Spotlight & Giveaway: Too Wrong to Be Right by Melonie Johnson

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Melonie Johnson to HJ!

Hi Melonie and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Too Wrong to Be Right!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Kat is a hopeless romantic, but lately she’s just feeling hopeless. Both of her best friends have found their true loves and are well on their way to happily ever after, meanwhile Kat’s happy ending has never seemed further away. After her latest boyfriend dumps her, Kat swears off dating any more jerks and makes a list of qualities for the ideal Mr. Right. When she quite literally stumbles across Mick and his scruffy charm, she fights the attraction, determined to break her bad habit of mistaking lust for love. Mick is immediately drawn to Kat and senses she might feel the same, but the self-doubt lingering from a past experience makes him hesitate to pursue more. At the heart of it, TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT is about learning to let go of what you think you want in order to embrace what you truly need. It takes both Kat and Mick some time to get out of their own way, but eventually (and with the help of a supportive cast of loving but brutally honest friends and family), they figure their sh*t out and this slow burn friends to lovers story delivers the kind of happy ending that would make even the most hopeless of romantics sigh.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“We met over a dead body, it was definitely not a meet-cute.”
“Loyal. Dependable. Affectionate. Likes to cuddle… You don’t want a date. You want a pet.”
“I think when you love someone, you love them in spite of their flaws, but at the same time, it’s their flaws that make you love them even more. It makes them real. Makes them yours.”
“Compromise isn’t settling, it’s figuring out the most important parts of your dreams and making sure you get it.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• One of the earliest inspirations for this story was the movie While You Were Sleeping. Readers might recognize nods to this classic rom com in the hospital scene, the elements of found family, as well as the conflict centered on the heroine pursuing the brother she thinks she wants to be with rather than the brother she’s meant to be with.
• Chicago has a thriving Polish community, and my heroine Kat is Polish. I infused her background with tidbits I learned through my Polish stepmother-in-law who helped me with various details regarding language and traditions. Sadly, she passed away last fall, but I’ll always be grateful for her input, and for the chance to infuse Kat’s babcia with some of Basia’s qualities, including her lack of filter, unapologetic nosiness, and sassy spunk. There’s also much love for kolacky cookies in this story. I’ve perfected my own version of this Polish treat and bake them each December, often giving them as gifts to friends and family. A kolacky recipe card is included as a bonus gift when you order TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT from romance bookstore Love’s Sweet Arrow!
• My hero Mick works in his family’s funeral home, which led to a lot of fascinating research one might not expect for a romantic comedy, especially regarding alternative green burial options. I also did a deep dive into how funeral customs are evolving. Mick wants to convince his family to add a bar and provide catering services, something happening in the real world as well. In fact, an article recently came out about a funeral home in my area seeking a liquor license – just like in my book!
• Quirky unique pets have become a trademark of my romantic comedies. In TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT, Kat finds herself the new owner of JoJo, her ex’s pampered hedgehog. I have a friend who owns several of these prickly pets and it was great fun to pop in for visits and play with her hedgies as “research.” There’s also Seamus, the foul-mouthed cockatoo. If you’re a fan of Effin’ Birds, you’re going to love salty Seamus. I recently watched the second season of Only Murders in the Building and nearly died laughing at the parrot, Mrs. Gambolini. That naughty bird gave off serious Seamus energy!

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Kat is an admitted sucker for a wink and a smirk and Mick wields both with ease. Though he’s goofier and less suave than the men she usually she falls for, his scruffy charm is hard to resist. But it’s the way Mick listens to her, with the care and attention of a friend, that really gets under Kat’s skin.
Mick’s first glance at Kat is from behind and it’s a view he’s not likely to forget. Kat is gorgeous in a way that almost makes her seem untouchable, like a princess in a tower, but her wicked sense of humor and down-to-earth work ethic calls to him. He can’t help wanting to get to know her better and find ways to make her smile.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Since this is a romantic comedy in the classic sense, there is a lot of physical humor that borders on slapstick. And because this is also a friends-to-lovers story with a slow burn, there are several moments when things start to heat up only to have something happen that freezes the action in its tracks. From their first meet-disaster over a corpse to their first kiss that ends with a trip to the ER, I delighted in all the ways my two messy weirdos continually found themselves in awkward situations. One scene that made me both laugh and blush involves an impromptu make-out session in a papasan chair.

