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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Does It Take to Be a Superior Nanny?

by Chautona Havig · Leave a Comment

"Tutor, Sanny, Spit-up, Spy" couldn't have been more fun if Nanny McPhee arrived with Colin Firth and set everything to rights herself! Seriously, hilarious. via @chautonahavig

So a couple of years ago, I read a book with the world’s greatest babysitter. Seriously, Phoebe can babysit my bestekids any day. She’s awesome. You can read about her in Cathe Swanson’s Baggage Claim.

When you’ve found the best, who needs any more, right? Well, as any wise mother knows (and bestemors are just old and wise mothers, after all… really old. I begin the last year of my 40s this weekend! EEP!)… where was I? Oh, right.

Babysitters. One is never enough. You always need a backup—or twenty.

What Does It Take to Be a Superior Nanny?

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Yesterday, I read Tutor, Nanny, Spit-up, Spy from The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott. As promised, I read it with an eye to a “loved, hated, laughed, cried, recommended for” review, but I learned a few things I had to share.

What Does It Take to Be a Superior Nanny?

Well, having seven daughters, most of them who have either nannied, babysat, or both (one’s just not old enough yet), I’ve got an answer to that!

Grit.

Seriously. A good nanny needs grit. It’s not enough to know when and how to dial poison control. One needs more than regular and infant CPR. Cleaning up after yourself is a bonus, but moms want to know their kids will be alive and kicking when they get back home again.

And with the crazy stuff kids do sometimes, they need grit.

Forget the crazy stuff kids do. If Baggage Claim and Tutor, Nanny, Spit-up, Spy are to be believed, you need a nanny who can out-maneuver crazy adults! Never fear, these gals gotcha covered.

Quick thinking

I don’t even know how smart that thinking has to be. They just have to think quickly or the toddler will tumble down the stairs, the eight-year-old will swing from a chandelier in a perfect Tarzan imitation, and the bad guy will breach—wait. No spoilers. Needless to say, you want them to be able to prevent all of it.

Especially the bad guy thing.

A sense of humor.

No, really, you do. Let me tell you something. Kids are unpredictable. They say and do everything you’re sure they won’t and don’t do what you’re sure they will. The fact is, they have super-secret radar that picks up the most cringe-worthy ideas and they run with them. From asking if your boyfriend kisses you, to asking you to be their girlfriend, it all happens.

And if you can’t laugh over spilled milk, then you’re in the wrong business, sweetie.

Super-fun spy gear.

No wait, that’s only if you’re Emily Abbot. Speaking of Emily…

I think I just found the perfect nanny for my grandkids.

Who but Emily Abbot could make having an assassin out to get your father… fun? Well… for the reader it is.

In this next “accidental case,” Tutor, Nanny, Spit-Up, Spy , there was much to love, hate, laugh, and cry over… and much to recommend.

I loved how she didn’t know everything but managed to fumble her way through anyway, and I loved that I got a glimpse more of Brent’s background. I hated the same thing I always do—the fact that it had to end. (Psst… side note. I found out you can join some Patreon thing and get to read her next ones before anyone else! EEEP!)

I laughed at all the inside jokes… and can’t tell you what they were because you’ll either get it, or you won’t! And, I cried inside (it’s as close as I come to tears, folks) when betrayal happened. It’s always an ugly thing.

Recommended for people who think that Madeline and the Bad Hat would have been so much more fun with spies.

Okay, and for people who just can’t wait to read the next and then the next of a really fun series.

Case in point?

I finished this one and promptly read the next despite needing to get my own work done. Ahem.

Note: Tomorrow’s review book, A Spying We Will Go is on SALE today for just .99!!! If you’re not a KU reader, you wanna snag it while it’s cheap. I did. And I’m buying them in paperback. But at .99? Yep. MINE!

And if you missed yesterday’s review, HERE it is! Psst… don’t forget. Today is the last day with TWO reviews.  You’ll get All In soon, but it was a good book, so there’s that.

tutor, nanny, spit-up, spyTitle:  Tutor, Nanny, Spit-Up, Spy

Author:  Perry Elizabeth Kirkpatrick

Synopsis: He’s a tutor and she’s a nanny… but not really.

Emily Abbott, coffee barista and accidental spy, is asked to fill in for an injured ICS agent. Intelligence suggests a guerrilla group is plotting to assassinate the president of a small South American country while he and his family are visiting the U.S., and that the assassin may actually be one of his protection detail.

