Brooke Johnson and Natalya Parks’ The Need To Touch

A story of finding love in college. I love stories where people find each other early in life and can make the relationship last. Sometimes I need to read those kinds of stories to remind me the world isn’t all a horrible place. I haven’t read The Need to Touch yet, but I’m saving it for a day when I need a pick up. You should check out the book if you haven’t already. I had the chance to interview both Brooke and Natalya which was so much fun. After the interview you can see all of the details plus TWO excerpts that will make you want to read the book. At the very bottom you can enter to win one of two signed paperbacks.

Amanda C. Stone: I’m so glad the two of you could join me today! I’ve got some fun questions for y’all! If you could snap your fingers and have an invention to do anything you want, what would you want it to do?
Brooke Johnson: Another me so I’d have help dealing with all my responsibilities.
ACS: That’s actually a good idea. Another me would make things easier sometimes for sure. What about you Natalya?
Natalya Parks: I can’t decide if I’d want a robot to clean my house or a transporter like in Star Trek so I could go anywhere in the world instantaneously.
ACS: If there were a movie about your life, who would you want to play you? It can be anyone alive or dead.
NP: Sally Field, because her characters are always so believable and she’s short like me.
ACS: High five for short people!
BJ: Julia Roberts, because as an actress she seems to be able to handle any situation. I greatly admire her work.
ACS: I love Julia Roberts’ movies too! Great pick Brooke. Anyone can buy the rights to name a star. What would you name a star bought for you?
BJ: Consistency, because without it you don’t really get anywhere. You have to have it to succeed.
ACS: It’s amazing how many people forget that concept.
NP: Dream Big, because if you don’t have a dream you’ll never have a life you enjoy.
ACS: Yes! Big dreams are what keeps you going. Do you have a library card and know where it is?
Brooke and Natalya: Yes, it’s on my key chain.
ACS: *laughs* So funny! Seems like most do the keychain cards now. I have three different library cards on my keys. If you could travel anywhere all expenses paid where would you go? Name one thing you’d see or do there.
NP: Venice, I’d write a book with Venice as the setting. I would ride a gondola.
ACS: A gondola ride in Venice is in my top 10 things to do. What about your Brooke?
BJ: Heaven, I’d visit with all my family members who are there.
ACS: Such a beautiful answer. Thank you so much for joining me you two! It was a pleasure having you. Now read all about the book.

Blurb:
You can only win someone’s heart once you’ve captured it.

Nineteen year old Ryder Harrison grew up near a small town in Montana, working on the family’s ranch and in love with his best friend, Landon Pennington. That was until his Grandfather decided he needed to go to college in California. Ryder promised his Mom before she died that he would finish his education. Staying true to his word, Ryder packs his clothes, and heads to California, confident that it would all be one big disaster. The only thing he hadn’t planned on was meeting Bentley Carter.

Twenty year old Bentley Carter has enough emotional issues to write his own ‘How to Cope’ manual. Surviving an abusive childhood, he made a personal promise to always stay true to himself, and never let emotions overrule his common sense. Content with his current life and friend with ‘benefits’, Ben is determined to not let his new roommate affect him.

Uncertain about their places in the world, and with each other, Ryder and Ben struggle to understand the person who is not what they thought they wanted, yet who they are unable to live without. Living in a sometimes cruel and unforgiving world they are determined to embrace the reality of falling in love and the challenges that follow.

Excerpt One:
“Welcome to paradise!!” Ethan yelled over the music.

All I could see was flesh, and hard bodies. Hard everything. Everywhere I looked, half naked guys were dancing and grinding together.

“Ry, honey, you okay?” Ben squeezed my hand, pulling me out of the fog of lust.

I hadn’t realized I wasn’t blinking, until my eyes started to water. Ben noticed my current state, smiled and pulled me onto the dance floor. He had me turned and pressed against him so fast I was dizzy. My hands trembled. He started grinding against me with his hands on my lower back. The press of bodies around us didn’t allow for additional space between us, and the music only encouraged our hips to gyrate.

I could feel his nipple rings through our thin shirts. Our thighs rubbed together every time Ben wiggled his ass and pressed his hips to mine. I growled in the back of my throat, holding him a little tighter.

We’ve been in the damn club all of five minutes, and I was about cum in my pants.

“Ben, I need a drink.” I leaned in to speak directly into his ear.

He must not have heard me because he pulled me closer, moving us to the rhythm of the music. Ben’s hard-on was pressed my thigh. I made a mistake looking into his eyes. Their intensity was magnified by the eye liner. I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my life. Ben leaned into me, and I tightened my arms around his waist, wanting what he offered.

Starting at the sensitive skin behind my ear, he licked his way down to my collar before lightly biting me.

