Guest: Danielle Monsch + Book Giveaway!

I got ‘The Call’ (or its epub equivalent, the email) on a snowy morning. 

My husband and I had been fighting, I’m sorry to say – nothing horrible, just general snippiness.  Nonetheless, I wasn’t in a great mood.  We were debating whether to send my daughter to preschool.  Snow in our area has a way of bringing everything to a screeching standstill, and I didn’t want to chance her being stuck at school because of crappy roads keeping me away.

We eventually decided the child should go, so out my husband and daughter went into the cold morning.  After waving my goodbye and locking the door, I went over and fired up the computer, putting on the tea kettle as everything booted up.

Going back to the computer, as is my habit, I looked at my email first.

Now, I was expecting a message from Liquid Silver.  They had asked me for a revise and resubmit on Loving a Fairy Godmother, so I knew they had to eventually tell me yes or no.  But with me still a little irritated over the fight, it took me a second to realize the email from Liquid Silver was THE EMAIL, the one that would let me know if I could call myself a published author yet, or still needed to wait a little while.

I opened up that email, the first three words were “We are pleased…” and I knew I had been accepted, I was going to have a story published.

A squee did indeed leave my lips, and my first thought is I wanted to tell hubby.  I ran for the door just in time to see the car U-turn and make its way down our street.  In bare feet, I did take a few steps on a very cold, snow covered sidewalk, waving my arms in the air, hoping hubby would see me from one of the mirrors, but that was not to be.

I went back in the house and gave him a call on his cell.  However, it seems the weather must have been screwing with phone reception, because the call was very static-y.  I eventually yelled in the receiver for him to call me once he got to work.

The following forty minutes was tough.  I wanted to tell everyone, but I wanted my hubby to know first, so I had to sit on my hands and wait for him to call me.  My stomach was jumping; I kept putting my arms around my middle to try to calm it down.

Finally I got my hubby’s call.  Because of our earlier fight his voice was not the friendliest, but as soon as I told him, he emitted the manly version of a squeal and he started to congratulate me, which in turn made me start hyperventilating, because hearing his happiness cemented it in my mind that this was real, and I was going to be a published author.

All in all, not how I envisioned my first ever ‘call’, but I’ll take it.  It was messy and unpredictable, but it was real, it was my life.

However I got the ‘call’, I’m just grateful I got it.

LOVING A FAIRY GODMOTHER

Tiernan is one of a kind. Beyond the divine dimples, killer blue eyes, and hard muscled body, Tiernan is also the only Fairy Godfather. Most of the Fairy Godmothers have no problem with keeping Tiernan around, but Reina isn’t like most Fairy Godmothers.

Amongst Fairy Godmothers, Reina is the best. Organized, efficient, logical. So why is it when Tiernan is around, all those qualities fly out the window? Reina doesn’t like that one infuriating male makes her lose control, and just wants him gone. Circumstances arise that just might let her get her wish, though not in a way she ever wanted.

Tiernan is given an assignment and told either get a Happily Ever After or he will no longer be a Fairy Godfather. Reina is going with him to supervise, but if Tiernan gets his way, he’ll not only be supervising that luscious stubborn fairy in bed, but also get her to admit Happily Ever Afters also apply to Fairy Godmothers.

Excerpt:

“Godfather Tiernan—”

“You can just call me Tiernan,” he interrupted.

She tried again. “Godfather Tiernan—”

“”Didn’t Sara just tell you that you had to follow my directions?”

That pushed her over the edge. “Do you truly think you are going to secure a HEA when you haven’t been able to do it yet?”

He let out a derisive snort, but immediately realized that was a huge mistake. Her face lost her usual look of annoyance crossed with bemused tolerance, leaving pure ice in its place. “This is why men should not be allowed into the Godmother program. None of you have any respect for Happily Ever Afters.”

“I never said I didn’t believe in HEAs” he began, but she cut him off.

