#NaNoWriMo2017, Day 5 or Progress Again

So after blogging yesterday, I got down to work. It took a while to get in the groove, but I did and ended up with a great day. Stats below.

Because I did so well yesterday, I’m wearing my 10K Day shirt from Tosca Lee. Hoping I can duplicate and then some today, but we’ll see.

Sometimes I hate being true to character though. One of my characters is currently kind of a jerk (okay – not kind of). By the end of the book, this character will have grown and become a nice person, but meantime, I don’t always like writing what I have to write – especially since some of the thoughts I wrote weren’t very nice about the character based on my cousin :(. Eventually, it’ll get better but… :p

Time to get to work… man I hate hitting the reset button ;).

Time to get back to work…

Yesterday’s Stats:

In Concert With the King
Yesterday: 10007
Total: 25583

NaNoWriMo 2017
Yesterday: 10007
Total: 16374
Anticipated Completion Date (50K words): November 16

#NaNoWriMo2017 Day 4 or What Progress

I spent most of yesterday evening in my friends’ rec room doing research and then as I settled in to write about what I’d researched, well… two other friends walked in. i hadn’t seen them in ages so we chatted a bit then I went home and chatted with my FAMILY (shocking I know ;)) for a bit. I did get some work done before bed, but not much actual writing. The numbers are a little pathetic :/.

But it’s a new day. I had lunch with my son and am back at the rec room (see my view above). I’m here until late tomorrow night – even planning to sleep here so I can write as late as my eyes will stay open without bothering my husband and the dogs when I get home. Goal by tomorrow night at bedtime… at least 20K words… Because Monday-Wednesday next week likely won’t see a ton of writing time…

In Concert with the King
Yesterday: 345
Total: 15658

NaNoWriMo2017:
Yesterday: 345
Total: 6371

#NaNoWriMo2017, Day 3 or Making Progress

YAY! I made progress yesterday! It’s always such a good feeling to see the word count rise! I think I’ll probably need to go back and add some stuff in the middle of what I already wrote – maybe even a whole chapter’s worth, but we’ll see.

In between three trips to school (drop off a kid with a project, pick up a kid with a project, pick up a kid after color guard), I finished a couple of partially written scenes and wrote a couple others. I’m loving the snark Katrín is bringing to the story. If anyone deserves to be snarky (and call King Benjamin Benji in front of the Queen Mother), it’s Katrín. 😉

Be sure to check out the main page of the website (or the left column of the blog) for the In Concert with the King tracker!

Today’s goals:
Hit 20K on ICWTK
5K total words

Stats:
Yesterday: 4022
In Concert with the King total: 15313
NaNoWriMo Total: 6026
On track to finish NaNoWriMo (50K): 11/25

#NaNoWriMo2017, Day 2 or It’s a Start

Just a quick post while the kid is getting for school. Got some work done yesterday. Went to Chick-fil-A for a couple hours while the oldest worked. Read through what I have of In Concert with the King and made notes. Then wrote some when I got home. Finished two scenes that I’d started months ago then wrote a whole new scene.

But part of that scene is sort of flashback-y to when Benjamin stood up to Isaiah in Reclaiming Hearts and was copy/pasted so it feels a bit cheat-y to count them but some parts were rewritten because it was from Maggie’s point-of-view originally.

Hoping to get a few more scenes written today. We’ll see how it goes…

Stats:

In Concert with the King
Day 1: 2004
Total: 11291

NaNoWriMo 2017
Day 1: 2004
Total: 2004

NaNoWriMo 2017: Day 1 or Plans Change

Sometimes plans change.

Mine did this summer when Grace to Stand just wasn’t working :(. I’m hoping to have it (or a different Grace book) out next summer still.

Cover for the eventual solo release. Maybe 😉

I’ve been working on Book 2 in CROWNS & COURTSHIPS, but had to put it on the backburner when a boxed set due date cropped up. That set, Out of the Blue Bouquet, releases November 7. I’m super excited about the story – A Kaerasti for Clari (I can’t make it do the ae as the same letter thing here…) – which will actually be labeled book 2 in the CROWNS & COURTSHIPS series, because it comes between Heart of a Prince and Prince Kensington and Anabelle’s story (and introduces Anabelle and gives a peek into a little bit of palace life in Eyjania).

So that makes Kensington/Anabelle book 3. And Princess Esther book 4.

