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THE Sarah Monzon is here today to chat š
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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 a small desert town in central Washington taking care of her family, fostering friendships, and enjoying all the adventures each day brings.
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Sarah’s latest release is 12 Days of Snowmen, a Christmas novella which is currently FREE for anyone who signs up for her newsletter!
Twelve days. Thatās all Lucy Nel has left before her foster daughter, Abby, goes back to live with her biological mother. Twelve days to make this the best, most memorable Christmas of Abbyās young life. Lucy plans to provide a snowman for each dayāno easy feat with Floridaās unseasonable temperatures. When an attractive new coworker nursing a wounded heart offers to help Lucy, she reluctantly accepts his generosity, determined not to let his friendship sway her from giving Abby her undivided affection.
Can twelve days of snowman turn into a lifetime of love?
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Ā 
Hello my friend! Iām honored to have you back on the blog! Thank you so much for chatting with me! š I start all of my guests with a fast four, as you know, BUT in our first Q&A waaaaaay back in September 2015 (forever ago) I already asked you two of my usual four so Iām mixing it up a bit today.
Sarah: Anything chocolate. Because chocolate. And if you add ice cream into the mix, then Iām a goner.
Carrie: mmmmm… I’m now craving a brownie with ice cream. Sigh. lol.
Sarah: āDonāt you think daisies are the friendliest flower?ā Meg Ryan inĀ Youāve Got Mail. Iām not exactly sure if they are my favorite, but donāt you just love that movie?
Carrie: I DO! I do love that movie! And I love that particular scene. In fact, I had daisies at our wedding reception because we saw You’ve Got Mail on our first date.
Sarah: Christmas. Itās so magical with the twinkly lights and the fuzzy sweaters and warm fires and music and family and, and, andā¦
Carrie: ….and the cookies and the carols and the SNOW and the Hallmark movies. Yes.
Sarah: Itās this song I sing to my kids called āI love you so much.ā It goes, āI love you so much. I love you so much. I canāt even tell you how much I love you. Youāre precious to me. Youāre precious to me. Iām so glad to have you as part of my life.ā I used to rock them and sing them this song at bed time.
Carrie: awwwwwww!!!Ā That is so sweet!
Around here I like to say that reading is my superpower.Ā If YOU had a superpower, what would it be?Ā
Sarah: Maybe going with the flow? Is that a superpower? I feel like it is and I am so thankful God blessed me with that part of my personality. I feel like itās come in handy a lot in the past and will come in handy even more in the future now that we are becoming a military family.
Carrie: I’d said that’s definitely a superpower. And so is being a military family!
Tell me some good books youāve read recently.
Sarah: Oh, you really should have given me a limit here because I could go on for daaaaaaays. Iāll try and restrain myself, but Iām not making any promises. So here, in no particular order, are some of my recent favorites.
The Feud Series by Tamara Leigh. These books havenāt even been out a year and I have read all three of them twice already. Besides being immensely entertaining, they each touched me in a special one, especially Baron of Godsmere. I could really identify with the heroine.
Speaking of touching books, if you want an awakening, then you must read Red Rose Bouquet by Jennifer Rodewald. By no means an easy read, but it is simply beautiful and may even shift your reality.
The Lady and the Lionheart by Joanne Bischof. So good. So many feels. Will be rereading this one again for sure.
The Promise of Rayne by Nicole Deese. If you havenāt read anything by Nicole Deese then you must remedy this at once. She is a masterful storyteller.
My waking and sleeping thoughts were kidnapped by The Gifting Series by K. E. Ganshert. Seriously. When I was awake all I could think about were the characters and plot of the books and I dreamed about them at night which pretty much never happens.
Tessa Afshar made me ugly cry with Land of Silence. Heart breaking, soul sobbing wrenching, she shattered meā¦but then put the pieces back together at the end.
Carrie: Girl… yes. To Land of Silence and The Lady & The Lionheart and The Promise of Rayne. I wholeheartedly concur. And the only reason I can’t concur about the others is because I (hangs head in blogger shame) haven’t read them yet.
Writing spaces are as diverse as authors and books. Where is your favorite space to write?
Sarah: Iām not sure Iād call this my favorite place to write, but it is my most regular placeāthe gym. More specifically, a stationary bike at the gym. Why? Two words. Child care. I find it impossible to write a home with a 5 year old and a 2 year old and Iām just too exhausted to write after they go to bed, plus thatās quality time, no-kid-time with the husband. So for an hour most mornings I pedal going nowhere and type away on my iPad, my imagination going everywhere.
Carrie: Ok, I completely love the way you said that last sentence!
