Upcoming Release of IF I STAY by Melissa Johnson

I'm pleased to announce the preliminary details of the upcoming release of my Paranormal/Regency/Romance:

If I Stay

(Book One of the Guardian Series)

By Melissa Johnson

The story of Ariana and Justin will be available as an e-book edition in about a month.  So stay tuned for the cover reveal and exact date.  Exciting, huh?  Here's a description of their story (also found in my What I'm Writing page):

When JUSTIN MONTROSE, a former captain in the British Army and the new fifth Duke of Claymore, is rescued from highwaymen by a mysterious beauty, their meeting sets in motion his search for an angel. As he will discover, the truth of ARIANA’s identity is more than most ordinary men can swallow. Not only is his angel a member of the Order of Guardians, an eclectic group of time travelers, but she has a surprising tie to his world and time. Will that tie, and the growing attraction between them, be enough for her to abandon her calling as a Guardian? If not, does he have a place in her world? He’s not certain, and when his angel needs rescuing herself and loses her memory, he takes his chance and smothers his conscience to rewrite her past. But it’s hard work to maintain a lie - - especially when Ariana has a secret locked in her mind that her former Guardian colleagues are desperate for her to remember.

But first, let me briefly tell you a background secret about this story. 

Four years ago, when self-publishing was fairly new (and, the books from self-publishers still carried a bit of a stigma of "vanity publishing"), this story made a brief appearance into the world. I don't think I was quite brave enough for "the brave new world of self-publishing."  To be honest, I backed out quite quickly.  Who would notice?  That was one of the discouragements at the time, after all.  No one seemed to notice.

 But once you're out there on the internet, a trace of you is apparently out to stay.  And now that I'm putting the revised version of this story out (which I think is much better), I'm proud to claim this "blast from the past" review of MY story.  It's still there, under my pseudonym name at the time.  (Why a pseudonym?  I don't really know!  I guess I just thought "Johnson" too ordinary.) 

But before I ramble on some more, here is the four out of five "cup" review.

That was then...

The year:  2009
(Formerly titled:  The Duke's Angel by Melissa Bryant) [YES, that is ME, Melissa Johnson.]
Paranormal/Regency/Romance
Rating: 4 Cups
Justin Montrose is the new Duke of Claymore but he may not live long enough to settle into the new role. On his way home from the war he is attacked by a band of men and rescued by an unknown woman who looks familiar and knows his name. Before he can find out any information on the woman she disappears.

Ariana travels through time as a member of the Order of Guardians. She has hoped that someday she would see Justin again and as his guardian angel it is inevitable.

Ariana has a murky past and it is about to collide with her present and future. Her uncle wants her for her power, Justin just wants her forever, and it is up to her to decide if she owes her allegiance to the man who raised her or to the family of her past that she is just learning to love.

The Duke’s Angel is a new take on the classic struggle between good and evil. The world that comes from the imagination of the author is nothing less than amazing. I enjoyed the transitions from one time to the next through the use of the quirky characters like Seymour who takes great pleasure in teleporting throughout time and place. I found the story to be an entertaining and satisfying read.

Delane
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

This is now...

The year: 2013

If I Stay
(Book One of the Guardian Series)
Melissa Johnson

(Excerpt coming soon.)