It had been an emotionally trying day and Mick is trying to help Kat unwind with a foot massage that unexpectedly leads to something more…
He hadn’t planned to do that. Hadn’t intended to take things so far. But when he glanced up and caught Kat watching him, the taste of her fresh on his lips, he knew he wanted to go even further. He needed to. Mick shifted, joining her on the chair. Hands braced on either side of her beautiful face, he hovered over her.
Again, she answered him with her body, rising up on her elbows and lifting her head to kiss him. She brushed her mouth over his and he knew she was tasting herself on his lips. Mick groaned, he’d wanted to kiss her again for so long. But he’d never imagined it would be like this.
He shifted his weight, moving closer so he could deepen the kiss. The frame of the chair creaked beneath them, and a moment too late, Mick realized his mistake. The giant papasan saucer tilted, flipping over, and taking them with it.
They both yelped as their bodies tumbled to the floor. He landed first, grunting when his back slammed into the hardwood floor of Kat’s apartment. Of course, it had to be hardwood; what did people have against carpet? The random thought was knocked out of him along with all the air in his lungs as Kat landed on top of him. Followed quickly by the entire chair crashing down on top of both of them. Fortunately, the damn thing was so big it landed over their heads rather than cracking their skulls, and the thick cushion softened the blow where the wooden frame smacked into his shins.
“Fucking death trap,” Mick muttered. He peered into the muffled darkness under the dome of the chair. “You okay?”
Her body jerked against his, shaking.
“Kat?” He patted his hands down her sides. The shaking increased, her rib cage heaving beneath his fingers. Shit. Mick tensed. She was crying again. “Are you hurt?”
A peal of laughter escaped her, her entire body convulsing with giggles.
“Oh.” He went limp with relief. “You’re laughing.”

Readers should read this book….

If they want a rom com that delivers on the com as much as the rom. If they are looking for something filled with affectionate nods to classic romantic comedies and cheeky winks to hallmarks of the genre. If they love stories with strong female friendships, found family, and secondary characters (both of the human and animal variety) that steal the show and your heart.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m currently developing something entirely new and I’m very excited about it. It’s another romantic comedy, with plenty of shenanigans and banter, and of course some delightful animal sidekicks that are quirkier and more unique than ever, plus an excuse to let my indulge my inner Shakespeare geek and a setting I’m having so much fun playing around in… hopefully I’ll be able so share more news about this project soon!
I also produce audiobooks under a pseudonym but had to go on hiatus the last few years with my family home all the time. Now that things are returning to some version of normal, I’m hoping to start accepting narration offers again.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: Print copies of both TOO GOOD TO BE REAL and TOO WRONG TO BE RIGHT including signed bookplates, bookmarks, corgi and hedgehog stickers, and other fun swag! Shipping to US address only.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What unique pet do you think would be fun to own?

 
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Excerpt from Too Wrong to Be Right:

