Insurrection: By Kadee Carter {A guest post}

This is so exciting! A sweet friend of mine in an author, and her latest book has been published and is now available for purchase. Today she is sharing on my blog all about her new book and even giving us a sneak peak into the life of the main character, Saylor. Enjoy her talent in writing below!

Life requires moxie. Yes? Spunk? Life takes a little fight, doesn’t it? A little fight not to laugh at the chaos, a little fight not to yell, a little fight to get out of bed at 3:00 AM, and a little fight every night to put away the latest novel and go to bed and start all over.

Life takes a lot of love, too. Love instigates a lot of the fight within me, as a mom. I began working on the Insurrection trilogy while earning my Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing, pregnant, working full-time as an office manager of a church. At that point in my life I began to understand the depths of what it takes to chase after dreams and shake up the stars. In the years since beginning this journey with Saylor, I’ve sat for hours hunkered over my laptop, chatted with hundreds of people, and even flown across the country to meet with publishers in order to make this adventure more than just a fun story I shared with my own girlfriends as we played in our backyards twenty years ago. When Saylor first appeared as a character to me, she was a boy, because when I played in my backyard, only boys had adventures. It’s time to change that, friends, because girls can rock a baseball bat, obstacle course, and beachside kiss just as good as the best of them.

We humans have to be, we moms have to be, stronger than we ever imagine, love ourselves in the process, and dig in when the ground seems to sink. We not only relish adventures, we create them.

And that’s the basis of Saylor’s story in my young adult science fiction trilogy, Insurrection.

Saylor had always been told she was a stain on the cloth of mankind. Escaping the girls’ home with her orphaned sisters Micah, Denise, and Patricia, the four find themselves enduring storms at sea and imprisoned on a mysterious Caribbean island. Separated from her sisters, Saylor must learn to fight for her life and theirs, enduring lonely nights, discovering dazzling beaches, and entangling in the secrets of a covert military base. Forced to trade her freedom for a contract with Alliance Military Group, Saylor develops her inner warrior. Wavering between terror and ecstasy, she faces an enemy who exposes her indispensable abilities. In order to rescue her sisters, impress the hunky Australian, and protect innocent lives on a global scale, she must master techniques of fighting an army created to destroy with a single, scorching touch – or die trying.

They wanted a warrior. They got one.

Join Saylor on this exciting, harrowing adventure in Volume One of Insurrection! Fight for family. Believe in yourself. Fulfill your purpose.

Available today on iTunes, Kindle, Nook, and wherever ebooks are sold. Check out www.kadeecarder.com for more information! And friend, remember, just like Saylor, you can be more than you ever imagined! You are indispensable. Go shake up the stars and grab of copy of Insurrection today.

By Kadee Carder

Saylor had always been told she was a stain on the cloth of mankind. Escaping the girls’ home with her orphan sisters Micah, Denise, and Patricia, the four find themselves enduring storms at sea and imprisoned on a mysterious Caribbean island. Separated from her sisters, Saylor must learn to fight for her life and theirs, enduring dark and strange noises, discovering dazzling beaches, and ensnared in the secrets of a covert military base. Forced to trade her freedom for a contract with Alliance Military Group, Saylor develops her inner warrior. Wavering between terror and ecstasy, she must face an enemy who exposes her indispensable abilities. In order to rescue her sisters, impress the hunky Australian, and protect innocent lives on a global scale, she must master techniques of fighting an army created to destroy with a single, scorching touch – or die trying.

They wanted a warrior. They got one.

Excerpt:

“Don’t tell me what you don’t want to do. The Commander wouldn’t have put you in this company if he thought you couldn’t do it. This is the ECB. We don’t waste people. We win. We defeat.” Logan spat out the words. “I’d prefer you to have several more weeks of training, but we have to deal with what we got.” He let a devious smile filter across his lips. “Use that moxie, kid.” Water dripped down his face, his blue eyes sparkling. Tense jaw, muscles rigid from neck to toe, I could almost see his skin rippling with adrenaline. A shiver fluttered down my spine. A loud, thunderous boom—not thunder, but the same crashing, familiar boom of destruction—cracked nearby. We sought out the source of the sound, deep in the beast’s lair, disguised in ivy and wooded terrain. “Be powerful,” he yelled over the ruckus, stepping closer and turning his face toward me. He scanned the area around us for unwanted observers, and then just inches from my face, he added, “Be strong. Be fearless. You are all those things. You’ve proven it before—now’s your time to shine.”

