Laura T. Johnson is the author of two books: Where Would I Be and Unbalanced (Series) Pt. 1. Laura was first bitten by the writing bug six years ago. While reading her journal she began to realize that her story could possibly help others who were going through the same thing.
In 2006, Laura was the victim of an abusive relationship that lasted for two and half years. The relationship was volatile from the beginning. While in this relationship, Laura contemplated suicide almost on a daily basis. If asked, she would immediately tell you that what kept her from going through with suicide were her mother and younger brother. “I couldn’t leave them with that much pain, no matter what I was going through.”
In 2009, Laura began to write her first novel. She thought, as her mother had told her many times before that she was not the only woman who had or will ever go through something like this. After filling up four notebooks, she decided that she might have a book on her hands. Laura went on to make the necessary changes to her writing and started letting others read her work.
When those who’d read her work wanted to read more, she knew she had something good on her hands. Laura has continued her writing and the outcome has been one compelling story after another. She continues to keep her fans wanting more! She resides in Tennessee where she is an advocate against domestic violence.
If you would like to request an appearance, you can reach her by email at ltjauthor@gmail.com.
Website:
http://authorlauratjohnson.org
When did you realize you wanted to be a writer?
Oddly, that didn’t happen until after my first book was published. I had no plans to continue to write. I wrote my first book for two reasons: (1) I thought it would help someone who’d gone through or who was currently going through abuse. (2) I wanted someone to buy my manuscript from me, so that I could pay for college. This was nowhere near the plans I had for myself. But God works in mysterious ways.
How long does it take for you to write a book?
I never give myself a time limit. I should probably start, but I don’t. I try not to go over a year, but sometimes it happens. In other words, I’m a huge perfectionist that won’t let a book go until I know that I can’t do anything to make it better.
What is your work schedule like when you're writing?
At this point in time I write full-time. I write every day whether it’s for myself or for my clients. I hold meetings in the morning, and after one I begin my day of writing for my clients. Writing for myself usually doesn’t start until about seven that evening.
What is your latest release, and what's next?
My latest release is a series titled Unbalanced. Unbalanced follows the life of Catherine Palmer and Dorian Wallace. Catherine is a working college student that meets the campus hunk, who happens to be rich. Every woman wants him and every man wants to be him. But Dorian is possessive and abusive and will do anything to keep Catherine. The series follows their entire relationship. What’s next for me are more books…God willing. I have a few more books on the topic of domestic violence and others that deal strictly with romance. So I am extremely excited!
HERE'S A SNEAK PEEK AT
UNBALANCED!
Chapter One
“Here he comes, ladies,” Brooke said.
Simone, Elise, and Catherine’s heads turned. They all exhaled. God had never made anything as beautiful as this man. Like every woman, they stopped to watch him. He was truly a work of art. They all stared in awe as he came their way.
“Dorian…Wallace,” Brooke practically moaned his name.
“Down, girl,” Simone said.
“Hey, I’m not the only one. Elise is drooling, too.”
“Yes, I am,” Elise mumbled.
“Ooo, his fraternity is having a party tonight and we are going!” Brooke said.
“I’m in,” Elise said, raising her hand.
“You know I am,” Simone said.
“Cat?” Brook asked.
“I’m out. I’m staying home. It is my first night off in weeks.”
“That’s why you’re coming out with us,” Elise said.
“But…Ë®
“That’s it,” she said, cutting Cat off.
“Then it’s settled,” Brooke said, as she stood up. “See you chicks later.”
“I don’t want to go.” Cat sighed.
“You’re going,” Elise said. “You work and go to school full time. You don’t have any time for anything else. Have some fun for once.”
“That is fun.”
Elise shook her head.
“Girl, you are a sad case. Who was your last date, again?” Simone asked.
“Ugh, Sean.” Cat said. “Please don’t remind me of that horror.”
“Sorry. However, you see where I’m going with this.”
“Unfortunately, I do. Okay, I’ll go.”
“Good. Come on, Simone. Class starts in five minutes,” Elise said, looking at her watch.
“See you ladies later.”
“What are you about to do?”
“I’ll probably sit here a little longer and then head home.”
“Okay. Bye.”