Excerpt Two:
Ben
Two days since meeting Ryder and I was considering changing majors.

It’s been thirty minutes since this lecture began, and I couldn’t remember one word the professor said. The cause of my distraction was chewing on his pen, two rows down from me. I groaned, and then tried to cover it with a cough. My face felt hot as the girl next to me glared in my direction. Why did he have to do that with his pen? It wasn’t until everyone closed their books that I realized I had stared ay Ryder through the entire lecture.

I continually found reasons to spend time with him. So I shoved my stuff in my bag and rushed out of the classroom. I was eager to run into him in the hallway, maybe then I’d get him to talk to me.

I rushed past a bundle of people gathered in the hallway. It wasn’t as though he was hard to find. Ryder was tall and solid muscle; I bet he looked even better naked. Ryder smiled as I fell into step next to him.

“So, what did you think?” I asked as we took the stairs to our dorm room.

“It was okay. I could swear someone was watching me the whole time.” Ryder said.

About The Authors:
Brooke Johnson lives in Louisiana with her five girls, wonderful boyfriend, and many pets. When she is not working on finishing her current degree, she can be found fishing, coloring, or blowing bubbles with her kids. Just over a year ago, Brooke decided she wasn’t going to back down from her dreams, and started writing full time. With the encouragement of her family she is proud to be publishing her books for the world to read.

Brooke started reading later in life. Unlike many authors who have always had a special love for reading, Brooke didn’t pick up a book until she was in her late teens. She remembers wanting to find something to do with her mom, who has always been her best friend. One day her mom was talking about a romance novel that she just read. Not being interested in it all, Brooke gave in and read the book. She’s been her mom’s reading partner ever since. They can now sit and talk, laugh and even cry about all the books they have read over the years.

So, with great pride and honor, Brooke is happy to thank her mother for encouraging her to not only read, but to follow her heart, and write her own books. What started as simple poetry on scrap paper, at the age of seven, is now a dream come true. Brooke started writing but felt something was missing. When she started writing with Natalya Parks, everything seemed to fall into place, and now here they are. Launching books, and writing more. This may be the first you see of them, but Brooke is determined that this won’t be last. Brooke is excited for you to meet their characters, and fall in love with the men that they have spent many hours with over the last year, just for you!!

Natalya Parks lives is Louisiana with her beloved dog, Napoleon. Natalya enjoys spending as much time as possible with her children and grandchildren.

Natalya has had an ongoing passionate love affair with books since she was four years old. While her friends were getting in trouble for not reading she was getting in trouble for reading. She was late for dinner, forgot to do her chores, stayed up past her bedtime, forgot about homework and was late for the school bus on many occasions; because she couldn’t put the book down. Her most embarrassing moment caused by reading a book occurred when she was in seventh grade. The school bus pulled up to her stop and of course she couldn’t possibly stop reading. The story was just too good. So with her nose still in her book she slowly made her way down the aisle of the bus. She as she got to the top of the stairs she tripped over an instrument case that was jutting out just a bit into the aisle. Where she promptly fell head first down the stairs landing in a heap in the dirt, her feet resting on the bottom step. Natalya was wearing a dress that day.

She has wanted to be a writer since she was a teenager but never thought she could write anything good enough for someone else to want to read. Her dear friend Brooke convinced her otherwise and literally dragged her into the world of writing. Something she will be forever grateful. Now, not only does she get to love and enjoy works by other authors but also those that she has contributed to as well. Her mind still goes tilt, tilt when she thinks about the fact that she is a published author. Dreams really can come true.

You can find the authors at www.coolbeanspe.com

Buy Links:
Cool Beans Press: www.coolbeanspe.com
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MF7YSM2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00MF7YSM2&linkCode=as2&tag=pridepromo-20&linkId=THJ7VQKMFYCW6ZWL
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-need-to-touch-brooke-johnson/1120085628?ean=2940150646056
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/466494
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theneedtotouch-1591649-351.html

Tour Stops:
8/25: MM Good Book Reviews
8/26: Andrew Q. Gordon, Book Reviews, Rants, and Raves
8/27: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings
8/28: Jade Crystal
8/29: Amanda C. Stone, EE Montgomery
9/1: Parker Williams
9/2: LeAnn’s Book Reviews, Iyana Jenna
9/3: The Hat Party
9/4: Love Bytes
9/5: Kimi-Chan
9/8: Cate Ashwood
9/9: Prism Book Alliance
9/10: Hearts on Fire
9/11: Fallen Angel Reviews
9/12: Foxylutely Book Reviews
9/15: Love of Bookends
9/16: Wake Up Your Wild Side
9/17: Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
9/18: Hearts on Fire
9/19: My Fiction Nook

Giveaway:
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