And King Benjamin and Katrin (her name is supposed to have the little slanty line over the i) book 5.

Kensington & Anabelle

But…

Some of you may remember when I talked about my cousins last year. They were displaced from Baton Rouge when the flooding hit. Allen has spent the last 14 months in and out of hospitals and other facilities. He’s spent less time at home than he has in one of them.

Because Allen has spina bifida. When the floods hit, he spent hours sitting in that nasty water and what was a manageable sore became infected.

And he’s been fighting that infection ever since.

During his most recent hospitalization, they were told his prognosis is very poor. But in the meantime, he’s living his life.

Me with Glenda & Allen in September

He’s visiting with friends. Going on helicopter rides. (Click the links for the two news stories done on him recently.)

And inspiring a character.

King Benjamin’s book will be dedicated to my cousin. One of the characters is inspired by the Wheelchair Preacher.

And because I want to get a copy of it to Allen as soon as I can, that’s the project I’m going to be working on right now. These characters have been after me to tell their story since at least spring and my trip to Toronto in May.

They’ll still be book 5, but I’m going to write as fast as my fingers can fly to get it finished and send Allen the first (likely unedited) copy.

Then it’s back to Kensington and Anabelle.

Sometimes, you know something is right even though it doesn’t make logical sense. WHY would I write book 5 before book 3 is finished?

King Benjamin & Katrin (but not their cover pic ;))

There’s no logical reason for it. My sales numbers, while not bad, could sure use a new release soon.

But I feel a complete peace about this. This is the right order to write these.

If you have a few extra dollars, Allen and Glenda could use your support. (For the record, Allen is my second cousin. Glenda is my first cousin once removed.)

Facebook keeps trying to get me to donate my birthday to a cause, but “Allen’s Life List” isn’t one of the options it gives me. If you’d like to contribute, please click here or in one of the links in the news stories.

Thank you for understand. And for being there when Kensington and Anabelle get their story. And Esther. And Benjamin and Katrin.

I appreciate you more than you know.

(It’s late and I’m tempted to wax poetic for a bit, but I think I’ll stop there ;). Tomorrow, it’s nose to the grindstone… :D)

#ACFW2017 Pre-Conference Mix & Mingle

So blogging consistently hasn’t been my strong suit this year (or, like, ever), but here we go! I’m also over on InspyRomance today talking about conference!

For more on how this link up works, check out the original post on Laurie Tomlinson’s blog!

Name: Carol Moncado

Location: Southwest Missouri

What you write/tagline/trademark: Romantic Dramedy in the Ozarks – and elsewhere (mostly because I love the Romantic Dramedy part, but there’s no easy way to say things like “fictional countries in the Alps, Mediterranean, and Atlantic – for now… ;))

The fam… & Shrek

Place in the book world: Indie author with 23 works in “print” (see header pic ;))

On a scale of hugger to 10-foot-pole, please rate your personal space: #AllTheHugs #AllTheTime

Something VERY serious: How do you take your Starbucks? Starbucks, shmarbucks. Where’s the Dr. Pepper?

The unique talking points that will get you going for hours: Marching band! Band momming is my life right now – outside of writing ;). Indie publishing. How Jen Cvelbar (my roomie!) and I met.

Loved ones at home you’ll be missing: My husband (20 years last May!), 4 kids (15yo girl who can only work Saturday next week because she doesn’t have a ride, 13yo girl who’s crazy busy next week, 12yo girl whose guitar lessons I’ll miss, 10yo boy who always misses everyone most), and two dogs. Mr. Benny and the Jett. The Shorkie and the Yorkie. They may never forgive me for being gone.

Jett & Mr. Benny in some sort of stand off…

Conference goals we can pray for? Not just conference per se… I leave Monday for McAlester, OK (about half way) and will spend the evening working. Tuesday morning, I’ll head to see my cousins (probably in Tyler, TX, but there’s a CHANCE they’ll be in Dallas), then head to Dallas to pick up roomie/dear friend Jen Cvelbar (writing as Jennifer A. Davids) from the airport. Before we go to the conference hotel Wednesday afternoon, we’re going to Tom+Chee and IKEA (because I’ve never been to either ;)). Then crazy busy conference.

And before all that I have a million words to write…

I’m also having a huge sale next week and really need to get this next book almost done so I can have it up for preorder during the sale. I’d really appreciate prayers for a productive couple of days so I can.

