I love new releases! Both mine and my favorite authors!
(We won’t talk about how I don’t have enough time to read all the books by all my favorite authors, especially not as soon as they come out.)
I had a new release this week. It’s always great fun to see a book baby out in the wild.
This one is fun for several reasons. It’s a boxed set collaboration. If you haven’t read any of the Crossroads Collections sets, you should! They’re great fun!
One book ties them all the stories together. The first set, Out of the Blue Bouquet, is about a florist who has a bunch of flowers misdelivered all over the world. My story, A Kaerasti for Clari, takes place in the palace of the fictional country of Eyjania. Flowers are initially delivered to the wrong person, but are intended for Clari, the heroine. We meet at least two future heroes/heroines in the book, and it’s kind of an unofficial prequel to book two in my Crowns & Courtships series.
This new set is about an online dating service/app, called Betwixt Two Hearts. Members can be set up based on algorithms, or be matched personally.
My story is Guardian of her Heart. If you’ve ever read, Good Enough for a Princess, you might remember Mark and Todd. They were Crown Princess Adeline’s bodyguards while she lived in the States.
From the moment I first mentioned Mark, I knew he thought he was in love with Addie. Then she met Charlie and even if it would be acceptable for a bodyguard to marry a princess*, it wasn’t going to happen.
I also knew I wanted to write Mark’s story someday. This isn’t a story I planned, but when Amanda Tru approached me about this set, it came to me.
Mark is no longer part of Addie’s security contingent. Instead, he spends his time in the Serenity Landing supervising security at the homes owned by not just his royal family, but several others in the same neighborhood.
Then the queen decides to meddle.
She signs him up for the Betwixt service.
To appease her, and because he does want to settle down someday, he goes on several dates, all of which are disasters.
Likely solo cover
Then he gets a message via the app.
From Casey.
Who has a cat stuck in her van.
Casey has arrived in Serenity Landing for a craft show to find a stowaway. Her best friend’s cat hid out for at least thirty-six hours, and now she’s at this craft show with no way to care for the feline while running her booth by herself.
She’s in a strange town and has a new – local – match on her Betwixt app. She’s desperate. So she reaches out.
While the dating app part didn’t happen in real life, the cat part did.
My friends who run a yarn dyeing business drove from our Southwest Missouri home to Minnesota for a yarn show. When they arrived, two of them found a cat (belonging to the third) in the back of their van.
The third friend couldn’t attend (she was 36 weeks pregnant at the time) and lives in the country where they have their dye studio. She hadn’t seen the cat in a couple of days and wondered if a coyote had gotten to him. But instead, at some point while they were loading everything, the cat jumped in the back of the van and became trapped.
To hear them tell the story is hilarious. From how they took care of the cat at the show to sneaking him into their hotel – and the insane trip back home, we all knew it had to go in a book. (In fact, they told each other that the first day – Carol’s going to use this in a book, you know.)
Casey’s experience isn’t quite like my friends’ (after all, they didn’t have a cute guy who works for royalty and is friends with billionaires helping them out), but there were similarities.
It also gave me a chance to check in with some old (fictional) friends – including Jonathan and Kenzie Langley-Cranston (who had some news to share), Adam and Gwendolyn Wilkerson, and Queen Adeline of Montevaro.
I almost didn’t do the set. My story was several days late getting turned in. But I’m so glad I did. I’m currently working on book 7 in the Crowns & Courtships series and a tidbit at the end of Guardian of her Heart looks to be a PERFECT tie in.
I kind of love it when God works things out that way ;).
Plus working with Amanda, Chautona Havig, Cathe Swanson, Kari Trumbo, and Alana Terry has been so much fun! We’ve also bought the website and are in the process of adding fun stuff over at Betwixt2Hearts – including a fun quix to tell you which of the heroes should be your next book boyfriend!
If you’ve never read a Crossroads Collection, be sure to check them out! The full series page is here.
Out of the Blue Bouquet is those misdelivered flowers.
Yesterday’s Mail is about missives found in a dead letter office.
Under the Christmas Star is about handmade ornaments.
And now, Betwixt Two Hearts, is about those who find love in the digital age.
Would you ever use a dating app? Or do you have a funny pet story? Share below for your chance to win a digital copy of Out of the Blue Bouquet or Betwixt Two Hearts.
*Yeah. I might be doing that in my current work-in-progress. We’ll see how it works out ;).
When she's not writing about her imaginary friends, Carol Moncado is hanging out with her husband and four kids in the big yard of their southwest Missouri home, teaching American Government at a community college, reading, or watching NCIS. She's a member of ACFW and RWA, President and founding member for the MozArks ACFW group, and a category coordinator for ACFW's First Impressions.
Hi Carol, I enjoy reading books that are linked- these sets are fun! I look forward to reading Guardian of Her Heart, and the others in the set.
I cannot imagine using a dating app- I really only use my phone for text messaging, making calls and taking the odd photo, so using a dating app doesn’t sound like what I would do. Not sure my husband would be so keen on me using one either!!;)
Blessings:)
Hi Carol, I am excited to hear there are more adventures for “old friends” out there – I love these books! A dating app I don’t think is an option for a happily married wife and mom lol!
