Mona Karel Author

D, plump letter with a strong back. Often used to indicate a bit of a smile. Designation for a larger than comfortable bra cup, and when you start multiplying those D’s you run into some difficulties.

We could talk about DOGS…too easy. DANDELIONS…critical to life cycles. Oooh, DRAGONS..nah, over done although I totally love dragons.

What about…Dawn?

SO many choices here..let’s go with Cat Stevens there in front of us…Tom really liked his work…gotta shut off YouTube or I’ll spend all night listening.

I don’t have much choice about sleeping in. The dogs know how long they’ve been inside and when they NEED to go out. Dawn can easily become chaotic! Somewhere between 6 and 6:30 AM I’m achieving vertical status. As long as my head can remain above my feet, it’s a good day.

Living as I do at 6500′ plus, with well placed neighbors, I have space around me to stretch out and greet the morning

Dawn brings new opportunities, new chances. My writing is best at dawn, and life is the start of another adventure. Watching the landscape respond to the sun’s greeting is a never ending fascination.

No matter what time of year, every sunrise is a new adventure.  Don’t miss greeting each new day.

Hope you enjoy, and you have the opportunity to say GOOD MORNING for a long long time.

Ah, C. An open circle. A hug in the making. Representing so many influences in my life. Should I talk about my CAT, trying to trip me if I take too long a step? Or maybe CHOCOLATE, that nirvana of food (I do have a great low carb Chicken Mole) Nah, KITT CRESCENDO handled chocolate masterfully. I would discuss cancer but I can not do so and pretend to be polite. Too many friends, too many losses.

Which leaves…coffee. MMMMM, COFFEE. As I explained when I visited ALLY SHIELDS earlier in the year “Ah coffee, the nectar of life. I drink it hot. I drink it cold. In an emergency I would not be surprised if I drank from a pot three days old. I draw the line at old enough to have floating organisms and I just can’t agree with certain brands being the best part of waking up, or good to the last drop. I have a Keurig, a French press, and a drip coffee maker. Oh, and several cones with filters. Just in case I’m isolated by a flood or blizzard.”

I generally wake up in the dark and stagger to the kitchen to let the first group of Salukis out. On the way, I click on my

Faerie Queene

Keurig. The first cup is hot water. The second cup is water with apple cider vinegar (insert face mashed together while I shudder a bit) or sometimes lemon juice.

Then I drop my first pod into the one cup coffee miracle. I use this ORGANIC coffee in biodegradable pods. So I don’t worry so much about all that plastic stuff (I could use c**p here, in keeping with the letter of the day!) ending up in land fills. All mine end up in eventual garden plots along with the rest of my kitchen detritus. Amazon delivers eighty pods monthly. It’s almost enough. Hmm now I see I can get 120 pods delivered, for less than $2.00 additional. Interesting, I’ll have to look at that later.

Good Morning, have you had your coffee yet?

My first cup is black. Ahhh, bliss. Some of the brain cells start to fire in earnest. Eventually in between goofing with the ‘lukis and checking e-mail I move on to BPC…Bullet Proof Coffee, a low carb treat of coffee, quality butter, coconut cream. Yeah, high fat, but low carb and a great way to ease into the rest of the day.

In a pinch I’ll drink drive through coffee, or maybe hit Starbucks. Not for the blends, but for a cup of what’s on tap, then I add nutmeg or cinnamon and a touch of cream.

Yep, keeps me going.

What are your choices in favorite beverages of the day…starts with C or not?

Ah B. Such a lush, round letter, cinched in at the middle. A cheerful sound: “B.”

I could write about the plight of the BEES, which becomes more grim each day. Or about BUTTER or BACON, part of my low carb eating. Oh yum.

But…no. Although now that I think about it, I better take that package of bacon out of the freezer so I can have some for breakfast.

Done, and more coffee is in my cup.

My choice for B has to be my publisher, BLACK OPAL BOOKS

I’ve been writing full length books since 1985. Not great books, necessarily. Some not even very good. But writing. Occasionally I sent them off to agents and publishers. Contests also although generally of the three judges, two would love it and the third would worry about my heroes being too harsh and my heroines too strong. My ego, never really strong, took a nose dive. I still wrote but the resulting books stayed in my computer.

Digital publishing started to take off, small and not so small presses began to crop up. I saw a message about a new publisher. I liked what I was reading and in spite of the dire warnings (they’re new, wait a few years) I sent in a manuscript, then left for a three day dog show. The submission advice said to give it a month to six weeks so I wasn’t going to think about my book. Really, I wasn’t.