Cat decided to put in her earbuds and chose the K. Michelle album to listen to while she sat under the tree pretending to study. What she was actually doing was waiting and hoping for another look at Adonis, a.k.a. Dorian Wallace. An hour had passed before Cat decided to give up and go home. She gathered her things and headed across campus with her earbuds still in. All of a sudden, she got knocked off her feet. Literally. She looked up and saw Adonis hovering over her and his beautiful lips moving. He reached up and pulled her earbuds out of her ears.
“I said, are you okay?”
She couldn’t speak.
“I know you can hear me,” he said, smiling. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head?”
Say something!! Cat thought to herself.
“Uh, yes. No, I’m fine,” she finally said.
“Are you sure? Here, let me help you up,” he said, standing up and scooping her up in his arms.
“You can put me down. I’m fine. Nothing is sprained or broken.”
Adonis gently put Cat down on her feet. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Cat felt like she was being hypnotized. This man is beautiful.
“Let me get your things.”
She watched him kneel down and gather her books.
“Can I help you to wherever you’re going?”
“No, I’m fine, thanks. I have to go.”
Cat practically snatched her things from him and ran off before he could say anything else. Oh, my God, I was just run down by Dorian Wallace, and he carried me for almost a minute! Wait until the girls hear this!! Cat thought as she rushed across campus.
***
That night, the girls met in the elevator as it stopped on each of their floors. They talked nonstop from the elevator to campus.
“Tonight is the night I get Mr. Dorian Wallace.” Brooke had a confident gleam in her eyes.
They all laughed at her because they knew when she had her sights set on a man, she usually got him. Brooke was the ultimate diva.
“Get in line, girl. I bet you these hookers started early. Hell, he might already be tied down for the night,” Elise said.
“Or it could be he’s not interested.” Simone laughed.
They walked into the frat house. Simone and Brooke went in one direction, and Elise and Cat went in the other. They’d been doing this since the beginning of freshman year. They called it “sizing up the competition.” In an hour, they’d meet back up in the middle of the room.
“What do you think?” Simone asked.
“We the baddest ones in here.” Brooke laughed.
“Drinks, ladies?” The offer came from none other than Dorian Wallace himself.
Cat still hadn’t told the girls about their little run-in earlier in the day.
“Of course,” Brooke said.
Everyone took a glass except for Cat.
“We meet again,” he said. “You don’t want a drink?”
“Cat doesn’t drink. She’s the prude of the group. I’m the fun one,” Brooke said, moving closer to him.
“Cat?” he asked. He lifted one eyebrow, which was the sexiest thing Cat had ever seen.
“It’s short for Catherine,” she said.
“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. I wish you had told me that today.”
Before Cat could say anything, Brooke stepped between them. “And I’m Brooke.”
“Uh, what’s up, Brooke?”
While they talked, the rest of the ladies dissolved into the background.
“Okay, spit it out! What the hell did he mean by ‘I wish you had told me that today’?” Simone asked.
“We sort of ran into each other today,” Cat smirked.
“What happened?!” Elise asked excitedly.
“I was walking across campus and I had my earbuds in. All of a sudden I was knocked down. When I looked up, he was leaning over me.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very.”
“Well, you must have made one hell of an impression because he is watching you like a hawk,” Simone said. “Look at poor Brooke. She pulling out all the stops, and he‘s not even listening.”
“What else happened?” Elise asked.
“He asked me if I was okay. Then he picked me up.”
“Wait…Did he help you up, or did he pick you up?” Simone asked.
“He picked me up, and held me in his arms. I am not even embellishing. I had to make him put me down. He then picked up my books and offered to walk with me.”
“Did he walk you home?”
“No. I grabbed my books and practically ran home.”
“You ran away from Dorian Wallace?” Simone couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“I couldn’t help it. My brain wasn’t working, and I’d only said like three words the whole time he was talking to me. He probably thinks I’m crazy.”
“Not the way he is looking at you,” Elise said.
Cat stole a glance at him, and noticed he was still staring at her. She quickly turned her head.
“Let’s party ladies,” Cat said.