Author Bio:

Deep in the heart of Central Texas, Kadee Carder resides with her husband and two daughters. Carder earned a BA in Public Relations at Howard Payne University and an MFA in Creative Writing from National University. She teaches English courses on the university level and plans her schedule around coffee availability.

Writing and language have been her life-long pleasure, wordsmithery offering the ability to twist emotion in to sense and cosmos. When she’s not dancing around the living room with her daughters, she helps at church activities, creates encouraging blogs, and orders pizza like a boss.

Follow Kadee on social media:

Twitter: @kadeecbooks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kadeecarderbooks/

Fight for family. Believe in yourself. Fulfill your purpose. Join Saylor on this exciting, harrowing adventure. See more at kadeecarder.com!

Purchase:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Insurrection-Kadee-Carder-ebook/dp/B01M8F5YZR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476213385&sr=8-1&keywords=insurrection+kadee+carder#customerReviews

Nook/Barnes&Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/insurrection-kadee-carder/1123393886?ean=2940156756322

iTunes:

https://itun.es/us/5rqpfb.l

BFBN Week: Guest Post by Kimberly Cartwright - Keeping up a schedule through illness

When my kids are sick I try to stick to schedule as much as possible.  I know illness can be a time to toss the routine out the window.  This makes sense.  It is more important to focus on getting your kid well than keeping up a routine.  Sick babies need to sleep as much as they need, eat whatever they are able to keep down, and stay hydrated.  But for minor illnesses I find it helpful to maintain at least the bare bones of the schedule.  Here are some reasons why I try to stick to routine, even when my kids are sick.

1) Normal naps encourage more rest.  When you are sick you need plenty of rest.  For kids this means still going down for normal naps.  It can be nice to let them stay resting on the couch, but I have found that to be too distracting for solid napping.  A normal naptime and bedtime routine helps them transition to sleep, which will allow them to get more rest.  I do still wake my children up at wake times if needed.  Yes, I let naps run a little long and I let my kids sleep in if they are sick.  This just makes sense.  But I don't let it go too long.  Oversleeping too much can lead to them being undertired for their next nap or bedtime.  Then they wake up early or don't have as restful a sleep.  Then they are overtired, which makes sleep hard.  You see where I'm going with this.  Maintaining as much of a normal schedule as possible will actually helps my children get the important sleep they need when they are sick.

2) Normal meal times lets them eat what they are able.  Besides giving food when they ask for it, I offer meals and snacks at the same time.  A lot of eating rules go out the window when my kids are sick.  You have to feed kids what they can handle.  I never force my kids to eat when they are sick, but I have found that I sometimes need to offer up the food or they won't eat.  Small children and babies don't always have the words to explain they are hungry.  By sticking to normal meal and snack times I make sure I am remembering to offer up foods throughout the day and giving my child the chance to eat if they feel up to it.

3) Normal routine helps the whole family.  When I had just my son, it was easy to toss the schedule if I needed to.  Now that there are three kids it isn't quite as easy.  Keeping a fairly normal schedule allows me to meet the needs of all my kids, not just the sick one.  (Of course the sick kid gets priority.)  This plays into the first two points.  It is easier for the sick child to rest during normal nap times with normal background noise.  In addition it is easier for the sick child to rest and not feel like they are missing out on fun because they are the only ones napping, instead it is just like every other day.  Consistent meal and snack times may encourage a sick child to at eat at least a little bit if they are able when they see their siblings eating.  Consistent schedule also means that I can make sure the healthy kids are still having their needs met.  This helps keep the day running smoothly and helps hold the added stress of a sick kid at bay.  Everyone wins when mom isn't as stressed.

As for the rest of the schedule, well, that goes out the window when one of my little ones is sick.  We do lots of books, quiet activities, and snuggling on the couch.  So far I haven't gotten any complaints from the healthy kids about getting to snuggle and watch a little bonus tv to help their sick sibling feel better. ;)  With sick kids you have to do what is best for that child in that situation.  But for colds and other minor illnesses I have found sticking to the basics of the schedule helps them feel better and get healthy again.

-Kim

Kim is the mother of a three year old son and eight month old twins.  She blogs at teamcartwright.blogspot.com.