Your new novella, 12 Days of Snowmen, is in the Carrington Family series universe but itās actually about one of the secondary characters from Finders Keepers. Why did you decide to write Jonathanās story?Ā
Sarah: I decided to write Jonathanās story because of a few readersā responsesā¦or perhaps demands might be a better word? *winky face* In fact, some even started their own #teamjonathan hashtag. I loved it! The banter between #teamjonathan-ers and #teamtrent-ers really put a smile on this girlās heart.
Carrie: I’m sure I don’t know what you mean by “demands”. I would never do that … *whistles nonchalantly*
In 12 Days of Snowmen, Lucy wants to make this the most memorable Christmas ever for her foster daughter Abby. What is YOUR most memorable Christmas?
Sarah: Iām not sure I have one specific Christmas that sticks out, just dozens of precious memories that make all my Christmases sweet. From Christmas light hunting from the backseat of the car to my grandmotherās cherry cordial cookies to caroling in frigid nights to love and laughter and family and friends gathered around the tree on Christmas morning.
Carrie: All of those memories sound delightful and cozy and I want Christmas to be here RIGHT NOW!
What do you most want readers to take away from 12 Days of Snowmen?
Sarah:Ā I think 12 Days of Snowmen encompasses the idea of giving of oneself. So, instead of getting caught up with making sure every item on our kidsā wish list is checked off and our credit card bills skyrocket in December, letās take the pressure off and remember to give the same gift Jesus gave that fateful dayālove.
Carrie: Beautifully said…
Sarah, I always love hanging out with you. In real life and online š Before we say goodbye for today, tell us whatās coming up next for you.
Sarah: In life or in writing? LOL Right now I feel like everything is coming up next. Writing-wise, look for the second Carrington Family novel to come out in spring, 2017. Ā A Navy fighter pilot and a WWII female ferry pilot share their adventures within the pages. =)
Carrie: YAY! I can’t wait!!!
I’ve got paperback copies of The Isaac Project and Finders Keepers to give away to one of my readers! Giveaways are subject to Giveaway Policy.
What about you? What’s your most memorable Christmas?
Thanks for having me, Carrie!! Love you, girl!
love you back! š
LOVE IT!!
yay!
Showers of hearts over this interview! Love.
š
My most memorable Christmas was the year my parents gave me and my sister pearl necklaces and earrings. They had such a look of happiness on their faces when we opened our packages. My Mom always wore her pearls and to her it was something every girl should have.
awww that’s so sweet! I love it!
I love this. And pearls. I love pearls, too.
*enthusiastically waving* Hi Sarah!!! Hi Carrie!!!
I’m going to twist your question a little bit and say that the most memorable Christmases are the ones that have landed on Sundays. The only thing better than celebrating Christ’s birth with my family is celebrating Christ’s birth with my family and church family š
AND 12 Snowmen of Christmas is a super cute story!
oh i love that, Beth! Yes! *waves enthusiastically back* And this year is on a Sunday too! Yay!
Such a fun post! I read 12 Days of Snowmen this week and loved it! What an original idea. Christmas is a special holiday, but extremely stressful in some ways being a children’s ministry director in a fairly large church. So, I would have to say that our 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve service is a favorite time for me. Everything else is “over”, and I can relax and celebrate the reason for the season.
Oh goodness yes! Anyone in ministry – especially children’s ministry leaders and music ministry leaders are so overworked during the holidays! Blessings to you, my friend!
Thank you for making memories with the kids and the whole church at that time. Very special and selfless of you. <3
My most memorable Christmas is being pregnant with my 8th child . She was born 2 days after Christmas.
Eight?!? Wow.
Wow. That would be very special.
My most memorable Christmas was when I was shopping with my son. He wanted everything in sight almost. My answer became tell Santa Claus. He wanted something again and as I opened my mouth he said “I know tell Santa Claus! Someday I’m going to be Santa Claus” LOL He now has 4 kids.
LOL!!! Too cute š
Fun story!
Loved the interview! Sarah, your book list is awesome! I haven’t read The Promise of Rayne yet, but I plan on it!!
As for my most memorable Christmas…the year I got a Barbie house, lol.
It was hard keeping that list down to a reasonable number!
I loved my Barbie house!!!!
My most memorable Christmas was our first Christmas after being married for only one week. My hubby hand tooled a leather Bible cover for me.
Oh! How special!
Hi Sarah and Carrie! Fun interview! I think the best thing about Christmas is just being with family and enjoying the togetherness. I come from a family of 9 kids, so there was always a lot going on at Christmastime–and pretty much every other time! LOL Now I have 5 kids and their spouses, 15 grandchildren and 1 great-granddaughter, so things are hopping when we get together. They all live within 3 1/2 hours, too, so we get together quite often. It’s crazy, but we love it!
Wow!!!!! That’s a house full!