Elise and Simone found someone to occupy their time, so Cat went out back by the pool to get some air. She was watching the guys and girls throw each other into the pool, when she noticed that one of the guys playing around was Dorian. Watching him emerge from that pool was one of the best scenes in her life reel. If Cat could rewind that moment, she would watch it over, and over, and over again. He was just that fine. Dorian was about 6’2, and one hundred and ninety pounds of well-toned muscle covered in dark chocolate.
“Hey, what are you doing out here by yourself?” he asked.
“I wanted some fresh air,” Cat said, as she watched him dry off.
“I’m sorry about earlier today. You’re okay, right?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’ve seen you around. You’re in my writing class. Fourth row, sixth chair.”
“That would be me. I didn’t know you were a journalism major.”
“I’m not. I’m a business major. The writing class is an elective.”
“Oh.”
“Can I sit with you without you running away from me again?”
“I didn’t run away from you! I had somewhere to be.”
“You had to meet your man?”
“I don’t have one.”
“I see my night is looking up.”
“How so?”
“You’re single…I’m single.”
“And Brooke is single.”
“Who?”
“My friend we left you with earlier.”
“Oh, her. I asked her to come out for a swim, and she looked at me like I’d lost my mind.”
Cat burst out laughing.
“Yeah, that sounds like Brooke.”
“How about we take a swim?”
“No, thanks.”
“Black women and their hair,” he said, shaking his head.
“First off, I resent that remark. Second, my friend is interested in you.”
“I’m not interested in your friend.”
Cat had no comment for that.
“Since we are both single, will you go out with me?”
“Same answer applies. My friend is interested in you.”
“You’re a good friend.”
“Yes, I am.”
Instead of moving on to the next candidate, he sat and talked to her. They didn’t realize how much time had passed until Elise and Simone came outside.
“There you are,” Elise said, smiling.
“Yeah. Are you guys ready to go?”
“Girl, yes! I am exhausted,” Simone said.
“Where’s Brooke?” Cat asked.
“We thought with him. I guess we were wrong,” Elise said.
“Nope. Catherine and I have been together,” Dorian said looking down at her.
“Okaaayyy,” Simone said.
“Well, let’s see if we can find this girl. Goodnight, Dorian,” Cat said.
“Hey, wait…that’s it?” he asked.
“Yes. What else is there?”
“Can I have you number?”
“No.”
“What?” Elise said.
Dorian smiled. “See, she can’t even believe it,” he said.
“We’ve already been through this.”
“If that’s the problem, I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she’s found my replacement,” he said, nodding past them.
They all turned to see Brooke heading their way with one of Dorian’s frat brothers.
“Here’s the party. You ladies ready?” Brooke asked.
“Yeah,” they all said in unison.
“Terrence offered to walk us home.”
All the girls had off campus apartments not five minutes away.
“I’ll go with you. T can’t protect all of you,” Dorian said.
“We’ll be…”
“Thank you, Dorian,” Elise said, cutting Cat off.
“Cool. Let me go change.”
“Me, too,” Terrence said.
“We’ll meet you ladies out front,” Dorian said. He headed into the house.
The girls walked around to the front of the house.
“Girl, what the hell is wrong with you?! Dorian Wallace is trying to get at you. Dorian…Wallace. We have all lusted after that man since we first saw him,” Elise said.
“I know. Brooke was staking a claim on him earlier,” Cat said.
“Oh, girl, please! As you can see, I have moved on,” Brooke said.
“Why the change of heart?” Simone asked.
“That fool wanted me to get in the pool with him. Do you know how much I paid for this hair?”
They all burst out laughing. About ten minutes later, the guys came out.
“Let’s roll,” Terrence said.
There was so much talking that the five minute walk seemed like five seconds. Simone, Brooke, and Terrence got off on the third floor; Elise got off on the fourth floor. Before getting off the elevator, she pulled Cat to the side and made her promise to tell her everything in the morning.
“I can tell you that now—nothing,” Cat said.
Making it to the sixth floor, Dorian walked Cat to her door.
“Thanks for seeing me home safely.”
“You’re not inviting me in?”
“No.”
“Just to talk. That’s all.”
“Yeah, right. Goodnight, Dorian.”
Dorian leaned against the door jamb. “I promise to be a perfect gentleman,” he said.
“A perfect gentleman?”
“Scout’s honor,” he said with a smile.
Cat pondered his proposal. “All right, come on in.”
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