2014 Swoony Awards--Go to Goodreads and Vote!

It was a delight to see that my debut novel REWIND TO YOU had been nominated for the Swoony Award and received several votes. Thanks to anyone who voted!

What Are the Swoony Awards?
The Swoony Awards were created to recognize excellence in clean fiction. There are so many books published every day and it can be hard to find the ones worth reading. We want to help recognize authors who write entertaining books that are wholesome. It’s our hope that each year we will help provide everyone with a great list of books to read and maybe introduce them to new authors.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
-Publication Year: Only books published during the current contest year may be nominated. To be fair to all books, contest dates will run from December 1, 2013 – November 31, 2014.
-Clean romance: No sex or closed door, low/mild innuendo. Only M/F romances.
-Language: None/mild, anything over a handful of profanity (especially the more offensive words) would not be considered clean.
-Violence: None/mild
-Other: Nothing overly dark, depressing or heavy subject matter

Novels, novellas and short stories are all eligible for nomination, no limits on page number. Any (clean) genre is eligible (i.e. contemporary, fantasy, mystery, historical, etc.).

Each voter is able to choose up to 100 books to vote on or nominate each contest year. There is no cap on the overall number of books nominated.

How Are Winners Selected?
We will be accepting entries throughout the year and the winners announced the first week in January. There are fifteen award categories (i.e. Best Novel of the Year, Best Historical, Best Contemporary, etc.). Winner’s will be announced via our blogs (Bookworm Nation, KJ’s Book Nook and Katie’s Clean Book Reviews) and through Goodreads Swoony Awards Group.

Since this is a reader’s choice award the winners are determined by a combination of the number of votes received and how high the voter rated the book and what rank the voter gave each book they voted for.

Who Are We?

 
Kathy (Bookworm Nation)

I've been hosting a book review blog, Bookworm Nation, for over five years. I love to read and review books. And of course, I love to discuss books! A few years ago I started the Goodreads group, Happily Ever After Book Club. It's through Goodreads that I met Katie, Kathy Jo and Heidi and while discussing our love of books one day we thought it'd be fun to host our own Reader's Choice award. We're excited to introduce the Swoony's this year, it's going really well and we look forward to hosting it for years to come. 

Contact Info for Kathy:

Email: bookwormnation@hotmail.com

Twitter: @bookwormnation

Blog: www.bookwormnation.blogspot.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bookworm-Nation/204548468640

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

 

 
Kathy Jo (KJ's Book Nook)
This may come as a shocker but I have NOT always been a little bookworm. In fact growing up I was not the kid you saw jumping at the chance to read. I was the one that just did it to make my teachers happy. That silent reading time during school?! Yeah.. I was the kid napping! ;) About 12 years ago someone loaned me a book and said I just HAD to read it. I took it just to get them off my back and much to my surprise I could NOT put it down! And from then on I would read... but only that one author. I refused to read anything else! It wasn't until 2009 when 2 of my favorite people introduced me to the Twilight Series that I actually started branching out. And ever since then I haven't been able to STOP reading! ;) About 5 months ago I decided to start a book blog and I have been loving it! I get to be another voice for all the amazing authors that I love! How cool is that?! And of course through my adventures in reading I have been able to meet some amazing women who love books just as much as, if not more than, me! I love chatting with them about all the books we read! We have become such great friends that at times I forget that I've never really met them in person! Books just have a way of bringing people together! My reading choices vary... I love a lot of different genres.With that said... I am not ashamed to admit that I am a romantic and I love fluff! As long as it's clean and has a HEA, I'll definitely give it a try! Any book that gives me a break from reality and puts a smile on my face is definitely a book for me!   
Contact Info for Kathy Jo:
Email: kjsbooknook@gmail.com
Blog: kjsbooknook.blogspot.com 
Twitter: @kjincali

 
Katie (Katie's Clean Book Collection)
I started blogging about a year and a half ago. I've always loved to read and talk about books--it's my obsession. The first book I learned to read on my own was Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham. I love a lot of different genres, but my favorite is clean romance, which is perfect for the Swoony's! I've had a blast meeting new friends who enjoy the same types of books that I do.

Contact Info for Katie:
Email: lilacqueen75@gmail.com
Twitter: @lilacqueen75
Blog: www.katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/katiescleanbookcollection

 
Heidi 
I'm a mother of four amazing kids and married to my own Prince Charming. I love to read, kiss my handsome Prince, bake, run (because I love to bake), ride horses, play sports, and spend time with my little family. I first fell in love with reading at a very young age because of my sweet grandmother who always took the time to read me my favorite books over and over again. She could never tell me no. My wonderful mother is also entirely addicted to reading and we love to "talk books" late into the night....and plot how we are going to buy more. :) I adore clean, happily ever after books, and I've loved getting to know so many other women who do as well. Who knew books would be the reason I would meet some of the dearest people in the world?! 
Contact Info for Heidi:
Email: curlyhide9@hotmail.com

Note to Authors:
If you’ve written a book that matches the above criteria fill free to nominate it for a Swoony! Don’t be afraid to promote the award or to let your fans know your book is up and that it needs votes. We are doing some promoting, but sometimes a Facebook, Twitter or blog post directly from the author is the best way to let your fan base know your book has been nominated. Only books with a minimum of THREE votes will be added to the official nomination list found on the Goodreads Swoony Awards group page. Winners will be announced January 2015.

To stay up to date on voting and nominations, please join our Goodreads Swoony Awards group page!

Note to Readers:
If you’ve read a book this year that you think is awesome…VOTE! This is a great way to let authors know you appreciate all that hard work. You can vote for up to 100 books on the list. We’ve also learned that the order you rank the books you vote on does affect the overall score of the book. So take a minute and make sure you have your books in the order you want them. Invite your friends to vote! Voting ends December 31, 2014.

The 2014 Swoony Awards is now accepting nominations and votes for your favorite books of the year. Polls will be open until December 31, 2014. 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter.

As a thank you for making the Swoony Awards a success,
we'd like to offer an Amazon gift card! The winner will
have 48 hours to claim the prize. Only valid
where Amazon gift cards may be used. You must
be 13 or older to enter.
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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!

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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

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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."