Mona Risk

CHRISTMAS CRUISE

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Mona Risk

HER CHRISTMAS CRUISE by Mona Risk

Cruises are becoming the most common way to see the world and unwind in an enjoyable surrounding. My husband calculated that it was cheaper to board a ship from Fort Lauderdale and go on a week cruise than pay airfare, hotels, restaurants, and entertainments.

During our last cruise, we met a woman in her seventies who lives ten months a year on a cruise ship. She sold her house and her car, and explained that on a cruise ship she doesn’t have to fix her room, or prepare her meals. She enjoys movies and performances without having to drive to a theater. She has plenty of books to read, a laptop to connect with the world and makes friends with other travelers. The doctor on board knows her well and takes care of her little problems. Sometimes she joins a tour and visits new places. Twice a year she spends a month at her children’s and goes through all her medical checkups, buys her supply of medicine and reserves the next cruise. She told me she was writing her memoirs.

Would you be able to live on a ship?

Winter cruises to the Caribbean or South America provide great escapes from the snow and the cold while summer, spring, or fall cruises offer the best opportunities to sail the Mediterranean Sea or discover China and the Far East.

I have been able to visit countries and regions I would have never seen otherwise. In addition I found out that while on a cruise ship, far away from phone and Internet continuous interruptions I am able to daydream, plot my next story, and typed for three to four hours a day.

Is it any surprise that I set one my stories on a Cruise ship?

The perfect fiancé is a cheater and the fabulous Christmas wedding is off. When a desperate Julia comes in Tony’s mother’s travel agency, the dedicated psychiatrist is there to pick up the pieces. Sparks fly between them and Tony is willing to put his life on hold for Julia. Nothing goes according to plan, but the would-be honeymoon cruise may fulfill their secret dreams.

List price: $0.99

http://amzn.com/B00FX8Y7OO

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brides, Christmas, cruise, doctors, holiday, honeymoon, vaction, Weddings | Leave a comment

Opinions and Approval

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Mona Risk

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”~ Mark Twain

We often hear that we should try to be comfortable with our decisions; we should live our life the way we feel is better for us. As writers we were often advised to write the story of our heart, write what we like not what the market trends require.

Many of us pretend we don’t care about the opinion of others. And yet we were raised with many rules imposed by morality and good behavior. As children we had to please our parents, teachers. Often time our opinion didn’t count. We did things because we had to or because we wanted to please someone. As we grew up in life, we rebelled and started saying, “I’ll do it my way.”—Where is Frank Sinatra and his “I did it my way”?

Now that we have established ourselves in life and career, in family and society, can we honestly say we don’t care about the opinion of others? Or are we still trying to please others above us?

As writer’s do we let judges’ comments shatter our desire to try? Do we let rejection letters destroy our dream of becoming authors? Do we let reviews shake our pride in our books?

When we care too much about the acceptance or approval of others, we give our power away.

Terry Cole-Whittaker said, “The key to be true to yourself, is to stop living to try to please other people.”

And yet we strive to get our boss’s approval; we submit non-stop to attract an editor’s acceptance; we improve our writing to keep our fans’ interest.

Whose opinions really matter for you? How do you reconcile your desire to do what you want with your survival in society?

WEDDING SURPRISE is book 4 in the Holiday Babies Series

It is also part of two wedding boxes:

WEDDING ON MAIN STREET

and TEN BRIDES FOR TEN HEROES

Posted in Contemporary Romance, Uncategorized | Tagged babies, bride, contemporary romance, hero, holidays, Main Street, Mona Risk, reviews, Weddings | 2 Comments

Ten Brides for Ten Heroes – $0.99!

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Mona Risk

Ten Brides for Ten Heroes spans the gamut of the ever-popular wedding romance genre—from heartwarming laughter to thrilling adventure, from sweet to steamy. This 10-book bundle features novels by New York Times, USA Today, and National bestselling authors. So get ready to toss the bouquet and say, “I do!” as ten brides risk it all to find their happy ever after.

Ten Novels Box Set by Ten Bestselling Authors.