Undercover as nanny to the four young Gonzalez children, Emily will be perfectly positioned to keep an eye on things and report back to ICS, the spy organization Brent Peterson works for. Emily and Brent–who is undercover as the children’s tutor–must navigate long-division, spit-up, arguments over toys, and suspicious guards to discover a plot that’s far more complicated and time-sensitive than they realized.

the accidental cases of Emily Abbott bad things small packages

The Accidental Cases of Emily Abbott is a series of clean spy-comedies set in Phoenix, Arizona.

1. Red Rover, Red Rover – (Review HERE)
2. Plan to Fail – (Review HERE) 
3. Bad Things, Small Packages – (Review HERE)
4. Tutor, Nanny, Spit-up, Spy
5. A-Spying We Will Go – (Review HERE)
6. Once Upon a Dime – August 26, 2019  (Review coming)

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
byChautona Havig

Fans of Lisa Phillips’ Last Chance County series are doing happy dances following the release of an exciting new spin-off series, Last Chance Fire and Rescue. Expired Return brings back a few favorite characters and kicks off another of Sunrise Publishing’s author/mentor led fiction seasons! Listen in to find out what happens when an author brings back a guy she dropped a building on a couple of books back…

 

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you!

When Fans Want More Exciting Stories, Smart Authors Listen and Deliver!

Let’s face it. Authors might SOMETIMES be “done” with a series, but readers often want more… indefinitely. Well, with the brilliance of Sunrise Publishing’s mentor model, authors get to collaborate with authors they trust to do their “worlds” proud while still having time to write new, exciting things as well. And some of the Sunrise lead authors even write in the spin-off series–like Lisa Phillips and Trisha Goyer!

This new Last Chance County series promises everything we love about Lisa Phillips’ world–danger, intrigue, heart-stopping suspense, drama… you know… all the feels. But in addition to her own release, Expired Return, this series also introduces us to new authors who have been carefully vetted and selected to ensure they do justice to Lisa’s Last Chance characters. I, for one, can’t wait to check it all out.

Lisa and I chatted about what she plans for the series,Lisa hinted about a possible super-secret reveal coming soon, and I even poked her with the idea of a Last Chance Christmas.

Help me convince them on that, will ya?

But this new book… Whoa…

Expired Return by Lisa Phillips

Pepper stood up. “How dare you.” She could spit fire at him right now. She’d loved and supported Victory since the day she was born. “You know nothing about me.”

“What’s this?”

Pepper whirled around at that voice. Heart. Breaking. She loved that gruff, commanding voice more than anything else in the world.

He wore a look a lot like Aiden’s. Blank, which she knew—or hoped—had to do with protecting his heart because he still cared for her. Except he probably hated her.

Donaldson sat back in his chair. “Allen.”

Former police officer Allen Frees had both hands on the wheels of his chair. He wore a fire department uniform of slacks and a white shirt. Emblems. A badge. His life of service hadn’t ended when he landed in that chair after a building blew up over his head.

As far as she’d been able to tell, it barely slowed him down.

She’ll give everything to protect her family.

He always knew she was the one.

Veterinary tech Pepper Miller lives a quiet life in Last Chance County. She’s watching her niece until her sister shows up…if she ever does. When Victory’s father demands he take over her care, Pepper knows something has gone wrong. With a new drug in town, and her sister embroiled in a dangerous bargain, it’s up to Pepper to protect the people she loves.

Even if it costs every secret she’s ever kept.

Fire Department liaison Allen Frees lives with the injuries he sustained as a police officer in a raid gone wrong. He’s put his life back together but getting the truck crew and engine squad to succeed might be his toughest assignment yet. When Victory is nearly kidnapped at a community event, Allen steps in to help Pepper keep her niece safe. The one thing he couldn’t fix was the love he lost, but he isn’t going to let Pepper walk away this time.

No matter what walls he has to break down.

Last Chance County returns in this blazing new series from Sunrise Publishing.

Last Chance Fire and Rescue

  • Book 1: Expired Return
  • Book 2: Expired Hope (coming soon)
  • Book 3: Expired Promise (coming soon)
  • Book 4: Expired Vows (coming soon)

Last Chance County

  • Book 1: Expired Refuge
  • Book 2: Expired Secrets
  • Book 3: Expired Cache
  • Book 4: Expired Hero
  • Book 5: Expired Game
  • Book 6: Expired Plot
  • Book 7: Expired Getaway
  • Book 8: Expired Betrayal
  • Book 9: Expired Flight
  • Book 10: Expired End

Learn more about Lisa and her books on her WEBSITE.

