A Day in the Life of… Stephanie Monahan

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A Day in the Life of.....

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Stephanie Monahan received her degree in English Literature from Binghamton University. In addition to reading and writing, she is passionate about her dog and cat, British pop music, and the beach. Born and raised in upstate New York, Stephanie now lives in central Massachusetts with her husband.

When she’s not writing, she’s most likely watching Modern Family reruns and/or thinking of excuses not to exercise. Her first book, 33 VALENTINES, was nominated for a 2013 Book of the Year award at Coffee Time Romance & More.

You can find her online at www.stephmonahan.com and on Twitter @stephwrites.

Hello! Thank you Aislynn for having me on your blog and welcome to a day in my life.

I’d love to say I jump out of bed refreshed and ready to start the day, but the truth is, I’m not much of a morning person. Waking up and forcing myself out of my warm bed is by far the worst part of my day. But getting up is a little easier when I’m greeted by these two guys:

William is an 8-year-old mutt whose favorite activities include barking at the smoke detector (real or on TV) and eating carrots. Snoop is 4 years old and a new arrival to my family. My husband and I adopted him three months ago. He is way too sweet to be sitting in a cage. So now he rules the couch at the Monahan residence!

After I soak up as much animal attention as possible, I am off to my 9-5 HR job in downtown Worcester, MA. I use my commute time to catch up on my favorite podcasts, like NPR’s This American Life & Pop Culture Happy Hour. I also really like author Sara Zarr’s This Creative Life. It’s very inspiring and a great way for me to get my brain thinking about writing in new and different ways.

At work, I can’t function without a hot beverage. Tea or coffee, it doesn’t matter, as long as it’s got lots of cream and sugar. (Seriously. My office buddy and I once measured how much Coffee-mate we use per cup…8 servings…eep!!)

Once I get home from work, my next job begins. I try to reach my word count every evening for whatever manuscript I’m working on—usually around 1,000 words a day. Using Scrivener is great for this because I can set daily and overall manuscript goals that automatically calculate—much better than the handwritten calendar I kept when I wrote my first book!

I don’t usually reread or edit what I’ve written the night before. I just jump in, leaving the editing for the end, once the first draft is completed. I love to listen to music as I write, whatever tunes help to set the mood. (I’m currently working on an idea for a book set in the world of minor league hockey, so the playlist is made up of the songs played at the hockey games of my youth. The Gin Blossoms feature prominently.)

I have an upstairs office that in theory is great, but I usually end up writing in the living room beside the fireplace. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I like to write outside on my deck. I have a peaceful view of the woods, and am always reminded how lucky I am to live in such a pretty part of central Massachusetts.

After dinner (hopefully, one my husband has prepared—my “skills” in the kitchen are severely limited), I go back to my writing if I haven’t hit my word count. Normally I don’t write past 8 pm; it’s like a switch turns off at that time and my head turns into a foggy mess. I guess I just need my down time to recharge. To relax, I like to get comfy with my iPad in my favorite chair.

Since discovering the joys of the Boston Public Library E-Card, I am a little addicted to downloading books. I live for variety and read everyone from Sarah Dessen to Margaret Atwood (my literary heroes). The E-card is also an awesome way to find new authors. If I’m not reading, it’s probably because I’m in the midst of an Orphan Black marathon (I’m obsessed with this show!!)

Since I’m a big fan of a good nights’ sleep, I’m usually in bed by ten. I keep a notebook on my nightstand for when genius ideas strike in the middle of the night (though I’ve often wondered why those ideas don’t seem quite as genius in the morning!)

Thanks for joining me in a day in my life!

Sometimes the song on the radio really is about you.

You know that catchy song you keep hearing on the radio?

It’s about you.

Natalie Jamison has spent five years trying to forget the girl she was in high school: popular, pretty…and, okay, mean. Now in her twenties and living once again in her small town, she’s right back where she was: following Queen Bee Amber and keeping secrets from her best friend, Sarah.

Secrets like Jack Moreland.

Everyone knows Jack Moreland—his new album, Good Enough, is everywhere. He’s famous. Impossibly handsome. Completely untouchable. But what none of Natalie’s old clique knows is that in high school, Natalie and Jack fell in love. And their secret relationship was incredible, painful—and earth-shattering enough to inspire an entire album.

Facing friends and enemies isn’t easy, but Natalie will go to great lengths to prove she is good enough—to her friends, to herself, and most of all, to the small-town boy turned worldwide heartthrob she never forgot.