Here Comes the Bride by Theresa Ragan—New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

Return of the Runaway Bride by Donna Fasano—USA Today bestselling author

Wedding Fever (Serendipity Falls Series) by Patrice Wilton—National bestselling author

Destination Wedding (The Decorah Security Series) by Rebecca York—New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

The Army Doctor’s Wedding (The Army Doctor’s Series) by Helen Scott Taylor—Award-winning and national bestselling author

Single & Searching by Rita Herron—National bestselling author

Wedding Surprise (Holiday Babies Series) by Mona Risk—Award-winning and national bestselling author

Summer of Love by Annie Jones—Award-winning and national bestselling author

Tomboy Bride (The Dance ‘n’ Luv Series) by Alicia Street—National bestselling author

Love Me Tender (The “Elvis” Series) by Mimi Barbour—National bestselling author

Amazon Amazon CA Amazon UK B&N Kobo iTunes

THEIR COOKBOOK IS FREE

Amazon B&N Smashwords iTunes

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Theresa Ragan has garnered six Golden Heart nominations in Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Competition for her work. After writing for twenty years, Theresa decided to self-publish in March, 2011, and has sold over one million books since that time. Theresa writes medieval time travels, contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and thrillers under the name T.R. Ragan.

Donna Fasano has sold nearly 4 million books worldwide. One of her proudest moments was seeing her book, Reclaim My Heart, on the USA Today Bestsellers List.

USA and New York Times bestselling author Rebecca York is known for her paranormal romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA finalist, a winner of two RT Career Achievement Awards, and a Prism winner. She hates working at a desk and takes her laptop around her house, followed by the cats who want to sit on her lap and make it difficult to type. She’s currently finishing a novella in her Off World science fiction romance series.

International bestselling author Rita Herron has won numerous awards including a Career Achievement Award from RT, the National Reader’s Choice Award for best romantic suspense and the Maggie Achievement of Excellence. She has written over 60 novels and is known for her dark romantic suspense stories as well as her romantic comedies.

Mona Risk recently received an Outstanding Achiever Award at Affaire de Coeur Magazine. From Best Romance Novel of the Year at Predators & Editors Readers Poll, to Best Contemporary Romance of the Year at Reader’s Favorite with two Gold Medals, and EPPIE award finalist, Mona Risk’s name was posted on Amazon.com in the 100 most Popular Authors in Romance list for several months.

Helen Scott Taylor, Helen’s first novel, The Magic Knot, won the American Title contest in 2008, was a Golden Heart® finalist, and was chosen as one of Booklist’s top ten romances of 2009. Since then, she has published other novels, novellas, and short stories in both the UK and USA.

International Bestselling author, Annie Jones, is best known for her quirky characters who handle life with heart and humor in small town southern settings. Though she has won awards and garnered praise from reviewers her favorite writing encouragement remains the letter from a reader who said simply “I love your books but I’m a fast reader. Please writer faster.”

Nationally bestselling author Alicia Street is a Daphne du Maurier Award-winner often writing in collaboration with her husband, Roy. She is known for her memorable characters and fun stories that tug at your heartstrings. She spent many years as a dancer, choreographer and teacher. A compulsive reader of every genre, she also loves watching old black-and-white movies and inventing new recipes for soups.

Bestselling author, Mimi Barbour, is the creator of five popular series – The Vicarage Bench, Angels with Attitudes, Vegas, Elvis and the newest, Undercover FBI. She’s an Indie author whose admiration comes from the hundreds of five-star reviews her twenty-four books have earned over the last few years. Mimi’s been known to say “If I can steal my booklover’s attention away from their everyday grind, absorb them into a fantasy love story, and make them care about the ending, then I’ve done my job.”

Patrice Wilton is best known for her successful Candy Bar series, and new romantic comedy series, Serendipity Falls. She’s written more than twenty novels, spanning twenty-some-odd years, and has achieved her goal and childhood dreams of being a successful author. She has contest wins and awards to be proud of, but her greatest achievement is a three-book contract for her returning war Hero series to a major publishing house. Patrice’s biggest pleasure is reading her many wonderful reviews and knowing she’s touched her readers deeply, making them laugh and cry.