I didn’t open the e-mail while we were showing. Anything reply that fast could only be a rejection, right? So I waited until we were home, the dogs settled, and things calmed down (all relative since chaos is a way of life for us.) I opened the message. It’s in another computer, but what I remember:

“We think you are a good writer, and would like to publish your book”

I stared at the screen. Exited e-mail. Went back on. The words were the same.

I printed it out. Words were the same. I showed the printed version to my husband who agreed the words he read were the words I read. And I had such a Sally Fields moment (They LIKE me)

My own life took a nose dive just a few months later, but My Killer My Love  came out that May.

Teach Me to Forget came out the next May. That would be 2012. While I was adjusting to my new life, I would occasionally pitch an idea to Lauri, and she would invariably say “send it, whenever you’re ready.”

I guess I was ready last year. A Question of Honor comes out this May, and the next Stormhaven Love Story will come out later, if I can get it polished and sent soon.

Sure there are other publishers, big and small. And maybe I could make more money elsewhere. I’m not sure I could do better, or have a better fit for me. As I listen to the woes from my writer friends about lack of control or interference in their writing voice, I know I’m where I want to be.

Fourth Grade…nine years old. And she has a better grasp on what matters than people much older. In particular whoever decided we need to be testing testing testing instead of encouraging students to think for themselves and learn how to learn.

Yep, I’ve joined the A to Z Blog Challenge. I’ve promised to blog every day except Sunday between now and the end of April. I’ve also committed myself to exercising a little bit more every day.

Can I do it? Well, why the heck not!

I have not committed to a specific theme for the month any more than I have stuck with a theme for the last three months, since I started the Your Turn Challenge.

Hang in there with me, we’re going to be Awesome.

Sunday evenings I go wandering through You Tube, indulging in memories and good times, sometimes finding something new and amazing to share.

I remember when I first heard this song, for once right around the time it came out. Yeah, a while back.

Noodling around on You Tube I found this version…Gobsmacked!

GO Wonder Woman!

OH, Jim Quincy Borden is sharing a sad song on his blog about love we thought would last forever. Pete Seeger’s Against The Wind. Jim likes this line: “Wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then”

I’m kind of partial to: “Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends”

“Older now, still running against the wind.”

JM Maurer’s offered to share her next book with us for Pay it Forward. The idea is she will do something wonderful for someone else…being brave enough to bring out a book around April First is pretty impressive, don’t you think?

Title: Seeking Love (Emerging From Darkness Book 1)
By: JM Maurer @JMMaurer1
Publish Date: April 2, 2015
Categories: Contemporary Romance, Humor, Woman’s Fiction

Blurb:

Every day, Jessica Winters does what she does best—bury herself in patient care within the walls of the neuro intensive care unit, keeping herself busy to escape the dark sadness that controls her life. But the day she sees Matthew Moi, the intriguing man seated at her new patient’s bedside, her shattered heart begins to frantically beat once again.

As Matthew pins his mesmerizing gaze upon her, trying to distract her with his humorous and playful banter, she does her best to ignore him. Somehow he already knows a great deal about her, breaking down Jessica’s barriers and awakening her soul, drawing her out of the darkness and into his arms.

When her painful past resurfaces, revealing truths that threaten her future, Jessica struggles through her issues and fights to stay on a healing path . . . seeking love.
Buy Links:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/pa4chrn

Apple: http://tinyurl.com/nu6t5xp

Barnes & Noble: http://tinyurl.com/khmfx84

Kobo: http://tinyurl.com/nycysxl

Amazon Author Page: http://tinyurl.com/m7tfqsn

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jmmaurer

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-seekinglove-1766707-149.html

Excerpt:

One thing I knew: I wasn’t that woman anymore. I wouldn’t be her anymore.

My heart was racing at the thought of being separated from Matthew by only the door, and I watched as it opened, knowing he stood mere feet away. I drew in a deep breath to calm my frantic nerves and steady my racing heart. It was the moment my eyes would see him again, and the same moment I knew all involuntary muscle movements would cease.

As Matthew stepped in and around the door, his alluring eyes captured me. The feeling was nothing new. I’d been imprisoned by his gaze before. And locked in it again, I watched as he drifted to me, the indisputable chemistry between us palpable and absolute. His mesmerizing eyes had hypnotized my burning soul, completely bewitching me.

“Hello, Jessica,” he murmured, pointing to an open area of the bed. “Mind if I sit?”

I gave a slight shake of my head, having difficulty forming the simple word “no,” and watched as he made himself comfortable facing me. His crisp charcoal-colored trousers bunched as he scooted on the bed. My sight roamed along his classic plum-colored dress shirt and stopped searching once I focused on his face.

About the Author:

JM Maurer lives with her family in Chicago. She makes it a point to never work on a full moon and cringes when a coworker uses the “Q” word—never, ever say, “It’s a quiet day today,” at her day job.

