Author: Mona Risk

Kindle Scout

/ Mona Risk / 4 Comments

Thank you so much for nominating A BRIDE FOR PRINCE PAUL. I had fun writing this story and hope you enjoyed reading the excerpt posted on Kindle Scout. My book was published two days ago on Amazon. It’s on sale for the 4th of July week and will go up to regular price at the end of next week.

Kindle Scout approved my submission on May 11 and posted the book cover, blurb (500 characters), a one-line teaser (45 characters) a short bio (500 characters with 4 social links), and three questions/answers (300 characters).

Blurb: To please his dying grandfather and protect his country’s autonomy, Prince Paul of Rensy Island must marry an American doctor, descendant of a Rensian princess. Paul, a confirmed bachelor, agrees to meet Amy incognito during her vacation in Paris. Although her career and ex-boyfriend are major interferences, attraction sizzles between Amy and her driver, but the rumor of her engagement to Prince Paul outrages her. Can he convince her that he loves her, in spite of his lies by omission?

One line teaser: She can’t abandon her patients for his crown!

My three questions:

1-What is the inspiration for the story?
While cruising the British Isles, I visited Guernsey, in the English Channel. This quaint island with special privileges and autonomy became the setting of my new story, Rensy Island. The prince’s romance was inspired by Prince William and Kate’s, but my heroine is a dedicated American doctor.

2-When did you decide to become a writer?
Storytelling must have been in my genes. My father, a writer, gave me books for Christmas or birthdays. During the summer vacations, I read a book every day. But I became a chemist! Burnt-out by long hours at work, I quit a successful scientific career to fulfill my dream of writing romance novels.

3-This book is part of a series, tell us about the series.
Prince Paul, our hero, has a brother and two sisters. Each will have a story. Charlene falls in love with the ex-boyfriend of Paul’s wife, Amy. A man that her brother can’t stand. Scott is an excellent doctor and Amy called him to save her baby, but Charlene wonders if he’s over his love for Amy.

My experience at Kindle Scout:
Kindle Scout encouraged me to promote my book daily in order to receive as many nominations as possible, during my month on Kindle Scout, from May 11 to June 10.

From day one, I prepared a list of promotions and a schedule, making sure that I would send emails, share on Facebook, tweet, blog, message on FB, send my own newsletter, participate in multi-authors newsletters, boost post on FB, use free promo, announce it on every loop, email friends and relative, and post about it during Facebook events. Wherever I went I ask people to nominate my book–hairdresser, doctor, podiatrist, supermarket, neighbors,… I was impressed by the eagerness of people to help.

A BRIDE FOR PRINCE PAUL remained ‘Hot and Trending’ every single day for a month. I received 4,394 page views thanks to your help and support. Kindle Scout updated my statistic daily at 5:30 a.m. For 30 days, I jumped out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to go check my KS page. You can see the statistics posted by Kindle Scout here.

PAGE VIEW PER DAY

Unfortunately, Kindle Press did not select my book for publication. Kindle Scout has 15 days to notify the nominee and say Ay or Nay. They sent me their “rejection” email after 14 days.

Was the experience productive and useful?
Yes, productive although I was not selected, because Kindle Scout sent the book link on Amazon to 4,394 people!!! A huge promo in itself.
Yes, very useful because I learned that if I did the same promotion for every book I publish, I would have no problem selling!

Would I submit another book to Kindle Scout?
Not. After carefully studying the selected books, I noticed they mainly select paranormal and young adult stories! I also heard that submissions with as little as 900 page views were selected, the average number of page views being between 2,500 and 3,500.

A BRIDE FOR PRINCE PAUL is available at Amazon. I hope you will enjoy reading the story of Prince Paul and Dr. Amy as they meet in Paris, enjoy a dream vacation in this amazing capital, and face a bitter reality in Rensy Island.

She can’t abandon her patients for his crown!!!

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Mona Risk, writes all the time, at home in Florida, when she babysits or waits for her grandchildren at gym, karate, piano or cheer-leading and even when she’s in vacation. Sprinkled with a good dose of humor, her stories are inspired by the people around her, and set in the fascinating places she visits during her endless traveling. Mona received an Outstanding Achiever Award from Affaire de Coeur Magazine. She’s a winner of Best Contemporary Romance of the Year from Readers Favorite; and from Preditors & Editors Readers Poll.

Website     Twitter    Facebook   Amazon Page

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

/ Mona Risk / 3 Comments

To my friends and readers,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Wishing you health and happiness in the coming year.