Anything we can celebrate with you? If I get this manuscript almost done, I’ll be celebrating that ;).

One or two ways we can help you build your platform? You can like my author page on Facebook, join my new Facebook group, and sign up for my email list by clicking here!

Head over to Laurie’s blog to participate! Hope to see you there!

June 2017 #Kindle #Sale & #Giveaway

Whew! If it hasn’t been one thing, it’s been another!!! Hello flight delays! And WordPress not taking my password (but thanks to GoogleFu, I now know how to reset it from the back end – as well as get rid of the login blocker). And swollen ankles (thanks to conference room chairs and small airplanes and flight delays that leave you standing for 2.5 hours). Getting the pictures and graphics to cooperate? Madness I tell you! Seriously – these are not my best work, but I think they’ll get the point across ;).

And sheer exhaustion from all of it!

But here it is! I’ve had a sale going on for a couple of days now! It runs through Friday, June 9.

So, between now and then, we’re doing a giveaway! All of the prize packs below include a paper copy of:

  • Discovering Home
  • Glimpsing Hope
  • Reclaiming Hearts

Why? Because I FINALLY got the paper copies in and so I can! YAY!

Entries are simple.

If you’re on Facebook:

  1. Join the new Facebook Reader’s Group (you will have to be approved, but that’s just a matter of me or my assistant getting to it :)). Check out the latest newsletter for more information about it – and all kinds of other goodies!
  2. Like one of the posts about the giveaway on the Carol Moncado Books page
  3. Comment on one of the posts about the giveaway on the Carol Moncado Books page
  4. Share one of the posts about the giveaway from the Carol Moncado Books page

If you’re not on Facebook, comment here and let us know that you’re not :). (If you’ve never commented before, it’ll go into moderation – this is a one time thing and should you ever comment again with the same email address, you’ll be good to go! I’ll get to them asap!) Winners will be announced here on the blog next week. Unfortunately, the physical prizes are available to US residents only. However, the gift card option is available to anyone capable of receiving an Amazon gift card.

Entries close at 11:59pm June 9.

Prizes!

This plush ladybug is ADORBZ! My kids have begged me to keep it ;). The pencil pouch is pretty cool too! AND I just got the paper copies of Serenity Landing Second Chances in, so every winner gets those!

This yarn is hand dyed by my friends at Show Me Yarn! They do FANTASTIC work! In fact, they’re the ones that inspired all of the heroines in the Serenity Landing Second chances series!

The yarn pops are small skeins you can do fun stuff with! The Candy House Sweet Shoppe Self-Striping is probably my favorite (Etsy listing for a closer look). And the Riverside Inn is from the cover of Glimpsing Hope. I promise it’s the same! But the picture on the front cover is before they re-skeined it. (Etsy listing for a closer look.)

Each of the heroines in Serenity Landing Second Chances does their part to help set trafficked women free by supporting FreedomWorks! This fabric yarn (about 1″ strips) is made by these women, giving them a way out of a life they likely had no choice in. It makes fantastic pot holders or placemats and I’ve seen some other really cool stuff, too!

The winner of this package will get his/her choice of two skeins of two different colors (first choice). I can email better pictures if needed.

This is the same fabric yarn as Prize Pack 3. It can be purchased at Hobby Lobby as well! This is a fantastic cause I hope you’ll consider supporting!

The winner of this package will get his/her choice of two skeins of one color (from what remains after the winner of prize pack 3 has chosen). I can email better pictures if needed.

And the equivalent of a $20US Amazon card for the international readers! There’s two of those :).

Thank you all so much for your support on this journey! I appreciate ALL. OF. YOU!

 

Something New! Facebook Readers’ Group!

Hey all!

So I haven’t blogged much in eons, but such is life :p. I am, however, working on my third book of the year, with a goal of five novels and a novella total by the time 2018 rolls around ;).

Another thing I’ve been doing is trying to come up with a better way to connect with y’all. After seeing what some other authors have done, and I’ve enjoyed, I’m going to try a Facebook Readers’ Group. Click here to join.

There will be book discussions, sneak peeks, book recommendations, prizes, etc.

Below you’ll see the “about” section from the group, but one of the first things I’m going to do is ask for your help!

Because I’m working on the next royalty books and right now it’s filled with names like “SIS1” and “BRONAME2” and “QUEENNAME” – and I’m pretty sure they all need actual names before I can release it into the wide world :D.

