Carol Moncado

It’s been one of those days!  No FFF from me today :).  May try to tomorrow but we’ll see…

Current Facebook Status: has now found a better table with a power outlet. Note to self: bring needle nose pliers next time to pull out broken prong. Still love me some Panera though!

Currently Playing in the Background: Pandora while sitting at Panera having just finished more edits

[If you’re looking for the teen resources, scroll down :)]

JULIENESS!!!!

Do I really need to say more than that?  Julie is poster of the day over on Seekerville.  And it’s A Passion Redeemed day here on my blog.  For all like, seven of you who might read this ;).  Ah, one day someone will come back and read it!  Right?

I do A. Dore. Julie.  Honestly, I do.  Matt’s idea of getting her autograph tattooed on my tush was a bit much though ;).  I don’t adore her quite that much!  I don’t adore anyone that much!

So…  A Passion Redeemed…  You may want to grab rain gear, because there’s gushingness ahead…

From the back cover:

No man can resist her charms. Or so she thought. Charity O’Connor is a woman who gets what she wants. Her stunning beauty and flirtatious ways have always succeeded with men. Until Mitch Dennehy, that is. Brilliant and dangerously handsome, Mitch is a no-nonsense newspaperman who wants nothing to do with her. Charity burned him once, destroying his engagement to the only woman he ever truly loved. He won’t play with matches again. But Charity has a plan to turn up the heat, hoping to ignite the heart of the man she loves. And she always gets what she wants–one way or another.

Or does she? Will her best-laid schemes win his love? Or will her seductive ways drive him away forever?

Book 2 in the Daughters of Boston series, A Passion Redeemed will captivate your heart and stir your soul with a story of faith and redemption rising from the ashes of temptation, desire, and shame.

First… Faith and Collin… STILL NOT MARRIED!  After everything she put us [and THEM!] through, Patrick made them wait a YEAR to get married.  Girl, I’m surprised Collin didn’t come after you!  Or Faith!  [In book time, it’s pretty quick, but in their real time, not so much.]

But this is Charity and Mitch’s story.  Yes, Mitch, Faith ex-fiance.  Yes, Charity, who tried to break them up.

This time, Mitch is the one with the faith, not Faith.  But the faith that Faith helped him find.  Oy, that’s a lot of faiths.

Anyway, Mitch is the one with the Faith.  Charity is still scheming and conniving.  Shocking.  Eventually, she comes around and begins to truly believe.  But is it too little, too late?  Can she and Mitch actually make it work?  And what about Kathleen?  Mitch’s ex-girlfriend?  Will she throw a wrench in the works?  Or Rigan, who Charity is using for her own ends?  Or is she the one being used?

Once again, it’s so hard to find words to convey what I love, love, love about this book – and Julie’s books and characters in general – without spoilers!!!!   Trust me on this one, just read it ;).

That said…

I often have conversations in my head [or at least thoughts in my head – hey!  Julie!  No remarks!  I heard you thinking it!] of what I’d like to say to the author if I had the chance.  Questions I’d like to ask.  I was very fortunate that Julie took time out of her insane schedule to respond to the emails I was compelled to write.  Like when they were on the ship.  And I stopped reading [I was actually curled in my chair reading for an extended period of time rather than stealing a chapter here and there].  I pulled my laptop over and fired off an email detailing what I thought she might do.  Rather than reading on – I had to send the email – full of CAPS and !!! and !?!?!?! and glaring and whining and wide-eyed exhuberation [can you tell?].

Of course, I was wrong.  Well, sort of.  And I should probably admit that Julie’s version was better.  But I won’t.  Not publicly anyway.  Er, wait…

My point, of course, is that Julie is awesome.  Now as a bit of fair warning, her books could be considered PG-13 for passion for God and within couples, so definitely not something you want to just hand to your preteen [or your teen without conversation to go along with it].  So if you, or the one you’re buying for, is more of a G-rated person, you might want to think again, but she doesn’t cross any lines or ‘show’ what shouldn’t be ‘shown’.

That said, I have two full sets for Christmas presents ;).

9.5 out of 10 stars [but only because her solution to the ship thing was better than mine ;)]

Current Facebook Status: is done with lectures for the semester! Last paper gets turned in tomorrow though so lots of grading still left to do, but it’ll be done by Friday morning so ALMOST DONE! Two more days of up at 530 [and one up at 5 for the final :p]. So close!

Currently Playing In the Background: Not sure, Leno maybe?

Well, I’m just killing time until the new Seekerville post goes up – because it’s Julie Lessman day and it’s coming any minute now.  And then I can be first :).