Here are two new releases you will enjoy during the holidays.

meme-2 Book 6 of Holiday Babies Series: Available on Amazon

holly-jolly-christmas-meme-1 Prequel to Holiday Babies Series: Available on Amazon

Love Christmas Release

/ Mona Risk / 7 Comments

14469659_10153950269706616_8363947040020809228_nPurchase:

release-party-invite

Facebook Event

/ Mona Risk / 6 Comments

Facebook events that celebrate new book releases are multiplying every day. In addition to being fun, these events allow direct interaction between authors and readers. The visiting readers receive prizes. The participating authors broaden their readership and garner reviews.

On Tuesday I will participate in a Facebook event in honor of a new box release, SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 3.

Sweet Christmas Kisses 3: A Bundle of 17 Wholesome Holiday Romances – Kindle edition by Mona Risk, Christine Bush, Lyn Cote, Denise Devine, Raine English, Shanna Hatfield, Ciara Knight, Milou Koenings, Magdalena Scott, Roxanne Rustand, Alicia Street, Kristin Wallace, Merrillee Whren, Cindy Flores Martinez, Victoria Pinder, Josie Riviera, Pat Simmons.

Amazon https://amzn.com/B01JV3L154
Barnes&Noble http://tinyurl.com/z6nr25q
Apple http://tinyurl.com/jvc9n76
Kobo Books http://tinyurl.com/hhwm2c5
Google Play http://tinyurl.com/z5qzshr

In the two previous years, SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 2 and SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES remained USA Today bestsellers for five weeks.

My contribution to Sweet Christmas Kisses 3, ON CHRISTMAS EVE, is a sweet Christmas story, and book 6 in the Holiday Babies Series.

CoverFinalMD-OnChristmasEve-

Tiffany broke their engagement five years ago when she thought Matthew cheated on her. But fate keeps throwing him in her path. His tender gaze erases years of loneliness and her heart squeezes with longing. And then, she notices the two little girls in his arms. His daughters? Where is their mother?
Can Tiffany and Matthew forgive each other, live in the present, and create a new future?

 

 

A tireless traveler, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mona Risk writes contemporary romance, medical romance, and romantic suspense novels, all simmering with emotion. Sprinkled with a good dose of humor, her stories are set in the fascinating places she visits— or in Florida, her paradise on earth.

Hurricane Season

/ Mona Risk / 6 Comments

In Florida, we are facing our yearly hurricane season. The weather channel forecasts worrisome news about hurricanes and tropical storms, and warns residents to be prepared.

For the last month, we had typical summer weather–hot, sunny or hazy in the morning. Sometimes we were lucky to enjoy a slight breeze. Around noon the wind picked up, the clouds threatened and the surf heightened. Before we knew it, we were drenched with pouring rain while lightning and thunder competed in the darkened sky.

From my desk, I could see the change in weather– squalls of heavy rain pelleting the window while my office turned dark. It was time to switch on the light and switch off the computer.

After facing this warning on a daily base, one can’t help worrying about nasty weather, especially when we remember the mess caused by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. It’s difficult to decide how to prepare and behave when the forecast predicts a hurricane. To panic and evacuate as we did during our first summer in Fort Lauderdale? Or stay and weather the storm hoping it would bypass us?

Writers from my local chapter are exchanging advice on how to protect their precious files. Some use an online ‘storage’. Others send a disk/flash drive with their current work in process to out-of-state family members or friends. Many email themselves with their own files as attachment.

My husband has networked my computer, his laptop and an external back-up hard disc, a small box that is easy to carry if we have to evacuate. Still, I prefer to save my own files on a flash drive every night.

While we hope that Mother Nature will spare us this year and Wilma will remain a memory, how do you protect your work during hurricane season in the South, tornadoes in the Midwest (years ago, I faced a memorable tornado,  in Cincinnati) or blizzard and disaster time if you live in the North?

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Mona Risk published more than twenty books, some translated in German and French.
She received an Outstanding Achiever Award at Affaire de Coeur Magazine and is a
Best Romance Novel winner at Preditors & Editors Readers Poll;
Two-Time winner of Best Contemporary Romance Novel at Readers Favorite;
EPIC’s Ebook Award Finalist; and a Kindle Top 100 Bestselling Author

ON CHRISTMAS EVE is Book 6 of Holiday Babies Series, and my contribution to a coming Christmas anthology titled:

SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 3 on pre-order now:

Amazon http://tinyurl.com/jf8jjha
iTune /Apple http://tinyurl.com/jvc9n76
Kobo Books http://tinyurl.com/hhwm2c5
Google http://tinyurl.com/z5qzshr

The two previous boxes SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 1 and SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES 2 reached the USA Today bestselling lists several times.

