First Kiss Friday with E.L. Johnson
Welcome to my First Kiss Friday blog. I’m so happy you’ve stopped by. Today’s guest is E.L. Johnson who has an excerpt from her new release Winter’s Poison. We hope you enjoy this first kiss scene. Happy reading, my lovelies!
Excerpt:
“…I don’t have time for boys.”
“Why not?”
“I’m too busy trying to find out who killed de Grecy.”
“You’re wasting your time. You should be baking, not chasing after ghosts. What if you
never find anyone? Why not tell the queen you want someone else take over? There must be men out there who are better at finding a traitor than you.”
She fumed quietly. “Because I am doing this. Why should I back down? A stranger won’t
care for my papa.”
“It’s just… You don’t want people to talk, Bronwyn,” he said.
“People talk as often as they breathe, Al. What do I care?”
“You’ll care when it means the boys don’t want you. They’ll think you’re a bit funny.
Touched in the head. Or worse, that you’re a girl trying to do a man’s job.”
She faced him and put her hands on her hips. “Alfred, I don’t know what to make of you.
Women and men share jobs all the time, so how is this any different?”
“It’s just…”
“First you don’t want me walking about with boys and then you don’t want me to help
my papa, for fear the boys won’t like me. Which is it? My head is spinning from all your talk.”
Even in the darkness, she could sense his face turning red. “I mean, Bronwyn, that you
should beg the queen’s mercy and see if she’ll release you from this silly quest. Ask her to let
you return from working in the castle kitchens. Or better yet, see if she’ll let you help your ma in
the bakery. She needs the help. And you need to stop running around to the castle.”
“You make it sound like I’m having a lark. If I don’t do this, no one will find out who
killed de Grecy and my papa might as well be dead.”
Alfred cleared his throat. “The rulers won’t let that happen. They’re just. They’ll look
after you. Your family won’t starve.”
“Oh, really,” she said hotly, “and you’re so close to them, you can speak for the king and
queen? What are you, their personal servant? Funny, I didn’t see you there when they imprisoned my papa for something he didn’t do.”
They stood in the shadows and torchlight from houses and shops shut for the night, but
she could still see Alfred’s face in the flickering lights. Bronwyn glared up at him, cursing that
she was mere average height for a woman, and shorter than him. It gave Alfred the advantage to look down his nose at her.
His eyes burned brightly and reflected the torchlights in the darkness from the homes and
shops. “One of these days, Bronwyn, you’ll say too much, and that tongue of yours will get you
into trouble.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Alfred, I’m getting pretty sick of you telling me
what to do. You’re not my papa or my mama. You sound like a gossipy, old woman.”
He laughed, and she turned her back on him.
“Would a gossipy, old woman do this?” He pulled her arm back to face him and planted a
kiss on her lips.
She stopped, stunned. My first kiss.
He held his lips against her as if he expected a reaction. When she didn’t respond, he
grasped her shoulders and pulled her closer, kissing her again.
Bronwyn pushed his hands away and stepped out of his embrace. She glared at him, her
cheeks warm.
He smiled. “There. That ought to do it.”
“Do what?”
“Shut you up for a minute. You need reminding that you’re a woman.” He looked so
pleased with himself, he grinned from ear to ear.
Bronwyn stepped on his foot. Hard.
“Oi, what was that for?” he asked, hopping on one foot.
“I don’t need reminding. And I never asked you to kiss me.” Her feet felt shaky.
“You never have to ask.” He grinned. “I’ll do it again if you like.”
Winter’s Poison: The Winter MurdersBy E.L. Johnson
Bronwyn Blakenhale’s world is about to turn upside down. A young baker who wants a bit of independence from her simple life in twelfth-century Lincoln, she gets involved in courtly politics when an expensive order for bread rolls leaves one man dead at the king’s table, and all fingers point at her and her father.
With her father imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, Bronwyn is tasked by the queen to find out who poisoned the rolls and likely meant to kill the royal family. But with her father surrounded by men loyal to the opposing empress, spies afoot in the castle, and a poisoner on the loose, Bronwyn’s time is short. Now, if only she didn’t have young men like the squire Rupert to distract her.
Rupert Bothwell, the squire of a knight, has a friendly smile for everyone, including a beautiful lady at court who admires him, but he insists on walking Bronwyn home at night. Is he just being chivalrous or is there something more? But Bronwyn has more to deal with, as a childhood friend steps in to help her family’s bakery and makes it clear he doesn’t want her friendship, but her heart.
From feuding factions and turncoat knights at court to castle prisons and an invading army on the horizon, Bronwyn must find the killer and prove her father’s innocence—or lose all that she holds dear. In a world dominated by intrigue and murder, Bronwyn might just surprise everyone and prove that she is no ordinary baker.
Purchase for $0.99 or read for FREE in Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Winters-Poison-Medieval-Historical-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0DTWVCYT5?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Author bio
E.L.Johnson is an ex-pat from Concord, Mass, now living in the UK. She is currently an author with Dragonblade Publishing and recently finished a five-book historical mystery series set in Georgian-era England. Last year one of her short stories was nominated for Best of the Net anthology, and she was a guest speaker for the Writer’s Workout first annual writing conference. For the second year in a row, she was a volunteer reader for the Orwell Youth Prize for the longlist and shortlisted entries. Johnson is a member of the Hertford Writers’ Circle and runs the London Seasonal Book Club, a monthly book club with over 3500 members.
Learn more about E.L. Johnson here:
Twitter: @ELJohnson888 or https://twitter.com/ELJohnson888
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18090432.E_L_Johnson