Weekend ended up being CRAZY between a sick hubby [have never seen him that sick ever], sick kids, shopping, Christmas shopping, hanging out with Penny and Kristen Feola’s book signing, among other things.  Now we’re in the last week of school and all that goes along with that.

So Erryn Mangum Day didn’t happen :(.  Julie Lessman day 2 is tomorrow, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

[Hang on – Seeker post is up]

Okay, read Julie’s post and commented on it.

So notes for around here…

• I’ve been asked to do a guest blog next month about Valentine’s Day.  Will definitely post a link when it’s time!
• Hard copy of Unbreak Her Heart has been edited again and I’ll be working on the edits on the computer tomorrow.  Off to the editor by Friday /fingers crossed/
• Something else I can’t remember because I’m exhausted

Tomorrow: Julie Lessman’s A Passion Redeemed

Current Facebook Status: glares at the ‘to be continued’ from last night’s NCIS and wishes she’d waited a week to watch it like she had to last week.

Currently Playing in the Background: tonight’s Criminal Minds

Current NaNoWriMo Status: 13003, won’t mention how far that is behind but it’s progress!

I have begun A Passion Most Pure!!!! I have been looking forward to this for a while – Julie Lessman is way cool!  I’ve emailed with her a bit and comment chatted on Seekerville a number of times and really, really hope I get to meet her in St. Loo next year.  As in like, time to chat a bit and not just shake hands and take a picture.  I am loving APMP so far!  I may have to be ‘sick’ on Thanksgiving and hide in my room with a flashlight under the covers because at the rate I’m going I’ll still be working on it :p.  I got the next two of Julie’s for my birthday and I have finally finished Erynn Mangum’s books so next week should be ‘I’m thankful for Erynn Mangum’ week ;).

But, for today, we’ll stick with Karen Kingsbury!

From the Back Cover:

A forgotten secret.

A shocking discovery.

A sacrifice of love that will bring Connor Evans to his knees.

Airline Captain Connor Evans has nearly forgotten that stormy weekend in Hawaii ten years ago when he broke the greatest promise of all. Now Connor has the perfect life with his wife, Michele, and their two daughters, and the secret of that long-ago time is his alone.

But an ocean away, a flight attendant is raising her young son by herself when the plane she’s working on crashes into the Pacific. Her will is very clear about one thing–before the child can be given over to the state, his father must be contacted.

The news rocks Captain Evans’ life, and in the process he is presented with a choice: Refuse the child and never hear from him again, or take him for two weeks and decide whether to claim the boy as his own. Now, the family is on the brink of destruction. Can Michele and their daughters ever forgive Connor for what went wrong all those years ago? Or will the presence of one lonely child destroy everything?

What I Liked:

• Max.  He’s a sweet boy who is stuck between a rock and a hard place – and just wants to be loved.
• Michele.  By the end.
• Connor.  While I certainly can’t condone what he did or the keeping of the secret, he did finally come clean and did the best he could under the circumstances.
• Connor and Michele’s daughters.  They were more accepting of Max than Michele was, though they didn’t truly understand why he was there.
• Ramey.  She’s a faithful friend to both Max and Kiahna – and Michele and Connor throughout.
• Connor’s father.  When push comes to shove, he is the bigger man.  Sure, he was probably right all those years earlier, but he finally takes the first step.

What I Didn’t Like:

• Michele’s reaction to Max.  While I understand it, I didn’t like it.  Particularly the subterfuge.

Overall:

I liked this much better than I did One Tuesday Morning and will give Kingsbury more chances based on this than I would have based on that one.  This is a story of redemption and healing and second chances.  If this is more of an example of Kingsbury’s writing than One Tuesday Morning is, I’ll be reading more.

Current Facebook Status: Hopes everyone remembers to vote!!!! Early and often! Okay just early works. Matt already voted and she’ll be voting later.

Currently Playing in the Background: Imagination Movers with Duff

In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard… It’s election day here in the States.  So go vote!

And tonight – or maybe tomorrow – you will be returned to your regularly scheduled Spray and Wash commercials instead of the mud slinging ones.

Current Facebook Status: is laughing because she just got the email from Amazon saying her order has shipped – but the box got here about 3 hours ago ;). New books! Gotta love it!

Currently Playing in the Background: Biggest Loser

Current Novel Track Status: 3006 words for the day, 21505 for NT, 47919 for the manuscript

Okay – so that’s how I remember the quote from 1776.  England really isn’t closing in…

I have come to the conclusion that there simply is not enough time to do everything.

There.   My epiphany for the day! 😉

I have many things to do, too many for a mere 24 hours a day.  So I figure I need to break them down into categories and, yes, even subcategories.