Known for being overly superstitious, she can usually be found scraping at the remnants of a Nutella container, screaming at a hockey game, or putting pen to paper, allowing the “real” crazy voices in her head to come alive. And after all this, it’s no wonder she’s an incurable romantic and loves escaping the rat race of life to immerse herself inside the world of a really good romance book . . . because, after all, what’s better than a happily-ever-after?
Find her Here:

Website: http://jmmaurer.com
Blog: http://jmmaurer.com/blog.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JMMaurerAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMMaurer1
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13459844.J_M_Maurer
tsu: http://www.tsu.co/JMicheleMaurer

Just ’cause it’s pretty!

I’ve been thinking about this blog for a while. So many times I come across a review that just begs for me to smack a palm across my face. What WERE they thinking? I decided instead of saving them all up for a huge blog I’d parcel them out from time to time, and maybe you’ll share the ones that piqued your interest.

I found a Kindle edition of a book by one of my favorite authors. Somehow I missed this book when it came out in 1987. I punched that deadly one-click and loaded it onto my Kindle. Then I looked at the reviews. Several of which stated “this reads like one of those 1980’s genre romances.”

Well, duh.

The book comes from the days of Alpha-hole heroes and innocent, plucky, damaged, sweet, sexy (for the right man only!) heroines. One or both has some kind of tragic past that interferes with their ability to love or commit or whatever the problem is going to be. Romance authors of that time were talented at producing such books.

Romance readers devoured them.

Yes, they’re dated. In the better ones, the descriptions and the emotions are still there, grabbing at our hearts and keeping us up late reading, for the third or fourth or fifth time, about the healing power of love.

Sigh.

I found a review complaining that the main character in a series was “too unrealistic.” Here we have a series with werewolves, vampires, fae, ghosts, and monsters. And this reviewer thinks one specific character is unrealistic? Seriously? Wow.

Then there was the one star review, complaining the story “had too many horses.” You’d think the cover, which was only a rearing horse, might have given the reader a clue.

What reviews have you found that make you want to dent the desk with your head?

I joined RWA (Romance Writers of America) and OCC (Orange County Chapter) in 1989. At that time several of the heavy hitters had not left Southern California for parts north and gorgeous (as in San Juan Islands.) I was having books signed by a very favorite author. As we talked books and writing, she asked what I was writing. I kind of dithered around, and mentioned I was taking a six week hiatus due to a litter of Saluki puppies. She demanded pictures, and then grinned. “Six months,” she predicted.

Taking up time since 1972

She was right. Sigh.

I asked her why oh why didn’t she write the next book in a series. Sure I knew the answer but still..

She explained she’d moved on to other books and characters. Plus there were these pesky issues with the publisher.

Okay, I understood all that. But we her loyal readers really really really wanted that story.

And she smiled.

And she said: “You write it.”

And I did. Well, okay not his story. But a story of a wounded warrior and the woman who completes him. Since I can get a bit carried away sometimes, I decided to make both of them scarred by their pasts. Today, I saw the potential cover.

“Can a woman with a past find love with a man who thinks he has no future?”

Yes, I think they can.

Susan posed three questions HERE on Siouxsie’s Musings meant to make us think, to dig deep into who we are and what we want to be: **Brag  — what can I be proud of right now? Grateful — what  blessing in my life would I like to acknowledge? Desire — if money, time, and the laws of physics were no object, what would I desire?** She references her sources in the blog (Susan’s blogs always give me something new to think about.

I took a bit to think before I answered, which is one of the reasons I really enjoy her blog

{{a brag. That I never stop trying new things. I’m grateful I learned to do this, albeit later in life and not yet completely.Desire, if I had unlimited funds? To keep reaching out, doing more, and helping others do the same.
This isn’t totally altruistic…I’m trying hard to deal with total truth. I’ve traveled a bit, I’d like to travel more. But it is SO MUCH fun to watch others succeed, especially when I’ve had at least a small part in their success.}}}

I’ve learned to take pleasure in smaller things. Might be all the dishes clean at once, a garden planted and ready for success. A dress fitting for the first time in years. A forgotten memory, just waiting to show up when I most need it.

This evening it was a great Agility session with my firecracker of a Saluki boy, Ffyr Drakul (Fire Dragon) He was giggling with anticipation while I looked for a parking place and spent the first ten minutes just sniffing where all the dogs had been earlier.

We hadn’t been for several months. Always something else to do, or the weather was just so awful. His sister went a few times to the Tuesday session but seems like Thursday just kept getting away from us. So tonight he went instead. And we both are better for it1

What is your brag, your source of gratitude, your desire? If you haven’t found them yet, don’t put it off until a better time. Go. Embrace life…we’re blessed to be here. So many are not