Wow! How do you all fit? Unfortunately we live on the other side of the country from our families so holidays are too quiet.
we live too far from Eric’s family to visit them – he has a large extended family – and my family is just my parents and me & my brother and our spouses… and now Ben. It’s usually pretty quiet around here too <3
Well, it helps that we have a big house. We have a basement downstairs with a big room that spans half the floor(including another kitchen), a main floor, and an upper floor with a huge bonus room where the kids can play and watch tv, etc. It’s really a lot bigger than what we need, but we love it when everyone’s here, because it cuts down on the noise and craziness. We’ve had 50 people or so at Thanksgiving. We just go downstairs and set up lots of tables. The second kitchen comes in handy at times like that. We just need a maid, cook and gardener at other times. LOL
i’m going to move into your basement, ok?
Yes! Do you want to be the maid, the cook, or the gardener? Free rent! Plus–chocolate! Or you can just come and amuse me! LOL
ummm… how about the amusement? š
Perfect size for a reader/writing retreat!
Yes, Sarah! That would be sooooo much fun! We’ve actually had scrapbooking and crafting parties here, but it’s been quite a while. We had a ball! We could totally have a retreat here–or even at our cabin. We sometimes call our bonus room upstairs the bowling alley, because it’s about 34’x16′.
so fun!!
ooooo!!
This book sounds so good. Thanks for the giveaway.
Marilyn
they are all amazing š
My most memorable Christmas was 1995. My oldest brother died in an accident on Dec.8. Ten days later I gave birth to my first born. So, that Christmas will always be one I will remember.
oh my goodness!!! Such emotions you must have been feeling <3
My most memorable Christmas is the year my sister and me received Ginny dolls with all the accessories and some furniture.
Marilyn
fun!!
Hi Carrie! Hi Sarah! I liked all the questions and answers š
One of my most memorable Christmases was the Christmas morning my now son in law asked my daughter to marry him. He had two matching packages wrapped by the jeweler, he didn’t know which one had earrings and which one had the ring. I had to sneak and unwrap one to find out. He came here from the Air Force to spend Christmas with us that year.
awwwww!!!! i love that story!!
So sweet!
My most memorable was this year. My family had a Christmas in July for my sister. We did not know how long we had with her and that was one of her dreams. We went away for the weekend and brought the Christmas tree and decorated it in the hotel. We played Jim Reeves, Johnny Mathis and Mariah Carey. My sister’a memory was not great but she remembered those songs and sang her heart out. We have the pictures to remind us of how we love Christmas and her. It was one of our best.
so special <3
I love that. So much.
Most memorable is the year my daughter was born. My mother had passed away the year before, and feeling sort of lost at having lost my mom as a young adult, my daughter filled a hole that had been left in my heart.
That’s so sweet, Jocelyn!
Christmases when my daughter was little were so very special and then, two years ago, we celebrated our granddaughter’s first Christmas and those special feelings were felt once again!
Connie
cps1950(at)gmail(dot)com
that grandbaby’s first Christmas is really fun, isn’t it?
I think my most memorable Christmases were my children’s first Christmases. There is just something extra special about experiencing Christmas through the eyes of your child.
Both of my children are small so I still have quite a few years of that excitement! š
I so enjoyed my nephew’s first Christmas last year! Such fun š
My mother was rushed to hospital December 24, 2012 and died 10 days later. I won’t ever forget that Christmas. Not trying to be a downer. Mom was a Christian and is much happier where she is now. But I still miss her.
Hugs!!
Memorable for sad reasons <3
Christmas 1992. The Christmas my parents, children and I all spent Christmas with my Grandma, who lived 200 miles away. We didn’t know at the time it would be her last Christmas on earth. I am forever grateful that I was able to be with her that year. We had such a great time. It had been many years since she had done “Santa Claus” and my uncle and his wife didn’t have children, so they hadn’t done it before. We put all the toys together and then played with them before arranging them under the tree. So much fun!
What a sweet memory!!
Awwwww
Most memorable Christmas was Dec.15,1993. My daughter was born and four nights later she was baby Jesus. My son was five and he was Joseph in kids play.
Ten days later my husband, son, daughter and I had our very first Christmas together.
so special!!!
That is awesome!
My most memorable Christmas was the year I had scarlet fever! I was curled up in my bed, feeling miserable when Mom & Dad brought the my siblings to the bedroom doorway & they all sang Jingle Bells to me! Bittersweet memories!
oh no!! yes, bittersweet for sure
How sweet! My son had scarlet fever this summer. No fun!
When we were young and our parents and relatives celebrated together.
that always brings back sweet memories
Holidays are always better with family.
I like the Christmas where I gave cookie bouquets of poinsettias. I have a picture of my mother’s delighted,pleased and surprised look on her face!
oh i bet those were beautiful!
