1. I hear you have animals in your novels. Tell us about the books.
I used an Irish Setter in Teach Me To Forget (odd, since I’ve never owned an Irish!) He just sort of showed up while I was describing the heroine’s motor home.
BLURB:
Her past was behind her…or so she’d thought.
Bethany Acton has come a long way from the day she was an abused child-bride of a dissolute jet setter. Now divorced and single, she writes for a lifestyles magazine, lives out of her motor home, and answers only to her boss—when he can find her. She has overcome her horrendous past and taken control of her own life. But when Jonathan Merritt, a rising star in wildlife photography, enters her world, she learns that control is a tenuous thing.
His past was despicable, but it hasn’t affected his future…until now.
Jonathan knows he has met the woman with whom he wants to spend his future, but first he must admit his role in her past. Afraid the truth will turn her against him, he tries to gain her trust and affection before confessing. But the longer he hesitates, the harder it becomes to tell her. Can Jonathan gain enough of her love and trust for her to forgive what he did—or will his past indiscretions destroy his only chance for happiness?
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Me-Forget-Mona-Karel-ebook/dp/B00822G7Y6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=mona+karel&qid=1627423505&s=books&sr=1-1
One of my favorite book “pets” is Mosby, the gray stallion in A Question of Honor, which starts the Stormhaven series, with horses in each book.
BLURB:
Sydney Castleton has worked hard to put her less than savory past behind her…until her sister asks for her help. Devin Starke has fought too many battles, seen too many deaths, to look forward to a peaceful future…until his best friend and partner asks him to help return the horse his wife, Sidney’s sister, took when she left.
Stormhaven, a ranch in northern New Mexico, has become a place for fighting men to readjust to the world, a sort of decompression chamber for those who have seen too much. Devin Starke is such a man. And Sydney isn’t far behind him.
When the sparks ignite between them, Devin and Sydney fight the attraction, as neither one is good at relationships. But when Sydney is attacked and fighting for her life, Devin realizes things aren’t quite what they seem. Can these two overcome the issues from their past, or are they doomed to lose any chance for love in the future?
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Question-Honor-Stormhaven-Story-Stories-ebook/dp/B00WHHG8WS/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=mona+karel&qid=1627423430&s=books&sr=1-2
2. Why did you add animals to these books?
At one time I thought my life would be all horses all the time. Then reality set in (as in how expensive it is to keep horses), plus I met Salukis and I was a goner. I met my husband at a Saluki show, we were together for many Saluki filled years and I was able to offer him home hospice among our Salukis.
Writing about horses is a way for me to keep that first passion alive. The premise for A Question of Honor came from a divorce I heard about, where the wife kept the dogs since the husband wanted them. People can be so…interesting.
3. What other books have you written
In addition to the Stormhaven Romantic Suspense, I’ve written Paranormal Romance and Contemporary Romance.
4. How do you promote your books?
Interesting question since I’m becoming a live again author after a loooong dry spell with a difficult publisher. I’m just about to go indy on myself…YES. The question is do I stick with Mona Karel (which originally was going to be my author name for those racier books) or do I stand up proud and claim MY books in MY name. What do you think?
5. Where can readers learn more about your books and connect with you online?
Come visit me at Mona’s Place: https://mona-karel.com/blog/ Her intermittent blog, some recipes, some sillies. Always sillies.
From Marcia: Thank you, Mona! I love discovering romances that feature animals and look forward to reading your books!
MONTHLY BLOG EBOOK CONTEST! Would you like to win a Marcia James’ ebook? Visitors to this pro-pet blog can join in the fun, comment, and/or share photos of their pets for a chance to win one of my ebooks! Each month, I’ll randomly pick one commenter to win. To leave a comment and/or a photo, click on the word “Reply,” which is just below the social media icons for THIS interview. (Don’t scroll past this interview to the next interview.) Go Pets!
