Fashion by the Book--An Outfit Inspired by REWIND TO YOU

So stinkin' cute! What a fun surprise--an outfit inspired by REWIND TO YOU! Thank you to Fashion by the Book for put this adorable outfit together. See more on Fashion by the Book's Tumbler page HERE.

RELEASE DAY and a giveaway! Rewind to You--my debut is here!

The day has arrived--September 15th. Super exciting! REWIND TO YOU is now available in print as well as ebook! Time to celebrate...with a giveaway if FIVE iBook copies of REWIND TO YOU. Thank you to Kensington Publishing for hosting this giveaway (see below to enter)!


5 Stars for REWIND TO YOU by Southern Charm Book Reviews

"Laura Johnston's debut novel Rewind to You is a perfect summer read ! A stunning soul touching story about finding love and forgiveness.

Sienna and Austin are delightful characters . Austin is full of charm, that old world ,stroll down the promenade , deep south kind of charm. He's gorgeous and a total gentleman but he also has some secrets. He's hard not to love. And Sienna , struggling through some serious grief issues , still manages to be a delightful light hearted girl, looking for a way to turn her life around and find some happiness.

Together they find happiness, love and forgiveness. 

An excellent read, worthy of a five star rating."

REWIND TO YOU on Amazon

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Book Trailer for REWIND TO YOU...and Giveaway!

REWIND TO YOU has a book trailer with an original song by Emily Kate Smith. This song is beautiful. It's a lot of fun for me to see it all put together! Check it out here or on YouTube, and be sure to enter the Trailer Reveal Giveaway (link).


Don't forget to enter the giveaway (2 $10 iTunes gift cards and a $40 River Street Sweets gift card) on I am A Reader or any other participating blog.

REWIND TO YOU on Amazon (now available in paperback as well as ebook)
REWIND TO YOU on Goodreads

Trailer also on the Laura Johnston author webstite

4.5 Stars for REWIND TO YOU from RT Book Reviews

It's been too long since I've posted! My second novel, BETWEEN NOW AND NEVER, is completed and scheduled to publish with eKensington in March 2015. It has been one busy summer of writing, moving to another state, and being pregnant with #3! BETWEEN NOW AND NEVER is another contemporary YA that tells the story of seventeen-year-old Julianna Schultz and Cody Rush, the son of the FBI agent who put Julianna's mom in prison. I can't wait for it to come out!

But for now, I had to share this awesome 4.5 star review of REWIND TO YOU from RT Book Reviews!

REWIND TO YOU on Amazon

REWIND TO YOU on Goodreads

BEFORE YOU Release!

Congratulations to fellow Kensington author, Amber Hart, on the publication of her debut BEFORE YOU! Amber wrote a beautiful cover quote for my debut releasing in September, and it has been so much fun getting to know her better. I can't wait to read my copy of BEFORE YOU (my Kindle is currently charging). Find out more about BEFORE YOU, a YA contemporary novel, as well as Amber below.

BEFORE YOU on Goodreads

BEFORE YOU on Amazon

Faith Watters has a picture-perfect life. She's captain of the dance team, popular, happy. She even spent her junior year traveling the world before returning to Oviedo High School for senior year. But she's living a lie. 

Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in, and doesn't want to. His only concern is his secret past--a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him his life. 

Everyone knows that Faith and Diego don't belong together. But fate has its own plan. All they want is to be free. What they get is something different entirely. 

Love--it will ruin you. . .and save you.

Amber Hart grew up in Orlando, Florida and Atlanta, Georgia. She now resides on the Florida coastline with family. When unable to find a book, she can be found writing, daydreaming, or with her toes in the sand. She's the author of BEFORE YOU, AFTER US, UNTIL YOU FIND ME, and sequel to UNTIL YOU FIND ME (untitled as of yet). Represented by Beth Miller of Writers House.

Visit Amber's Website

Like Amber's Facebook Page

And there's a sequel! Be sure to mark AFTER US, the sequel to BEFORE YOU, on your Goodreads TBR.

AFTER US on Goodreads

INFINITY + ONE by Amy Harmon Cover Reveal and Giveaway

I have read three of Amy's previous novels and loved--LOVED them, so I wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity to share the cover reveal of her upcoming novel, INFINITY + ONE! Here it is...

• Release Date: June 10, 2014
• Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance (standalone)
• Cover Design: Berto Designs
• Hosted by: Vilma’s Book Blog

Synopsis

When two unlikely allies become two unwitting outlaws, will two unforgettable lovers defy unbeatable odds?

