Being a certain age…I was raised before the mass amounts of parental cautions and warnings hit the market. One advisory that wasn’t around while growing up was the one about limiting screen time. We lived out in the country and the TV was a sort of surrogate babysitter while my parents worked. My brother and I watched way more TV than we “should” have and talk about a lack of censoring. With only one channel, we didn’t have much variety, then came the VCR. The movies I saw as an eleven year old would curdle my blood if I caught my kids watching them. My grandma recorded VHS tapes with HBO shows and we borrowed them, all without my parents screening a thing. The only thing my mom forbade me to watch after we got a satellite and were exposed to a whole new world of viewing was 90210. No angsty teens allowed, not even on TV!
Flash forward to my lab years. The majority of duties in my position as a public health microbiologist was what I called old-school micro. Test tubes, plates, and chemicals. It was awesome. I even had my own room to work in and was often by myself—free rein with my thoughts. Talk about years of coming up with scenes and dialogue way before I put the figurative pen to paper. However, I also did my share of molecular work and I’ve been around long enough to have done molecular before all the automation. It brought a new definition to tedious. No mind wandering allowed and, boy, did I suck. I had to repeat so many steps because if anything messed up my routine, and it was usually my thoughts, I had to start over after a small heart attack. Some patient samples just can’t be recollected easily.
Then…we got a radio in the lab. A lot of the older techs believed in utter silence for maximum concentration. A lot of older techs weren’t raised with TV on constantly. Once I could listen to the radio, I could tie steps of the procedure to parts of a song.
Uh…did I add reagent two last time and this is the extraction step?
Yes, I remember adding the reagent now. Katy Perry was singing about kissing a girl and liking it.
I do better with background noise—but it depends on the noise. If I go into my bedroom where it’s quiet to write, I want to crawl out of skin and go screaming through the house. So, I throw on some headphones and hit up a playlist. When I go to my favorite coffee shop (favorite because they have cushy booths!), I toss in headphones. Especially if people are around. Not because I don’t like people, but so many writers are introverts and what do introverts do? Observe people more than engage them. I should put eavesdropping down when I list hobbies. If there’s a table of people next to me, my ears are tuning in. A writer’s gotta research after all.
Ancient Ties (Pale Moonlight Book Two)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
by Marie Johnston
1/27/17
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781370775347
ASIN: B01MFEATE2
Number of pages: 220
Word Count: 59000
Cover Artist: P and N Graphics
Born to be Guardians…
Chayton Eagle comes from a strong line of wolf shifters, his father an ancient in their pack. Chayton proudly acts as a Guardian, defending the colonies from danger—both from outsiders and from threats inside the pack. The one thing he doesn’t need is a human-raised female on his team—especially not one who passes out each time she shifts! Never mind that she was trained by elite Guardians, Chayton doesn’t need the distraction of a tall, sexy-as-hell redhead when he’s working. He has to focus. And he has to remember he’s scheduled to take the blood oath with a female, a long-ago pairing arranged by her parents. It doesn’t matter he and Kaitlyn are fated mates.
She can’t be his. Not now. Not ever.
Destined to be Mates.
Kaitlyn Savoy knows Chayton is supposed to be her mate. Too bad he’s such an ass about her human upbringing making her weak. Too bad she’s been assigned as his partner to take down the feral shifters threatening one of the colonies. Too bad she’s so damn attracted to him. As the mission continues, Chayton is captured by the ferals, and Kaitlyn proves her worth as a Guardian. During the rescue, she uncovers the secrets of her past, secrets that will affect her future. Despite his best efforts, Chayton’s opinion of her begins to change, his respect growing—along with feelings he can’t deny. She’s become part of his life, part of his heart. A fact his soon-to-be inlaws notice—and they intend to put an end to the temptation Kaitlyn poses to Chayton.
No matter what.
1/27/17
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781370775347
ASIN: B01MFEATE2
Number of pages: 220
Word Count: 59000
Cover Artist: P and N Graphics
Born to be Guardians…
Chayton Eagle comes from a strong line of wolf shifters, his father an ancient in their pack. Chayton proudly acts as a Guardian, defending the colonies from danger—both from outsiders and from threats inside the pack. The one thing he doesn’t need is a human-raised female on his team—especially not one who passes out each time she shifts! Never mind that she was trained by elite Guardians, Chayton doesn’t need the distraction of a tall, sexy-as-hell redhead when he’s working. He has to focus. And he has to remember he’s scheduled to take the blood oath with a female, a long-ago pairing arranged by her parents. It doesn’t matter he and Kaitlyn are fated mates.
She can’t be his. Not now. Not ever.
Destined to be Mates.
Kaitlyn Savoy knows Chayton is supposed to be her mate. Too bad he’s such an ass about her human upbringing making her weak. Too bad she’s been assigned as his partner to take down the feral shifters threatening one of the colonies. Too bad she’s so damn attracted to him. As the mission continues, Chayton is captured by the ferals, and Kaitlyn proves her worth as a Guardian. During the rescue, she uncovers the secrets of her past, secrets that will affect her future. Despite his best efforts, Chayton’s opinion of her begins to change, his respect growing—along with feelings he can’t deny. She’s become part of his life, part of his heart. A fact his soon-to-be inlaws notice—and they intend to put an end to the temptation Kaitlyn poses to Chayton.
