As a writer I am often asked––where do you get your ideas from? When do you find time to write? What is the hardest part about writing? The answer to these questions is different for every writer, and there are no right or wrong answers.
I enjoy writing about the challenges families face and specifically, how women overcome the many obstacles in life. Women are interesting creatures. This is not only because I am a woman but because woman tend to view the world differently than their male counterparts.
Women love with their whole hearts and fight with their lives for those they love. We hold our family together and help our children overcome tremendous obstacles. We work until our bodies complain, and then we ignore the warning and carry on because our loved ones are in need. Even when a superstorm hits, we may be knocked to our knees but like a weeble-wobble, we don’t fall down. Therefore, I never ever run out of story ideas. I simply study the amazing women in my life and in society and eureka! The next story is born.
As for finding the time to write––oy! I, like many writers, have a fulltime job which is rather demanding, and I am blessed with a busy family life. For instance, this year my mother is turning eighty, my brother is getting married, my parents are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary, and my daughter is getting married. I also have a one-year old grand-daughter and a new puppy. Those are all the blessings in my life, and I won’t bore you with all the challenges because I am certain you have a long list of your own.
So, when do I write? I write any chance I have. Unlike many writers, I cannot write a little each day. I need a solid chunk of time to sink into my writing. So, I write on weekends and vacations, and I edit during the week. This process is not ideal, but it works for me. However, I tend to be a slower producer than other writers. But after years of trying different methods, I have embraced my process.
As to the hardest part about writing, for me it is editing. I am always excited when I complete a novel and hold my breath when I submit it to a publisher. Sometimes I hear what I hoped to hear and other times I am disappointed and even angry. Like a child, I stomp my feet and sometimes even have a good cry, and when I am finished with my temper tantrum, I begin editing.
Here is the truth, though. After I have read my editor’s comments and give in to the ordeal of editing, I more often than not, discover she was right. None of us enjoy criticism, but once I get passed being disappointed in myself and do the work, I find the process rewarding and the manuscript so much more improved.
Writing is not for the weak. Writers open their hearts and souls to the public and make themselves vulnerable. We are people pleasers and live for comments from readers. I do check my reviews on all platforms and my social media accounts. I love hearing from readers and do my best to have an open mind, learn from the comments, and reply to all queries. Thank you for reading my stories and your kind and honest reviews. I am truly blessed to have amazing readers!
Title: Six Months
Author: Mona Sedrak
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Book 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
Kobo: https://goo.gl/ovXr3A
Ibooks: https://goo.gl/yD7qfX
Author Biography:
Mona Sedrak lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and works as a university administrator and professor. Although she has co-published two academic books, she is now writing mainstream fiction and women's fiction. She is an avid reader and is probably Audible's best customer.
Writing and reading fiction is her escape from reality.
Mona lives with her husband of 31 years, a geriatric maltipoo, and an Amazon Parrot named Pretzel. She binge watches too many shows to count and she loves fine brandy.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.monasedrak.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMSedrak
Email: AuthorMonaSedrak@gmail.com
Newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/h1a1s0
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormonasedrak/
Facebook Readers Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MonasReaderGroup/