The most memorable Christmas for my mother was the Dec. 25th I was born, LOL. The most memorable for me are probably just a compilation of all those when my maternal grandparents were living – my grandmother always made many kinds of cookies for Christmas, sharing them with neighbors as well as family. My grandfather would buy numerous kinds of candy (from glass cases in the stores for many years)every year – he’d always pass the platter of candy around after the noon meal on Christmas day. My grandmother put up an aluminum tree, a color wheel revolved on it. My fave of her Christmas goodies was always her home-made custard and jam cake. My grandfather would give monetary gifts, but my grandmother always bought a small gift for each person out of the money from her small social security check.
I really enjoyed the interview, Sarah and Carrie!! I don’t have either of Sarah’s books and would love to read them!! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!!
Oh wow, Bonnie! I love hearing about your grandparents’ Christmas! And yes – LOL – I’d say that was a pretty memorable Christmas for your mom š
My most memorable Christmas would be the Christmas I was baptized. I think that says enough. Not having grown up in a Christian family, having the acknowledgement and acceptance of my family for my faith was special.
oh that IS special!! What a great time of year to be baptized!!
So special.
My son was young and was in the shopping cart as I was doing some shopping. He kept saying “I want this or that” or pretty much everything he saw. My standard response had become Tell Santa Claus. So on this day he said ” I want” and before it came out of my mouth he said ” I know, tell Santa Claus. Someday I’m going to be Santa Claus”. I remind him every year especially since he now has 4 kids. LOL
š
Hahaha!
Fantastic interview!!!!
Christmas 2007 is my memorable one. I was living with friends in Colorado Springs, CO at the time. It was my first “white” Christmas. Soooooo magical! I even attended the Madrigal at Glen Eyrie.
oh i bet that WAS magical!!
Love a white Christmas!
One of my most memorable Christmases was spent on my own, snowbound with no electricity and running low on items intended to be burned in a small and inefficient wood stove. That particular Christmas was the third strike that led me to stop house-sitting for friends (strike one involved wind storms and downed power lines, strike two was a sliding glass door locking me outside on the second hottest day of a record breaking year).
oh my goodness!!!! Yes, I think I would stop too haha!
Goodness!
My most memorable Christmas was the year I got a Cabbage Patch Kid. I STILL remember (many years later) how excited I was.
Oh my goodness! I remember getting mine too!!
My most memorable Christmases were the first Christmas of both of our children.
Awww I bet those were special
I’ve had quite a lot of memorable Christmastimes with my family. We have a large family and so it is always a very busy time. Thankfully most of us live within 50 miles of each other. I have one niece and her family that are 6 hours away. We all gather at one of my sister’s houses since we have outgrown our home place. There are usually about 35 of us now that there are grands and great-grands. We never know how much longer my mom will be with us. She turned 89 in June but does pretty well. We always have too much to eat and plenty of laughter to go around too. This year will be a little hard on all of us because one of my sisters passed away in April. One of my nephews is smoking the turkeys for Thanksgiving. We have changed the menu for Christmas the past 10 years or so because everyone’s in-laws have the usual meal. We have had bbq’d ribs, lasagna, chimichanga’s and bbq sandwiches since then. Of course there is always plenty of snacks and sweets besides the meal.
I’m pretty sure I’m coming to your house for Christmas with all that yummy food!!! š
My most memorable Christmas is all of them, as I try to make the best of every situation, and even though some of them were tough I tried to make it special for my children. Blessings!
i love this answer, Lucy!
My most memorable Christmas is actually all of the ones when my sons were growing up, now it includes all my grandchildren and this year my first great grandson !
Awww!! What a blessing!
I can’t say I have a “most memorable Christmas” but I do have a favorite Christmas memory. Growing up, my mom’s side of the family held what amounted to a family reunion every Christmas at my great aunt’s house. It was the one time of the year I would get to see most of these people, but they never felt like strangers. No matter how much time had passed it always felt like we’d chatted yesterday. Warm hugs greeted me at the door and kept coming all the way to the kitchen where I dropped off whatever my mom had cooked to add to the potluck meal. The smells of roasting turkey, French’s onions, and warm bread would surround me as I helped my mom, my grandma, my maternal grandfather’s 5 sisters, and all the other women of the family get things ready in that tiny, dated galley kitchen. Eventually I’d be dismissed to go watch TV with my uncles in the shag carpeted den or play with my cousins out in the grassy backyard. Sometimes, though, I’d just sit in the living room getting my great grandmothers to spill the dirt on the naughty things my grandmother or my mother had done when they were young. I know this sounds like make believe or something I stole from a sitcom, but it’s all true. I can picture it like yesterday, although the reunions stopped when my great aunt grew too old to host it and the younger generations moved too far apart and too busy to take up the tradition. Thank you for making me pause and remember. š
oh Kathleen! That sounds so delightful!!!