, I loved going to our many parks and shores. There is a State park called Sunken Meadow that I enjoy going to when its warm. There are small microscopic crabs, horse shoe crabs, and a sand bridge by a beach less travelled that washes away with the high tide at noon. I think that’s so cool!

Q5. Is there lots to do before you dive in and start writing a book?

I would say depending on the book..yes. I wrote from experience so it took some honest reflection and even digesting of things I didn’t realize had such a major impact on what I wanted to write about. Once I got through that process it made the road to writing much clearer.

Q6. How long did it take you to write ‘How to Survive Your 20s’ book?

I would say I wrote it over the course of a few months. The content coming from lived experiences made it relatively easy to pen.

Q7. On what all platforms readers can find ‘How to Survive Your 20s’ book to buy?

The book is available for purchase online at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.

Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘How to Survive Your 20s’?

I wanted the cover to be simple yet eye catching. The use of bright colors helped with this however I also researched books that had done well in my category and I saw how I could integrate what I wanted with what was a pattern amongst popular authors.

Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

That’s a great question. I think one can keep things fresh for themselves and the audience by introducing new and different perspectives. I come from a social science working background and like to analyze life from a meta perspective- qualitatively, quantitatively, and engaging all the senses. Thinking outside the box to explain the most mundane topics can spice things up : )

Q10. Are there any secrets from the book (that aren’t in the blurb), you can share with your readers?

The book actually had several more chapter than were published. One title of a chapter that didn’t make it to press is “Do the Right Thing EVEN If it’s Unpopular.” In my teen and young adult workshops I discuss this but I believe especially in this day and time with so much potential for change it’s more important for people to hear.

Author’s Profile

Book Is Available On Amazon

How to Survive Your 20s