That’s where y’all come in!

I need a BUNCH of names – and if I use your suggestion, I’ll give you an ecopy of the book where it’s first used AND an ecopy of the book where that character is the hero/ine! If more than one person suggests the same name, then the first one will be the “winner” and the others will be added to a drawing! (And it’s possible not all of them will get their own book, so no guarantees for two books.) Only suggestions made in the group will count :).

Because I’m headed out of town next week and have oodles to get done before then, we won’t start the regular postings until June 5 or so.

From the about:

Welcome to Carol Moncado’s Reader Group (we’ll try to come up with a better name sometime soon ).

This is going to be a work in progress as we figure out what y’all want and what works with my schedule, etc. Most threads will have comments turned off after a predetermined period of time.

To make sure you don’t miss anything, go up to “notifications” by the cover photo, and click “all posts” – you’ll be notified when a new post goes up :).

Sunday:
General discussion thread for the week

Monday:
Book Club Questions – in the month or so following a release (possibly less for novellas), we’ll post discussion questions about the most recent release. There will be an end date for these discussions that will be clearly posted.

Ask the Author – when we’re not doing the discussion questions, we’ll have an ask the author thread on Mondays.

Wednesday:
On my blog, many moons ago, I did What I’ve Read Wednesdays. Here it comes again. This might be a recommendation I’m making or a call for recommendations from y’all, or a combination of the two . Or just a “hey – what are y’all reading now” post!

Friday:
Teasers! This could be a snippet from the book I’m working on – or the one coming next (if they’re not the same for some reason). It might be a cover reveal or inspirational pics from my board (but, let’s face it, usually it’ll be snippets 😉).

Random times:
New release info!
Sales/specials!
Asking for help naming characters or places, titles, or who knows what!
Etc.

Prizes!
Because there will be prizes! Everyone who participates in the Monday threads will be entered into a drawing for the month. That winner will be announced a week or so into the new month. The winner will have their choice of an Amazon card or autographed paperback copy that I already have in stock (I endeavor to keep all paperbacks in stock at all times but…) – the paperbacks, for the moment, are available to US addresses only.

I do hope you enjoy this group! I’m looking forward to getting to know y’all!

2017, Day 4: What I’m Working On Now, Winter 2017

01-04-what-im-working-on-now

New year… new plans…

So what’s coming from me, book wise, this year? I have some seriously ambitious plans, but we’ll see if they come to pass. Here’s what the plan is though. It is kind of novella heavy, but those are quicker and easier to write (usually!), and I have some I’ve been itching to get to.

A big chunk of this depends on how quickly I can get this current WIP done and into a writing-full-time-from-home groove. I’m also in the process of learning how to use dictation and transcription (both via DragonDictation) to improve my speed and am also looking at one of those pens you write on paper with and then it flips it to your computer in digital format. Somehow. I don’t understand how it works, just that it does. 😉 I’m hoping with all of those, I can speed up production. If so… who knows?! It could all come faster :D.

I do have a friend who dictated (via Dragon) FOUR. FULL. FIRST. DRAFTS in November. FOUR! Like three more than one. Full 70-75K drafts (which is about what my first drafts are though I shoot for 85Kish for my final drafts – the rest comes in edits). So yeah. Dictation. Working on it. 😉

Anyway… the tentative plan…

  • January or February: Glimpsing Hope (Christopher Bayfield) – look for a newsletter with release information later this month!
  • February or (early) March: Beauty and the Beast with a twist! (novella set in a BRAND NEW fictional country)
  • March or April (or even May, sigh): Reclaiming Hearts (Prince William of Mevendia)
  • April: Dare You (novella set in Serenity Landing with connections to Montevaro and the new royalty series coming later; this one is done and should release regardless of Reclaiming Hearts )
  • May: Lifeguard novella
  • June: Historical novella set in Mevendia and Ravenzario
  • July: Historical novella set partially in Mevendia
  • August: Grace to… (untitled full length sequel to Grace to Save; also opens on 9/11)
  • September: Novella to complete Mevendia novella collection
  • October: Christmas novella (I already have the cover! Oh. My. Lands. I love it!)
  • November/December: Heart of a Prince (full length first in the new royalty series! Picks up with Jordan from Dare You as soon as it ends – I already have this cover, too, and LOVE IT! And the prologue makes me cry – Every. Time. I read it.)