“Every case you’ve been on tells me you don’t believe, or else you would have tried once, just once, to get one!”

His hands slammed on the table as he leaned across it, his face coming inches from hers. “I’ve never tried because I believe in love! Humans need love so much, who the hell was I to screw up two people in love to get them to HEA status? I could never forgive myself if two people in love missed out on each other because of my actions!”

All anger fled her face, and a hesitant, unsure look came over features. “What do you think a HEA is?”

He drew in a deep breath, sitting down once again. “I think happily ever after is a nice way to end a story, but in the world I remember, it’s a waste.”

Her hand was halfway towards him before she seemed to remember their roles, and she pulled it back to her side. “Love is wonderful, but only love alone is incomplete. You can love someone, but they can ultimately not be right for you. Even in love, people can still be led to believe the worst of each other, still hurt each other, still decide they are better without the other,” she began, her words hesitant, as if she was trying to define to herself what it all meant as much as to him. “But the Happily Ever After is so much more. It’s finding your perfect match, love purified, refined, to such an extent that it can never be sundered. With a Happily Ever After, men can achieve greatness, as can all the generations who follow growing up in its shadow.”

“And you think jeopardizing the surety of a love match now is worth it for only the possibility of a Happily Ever After?” he asked, his voice gentle, reverent, wanting nothing to break this intimacy their words were creating.

“I do. In your view, maybe that seems cruel, but in my view, there is no greater tragedy then two people who almost make this connection but fall short in the end.”

Such a hard exterior to cover such a tender heart. “I’m not sure if I can believe as you do,” he said after considering her words. “But I never want Sara... you... to feel as if I let you down. After we get this situation behind us, I want you proud of the job I do.”

And as his breath caught at the rare smile she bestowed upon him just then, he knew all she had to do was keep smiling at him like that, and anything she wanted, whether it be his beliefs or his blood, he would give her.

Her smile faded, and the moment ended. Reina cloaked herself in her position of authority as she handed him the file that had been sitting on her desk. It was already open to show a picture of a blond girl, pretty and vibrant with a mouth full of straight white teeth, all of which was evident even underneath the dirt. “I looked over this case earlier, before I realized what was going on,” she said. “It is a good, solid HEA case. There are several challenges to overcome, but also several sources of help for the client. It is about as perfect as a case can be for this purpose, as evenly balanced as I’ve ever seen. No one can accuse the council of favoring either side. The girl’s name is Cinderella. She lives with an abusive Stepmother and two rotten spoiled stepsisters. She is a very kind, generous girl—though a little too much of a doormat, if you ask me—but outside of that, not really any other character flaws. She is much beloved in her village, children and small animals flock to her daily. In short, we exist to give HEAs to mortals like her.”

Tiernan read the file quickly, then flipped the page and took in the photo of the male who would supply the HEA. “A prince, huh? That’s pretty standard.”

“Indeed, but for the most part, we don’t mess with the classics here.” The pointed look she gave him told him he was one of the exceptions, and she wasn’t necessarily thrilled about it. Ah yes, completely back to normal.

He returned that look with a flirty smile. “I used to serve royalty, Godmother Reina. Believe me when I say, sometimes the large crown is to compensate for something.”

“Oh really? Well, I assume we can say the same thing about your sword, eh, knight?”

Maybe not completely back to normal after all. The second those words passed her lips her eyes went saucer wide, and Tiernan couldn’t say who was more shocked, him or Reina herself. There was no way he was letting this pass. His voice coming out a low growl, he replied, “Why, Reina, I never knew you were interested in the size of my sword. Anytime you want a private viewing, I will be more than happy to oblige.”


Danielle Monsch is a Romantic Geek Girl Writing in a Fantasy World. Her debut story, Loving a Fairy Godmother, is available now at Liquid Silver Books.

You can find her on the web at www.DanielleMonsch.com, www.twitter.com/DaniMonsch, www.facebook.com/DanielleMonsch

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