Thankful Author 2018- Mona Sedrak

This year I find myself especially thankful for the many gifts in my life. I am always grateful for my amazing family, but this year is especially memorable. My husband and I moved from New Jersey to Ohio. Our lives were turned upside down and changed forever…in the best of ways. We bought a new home, he retired, and I started a new job. Coming home to my husband, Samy, at the end of the day is fantastic. He takes good care of me, and I have little to worry about except eat dinner and write. Yes, it is a dream come true not to have to balance cooking and all the household chores, working fulltime, and writing. Thankful! Thankful!

We are blessed to be able to live just a few miles from our daughter, Laura, and our son-in-law, Mina. They gave us our first grand-child, a sweet little girl who fills my heart with so much joy every single day––my cup runneth over! We haven’t had the joy of living next to our children for many, many years and life couldn’t be sweeter. Truly, family is a blessing. So very thankful!

Finally, this year I also joined The Wild Rose Press, made many new friends (roses galore), and my new book, Six Months, was published on October 29th. I cannot tell you the joy I felt when I opened that box and found my book in print. Thankful again!

At the end of the day, I close my eyes and know I am undeserving of the immense gifts the Lord has showered me: a roof over my head, food in my belly, a job to support me and those I love, a writing career taking off, and most importantly, a beautiful family that loves me and that I love. I am BLESSED and so very THANKFUL. 

Blurb

For twenty years, Mikala Jacobson had it all: loyal friends, a precious little girl, and a man who adores her. Then double tragedy strikes and her perfect world shatters. Good friends, Rena and Jake are instantly by her side, protecting her from her husband David’s sordid secret life and his final drunken confession. 

With their help, Mikala finds strength to rebuild and redefine her life. As her spirit and heart heal, she not only finds closure, but the beauty of a new love built upon an old friendship. 

Excerpt

Wandering from room to room, she memorized every detail of the life she and David built––the family photos lining the mantel, the hand-carved jewelry box David bought her on their honeymoon in Salzburg, and Molly’s tea set arranged on the coffee table for evening tea. A cold, hollow ache took residence in her belly where the knot of dread made its appearance that morning. The sensation expanded with alarming speed, dug in deep, and planted roots. Like an unwanted guest appearing without warning and bringing too many bags for just a brief visit, sorrow moved in, shifted, and stretched then got comfortable for the long haul.

When the house line rang, Mikala froze, and her gaze darted to the cordless on the couch. Her breath stuttered. Her heart seized. Clarity forced its way past the tentacles of sheer terror strangling, dominating, and paralyzing her. She shook her head and took a step forward, only to be hit by a wave of dizziness and nausea so tremendous, she doubled over wrapping her arms around her womb. Mikala’s entire being, inside and out, shook as her heart tumbled about in her chest without a set time, tempo, or rhythm. Her breaths grew shallow and choppy, and her legs turned to rubber. The cord tethering Molly to her and this world had been severed.

The telephone rang four times before Mikala forced her body to cooperate. God, she hadn’t wanted to answer. She hadn’t wanted to know. She’d even considered not answering, protecting herself and her beautiful family from the annihilation of their world.

People said she was strong––the strongest woman they knew. They said in time she would heal. She would build another life. And God didn’t give you more than you could handle. People were idiots. They had no idea how in her head she raged. She howled, and shrieked, and wailed...and begged, and pleaded for mercy. All day. All night. Every day. Every night.

Buy links

Amazon: https://goo.gl/gRmsMr

The Wild Rose Press: https://goo.gl/1emrMC

B&N: https://goo.gl/bQfNL1

Ibooks: https://goo.gl/yD7qfX

Reviewed By Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite

Six Months by Mona Sedrak is an emotional tale of a woman who must find her strength within to survive and rise from the ashes that was once her life. To say that this is an emotional roller coaster would be an understatement, considering that the author had me on the verge of tears multiple times. The struggles of Mikala Jacobson felt so real at times and I had to pause and stop myself before reading further. This is an intense read with many emotional turns and longing for love that just bleed onto the pages. 

 

This is the story of Mikala Jacobson, a woman who is left to rebuild her life once it was torn down by death, betrayal and lies. There was a time when she had everything; a loving husband, a beautiful daughter and the best friends any person could ask for. However, when her daughter passes away and she finds out bitter truths about her husband, she finds that she never really had the life she thought she did. When the façade broke down, she was left with the ashes of a life she wished she'd had. At her lowest, her friends came to her rescue. When Jake comes forward to help her rebuild her life and make some space for love in her life once again, Mikala finds it hard to let Jake in. Will she give Jake the chance to prove that she can love once again?

This is a brilliant novel that I took time reading. I didn’t want to rush it and I wanted to savor every single word. Mikala’s struggle felt real and as if it was my own. The multiple points of view and the fragmented narrative was enough to make me read on. I enjoyed how the author let Mikala grow and become her own person. She breathed and become a real person in my mind and I could almost imagine her face in my mind. I loved this novel! This is one of the best novels I have read this year.

Bio

Mona Sedrak lives a double life. By day, she is a suit-wearing, prim and proper, professor, administrator, researcher, and lecturer. By night, she is a PJ wearing dreamer and writer of books that make people sigh, smile, cry, laugh, and fall in love. She lives in Ohio with her husband of thirty-two years, a cranky, geriatric maltipoo, and an obnoxious Amazon parrot who runs the house and terrifies its inhabitants.

Mona discovered the joy and escapism that comes from reading at the age of twelve and swears books saved her life and her sanity. Through reading, she has travelled the globe and learned all kinds of equally useful and useless skills such as: crocheting, the proper way to eat a pomegranate, carve a watermelon, or bathe an elephant. These skills she has passed down to her two daughters who are incredibly supportive, but often wish she had a wider scope of hobbies.

Mona has a long publishing history in academia, but she started writing fiction recently.

Social Media Links

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