Bonnie Rae Shelby is a superstar. She’s rich. She’s beautiful. She’s impossibly famous. And Bonnie Rae Shelby wants to die.

Finn Clyde is a nobody. He’s broken. He’s brilliant. He’s impossibly cynical. And all he wants is a chance at life.

One girl. One boy. An act of compassion. A bizarre set of circumstances. And a choice – turn your head and walk away, or reach out your hand and risk it all?

With that choice, the clock starts ticking on a man with a past and a girl who can’t face the future, counting down the seconds in an adventure riddled with heartbreak and humor, misunderstanding and revelation. With the world against them, two very different people take a journey that will not only change their lives, but may cost them their lives as well.

Infinity + One is a tale of shooting stars and fame and fortune, of gilded cages and iron bars, of finding a friend behind a stranger’s face, and discovering love in the oddest of places.

Excerpt

He bit back a curse and strode to his truck. Unlocking the door, he tossed his bags in the backseat, climbed in, and slammed the door. He turned the key and backed out resolutely, trying to ignore the fact that she had risen, her hands on her bags, and that her hood had slipped from her head. She didn’t move forward, didn’t call out to him to wait. She just stood there, watching him go. He shifted into drive and made it 100 feet before he let his eyes find her figure in the rear view mirror.

“Unbelievable,” Finn ground out, and slammed the wheel with the palm of his hand. He slowed to a stop. “UNBELIEVABLE!” he reprimanded himself even as he engaged the brake, pushed the door open and lurched out of the idling vehicle. Bonnie still stood with her two duffle bags in her hands, her grandma’s stolen purse on her shoulder, but now her lips were slightly parted, clearly stunned that he’d stopped.

And she wasn’t the only one. Finn felt like he was split right down the middle. The rational part of his brain, the side that ensured his survival and his sanity, was outraged, demanding that he keep driving, while the side of his brain that was connected to his heart and other parts of his body was breathing a sigh of relief that he hadn’t let her get away.

She didn’t move, as if she was sure that the moment she did he would change his mind, climb back in the Blazer, and drive away. So he walked back to her, battling with himself every step of the way. He walked until they were practically toe to toe, her dark eyes wide and lifted to his, his hands shoved into his pockets so he wouldn’t strangle her. But his pockets felt like manacles around his wrists and he yanked them free, fisting them in the front of Bonnie’s puffy pink coat and raising her up on her toes and into him until they weren’t toe to toe any longer but nose to nose. His emotions were a big tangled ball of anger, longing, and injustice all wrapped up in impatient outrage, and Finn couldn’t separate one feeling from another. So he did the only thing he could do. He kissed her.

It wasn’t a soft kiss or a sweet kiss. It was a ‘you-scared-me-and-messed-with-me-and-I’m-mad-and-relieved-and-unbelievably-frustrated’ kind of kiss. It was teeth and lips and nipping and bruising, and Finn couldn’t make himself stop, even when Bonnie’s teeth tugged at his lower lip and her hands pulled at his hair. Especially then. And when she wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped up onto his toes so that she could press herself flush against him, he decided revenge really was sweet, and enjoyed the feel of her face against his, the wet heat of her mouth making him forget he was standing in the middle of a Motel 6 parking lot with his ride rumbling behind him, the driver side door still hanging wide open. The rational part of his brain was stunned into peaceful silence…for all of ten seconds.

✦ Add to Goodreads ✦

About The Author

Amy Harmon knew at an early age that writing was something she wanted to do, and she divided her time between writing songs and stories as she grew. Having grown up in the middle of wheat fields without a television, with only her books and her siblings to entertain her, she developed a strong sense of what made a good story.

Amy Harmon has been a motivational speaker, a grade school teacher, a junior high teacher, a home school mom, and a member of the Grammy Award winning Saints Unified Voices Choir, directed by Gladys Knight. She released a Christian Blues CD in 2007 called “What I Know” – also available on Amazon and wherever digital music is sold. She has written five novels, Running Barefoot, Slow Dance in Purgatory, Prom Night in Purgatory, the New York Times Bestseller, A Different Blue, Making Faces, and coming in June, Infinity + One.

Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website

Giveaway

Amy Harmon is giving away three pre-release ARC paperbacks to three lucky winners!

Open Internationally!

a Rafflecopter giveaway or http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/711526105/

FOURTH OF JULY Release Party + Giveaway.