CoverFinalMD-OnChristmasEve-

Blue Background With Snowflake

 

 

Tiffany broke their engagement five years ago when she thought Matthew cheated on her. But fate keeps throwing him in her path. His tender gaze erases years of loneliness and her heart squeezes with longing. Until she notices the two little girls in his arms. His daughters? Where is their mother?
Can Tiffany and Matthew forgive each other, live in the present, and create a new future?

It Takes a Good Idea

/ Mona Risk / 7 Comments

Although I have never encountered writing block when writing my books, I’ve certainly been struck with this bug when dealing with blogs. I have been looking for something interesting to share with you for the last four hours! I’ve even looked into the huge book–bigger than a big dictionary–that I gave my Dad for Christmas some twenty-years ago. The book is 1350 page thick. My Dad loved it and read it all. My mother gave it back to me after Dad’s death, and I kept it preciously. I will pass it on to my son who loves reading as much as I do.

IMG_1683

This book is called “Chronicle of the Twentieth Century”. There’s never been anything like that. It reports the major events of the world history starting on January 1900. Each page is written in the format of a newspaper page, with pictures and small reports. I started looking for something interesting to tell you, and I forgot myself reading and reading about major events for hours.

Did you know that the founder of McDonald’s Ray Kroc was a former piano player and salesman of paper cups and milkshake? At the age of 52, Kroc started his first McDonald’s in Chicago in 1955. He built a hamburger empire by purveying small beef patties that changed American eating habits. When he died at 81 in 1984, his personal fortune was estimated at more than $500,000 million and the McDonald’s chain reported $8 billion at the time of his death.

It’s never too late to become famous!

Think of an idea, execute it, work hard on improving it, promote it, and persevere.

Of course, creating bestselling books is more difficult than cooking hamburgers, but it can be done!

Mona Risk is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of sweet romantic comedies. You can view all her books at www.monarisk.com or sign up for her newsletter.

Raising happy children

/ Mona Risk / 6 Comments

“Life affords no greater responsibility, no greater privilege, than the raising of the next generation.”~ Everett Koop

How do we help our children become happy and healthy adults while promoting well being, positivity, and connection as they are growing up and facing the joys and challenges of life.

1– Spend Time with Deep Connection: Take the time to play, listen, and engage in sharing feelings and communication to let them know that you value them, their opinions, and their importance in your life.

2–Discipline/ Catch Them Being Good: It is crucial to discipline the bad behavior, explaining that the behavior is not acceptable, not the child as an individual. Take notice when they are doing something good, and give positive praise without them looking for the recognition.

3– Give Specific Praise: Praise specific actions and don’t give general praise. Children will feel a sense of accomplishment when they know what they are being praised for specifically.

4– Positive Role Modeling: Children watch every move we make as adults and learn to follow the same patterns, whether positive or negative. Live and love the way you wish your child to be.

5– Support and celebrate Uniqueness: Everyone is unique in God’s eyes. Celebrate what your child brings to the family and let them know you appreciate their special qualities.

6–Negative labels: Be careful of labels you give in passing, such as shy or rebellious. Children will live up to or down to our expectations of them, and quickly assume those identities.

7– Success in the Face of Failure: Give credit for success in every instance. Teach them to accept failure as a learning tool and help them look for opportunities on how to improve.

8– Appropriate Sense of Power: Allow them to fulfill certain duties . make decisions and try to solve problems on their own, giving them praise for attempting and accomplishing tasks.

The role of a parent is to promote the well being and help the child learn, grow, assimilate and live a happy and fulfilling life.

NYT M-WeddingSurprise - CopyWEDDING SURPRISE by Mona Risk
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
www.monarisk.com

The Best or  Worst wedding Gift?  At Amazon

my newsletter: http://mad.ly/signups/111038/join

http://www.amazon.com/Mona-Risk/e/B002E1GCIM/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_5

Twitter: @MonaRiskS
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MonaRisk

 

Politics and Writing

/ Mona Risk / 6 Comments

With the election debates, rallies, interviews, I bet you have been watching the news more than usual. I know I did.

Surprisingly, the political candidates demonstrated that they share several qualities. The lessons I learned as an author can be implemented in various professions.

Lesson One: Political candidates never take a break. They are so much on the go, we wonder if they ever find time to sleep, sit for a dinner or talk to their families.

Keep writing. Book after book.

Lesson Two: They are incredibly perseverant. Even if there is no hope, they keep going. Criticism, insults or negative ads by an opponent don’t seem to affect them. They never let a loss or a low percentage in the polls stop them from campaigning.

Don’t let low sales, bad rates or negative reviews affect our creativity.

Lesson Three: They are all over Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and various social media to publicize their message and be visible.

