Carolyn J. Rose

Barbara Reed, substitute teacher at Captain Merriweather High School in Reckless River, Washington, is not having a good day, and that’s even before the school bell rings. Opening lines:
"You may not realize you’re carrying a backpack loaded with beliefs or a tote bag crammed with foregone conclusions, until your baggage collides with that of another … And mine was slamming into Dave Martin’s as he moved into the condo now known as “ours.”