No matter what.
Excerpt:
Chayton stormed to his cabin.
A four hour drive. With Kaitlyn.
Spending the night. With Kaitlyn.
Roaming the woods. With Kaitlyn.
His heart pounded, his nostrils flared, and he huffed like a bear after a marathon. Slamming his front door open, he charged through and kicked it shut behind him.
Only then did he double over, hands on his knees, sagging to catch his breath.
Kaitlyn Savoy.
The sexiest thing he’d ever laid eyes on.
The shifter he was never supposed to meet. His mate.
And she was oblivious to it.
He stomped through his cabin. Her lack of mating insight was for the best. If he had his pick of shifters, she’d be the last on the list. Besides, he was promised to another. Kaitlyn was young yet, and based on her blasé to distasteful reaction to him, she’d have no trouble moving on. Or not. Her sanity may last longer than most who don’t anchor their souls with a mate. But if she needed to bond, she wouldn’t have a problem finding someone. Like that bartender at Pale Moonlight.
His fangs bared and a growl escaped before he stopped himself. He’d never caught her with him, but stories had it the bartender helped her assuage the physical needs shifters of their caliber experienced. She hadn’t been with the guy since Chayton had been around. That decision had increased the bartender’s life expectancy considerably.
No. No. It shouldn’t matter. She needed to move on and he had no say with who. Chayton straightened and wiped his brow, which had dotted with sweat. It was always an effort to contain his reaction around that female.
Why her?
Ancient blood—pure, undiluted shifter blood—ran through his veins, thanks to his father. His Sioux mother would roll over in her grave. Chayton’s bloodlines were rich with history and honor.
The female he’d sworn himself to, Tika, would make a lovely mate instead. Soft brown eyes, feminine curves, and ancestry as strong as his. In fact, she was coming of age soon. For him, that was twenty-five. Her parents had pushed for their union when she turned eighteen, but that had seemed too pervy for him. At two-hundred and twenty-nine, he wasn’t about to jump a girl the second she was legal. If it was up to him, he’d wait even longer, but even Tika had pushed for their binding.
His stomach rumbled, alerting him that he’d missed dinner. Not that he’d eat at the main lodge anyway; it was a tactic he used to avoid Kaitlyn.
Chayton stormed to his cabin.
A four hour drive. With Kaitlyn.
Spending the night. With Kaitlyn.
Roaming the woods. With Kaitlyn.
His heart pounded, his nostrils flared, and he huffed like a bear after a marathon. Slamming his front door open, he charged through and kicked it shut behind him.
Only then did he double over, hands on his knees, sagging to catch his breath.
Kaitlyn Savoy.
The sexiest thing he’d ever laid eyes on.
The shifter he was never supposed to meet. His mate.
And she was oblivious to it.
He stomped through his cabin. Her lack of mating insight was for the best. If he had his pick of shifters, she’d be the last on the list. Besides, he was promised to another. Kaitlyn was young yet, and based on her blasé to distasteful reaction to him, she’d have no trouble moving on. Or not. Her sanity may last longer than most who don’t anchor their souls with a mate. But if she needed to bond, she wouldn’t have a problem finding someone. Like that bartender at Pale Moonlight.
His fangs bared and a growl escaped before he stopped himself. He’d never caught her with him, but stories had it the bartender helped her assuage the physical needs shifters of their caliber experienced. She hadn’t been with the guy since Chayton had been around. That decision had increased the bartender’s life expectancy considerably.
No. No. It shouldn’t matter. She needed to move on and he had no say with who. Chayton straightened and wiped his brow, which had dotted with sweat. It was always an effort to contain his reaction around that female.
Why her?
Ancient blood—pure, undiluted shifter blood—ran through his veins, thanks to his father. His Sioux mother would roll over in her grave. Chayton’s bloodlines were rich with history and honor.
The female he’d sworn himself to, Tika, would make a lovely mate instead. Soft brown eyes, feminine curves, and ancestry as strong as his. In fact, she was coming of age soon. For him, that was twenty-five. Her parents had pushed for their union when she turned eighteen, but that had seemed too pervy for him. At two-hundred and twenty-nine, he wasn’t about to jump a girl the second she was legal. If it was up to him, he’d wait even longer, but even Tika had pushed for their binding.
His stomach rumbled, alerting him that he’d missed dinner. Not that he’d eat at the main lodge anyway; it was a tactic he used to avoid Kaitlyn.
About the Author:
Website-FB -twitter
Blog -Goodreads
Amazon
Marie Johnston lives in the upper-Midwest with her husband, four kids, and an old cat. Deciding to trade 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.
Website-FB -twitter
Blog -Goodreads
Amazon
Marie Johnston lives in the upper-Midwest with her husband, four kids, and an old cat. Deciding to trade 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.
Tour giveaway
Autographed print copy of book one for US winner (ebook for international winner)
Sounds like a great read.
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