Fourth of July Release Party - Monday, April 14th
Win a great prize and get the book for $.99 today only.

When eight parade floats explode during the annual Fourth of July celebrations, Agent Chris Harmer must find who planted the bombs before the terrorists strike again.
His troubles aren't isolated to terrorism. Chris falls in love with the FBI's feisty psychiatrist, Alexis Osborne. She won't commit to someone who doesn't share her religious values, and Chris has no desire to convert.

There are two great giveaways to celebrate the release of Fourth of July. The purse and scarf pictured below (bought from the fabulous Sugar 'n Spice) will be given away through the Rafflecopter form.
Also, the first twenty people to buy Fourth of July at one of the following retailers, share the special $.99 price to any social media site, and email Cami (camichecketts@yahoo.com) will receive their choice of Dead Running audio book or The Colony as a kindle gift.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords

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REWIND TO YOU Cover Reveal and $25 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

It's here! My novel has a cover and is now available for preorder! Thank you for visiting my cover reveal.

Cover Reveal, About the Author, a Sneak Peek of REWIND TO YOU and Rafflecopter Giveaway

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Author: Laura Johnston

Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.

Genre: Clean Contemporary YA Romance

Release Date: September 15, 2014; Available for PREORDER now

One last summer before college on beautiful Tybee Island is supposed to help Sienna forget. But how can she? This is where her family spent every summer before everything changed, before the world as she knew it was ripped away.

But the past isn’t easily left behind. Especially when Sienna keeps having episodes that take her back to the night she wants to forget. Even when she meets the mysterious Austin Dobbs, the guy with the intense blue eyes, athlete’s body, and weakness for pralines who scooped her out of trouble when she blacked out on River Street.

When she’s with Austin, Sienna feels a whole new world opening up to her. Austin has secrets, and she has history. But caught between the past and the future, Sienna can still choose what happens now…

About the Author:

Laura's Official Website * Facebook Page * Twitter * Goodreads

Laura Johnston lives in sunny Arizona with her husband and two children. Growing up in Orem, Utah with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees, beehives and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a good story. Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, dancing (deduced to dancing around the kitchen while cooking dinner these days), traveling, writing, writing and more writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids. REWIND TO YOU, her debut novel, was inspired by the loss of her father as a teenager.

A Sneak Peek of REWIND TO YOU:

Giveaway: Signed Copy of REWIND TO YOU and $25 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. The winner, chosen by Rafflecopter, will be announced here on April 29th as well as emailed. The winner will have 5 days to respond at which point a new winner will be chosen. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning.

Breathtaking Boxed Set

What an exciting deal. Seven books! If you are interested in participating in further events for this boxed set, join me for the BreathtakingFacebook Online Launch Party tonight (Monday, 24th). Should be fun!

Breathtaking: Seven Bestselling Novels of Love and Suspense

Boxed set is only $.99 March 24th through March 29th. 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Smashwords

Unbelievable by Sherry Gammon
Deliah Dreser's in town to take care of family business. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, but there's more to Lilah than meets the eye. Cole's in danger of losing his heart when this firestorm throws sparks his way. Is she simply playing him for the fool in order to exact revenge for her brother's murders?
Bestselling author Sherry Gammon's reviewers exclaim; "She has a gift for touching her readers with beautiful, gripping stories that you can’t put down."




Home Before Dark by Christy Barritt
Nothing good ever happens after dark. Those were the words country singer Daleigh McDermott’s father always repeated.
Now her father is dead, and Daleigh finds a hidden journal hinting that his death was no accident. Small town mechanic Ryan Shields is the only one who seems to believe Daleigh. As the two work to unravel the mystery, it becomes obvious that someone wants them dead. They must rely on each other—and on God—if they hope to make it home before the darkness swallows them whole.
Award-Winning Suspense Novelist and Bestselling Amazon Author, touted as "scary, funny, passionate, and quirky" by USA Today.

Baggage Claim by Amanda Tru
Rachel Saunders is looking forward to her all-expense paid weekend trip to New York. But, when her luggage is lost and she is accosted by an infuriating Homeland Security agent, events take a dangerous turn.
Amanda Tru, Bestselling Amazon Author of Romance and Suspense. Discover the author who, as an Amazon reviewer raves, “continues to impress me and dominate my time with a book I can’t put down even after it’s ended.”