So there we go. Ambitious, but hey – if you shoot for the stars and miss, you could still hit the moon ;). Yeah. That’s it :D.

2017, Day 3: Infinitely More

infinitely-more

Happy New Year, all! Hope your 2017 is off to a great start!

2016 was a difficult year for many people. For us, it wasn’t bad. It was pretty good overall. No major tragedies in our family – immediate or (close) extended. In our extended-extended families there were more challenges – like the members of our family who miscarried twin girls or those who lost everything but each other in the flooding in Baton Rouge. That story isn’t mine to tell, but some of what’s happened to them in the last few months is nothing short of amazing – and even miraculous.

As for my writing career, it’s seen some ups and downs – though the downs weren’t BAD by any stretch, just not as good as the good. I was able to quit my day job*, though there were other factors involved in the decision. Writing, and selling, books enabled me to even have the choice to work at home full time.

That said, I didn’t hit all of my goals for my writing this year. Income wise I did fine, but I’d hoped, planned even, to write (and publish) so much more. For a variety of reasons, some in my control, some not, it didn’t happen.

But there was one thing I spent a lot of time doing, successfully, last year.

Many of you may have seen authors you follow or other friends talking about their “one word” for the year. This is a word they believe is their focus for the next twelve months. Maybe it’s diligent or peace or joy or dedication or any of a thousand other words they want to focus on. It’s often paired with a verse along the same lines. I know I’ve had one before, but I don’t see that I’ve ever posted about it on my blog.

Last year, I didn’t post it publicly. I’m not sure I ever made a decision about a word or just kind of thought something in my head. I don’t even remember what it was.

But I began doing, began sort of focusing, on one word – or concept – that really defined my year in many ways. I didn’t think of it in the “one word” sense, until my friend Ginger Solomon posted that it’s her word(s) for 2017.

DREAM BIG

I love that! I love it for her – because she deserves to dream big and have those dreams come true!!! I’m so proud of her!

I dreamed big last year. This year has something else – something beyond – in my mind… a sense of expectation, of anticipation, that made it… more.

Another friend (also named Ginger ;)) was over on New Year’s Day, and we discussed this at length. “Dream Bigger” or “Dream Even Bigger” was kind of where I thought it was headed, but it felt like stealing from Ginger S., though people often have the same word of the year as someone else.

Even after that settled in my mind, I knew it wasn’t… right. It didn’t fit.

Ginger V. and I went through a bunch of options, phrases, themes, etc. that encompassed it, but still none quite fit that sense of promise or prospect I feel God calling me to.

So tonight I Googled (isn’t that where everyone goes when they can’t quite put their finger on something?!) for verses about “God can do anything” – because when it boils right down to it, I can dream as big as I want, but it’s God who holds everything in His hands.

The first verse that popped up wasn’t exactly what I was thinking, but is exactly what I was looking for without realizing it.

Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (BSB, emphasis mine)

The first page that popped had the verse from The Message. I don’t normally use it, but the way it worded the first section caught my eye and sent me digging for the others:

God can do anything, you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! (part of Eph. 3:20, The Message)

I texted Ginger V. and asked her about “beyond wildest dreams” – but it wasn’t until I hit up BibleHub for other translations (including BSB) and I read verse 21 that it all clicked.

Not just more.

Infinitely more.

Not a little bit. Not a lot. Infinitely.

Wowza.

Yeah. That fits.

When you read the verses, it’s talking about giving glory to God – because He alone is capable of infinitely more. Anything I accomplish this year is through Him and by Him and for Him.

And with Him**, I can do and be infinitely more. Exceedingly abundantly above/beyond/more what I can ask or think. Immeasurably more. Above and beyond.*** Like the Milky Way, outer space, in the header pic today.

So my words for the year are infinitely more – because God is capable, and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)

Which reminds me… it’s time to get to work ;). Later this week, I’ll be outlining my goals for the year, including an updated What’s in the Works and What I’m Working on Now post.

Until then…sign-off-love-you-all

 

*I had a fantastic part-time job teaching American Government and Politics one or two classes a week (2.5 hours of time inside the classroom per section). Officially, I took the fall (and now spring) off and could go back, but once classes have been given to someone else, it’s notoriously difficult to get them back.

**The Story of With – by Allen Arnold…incredible

***All from other translations

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