hockey Archives - Mona Ingram

NHL Regular Season starts October 8th…

October 7, 2014 by Mona

Jock …What will you do while he watches the hockey game?

Okay, I have a confession. I love hockey, and I’ll be watching too. Especially my Canucks. We still have our core of excellent players, but this year we welcome some fresh, new talent. Not to mention new Coach and management. Should be a fun year.

But for those of you who don’t watch, here’s an idea. You can probably finish this delightful Romance novella while he watches the game. I loved writing this one, as it combines a delightful romance with the very real topic of violence in hockey. The best news of all is that it’s FREE, and is available everywhere – Amazon, Nook, iTunes, Kobo, Scribd.

Links for Between a Jock and a Hard Place:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LAHAQ2
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id851499256
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1119041769?ean=2940149427239
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/between-a-jock-and-a-hard-place

Freddie And then, when another game rolls around this weekend, my other novella is free as well. No hockey in this one, but Fixing Freddie also takes place in and around Vancouver. I fall in love with all my heroes, but there’s something about Freddie I particularly like. Let me know if you feel the same.

Links for Fixing Freddie:
Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005A7RA88
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005A7RA88
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id826692563
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1107077647?ean=2940148233954
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fixing-freddie-1< Why do I offer these books for free, you ask? Because if you like my writing style, I hope you'll buy some of my other books, or tell a friend. It's as simple as that. In the meantime, enjoy!!

Hockey fever strikes again…

May 20, 2013 by Mona

… at least here in Canada, where hockey is a right of passage. I daresay if you asked some children to hum the national anthem, you’d get the theme from Hockey Night In Canada.
   Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But since we’re in the middle of the playoffs, I thought it a good time to release my newly designed cover for Blogging From the Heart.
   It’s the story of a young woman who blogs about violence in hockey while she’s falling for a man she doesn’t recognize as being a hockey player.
   A charming story, it’s novella-length at 25,000 words. You could probably read it in the time it takes him to watch the game!! Enjoy!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LAHAQ2

It’s In The Details

March 27, 2013 by Mona

…not an original sentiment, but true. I’m talking about research.

As I consider the options open to today’s authors, I wonder how writers of old did their research. I suppose some of their questions could be answered at their local library, but I suspect that the facts they dredged up were dry and boring. Perhaps that’s where the expression “write what you know” came from. How could they do otherwise?

When it comes to research, I consider myself to be in the golden age. Will it get easier than an internet search? I wouldn’t bet against it, but writers today are surrounded with information. We have no excuse not to get it right.

So what interesting facts have I looked up over the past couple of years? I’m looking at an alphabetical list of my self-published books, and I researched the following:

Blogging From The Heart: Although I’m a keen hockey fan, I didn’t really know how the league is structured. I needed to know about the different Divisions, Conferences, etc., and how the playoffs work. It’s added to my enjoyment of the game.

Deception: I learned about CAR – the Central African Republic; what diseases go untreated, food staples, airports, and general terrain. I only skimmed the surface, but knowing these things added texture to the story.

Fallen Angel: I researched Hellfire missiles. I needed an idea of how a pilot would know if it was too late to abort firing his missiles. It’s amazing what you can find.

Fixing Freddie: Most of the details in this book are from personal experience. When I was young, I worked in downtown Vancouver and walked the streets the characters walk. I’ve been to Whistler, and the Gulf Islands. What surprised me, however, was that after the book was released, it was featured in a gaming magazine. The hero (the love interest) owns a computer gaming company and Fixing Freddie’s cover, the storyline, and the link to Amazon was given a prominent spot in their online magazine. I was seriously impressed.

Full Circle: I researched the markets at Venice Beach. Even though I wrote the story a couple of years ago and it’s been read by thousands of people, I’d still like to go there. I’d like to walk the pier at Santa Monica, where Bella and Sofia got the idea to sell childrens’ clothing. Some day I’ll do that

I could go on about my books, but you get the idea. I’m working on a book now, and one of the characters has a shop on South Granville Street in Vancouver. That’s not an area I’m familiar with, and I needed to know if there were many high-rises. Simple! I walked the little Google man around the streets and looked at the buildings. Research simply doesn’t get any easier, or better, than that.

Sometimes I look up what songs were popular in the era I’m writing about; what movies were playing. I look up Swiss, Chinese, or Australian names for my characters. And guess what? It’s fun…at least for me.

I read a romance by a well-known author some years ago where a lot of the action took place at an archaeological dig. It went on and on and on, divulging more details about how to set up a dig than any sane person could possibly want to know…at least this sane person. I bought the book thinking I was going to get a romance, not a how-to manual. I’ve never forgotten that, and I’m careful not to overdo it in the information department. What do the youngsters say? TMI? That was definitely too much information.

But details do matter. And nowadays, we authors can be more accurate than ever when presenting them. Write on!

It’s Hockey Night in Canada

March 9, 2013 by Mona

   I can still remember as a little girl, sitting around the radio on Saturday night, and hearing Foster Hewitt say those magical words…”It’s Hockey Night in Canada.”
In my memory, the radio is a large brown piece of furniture. It had cut-outs on the side, covered in some sort of fabric. I remember this, because I could see little lights glowing on the inside while we listened to hockey, or The Long Ranger, or Hopalong Cassidy. I still get shivers up my back when I hear the words “The Shadow Knows”.
   But hey…I’m getting off track.
   In this shortened hockey season, almost every night is hockey night in Canada. Only this week, unnecessary violence raised its ugly head again.
   I wrote about this some time ago in a romance novella. In Blogging From the Heart, Claire’s brother, who plays in a minor hockey league in Vancouver, is sidelined for the rest of the season as a result of a concussion. She agrees to blog for a local newspaper, and of course her topic of choice is violence in hockey.
   When she meets an attractive, rugged man with a broken nose she doesn’t recognize him as a key player for the Vancouver Canucks. Defending his sport, Jack Logan agrees to blog from the opposing point of view, unaware that Claire is the person on the other side of the argument.
    How can Claire trust Jack when he hasn’t told her who he is… not to mention the fact that he refers to her opinions as ‘drivel’?
    Blogging From the Heart is a sweet romantic novella at just over 20,000 words.
    By the way, this novella is also available in a collection I’ve called The Great White North. It’s bargain priced and is offered along with Fixing Freddie, and Listen To Your Heart. All of these stories take place in and around Vancouver and Whistler.

I wonder if it’s in our DNA?

January 20, 2013 by Mona

…the love of hockey, that is. The Canucks had their first game of the ‘season’ last night and I watched, like the hockey-starved Canadian that I am. Another one tonight, so the cravings should lessen a bit by the end of that game.
We Canadians like to say that hockey is our game. Not so true any more with fantastic players coming from south of the border, not to mention across the pond. Look at the Canucks – the Sedins from Sweden, Kesler from the US, Schneider from the US. Diversity is good for the game, and that’s what counts.
My parents loved to tell me how they would go to the old Maple Leaf Gardens and stand through entire games. Back in the 30s, they couldn’t afford to sit in the stands, but that didn’t dilute their pleasure one iota. Maybe it is in my DNA!
Ah, hockey. Good to see you back!