I actually have two books that have “pets”. The first book is The Scattering of Seeds. This is the first novel in the “New Frontier” series. It is a futuristic romance series about three ships that leave earth to colonize a new planet. The series follows the third ship, The Halcyon, which becomes the victim of conspiracy and sabotage. The colonists are allowed to bring pets with them since they will not be returning to earth. The colonial governor’s granddaughter, Sophie, is six and has brought her cat. Jimmy is a tuxedo cat. The governor is an Ian Fleming fan and said the cat reminded him of James Bond…all it needed was a bow tie. The name stuck. Jimmy is the reason the hero and heroine meet. He is an important character in the story.
My book, The Curse, is book two in my paranormal romance series. It has a cat in it, but cat isn’t really a cat at all. Laren Balantar is under a curse. During the day he is a man, but at night he turns into a long-haired black cat. He retains all his memories and intellect but he cannot speak.
The Hidden blurb:
Tender Misdemeanors is a romantic suspense novel from The Wild Rose Press, which tells a story that could come from today’s headlines. Federal agents in the northwest U.S. often have clashes with ecotagers—those who commit acts of ecological sabotage—and white supremacist/government conspiracy theorist types as well. Here, we have one woman trying to stand against both.
2. Why did you add pets to Tender Misdemeanors?
Although I write a bit more as alter ego Lyndi Alexander (sci-fi and fantasy), as Alana, I have one series, 
I do have pets in my Masonville Small-Town Romance series. And honestly, it’s gotten a bit out of control…
So, the series starts with just one pet. But then in book two, To Heal A Heart, Blair Greyson, a veterinary technician, moves to Masonville to work at the veterinary clinic with Cole. Blair comes to live with her grandfather on his farm just outside of town, and she brings her two rescue horses, Stormy and Rainbow, with her. Her grandfather has an elderly golden retriever named Jake who’s his constant companion. Blair meets Garrett Saunders, who is Lauren’s brother, when she finds his rescue horse Harry on the road to Masonville. They make a deal for Blair to board Harry at the farm in exchange for Garrett helping with some repairs on the barn.
A couple of my other books also prominently feature pets. In my paranormal comedy 
In 
I mostly write romantic suspense with strong heroines. Sometimes western romantic suspense. It has to be a romance with a HEA [Happily Ever After], and I love to have a mystery or a murder. A couple of the books I’ve written are below.
Blurb: After an eleven-year absence, Janna Kincaid inherits a ranch and is forced to return to a town she only remembers with unhappiness, a man to whom she was briefly married and never wants to see again, and someone is trying to kill her.
I have the best collie ever. Duffy’s the well-trained and much-loved dog of the local sheriff. He pops up in all three “Heroes of Westhorpe Ridge” books. He’s protective and loyal, not just to his owner, but those who have befriended him. In Marriage, Mobsters, and the Marine, he alerts the heroine when her son’s in trouble.
In Sex, Scandal, and the Sheriff, he befriends the heroine when she and the sheriff are caught up in a huge misunderstanding.
Like your romance hot? Does story matter more than sex? Claimed as Theirs gives you both. I’ve had amazing reviews for my second post-apocalyptic novel. The first, Taken as Theirs, featured werewolves. My new one is set in the same world, but it revolves around a triad of vampires trying to reclaim the vampire nation for the true heir. They need a human woman’s touch to do that, though. It’s set on Lindisfarne, a tiny island off the Northumberland coast. Bonus–I got to visit there to check out the details. One reviewer said she could see the settings they were so real.
Rainbow Sprinkles Blurb:
My books are sweet, clean and wholesome small-town romance. I favor a lot of tropes, but my main go-to is second chance or single parent. In Choosing Chelsea, Book 12 in the Gold Coast Retrievers series from Sweet Promise Press, I focused solely on including an adorable Golden Retriever, Ollie, and his horse-loving owner, Chelsea. Of course, the story centers around a single father and his little girl, Lily. This story was one of my favorites to write and has several aww factors.
My book, A New Leash on Love, is part of The Celebrity Corgi series published by Sweet Promise Press. The premise of the series is that each main character is some type of celebrity that has a very spoiled pet corgi. The main character in my book, Prince Dorian of Avington, has Gatsby. When he goes on a goodwill tour of the U.S., he needs to hire a travel companion to look after Gatsby while he’s at his appearances.