Love and blessings to you xxx
I love, love, love your books as well as this unique collection! I have read all of the previous books. Can’t wait to get into this one. I was so excited to see you were apart of the collection again. Would love to write inspy one day!!!
Hi Carol! I have read every Crossroads Collection. I enjoy how the stories are interrelated with flowers, letters, ornaments, and the dating app. While I would never use a dating app, I did the quick test and Mark is my next book boyfriend. After reading the stories, Mark is a good match. Guardian of Her Heart was my favorite romance in the set. Since I adore cats (had 4 of them Mimi 1, Mimi 2, Smokey and Abbey), I chuckled at the stowaway cat. In the blizzard of 2015 a cat survived being trapped in a snow pile for over a month. Have some funny pet stories – we had a runaway Hermie the Hermit Crab. Smokey survived our house fire by hiding in the woods behind our house for 3 days. I received an earful why I hadn’t rescued him earlier – even though I had been calling for him the whole time. Will be posting my review of Betwixt Two Hearts this weekend – need to read the last romance in the set. Delightful boxed set – glad you were part of it. Best wishes.
Morning Carol! I’m sitting here with a cup of my favorite coffee perusing my favorite authors website. I have all of your books and have read most of them more than once! Can I wait to read Betwix Two Hearts! I live south of St Louis so you know we are all going to be cabin dwellers this week end! I can’t imagine dating with a dating app!
Looking forward to a Sunday after church read. Blessings!
No dating apps. No pets. I lead a boring life, it seems ?
Sounds like a fun read. I did meet my husband on line but before dating apps. Will be married 18 years in April.
I’m reading this collection right now and really enjoying it. Incidentally I took the quiz to see which hero I matched with best from this collection and got Mark. :)
Would I use a dating app? If I was single I would consider it, especially if it had the same high security measures Betwixt has.
Call me old-fashioned because I am.
I met my husband at church.
What does a dating app know about the “affairs of the heart” .
I have just “Met” most of you authors and I enjoy reading the books so much! I am a retired pastor’s wife, my husband retired this July after 32 years of Ministry. I have a very painful and debilitating disease and your books are such a blessing! Thank you!
I’m on my phone all the time. IF I were single, I don’t know if I would or not… Things to ponder… ;)
LOL! I hope not for a married woman! (Ugh. I’m sure they’re out there though /roll eyes/.)
So glad you love them! And that’s why I write in the same universe – because we get to see old friends!
I’m so glad to hear that! I love these collections!
Hi Renate! So glad you enjoyed it!
I like cats but am allergic so none here. We have two small dogs and that’s plenty!
I’m so glad you enjoy them! Have you even dug out from last weekend?! We just got rain because the temps stayed JUST above freezing. We’ve got more than a dusting but probably less than an inch here at the moment. Not sure how long it’s supposed to keep coming down…
Hey! Boring can be good! Interesting can be overrated!
I know several people who’ve met their spouses online! No dating apps either though. I don’t think I know anyone who’s met on a dating app… 22 years for us in March :).
So glad you’re enjoying it! I’m kinda partial to Mark ;).
I think you’d really pay for that kind of security, but would be worth it!
I met mine at work :). We went to church together though.
The app itself doesn’t, but algorithms can pair up people who share common interests and such. It does depend on everyone being honest and forthright though. That’s what would concern me I think.
We’re so glad you’re here Sandra! And so glad you enjoy the books!
It’s been a long time since I was single but if I ever am again, I doubt I would use a dating app. However, if I were younger I think I might consider it. I can’t think of any funny pet stories although we’ve had cats for many years. I enjoyed Out of the Blue Bouquet but I haven’t read any of the other sets.
No I would’t use a dating app. Unfortunately someone could be one person on there but be someone totally different in real life.
It looks like you got my Elliot to appear as the cover cat for your story. That only makes sense, as he would be the cat who’s knocked a dinner roll off the cooling rack to sample on the floor, or tricked the pet sitter into locking him in the pantry for half a day so he could sample treats at his leisure.
Congratulations Carol!!!
I wouldn’t use a dating app; however, some of my friends do…
I’m still kind of skeptical about it LOL
I’ve tried on-line dating back before there was such a thing as an “app” so I imagine if I was still single, I would use an app!
No to the apps, yes to animal stories! We had lots of animal adventures growing up on the farm. On year we had Barbados sheep. The ewew had twins, a girl & a boy. When the babies were about two weeks old, the boy got his leg broke. He went to the vet and came back with a metal bracec surrounding his leg. It didn’t take him long to learn how to navigate with that brace. He became a bottle baby and thought he was the king of the hill! We named him Charlie. When his leg healed, there was no stopping him.
I would never use a dating service. However, I have a friend who did and has been married to the person she met online, for two years, and they are still madly in love.
Congrats on the book baby! That is sooo exciting. I am iffy on the app, and of course I would have to get a smart phone to use it first. ;) I LOVE funny pet stories! I can’t wait to read yours and I’m wondering how your stow-away cat was so quiet on such a long trip. We traveled with my brother’s cat for 5 hours with it meowing/yowling all the way. It didn’t like to travel at all to say the least. ;-)
I enjoyed this set and loved the premise of a dating app that tied the stories together. I own the other sets, but have not read them yet. I really enjoyed learning more about Mark and seeing some old favorites of yours Carol. The true cat story being a part of this is hilarious!