Cassie's Cowboy Crave by Kimberly Krey
In a moment of weakness, Shane steals a kiss.
In return, Cassie steals his heart…
When Cassie is forced to join the witness protection program, she fears her life is over… but then she meets Shane Emerson — the hunky cowboy posing as her husband. Will this sham marriage turn into the real thing, or will a hidden danger put it all at risk?
Kimberly Krey writes romance that’s clean without losing the steam. What’s Beyond Forks calls this Best-selling Western Romance author “the master of romantic tension.”



A Perfect Fit by Heather Tullis
Cami DiCarlo is not happy when her father forces her into heading up guest services at his newest five-star hotel and unveils the existence of four half-sisters at the same time, insisting they live together while they launch the new resort.
When she meets Vince, the sweet, sexy landscaper her father would never have approved of, Cami can’t say no. If only she could be sure she is on the right track—and that they will be able to stop the person who is trying to destroy everything.

You Belong with Me by Shannon Guymon 
Layla Kendall is a burned out social worker one step away from a major depression. When she and her sisters inherit their grandmother's bakery, she doesn't know if she can trust her good fortune or not. But the chance to be with her sisters and get away from the heartache and pain she's faced day in and day out is a chance she's going to take. With Layla's new life, come new friendships, including Michael Bender, a single dad. She doesn't trust men but Michael's little girl grabs her by the heart and won't let go.
Shannon Guymon is an Amazon Bestselling Author of lighthearted and clean romance who according to her many fans, has the ability to paint pictures of her characters so real that readers would know them if they saw them walking down the street.

Blog This by Cami Checketts
Devastated by the loss of her brother, Natasha Senecot exposes the dangers of Matthew Chrysler's violent video games, bankrupting and humiliating him. Chrysler sends a hit man after her. In a race against time, can Natasha expose Chrysler before his assassin murders her family and shatters her world?
Bestselling author Cami Checketts has been touted as, "A genius! She writes about topics that aren't widely discussed, and she does such a brilliant job of crafting these things into wonderful stories that touch your heart and remain with you for days afterwards."

ANWA Time Out For Writers Conference 2014 Recap

Better late than never...

This year's Time Out For Writers Conference was a blast. It was so much fun to see old friends and meet new ones. I packed in a lot of great classes; here's a quick recap:

Chanda, Me and Britney

How to Write and Sell Children's, MG and YA
     by Taylor Martindale, literary agent at Full Circle Literary
Taylor talked about the importance of writing characters--our ultimate goal for YA--as well as what voice is and how to strengthen it.

Plotting with the Hero's Journey
     by Annette Lyon, author of A Portrait for Toni
So many different stories, one underlying journey pattern. Annette presented a great overview of Volger's work on mythology's influence on stories.

Me and Jenni James

Big Publishers, Small Publishers and Self Publishing
    by Jenni James, author of Pride and Popularity
Jenni is hilarious and fun--a very entertaining presenter! In addition to talking about the pros and cons of various publishing routes, Jenni encouraged everyone to be confident, write quality fiction, build a platform and be outgoing.

All you Need is LOVE--Writing Romantically
    by Sarah M. Eden, author of Longing for Home
Sarah talked about romance on a deeper level including: 1) an emotional connection, 2) need fulfillment and 3) the couple is something to each other that no one else is (or can be). Great class.

Book Marketing 101
    by Jon Lewis, author of Invasion
You are a BRAND, your book is your PRODUCT. Jon talked about knowing your target market as well as various marketing tools including Facebook and Twitter.

Writing for Your Reader: Market Awareness
     by Claire Anderson Wheeler, literary agent
Claire discussed genre as well as story crafting techniques such as raising the stakes, building toward a climax and pushing your character to their limits.

Writing for YA: It's All About Voice

     by Dr. Blasingame

Anyone who has been in one of Dr. Blasingame's classes knows that it's no bore! I love his lively presentations and the energy he brings into a lesson. Dr. Blasingame talked about voice in YA fiction, a matter of diction, syntax, word choice and meter & rhyme. Great class.

Writing Secrets
     by Jenni James, author of Pride and Popularity
Getting Twitter followers, wattpad.com, book signings, school visits and getting your word count in: Jenni shared all of her thoughts (and secrets) of becoming a successful author.

Me with Rebecca and Britney, good friends!

Sweet Doesn't Mean Syrupy
     by Victoria Curran, editor at Harlequin
Conflict, conflict, conflict. And upping the stakes! In addition to these, Victoria talked about how to write sweet (and clean!) romance without being "syrupy."

Such a great conference! Until next year...
Visit the American Night Writers website.