Things I Have To Do:

• Things I Want to do: Cuddle the kids
• Things I Don’t Really Care About: eating – has to be done, but not always a high on the ‘really want to’ list
• Things I Sometimes Want to Do but Not Always: Schoolwork, Work Out
• Don’t Really Wannas: Clean the house, do laundry, bathe children
• Would Rather Take a Long Walk Off A Short Pier: clean up puke

Things I Want To Do:

• Things I Really Want To Do: Read, Write, Watch my Shows
• Things I Sometimes Want to Do: Blog, Write reviews, Talk to Certain People, Emails I Don’t Want to Write

Some things belong in more than one category depending on the day.  Things like grading papers, lesson plans, writing reviews or blogging fit in that category.

The more I looked at it the more I decided that if I prioritized and scheduled – and more importantly STUCK TO IT – I could do all of the have-tos and most of the want-tos.

For me, I think that means doing the least desirable have-tos first and then have the rest of the day to do the want-tos.

What does that mean?  It means I made a schedule based on the day of the week and the HAVE TO have tos [like go to class] and made a schedule around them.

So for Tuesday/Thursday, the day would look like this:

6:30 – Get up, Bible Study, water, breakfast
7:00 – Laundry, Get girls up and ready, Get bags ready, pack lunch
7:40 – Bus for girls
7:45 – Leave for gym
8-9:10 – Gym/workout
9:10-9:30 – Shower, Hair, make-up, clothes
9:30-10:15 – Schoolwork
10:30 – Drop Christopher off
11:30 – School
1:15 – Pick up Christopher
1:45-2 – Naptime for C, Laundry, Change
2:00 – Writing II*
3:00 – Writing III*
4:00 – Room Rescues
4:15 – Kids
5:00 – Dinner prep
5:30 – Dinner
6:30 – Bath, Bedtime for kids
7:30 – Kids in bed
8:00 – Lights off – Em/C
8:30 – Lights off – M/A
8:00-10:00 Writing IV – Check to do lists for tomorrow, update calendar
10:00 – Ready for bed – Teeth, Hair, makeup removal, water for morning
10:30 Lights out

*5-10 minute break at the end of each hour to change/fold/put up/etc laundry or do other little things.

See?  Plenty of time!  No, there’s not much ‘cleaning’ on there but that’s for MWF which I will post another time.

So who’s going to help keep me accountable?

Current Facebook Status: wonders when they’ll come up with self-cleaning, self-pressing and self-folding clothes. Or when the Mary Poppins snappy thing will start working for her. Either one.

Currently Playing in the Background: Big Bang Theory, Season 2, Disk 4

Yay!  Flash Fiction Friday!  Love it!

Today’s prompt was the first two sentences. 🙂  Of course, now I have more ideas flying through my head…  Here’s Jan’s.

I reached blindly for the phone.  “At 3 am, either someone better be dead or this better be Lisa.”

“No,” the voice on the other end of the line whispered.  “It’s Debbie.”

Debbie?  The only Debbie I knew was my ex-girlfriend.  My very ex-girlfriend.

I sat up and ran a hand through my hair.  “What do you want?”

“I’m in trouble, Nick.  I need your help.”

I wasn’t going to turn her down.  She knew it and I knew it.  I sighed and looked at the decidedly unrumpled other side of the bed.  Even if Lisa did make it home before dawn, I wouldn’t be there.

“What happened?”

“Some guys kidnapped me.  They wanted me to, um…”  She hesitated.  “Sleep with some guy to keep him busy while they stole something from him.”

I already had my jeans back on.  “And they’re letting you call me?”

“No.  They don’t know I had my phone.  They didn’t search me very well.”

“Well, that’s one point in your favor.  Where are you?”  I pulled my shirt over my head and hoped I didn’t miss anything.

“I think I’m down near the docks in that empty warehouse near Bleacher Street.”

“I know the place.  Can you get away?”  I tied my shoes as fast as I could.

“I think I could,” she whispered.  “But I can’t.  If you can’t help me, then I don’t have a choice.  I’ll have to sleep with this guy and I don’t want to do that.  I haven’t slept with anyone since…”

She stopped.

Since me.

That’s what she meant.  She hadn’t slept with anyone since me.

“Just get away and don’t worry about it.”  I pushed the button for the garage door, my cell phone tucked beneath my ear.

“I can’t.  They have him.”

“Who?”

I could almost see her close her eyes and pray for strength, just as she had so many times when we were together – when she had something important to say.  “Nicolo.”

“Who?”  I started the car.

“Nicolo Masters DiMarco.  Your son.”

Current Facebook Status: NCIS BABY!