Learn more about the different seasons (series) offered by Sunrise Publishing or how to audition with them on the Sunrise Publishing WEBSITE.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple 
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  • and more!
Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
Episode 206: A Chat with Lisa Phillips about Her New Spin-off Series
February 7, 2023
Chautona Havig
BONUS Episode: The Bookish Podcast Tag!
February 4, 2023
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Episode 205: A Chat about Cold Light of Day with Elizabeth Goddard
February 3, 2023
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Episode 204: A Chat with Sarah Sundin about The Sound of Light
January 31, 2023
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Episode 203: A Chat with Heather Greer about Window of Opportunity
January 27, 2023
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Episode 202: A Chat with Historical Christian Author, Laura Frantz
January 24, 2023
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Episode 201: A Closer Look at This YA Dystopian Series
January 20, 2023
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Episode 200: Comparing & Contrasting Two Split-Time Novels
January 17, 2023
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Episode 199: A Chat about Karl May with Robert Stermscheg
January 13, 2023
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Episode 198: A Chat about Everything Is Just Beginning with Erin Bartels
January 10, 2023
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Reposted from @courtneywalsh MY PHONY VALENTINE is Reposted from @courtneywalsh MY PHONY VALENTINE is officially available in e-book, paperback and in #kindleunlimited ♥️♥️

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A chance meeting. A hunky hockey player. A fake romance.
Hardly an ordinary day in the life of Poppy Hart.

My days usually consist of agonizing over my failing restaurant, worrying about my mountain of debt and nursing my broken heart.

Everything changes when I bump into a man in the coffee shop and claim him as my new boyfriend. To my absolute horror, he turns out to be hockey’s most renowned bad boy, Dallas Burke. To my absolute delight, he goes along with my story.

When his no-nonsense manager and meddling grandmother jump in the picture, they see a win-win solution for my failing restaurant and Dallas’s less-than-stellar reputation.

A full-fledged fake romance complete with contract negotiations, pretend dates and phony PDA.

But as I get to know the real Dallas Burke, who is not the man the press says he is, it becomes clear that if this isn’t real. . . someone better tell it to my heart.

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Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first da Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first dates... no second dates. With his propensity to spout random (and often bizarre) animal facts while nervous (he's always nervous around women) it's no wonder. 
His sister has a solution--lots of dates. Great, heaping gobs of them. Go ahead. Be awkward. Get used to it. Then... then try with someone you really want to get to know. He's not so confident, but when a man gives his word... (Note to self: no more agreeing to Selby's plans without knowing what they are!)
Find out what happens in Random Acts (or is it Facts?) of Shyness.

This book just got a fresh makeover, thanks to the genius of @PlethoraCreative & @PerryElizabeth.
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Reposted from @katherinereay My next novel A SHADO Reposted from @katherinereay My next novel A SHADOW IN MOSCOW will be available on June 13, 2023!! I can’t wait for you to meet Cold War spies, Anya Kadinova and Ingrid Bauer. You can pre-order your copy today!!
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Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first da Heath Karras has a problem. Lots of eager first dates... no second dates. With his propensity to spout random (and often bizarre) animal facts while nervous (he's always nervous around women) it's no wonder. 
His sister has a solution--lots of dates. Great, heaping gobs of them. Go ahead. Be awkward. Get used to it. Then... then try with someone you really want to get to know. He's not so confident, but when a man gives his word... (Note to self: no more agreeing to Selby's plans without knowing what they are!)
Find out what happens in Random Acts (or is it Facts?) of Shyness.

This book just got a fresh makeover, thanks to the genius of @PlethoraCreative & @PerryElizabeth.
There's a link to how to find it in my bio.
#ChristFic
#ChristianRomCom
#InspiredByATrueStory
Reposted from @sarahsundinauthor The Sound of Ligh Reposted from @sarahsundinauthor The Sound of Light is now available from @revellfiction , and it received a starred review from Booklist!

In WWII Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt assumes the identity of a common shipyard worker, rowing messages to Sweden for the Resistance. His life depends on keeping his secret hidden--a task that proves challenging when he meets Else Jensen, an American physicist who seems to see right through him.

Read more and find purchase links in the Linktree in my bio!
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Reposted from @celebratelit ONE MORE WEEK! ⁠ ⁠ Reposted from @celebratelit ONE MORE WEEK! ⁠
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