Hi lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Marie
Johnston and her new book, “Based on Principal”! For other stops on her Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be sure to make it to the
end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Marie
and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks for stopping
by! Wishing you lots of luck in this
fabulous giveaway!
Based
on Principal
by
Marie Johnston
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
By
day, Natalia is the strict principal of a private school with a staid, troubled
legacy. By night, she’s a lithe, agile assassin with a penchant for latex. Or
at least her cosplay character is. The two identities don’t mingle until she
meets a handsome comic book shop owner at the local comic con. Now there’s a
guy she’d be willing to peel her mask off for.
Too bad he’s the father of one of her
students.
Single
father Chris has no time to date, thanks to his business, his daughter, and his
ex’s meddling family. But how can he resist a comic lover in a business skirt?
She’s his perfect woman. Or she would be, if she didn’t keep the professional
and play parts of her life so separate. And he swore he’d never date a woman
ashamed of him again.
Too bad she’s obsessed with what the wrong
people think of her.
Together,
they could be an unstoppable duo, but when Chris’s daughter acts out at school,
Natalia will be put in an impossible position: break all her school’s rules, or
pack away her cape forever.
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EXCERPT TWO:
“About
the name calling—”
Jaycee
cut Ms. Shaw off. “Oh my god. Mr. Budinski’s an adult, and he’s getting snippy
about a kid messing up his name?”
“Jaycee…”
He hadn’t expected to finish his warning, but Ms. Shaw was gazing at him like
she was waiting for him to finish. He scrambled to find an acceptable reproach.
“It’s about respect.”
“Then
he can respect what I want to be called. Yet he refuses to use Richards.” She
crossed one leg over the other and folded her arms. He knew that mutinous look,
the one she wore when she refused to listen. A spear of fear went through him
when she pinned Ms. Shaw with that look. “I mean what if people called you Mrs.
Shaw and knew perfectly well you’re not married.” He cringed at the way she
stressed not married. It wasn’t a death sentence to be single. “Or what if they
called you Natalie instead of Natalia.”
He
jerked his head to face Ms. Shaw. Natalia Shaw. What were the odds her name was
the same as—
What
were the odds her butt was as spectacular in a skirt as in a cosplay costume?
What were the odds he’d feel like they’d met before?
The
odds were pretty damn good. She couldn’t hide that mouth, just like she couldn’t
hide the poleaxed expression in her widened eyes. His daughter’s principal, the
woman he couldn’t quit lusting over, was the same woman he’d held in his arms
just days ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
Evolution of My Writing Habits and How I've
Grown into a Better/More Experienced Writer:
I’m
going to travel the road of my basic writing habit. When I first started
writing, I searched online “how do writers write.” Like, literally, how. Do
they sit at the couch with a laptop? Were they formal about writing at a desk?
Is an office a must? Could I write and work part-time, or full time, at a
different job? I was worried I was doing it wrong. Soon, I learned, there is no
wrong way and a million right-for-right-now ways.
When
I started my first book, I had a baby, a toddler, and two small children. I
wrote during naptime, on the weekends, and some evenings I snuck to the
library. Once my babies started sleeping through the night (haha, do they ever,
really, until they move out?), waking up at 4 a.m and getting words down
worked. In the evenings, my older kids had activities and I’d be chasing the
younger ones while waiting. It was either write in the morning, or don’t write.
Writing made me happy, so it was worth it. Ask me if I’d do that now and I’d
pull a muscle laughing. Me? Wake up early? Not anymore.
Why?
My older kids’ bedtimes got later. To get a little me-time and work-time, I
started staying up later. My early mornings morphed into late nights, and until
very recently, it wasn’t uncommon for me to be up until 1 or 2 a.m. to work.
Unfortunately, the nights got too late. My two younger kids would go to bed and
my two older kids needed their time with me and it was 11 p.m. or later before
I could open my laptop. By then, I could barely keep my eyes open. It was a
losing battle. I was too worn out and crabby the next day, my stress ran wild,
and I had to get creative or I’d combust.
The
hubs and I coordinated so kids’ activities became my most productive time. He’d
do bedtime at home and I’d do the activity run. I’ve written in bleachers, on
gym floors, and in public locker rooms (not the kind people change in!). A
couple years ago, my littlest started preschool and those four hours each week
were a slice of relief. Dedicated writing time. Few interruptions. But four
hours a week still wasn’t enough to meet my publishing schedule.
Finally,
those older kids reached babysitting age and watch the younger one or two while
I’m running the fourth to an activity. Since parents are no longer as welcome
at practices at their age, my writing space became my vehicle. Until my son got
his license, I wrote a couple of books with my laptop propped on the steering
wheel.
Then
a magical thing happened: All my kids started school. I can use my home office
to work. It’s heaven. Being overwhelmed with four kids the last several years
had made me immune to dirty floors and piles of dishes. They’ll get
done…eventually. My kids go to school and I go to my office. Since my
youngest’s Kindergarten is part-time, I concentrate on getting words down
during those days she’s gone. Editing, marketing, formatting, all the extras I
do while watching TV at night with the hubs.
Even
though I’ve learned to roll with the ebb and flow of my family’s schedule, when
someone asks how I can get so many books done a year, I still think “I have no
idea.”
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AUTHOR BIO:
Marie Johnston lives in the upper-Midwest
with her husband, four kids, an old cat, and a young dog. After trading in her
lab coat for a laptop, she’s writing down all the tales she’s been making up in
her head for years. An avid reader of paranormal romance, these are the stories
hanging out and waiting to be told, between the demands of work, home, and the
endless chauffeuring that comes with children.
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CONNECT WITH MARIE:
Website:
Blog:
Email:
mariejohnstonwriter@outlook.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
BookBub Author Page:
BookBub Book Page:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon Kindle:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble:
Kobo:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Marie will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to
a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.