A daily post on Facebook and Twitter are a must.

Lesson Four: Since they can’t be everywhere, they keep a campaign staff to help spread their message.

Network and belong to a group that can re-tweet and share your posts on Facebook; and a street team to post reviews.

I am writing this post as an advice for myself as much as for you.

Since we will celebrate Mother’s Day in two weeks, I will share with you my MOTHER’S DAY BABIES. Available for 99 cents at Amazon.com,

http://tinyurl.com/cz3v5a8

This book is dedicated to the mothers we celebrate and  those we remember with love on Mother’s Day.

N Y T M-MothersDayBabies (3)Blurb: A widow for seven years, Barbara Ramsay lives for her five daughters and their babies. Powerful TV News Director, Lou Roland, is certainly not marriage material, yet he has suddenly decided he wants Barbara in his arms. Not an easy task when his pretty confidante from Kentucky proves so difficult to date, unless he follows her rules. Can the over-fifty confirmed bachelor and the widow loyal to her husband’s memory find true love and share a future?

my newsletter: http://mad.ly/signups/111038/join

www.monarisk.com

 

 

Dog to Come

/ Mona Risk / 6 Comments

The kids have been asking for a dog for three years. Sweetie (12 y), Honey (11.5 y), Spicy (10 y), and Buddy (9.5 Y) are my adorable, wonderful, perfect grandchildren What should grandma do when her poor little ones come crying to her and begging to ‘have a word with their mean parents”?

IMG_0080

The girl who wants to be a vet.

“Every time we ask Mommy and Daddy for a dog, they seem to have a hearing problem.”

“Did you ask nicely?”

“Very, very nicely?”

“Maybe ask a second time.”

“We asked ten times, for birthdays, for Christmas, for Easter, to reward good grades, to celebrate winning athletic competitions.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“Can you punish them for being mean to us? Or have a word with them? They are your kids. They have to obey you. We want a dog or a cat or a pet.”

My daughter is allergic to animal hair. She bought a couple of fish and a beautiful tank for Sweetie and Spicy. Unfortunately, the fish died after a year and the whining started all over.

My son brought his kids a cat. He said he’s not ready to walk a dog when it’s snowing and freezing, and he’s too tired after work. But the new kitten, Rey, made his household ecstatic. A first visit to the vet revealed that Rey was a he, not a she, and was renamed ElRey.

IMG_0077The news that their cousins have a cat caused a renew of anger and protests from Sweetie and Spicy. “Spicy and Mommy are taking allergy shots regularly, and we are going to get a hypo-allergenic dog.”

Sweetie opened the Internet and showed her sister the type of dogs they could get. Grandma protested she was ready to babysit and drive kids–not pets.

Sweetie had an answer. “Spicy and I will walk the dog. All you have to do is supervise us when we walk him, because we are forbidden to walk alone.”

With their birthdays coming in April and May, the demands for a dog are getting louder. And Mommy and Daddy’s hearing is worsening.

What do you do when your kid wants a pet and you are allergic?

Publication for Twitter 2

From NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Mona Risk,

TWO LOVES FOR CHRISTMAS

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B017L6Y9PM

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/two-loves-for-christmas

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1052930047

Google:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Mona_Risk_Two_Loves_for_Christmas?id=PJbNCgAAQBAJ

 

 

 

 

Competitiveness

/ Mona Risk / 9 Comments

Are you a competitive person? Do you feel the urge to challenge yourself continuously? Do you set more difficult goals as you achieve the previous ones?

IMG_5105

Granddaughter’s medal for pre-olympic gymnastics

I am not an athletic person, but I have always been competitive in school and at work. I have never refused a challenge and I always thrive to reach higher. As a result I am often stressed if I don’t achieve my goal.

I have friends who shrug when they hear I stayed late to write, or missed an outing to promote a book. Why do you do this to yourself?

They are convinced it’s better to avoid  commitments that would cause  stress. Actually, they are content with what they have. Being relaxed and in good health is more important than achievement and success. They would lecture me for hours to make me understand that hard work might lead to heart attacks.

So, here are the two theories:

The successful man is never content with what he has.

The happy person is one who is content with what she has.

IMG_5111

 

In my family, two granddaughters are extremely competitive, garnering medals and cups in gymnastic, skating, sailing and karate. Their two young siblings don’t have a single medal, but have a dozen best-friends-forever and are often smiling and laughing. Is it impossible to be successful AND happy?      

 

 

And here my latest achievement, I mean book:MD-Two Loves For Christmas

TWO LOVES FOR CHRISTMAS

Amazon

Kobo

iTunes

Google

Barnes and Noble