Carol Moncado

Current Facebook Status: has a 3yo Superman currently dressed up as Ironman. He was Wolverine earlier. Gotta ♥ a box of superhero dress up clothes!

Currently Playing in the Background: Hannah Montana in the other room

Well, it is that time of year again.  Time to set resolutions for the next year.  I haven’t really set resolutions – not specific, measureable ones – in years.  Like Mary Connealy, I know myself and know that next year I’ll look back and be like ‘oh. Right.  I wanted to do that…’  How do I know Mary Connealy said that?  She mentioned it in the comments on Seekerville.  Because this is the topic of Seekerville‘s blog today as well.

But things are different now.  I have a blog!  And about six readers who will keep me accountable ;).  By the end of the year, maybe I’ll have that doubled to twelve.  Hey, you never know!

So this year, I’m making resolutions and setting clear, measureable goals.  They go together.  Many of them revolve around developing a career as an author, but not all do.  Some are goals in and of themselves, some have sub-goals.  My plan is this: to set annual goals, each month break them down into monthly goals and from there, each week.

So what are they?

1.    Do my Bible study every day by the end of the year.
–      Just jumping into it and saying ‘every day! This week!’ is unrealistic.  I’ll start with a goal of say 2 days a week and grow it from there.

2.    Blog.  Three times a week.  Every week.  Or at least a note why I won’t be blogging that day. The three weekly topics:
a.    Monday Musings: News, Notes and Nuttiness [yes, the third alliteration needs work ;)].  It’s what it sounds like – any news or random thoughts I had in the week prior as well as my goals for the current week [based on these annual goals].
b.    What I read Wednesday – just what it sounds like ;).  Book reviews =D.
c.    Flash Fiction Friday – continue with the FFF with Jan and Andrea

3.    Go to ACFW‘s conference in St. Louis this September.  Meet people.  Meet Julie Lessman.  Because we all know I ♥ Julie ;).

4.    Date night – at least every other month with my honey.

 

 

5.    Lose 125lbs by 3/2012 [yes, I know that’s more than a year ;).  There’s a reason for that goal =D.  No, I’m not saying specifically why.]
a.    Lose 20lbs by 3/11
b.    Lose 40lbs by 6/11
c.    Lose 60 lbs by 9/11 [and ACFW!]
d.    Lose 100 lbs by 12/31/11

6.    Exercise daily – that means at least 6 days a week – also, RUN a 5K

7.    Develop and make habitual house cleaning/other routines

8.    More fun stuff as a family – game night at least twice a month; Wii Fit/Resort Fun Night the other two weeks

The rest are more writing related…

9.    Finish first drafts of at least five manuscripts
a.    Liz [already at 53K]
b.    Nick/Debbie [already over 50K]
c.    Nate
d.    Two Jasmine novels [one is nearly 50K]
e.    Something completely new for NaNoWriMo

10.  Complete/finished/”final” draft of 3 manuscripts
a.    Liz
b.    Nick/Debbie
c.    Nate – or maybe one of the Jasmines

11.  Contests – enter them 😉
a.    Enter two manuscripts in Genesis – Unbreak Her Heart and Nick/Debbie [and give it a title :p]
b.    Join RWA
c.    Enter RWA contests 😉
d.    Enter at least one MS in RWA’s Golden Heart
e.    Enter Great Expectations again [entering the first time this week]
f.    Try to enter at least one contest at least every other month [those above are the biggie annual ones – at least the ones I know of]

12.  Read 4 books a month.  For research.  Yep.  That’s it.  Plus one non-fiction or craft book.

13.  Query
a.    Research agents, editors/houses who accept unsolicited manuscripts
b.    Query those agents with UHH
c.    Query those agents with Nick/Debbie

14.  Always remember Why I Do What I Do:
So there you have it.  Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen clear, measureable goals.  Note that I didn’t put ‘find an agent’ or ‘get published’.  Why not?  Because, to a degree, those things are out of my control.  I can polish and send all the manuscripts in the world to Jeff Gerke, but odds are, he’s not going to publish me.  Why?  Because I don’t write stuff he’d be interested in.  All I can do is find out which agents/editors/houses/etc. would suit me and my manuscripts and submit to them.  From there it’s out of my hands.

Note that ‘potty training Christopher’ also isn’t on there :p.  That one is also completely out of my hands…

Now, goals for today/this week:

1.     Finish getting Great Expectations entry ready
2.    Finish polishing Unbreak Her Heart and submit to the editor who requested it at HACWN
3.    Clean house, finish getting Christmas decorations put up
4.    Get ready for Narnia marathon tonight
5.    New Year’s Eve shindig at our house
6.    Laundry – done AND put up

Right now… This is calling my name…

Current Facebook Status: Made it through Toys R US, Gordman’s, Sam’s and Walmart, but most of the Christmas shopping was done online and will be arriving via UPS! Thank goodness!

Currently Playing in the Background: Imagination Movers because the 3yo WILL NOT go to sleep :p

So… No Book Review Wed.  Look for TWO Julie Lessman reviews next week!  Just got two of my Erynn Mangum books back from my sister so I should be able to review them the week after.  Or that’s the plan ;).

Everything is coming together for Christmas.  Almost everything is bought.  Nothing is wrapped.  UPS will be busy here on Tuesday!  Can’t wait!

And now… Here’s Flash Fiction Friday.  Jan and Andrea posted theirs too :).

He leaned forward in his chair, raised a crooked finger to Debbie’s face and said, “Your husband killed my son.  Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you and his son.”

Debbie just looked him in the eye.  She couldn’t have spoken anyway – not with the gag in her mouth, but she didn’t know what answer she would give him anyway.  She was ready to go, in a sense.  She knew her relationship with God was solid.  Nicky was young enough that he hadn’t reached that magical age of accountability.  But Nick… What would it do to Nick if Tricky Tio killed the two of them?  Would he turn away from the beliefs he was starting to embrace?  Would he understand that, for whatever reason, it was their time to go?  Or would he run away, forever, never giving God another chance?  Blaming him for the loss of his wife?  Of his two children?

That’s what Debbie was afraid of.  More than she was afraid of dying, she was afraid of what it would do to Nick, to his soul.  She closed her eyes and prayed.  She prayed for strength.  She prayed Nicky would sleep through the whole thing like he had last time.  She prayed that Nick would find them.  She prayed for Nick’s soul.  She prayed that, somehow, through all of this, he would find his faith.

“I won’t kill him, you know.  Not for a while.  Not until he’s had a chance to mourn you both.  To know what it’s like to live without you, like I’ve had to live without my son.”

Debbie wished she could point out that it was his own fault.  Sure, Nick had pulled the trigger, but Tio was the one who had ordered she and Nicky be kidnapped.  If he hadn’t, Nick would have had no reason to shoot his son.  He only did what he had to do to protect her and Nicky from Tio’s men.  That kind of thing wouldn’t mean anything to a mobster, though.  It was Nick’s fault.  That’s all there was to it.

“So, the question then is… Do I kill you fast?  Or do I kill you slow?  Do I kill you first?  Or your son?  Do I make you watch your son die a slow death?  Then kill you?  Or let you both bleed out at the same time?”  He was pure evil.   “I don’t think fast is the answer.  I think I’ll go with slow.  Let the kid die a bit, then start on you.”

He moved towards Nicky, knife in hand.

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