Title: Six Months
Author: Mona Sedrak
Genre: 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:
The trail came to an abrupt end into a roped-off area covered in pine needles. The trees were tall and thick, obscuring the intensity of the sun, and the clearing was cool. Shafts of sunlight came through the branches giving the illusion of walking into a cathedral. The cool and peaceful atmosphere tempted the butterflies to come out for a dance. And they did. The monarchs were everywhere––hanging from pines, clumping on branches, and filling the air with their unique whirring sound––music to the ears, a balm to the soul.
“Oh my God, Jake. Is this place real?” Mikala whispered.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, and I’ve been to some pretty amazing places. But this...” Jake shook his head. He held her in his arms––her back to his front. They stood in the middle of the clearing surrounded by thousands of miraculous monarchs, swaying to the music they made.
Mikala closed her eyes and laid her head back against Jake. As butterflies landed on her face, tickling her nose and chin, she smiled. “This is heaven.” She sighed. “This is where our butterfly is.” Tears slid down her cheeks, and the moisture attracted the butterflies.
“Yeah, baby. I think you’re right,” Jake whispered in her ear.
Except for the sounds of nature, silence reigned. With Mikala in his embrace, Jake swayed. In this miraculous place, he was finally at peace, and he was certain Mikala was, as well. Jake swallowed passed the lump in his throat. He nodded. Jesus, this woman brought him to his knees. She thought she’d survived because of him. But the truth was, she’d saved him, changed and transformed him.
Grabbing his hand, she squeezed it. “Think about how a butterfly develops, Jake. It starts as an egg, grows into a larva, and then a caterpillar. In a span of a month, a tiny egg becomes a glorious butterfly. The transition is massive. The butterfly looks nothing like the egg it started as. It changed, grew, and survived. Then the butterfly unfurls into something spectacular.”
Jake brought her hand to his lips. “Just like you, baby,” he said in a husky voice. “You’re spectacular. You survived, changed, and grew. You brought me along with you. You’re a monarch, my love. God, how I love you. I’m humbled by your resilience, strength, and beauty.”
Mikala slid her hands up Jake’s chest and wound them around his neck as his arms wrapped around her. “Can this beautiful life be real? Is this really my life, now?” Her eyes were wide. “I never thought I could be this happy and this hopeful ever again. People said time heals, but I thought they were crazy. I didn’t think I would ever find peace and true joy again.”
“Look around, Micky.” Jake scanned the vicinity. “This is as real and as miraculous as life gets. Every day we wake up is a gift. How we choose to handle the minutes, hours, days, months, and years we are given is up to us. Every day I’m grateful I have you in my life. I love you, sweetheart.”
“Every second counts, Jake. Let’s never forget that. Every second, every heartbeat, and with every breath, I will love you my Super-man.”
Buy Links:
Amazon: https://goo.gl/gRmsMr
Kobo: https://goo.gl/ovXr3A
Ibooks: https://goo.gl/yD7qfX
November is a time to be thankful. What are you most thankful for this year?
More than anything I am thankful for my family.
Why is your featured book worth snuggling up to?
The story of Six Months centers around the life and loss of a child. It tells the story of a mother’s love and healing and hope. This year two little people have given me the most joy and centered me in a world filled with chaos, and I am immensely thankful for them. I am now blessed with two beautiful grandchildren––one close and one at a distance. One shiny and new and one growing by the second. Both are beautiful blessings that fill my world with giggles and smiles, even when the world feels like it is falling apart, and I only hear and see bad news each day I tune into the daily news. Children are innocent and so precious. Their joy is infectious. They require so little to be happy and unlike the complicated lives we adults exist in, their world can be joyous if we protect and foster that nugget of sunshine they are born with. So this year I am thankful for my little angels and my beautiful girls who blessed me with them. No matter what happens during the day, I end my night by speaking and praying with each of them. Technology can be used for good! As I drift off to sleep, I see their beautiful faces, and I know I am blessed, and I have nothing to complain about.
Giveaway:
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Open internationally
Runs November 1 – 30
Drawing will be held on December 1.
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 30+ 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
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authormonasedrak/