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Blog Tour: Rook by Monica MacDonald (spotlight, guest post, giveaway)

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ROOK COVERRook
written by Monica MacDonald
published by MD Publishing

find it here: (affiliate links) Amazon, Goodreads

About the book: Could you be the monster to save who you love?

Two women, separated by generations, must leave what they know to start a new life. Seventeen-year-old Kate’s senior year is ruined when she’s moved from the only home she’s ever known. After an isolating month alone in her apartment, school starts, but neither her classmates nor her teacher are who they seem. Kali, a single mother living in the nineteenth century wilds of Montana, is stalked by a malicious past. She fights to keep her daughter safe while her freedom is threatened by her less than benevolent benefactor. Both find love, and with it hope, but that is quickly ripped away as one woman must learn the lessons of the other — before it’s too late to save either.

efcguestpostBalancing the Beast

With my new book coming out, I was asked to write a little bit about my work/life balance.  This very topic has been on my mind lately, as I just added fighting for an internship to my plate.  All the things I have to do seem to have grown out of control, eating me alive like a giant beast.

So how do I do it?  I am a grad student, working on a dual masters in Human Resources and an MBA.  It’s not very creative or exotic, but I’ll confess – I love this journey. I remember when I was a stay-at-home mom, and I used to long for grown up interactions. When I went back to college for my undergrad, I thought it would finally happen, but alas – undergrads are just big goofy puppies, trying to grow into their own skins in a phase of life I’d long passed. Now, I feel like I am dealing with mostly adults, and have loved this experience.  But it is not without its sacrifices.

Round trip, my school is a six-hour commute, mostly by train. You’re probably asking, why would I do such a thing to myself, and I can only say it felt like a good fit at the time. On days where I have school obligations in the evening, I don’t even get to go home.  Instead I bounce from couch to couch, returning the next day.

I’m still a parent, and since 2/3 of my 3 boys are new teens, I feel like they need me now more than even as babies.  This is the time when they will decide what kind of men they will become. They will either focus on school, or fail.  Make their way to college or work, or choose a darker life. The time I am home has to be pretty devoted to them.  Besides – I’m not just their mother; I’m their friend and I miss them.

Let’s not forget also I’m a wife, and my husband brings home the bacon so I can do all these things.  But he has needs too.

And – I need to write. It’s not “I want to write,” or I have a deadline, so “I’d better write,” but a definite need. That’s the only time where I can exist as someone else, no pressure, no demands. So, somewhere that has to fit in too, or I will lose my mind.

So, here’s how I do it. Writing is easy – I still drive 2 hours a day through Logan Canyon, and I weave storylines throughout my drive, dictating to Siri. I’m working on the second half of my 1.5 – Timeless games series. The train is good for decompression, so I either write, or read something for fun. When I get home, my kids tell me their day.  Then we ALL do homework. Usually, I get it done by nine, which is when my other half comes home.  If I don’t have to get up early (4:45, couple times a week), then we watch TV together.  Three days a week, I have no class, so I park myself on my couch and do 8 hours of homework. Monday through Saturday are filled to the brim. There’s no time for even one more thing.

But Sundays are my favorite – they belong to my husband and me. We dream. We fix up our house. We remember to love each other. Every other day, that beast leans heavy on my shoulders.  For the briefest 16 hours on this day, it seems to go away.

Monica MacDonaldAbout the author: Monica is a married graduate student with three boys. Utah is home right now, but the need to wander has extended beyond the fantasy world of writing and into real life. She’s lived all around the US and even into the Middle East. The world is really a small place, only made bigger through imagination.

Find Ms. MacDonald here: web, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

 

 

giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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20 Comments

  • by Jeanne
    Posted November 7, 2013 6:27 am 0Likes

    Thanks for the great giveaway. You have more than any one person could possibly endure on you plate, yet you write wonderful stories for us to enjoy. Please continue to use your God given talent and bring us all great pleasure.

  • by Theresa Ann Fischer
    Posted November 7, 2013 9:25 am 0Likes

    Wow sounds you have a lot on your plate! Your book sounds very mysterious, and I can’t wait to read it.

  • by kimlrkim
    Posted November 7, 2013 1:12 pm 0Likes

    Look forward to reading. Thank you for the giveaway.

  • by candacesbookblog
    Posted November 7, 2013 1:22 pm 0Likes

    That is one crazy schedule! I think I’m busy and I don’t even leave the house, I just work from home. I can’t even imagine trying to balance all that. It sounds like she has it down though and does a good job.

    Thanks for hosting a tour stop!

  • by hotcha1
    Posted November 7, 2013 3:44 pm 0Likes

    HI MONICA. YOUR BOOK SOUNDS GOOD!

  • by Rachel
    Posted November 7, 2013 3:56 pm 0Likes

    thanks for the giveaway im always lookin for something new to read!!!

  • by Tamera McIntosh
    Posted November 7, 2013 5:07 pm 0Likes

    Thank you for the giveaway i love to read

  • by cindy reifel
    Posted November 7, 2013 8:29 pm 0Likes

    Great giveaway! Thank you!

  • by Meghan Stith
    Posted November 8, 2013 4:51 pm 0Likes

    Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway!

  • by falicesidoma
    Posted November 8, 2013 7:06 pm 0Likes

    The book sounds very interesting. Thanks for the giveaway. thank you Every Free Chance for hosting. Ms.MacDonald you go girl, thanks for the hard work

  • by Mary Preston
    Posted November 9, 2013 5:08 am 0Likes

    It’s finding the time I find.

  • by hotcha1
    Posted November 9, 2013 1:42 pm 0Likes

    THANKS FOR YOUR GIVEAWAY MONICA.

  • by hotcha1
    Posted November 10, 2013 1:53 pm 0Likes

    HI MONICA, I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO READING YOUR BOOK.

  • by Sarah Miles
    Posted November 21, 2013 1:11 am 0Likes

    Love the question at the start of the synopsis. Could you be the monster to save who you love? I don’t think I could. I’m probably the most pleasant person to be around. Chronic pain, and I *still* smile. I don’t believe on taking out things on others, so I don’t think I could be a monster towards anyone. Would love to read the book though, since that’s a very different sounding personality trait than my own.

    • by TheEveryFreeChanceReader
      Posted November 21, 2013 10:17 pm 0Likes

      It’s always interesting (at least for me) to read a book whose protagonist is the opposite (personality, character, actions) of me. Keep smiling, Sarah! And thank you for visiting!

  • by JanD
    Posted November 21, 2013 8:26 pm 0Likes

    Wow, kudos on the balancing act to get things done.

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