Currently Playing in the Background: Last week’s Bones

Very special thanks goes out to Angela!  My website is officially up and running!!

Check it out at www.carolmoncado.com – I LOVE it!

Current Facebook Status: made it to S7 of NCIS! Watching Ep 1. Favorite quote so far – Gibbs: Some idiot smuggled a koala on a submarine ;). Really wishing the DVDs had a ‘play all’ option though :p. Would much rather just watch but alas, laundry and schoolwork are calling her name.

Currently Playing in the Background: whiny 3 year old. NCIS S7 Ep 1 is paused.

Very Special Thanks go to Candace Calvert who posted a link to the review of Critical Care on her Facebook page :).  I think I want to be like Candace when I grow up – without the nursing thing /shudder/.  Nurses rock – believe me, I know; we’ve had some absolutely stellar nurses with Christopher [and some not so stellar but mostly awesome] – I have no desire to be one of them ;).  She even mailed bookmarks to new subscribers of her newsletter [if you gave her your snail mail address – I signed up that day but think I just put my zip code – boo!  Ah well!] – I still think that’s way cool.

Yesterday was a way cool day for me.  Won the Nathan Bransford 1000th comment contest and have sent my query letter and first five pages off to him.  It was also my biggest ‘hit’ day yet :).  That was pretty awesome.  Not that it was a huge day in terms of blog hits Internet wide, but for me it was neat.

Today, I get three books which makes today a pretty good day, too!  It’s also the 17th anniversary of my first date with my hubby; the 14th since he proposed.  So laundry, schoolwork, then I may read Code Triage, the sequel to today’s book review :).  Without any further ado…

From the back cover:

ER Charge nurse Erin Quinn escaped personal turmoil to work on the peaceful California coast. But when a hazardous material spill places Pacific Mercy Hospital on disaster status and stresses staff, she’s put to the test. And thrown into conflict with the fire department’s handsome incident commander, who thinks her strategy is out of line.

Fire Captain Scott McKenna has felt the toxic effects of tragedy; he’s learned to go strictly by the book to advance his career, heal his family, and protect his wounded heart. When he’s forced to team with the passionately determined ER charge nurse, sparks fly. As they work to save lives, can they handle the attraction kindled between them . . . without getting burned?

What I Liked:

• Erin.  She was in Critical Care as well.  I liked her then and I like her now.
• Scott.  Shocking, eh?  Liking the male lead? 😉  But I did like Scott, flaws and all.
• Iris, Erin’s grandmother.  Flawed but wonderful!
• Dr. Hugh McKenna, Scott’s grandfather.  A perfect balance for Iris – hope we eventually find out what happens there ;).  I also liked Scott’s nephew, Cody, as well as the rest of his family.
• Sarge – despite everything, I felt for him.  I knew his motivations and his heart were sound and I longed for him to find what he needed to.
• Leigh – the ER doc – loved her and am glad she’s up in Code Triage.
• Annie and Arlo – fun addition!  Coffee at a bait shop sounds about right to me.
• All the other people we’re supposed to like.  I wasn’t crazy about the fear mongers, but who would be?  That was the point.  The others – from patients who passed, to families who mourned, to those who rejoiced in healing – I liked J.
• Elmer Fudd and Jonah – because who doesn’t love a goldfish named Elmer and a yodeling dog?

What I Didn’t Like:

• Not nearly enough Claire and Logan.  The couple of glimpses into what was going on in their lives was nice, don’t get me wrong, but a visit to them a couple years down the road would be most welcome as well :).  Since Code Triage is about Leigh, who doesn’t know them, it doesn’t seem likely that we’ll get much of an update.  Maybe they move to Texas for her new series.
• The end.  Those two words are the bane of this reader’s existence. :p

Overall:

The book had been in my Amazon cart, but since I just read it and only three books were being purchased, I chose to go with a different one.  That said, it will make its way back into the cart before long :).

9 out of 10

[And yay! The 3yo fell asleep! On to ep 2!]

This week’s been a bit crazy so far and I really want to review Candace Calvert’s Disaster Status after reviewing her Critical Care last week.  I did read the Kindle version last week but have the hard copy in my possession now.  Sorry, eReader enthusiasts…  It’s just not the same.  I haven’t finished it again yet and today promises to be just as crazy [cleaning, doc appointment, company – hence the cleaning, etc.] so it’s unlikely I’ll get it up today so it’ll be more like… Thought I Could Thursday?  Or possibly even Finally on Friday – or something ;).  So watch this space.  It will come.  I’m sure that knowing I’m reading it again after reading the Kindle edition just last week will tell you something – something good that is ;).