Book Spotlight – Bookishly Ever After (Sarah Monzon)

Have you heard the news? There’s a fabulous collection of novellas coming out next month—in fact, in one month from today!—called Timeless Love. Seven romances through the ages (from 1812 through to 2018) by seven authors: Andrea Boeshaar, Misty M. Beller, Stephenia H. McGee, Dawn Crandall, Kari Trumbo, Pepper Basham, and Sarah Monzon.

This collection will only be available for a limited time (after which the novellas will be available separately) and you can currently pre-order for just $0.99! Can you believe that?! Not only that, but all proceeds from the sale of this collection will be donated to the LiveStrong Foundation.

Today, I’m going to be spotlighting Sarah Monzon’s contribution to the collection:

~ About the Book ~

It all started with a bet and a book.
Emory Blake would take curling up with a novel over a night on the town any day. But then her best friend, Tate Woodby, accuses her of living between the pages of her paperbacks instead of the real world, and he makes a bet that will force her to experience the adventures of her fictional friends. Emory must confront the pain of the past. But is it also her perfect opportunity to her own happily ever after?

Pre-order the collection:  Amazon

~ Excerpt ~

“I bet you can’t do it.”
“Excuse me?”
“I bet you can’t do it. You read all these great stories about heroes and heroines who do all sorts of things while you’re safely tucked inside your apartment. You live vicariously through them, but that’s not living, Em. You envision yourself as the characters you read, relating to them on different levels, maybe even sometimes wishing you were more like them.”
The defense on my tongue felt flat, unbelievable even to me.
“I bet you can’t take yourself down from this literary tower you’ve built around yourself and actually do the things your characters do. Experience life. Experience the people around you.”
My gaze snagged on The Huntress, and I grabbed it, thrust it between us as my evidence. “Of course I can’t do the things these characters do. I’m not a bounty hunter, and I don’t plan to have guns shoved in my face.” And the trigger pulled? Man I needed to get back to the scene to see if Amelia was shot or if she’d somehow disarmed the perp.
Tate settled back, the seam of his shirtsleeve riding up over the curve of his tricep as he pinched the book between us and returned it to the table. “That isn’t the only book you’re reading.” Not a question. He knew me too well. Probably knew about the novel in my purse that I read on the bus during my commute to and from work and the one on my nightstand that I read right before bed.
Fine. “You think you’re so smart, but you didn’t bet me anything. You issued a dare. And I’m not twelve.” Although the annoying desire to prove him wrong pooled in my chest. Blast. Well, if he wanted to challenge me, needle me, try to psychoanalyze me to the point he thought he knew me better than I knew myself, I could play that game too. “A bet is when two people put something on the table.”
He leaned forward, victory already in his eyes. “I’m not the one hiding.”
Neither was I. Reading wasn’t a hiding place, it was an escape. A place to decompress, to wrestle with issues in real life, a means to cope. But he was wrong on another thing. He was hiding. “I bet you can’t send out a demo tape.” For as long as I’d known him, he’d done open mic, karaoke, and live performances in restaurants. Never once had he ever sent a demo to an agent or recording studio.
His confidence drained out of him like I’d pulled the plug, but then just as quickly he thrust out his hand. “Deal. Each week you’ll tell me what book you’re reading and something about it. Setting or the character’s occupation or an adventure they went on, and I’ll set something up for the weekend. For every outing, I’ll let you pick the studio or agent to send a demo to. Deal?”
I placed my hand in his, and we shook.
If only I’d known what I was getting myself into.

~ About the Author ~

Sarah Monzon is a Navy chaplain’s wife and a stay at home mom to the two cutest littles in the world. Playing pretend all day with them isn’t enough; she spends the evenings after their heads hit the pillow to create her own imaginary characters. When she isn’t in the world of make believe, she can be found in the pine forests of western Washington taking care of her family, fostering friendships, and enjoying all the adventures each day brings.

Her debut novel, The Isaac Project, skyrocketed to Amazon bestseller status while her Sophomore book, Finders Keepers, has finaled in contests such as the Inspy Awards and received a 4 star review from Romantic Times.

Connect with Sarah:  Website  //  Facebook  //  Twitter  //  Instagram  //  Pinterest