This scene is the second time Mick and Kat run into each other following their disastrous first meeting at his family’s funeral home.
That afternoon, Kat found herself pushing a loaded shopping cart down an aisle of the pet supercenter. And she wasn’t alone. Kat nudged the flap of her purse open and checked on JoJo. Nestled inside a dish towel, the hedgehog’s little brown snout twitched. Kat tapped it affectionately before tucking the flap closed again. Yes, she’d been that weirdo on the L with an animal in her purse.
Smuggling JoJo onto the train might have been against the rules, but she doubted it would be a problem here. A lot of people were shopping with their pets. A lady with a bunny on a leash strolled past and Kat considered whether she should get something like that for JoJo. She decided against the leash, though. Today’s shopping spree had already gotten out of hand.
Kat eyed the loot in her overstuffed cart. She should probably put some of this back. After all, did a hedgehog really need a bed that looked like a donut? But it was so soft and squishy, and JoJo would look so cute snuggled in it.
Kat realized what she was doing. Between Tad dumping her and her friends announcing they were about to cohabitate with their significant others, the hole she’d carried in her heart since she was a kid had started to grow. She could feel the dark hollow stretching and expanding, a gnawing emptiness fed by fear. Fear of being left behind. Of being alone. And now she was trying to fill the hole with stuff.
But buying shit wasn’t going to solve her problems.
Mind preoccupied, Kat absently steered her heavy cart around the corner . . . and crashed straight into another customer. “Oops!”
There was a whoosh followed by a waterfall of tiny pings. Kat watched in dismay as hundreds of seeds spilled onto the store’s tile. “Oops,” she said again. She bit her lip and forced herself to look up, blinking in surprise. “It’s you!”
Kat stared into the sable eyes of the dark-haired man she’d plowed into. “It’s you,” she repeated. “Mick.” His name came out sounding like an accusation.
“That’s me.” He winked. “Kat, right?”
She nodded, pulse skittering. “I didn’t expect to um . . .” Her voice faltered as she tried to gather her bearings. She didn’t expect to what? See him again so soon? See him again, ever? All of the above, frankly. “What are you doing here?”
“Buying dinner for Seamus.” He held up the bag of birdseed. A few stragglers sprinkled out, ending with a pathetic final ping as the last seed landed on the floor. “At least, I was.”
Her cart must have ripped the plastic open in the collision. Kat winced. “Sorry about that.”
“You should be apologizing to Seamus, not me.” The corner of his mouth kicked up in an amused smirk. “It’s his dinner you’ve ruined.”
A flirty grin tickled her lips in response and Kat clamped down, struggling to keep from smiling. She was not doing this. She was not falling for the first guy she met after her last breakup. That was the old Kat. The new Kat had a plan. A checklist. Maybe in addition to her Mr. Right checklist, she needed to make a second list, detailing all the reasons she was not falling for Mr. Wrong.
Kat gathered herself, grateful for her height that allowed her to meet Mick’s gaze directly. There was something about him . . . something that pulled at Kat despite herself. She was a sucker for a smirk or a wink and he wielded both with heart-fluttering ease. He may not sport the killer bad-boy appeal that had gotten Kat into trouble more often than she cared to admit, but there was a vibe about him. An energy beneath the careless exterior that spoke to her on a cellular level.
He was dressed in faded jeans and a sweater, cheeks shadowed with stubble and dark hair mussed in a way that looked like actual bedhead as opposed to the artfully coiffured mess she’d watched Tad create. He was the epitome of just woke up like this. An image of Mick sleeping flashed in Kat’s mind. Tangled in his sheets. He didn’t seem to be a pajama guy, but she wasn’t sure he was an in the buff type either. A fact that was irrelevant since she’d vowed to stop falling for guys simply because she wanted to fall into bed with them.
“Do I have birdseed in my hair or something?” Mick asked, running a hand over his head.
Kat blinked. “Um, no.”
“Then why are you staring at me?”
Because I’m picturing you in bed and debating if you’d be naked. “I’m not staring. I’m uh, looking for Seamus. Where is he, anyway?” She glanced around the aisle, seeking a distraction. “Is he with you?”
“Seamus?” Mick choked back a laugh. “God, no.”
“Oh,” Kat said, disappointment coloring her voice. “It would have been fun to chat with him again. He’s so spunky.”
“Exactly my problem,” Mick explained. “His vocabulary is a little too salty for public consumption. Also, I refuse to be one of those people who totes their pets around like children.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Kat asked, self-consciously tugging on the flap of her purse.
“Nothing,” he admitted. “But that spoiled ball of feathers doesn’t need another level of pampering to feed his ego. He thinks he walks on water as it is.”
“He’s a bird.” Kat wrinkled her nose. “Doesn’t he fly?”
“You’re not appreciating my metaphor.” Mick shook his head, attention shifting to the seed scattered at his feet. “I suppose I better get this mess cleaned up.”
“Here, let me help,” Kat offered. She knelt, scooping up seeds and pouring them into the bag—where they promptly spilled out the hole at the bottom again. “So much for that.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He tied the ripped ends of the plastic bag into a makeshift knot and dumped a handful of seeds into the bag. Some stayed in this time—most did not. “That didn’t work as well as I expected,” he admitted.
“Should we call for someone?” Kat suggested. “You know, ‘clean up in aisle seven’ or whatever?” She stood and turned back to her cart, heart freezing when she noticed her purse was open. “Uh-oh.”
“It’s fine,” Mick insisted, attention focused on the knot he’d made.
“It’s not fine,” Kat snapped, unable to quell the panic rising in her voice as she groped around in her purse. “I lost JoJo.”
His brow rippled in confusion. “Who’s JoJo?”
“My hedgehog.” Kat dropped to her hands and knees. “JoJo!” she called, crawling down the aisle, frantically scanning the shelves for any sign of her spiky companion. How could the little critter have disappeared so fast? Must be all the hours spent running on that damn wheel. Kat cursed, furious with herself for being so careless. Why did she have to bring JoJo with her? Because she was lonely? It had been selfish.
“What does JoJo look like?” Mick asked.
“What do you mean, what does she look like? She’s a hedgehog.” Kat’s voice was sharp and condescending, fear making her testy. “She looks like a hedgehog.”
“With honey-colored quills and a chocolate-tipped nose?”
“Yes,” Kat said, running a hand along the baseboard of one of the shelves. “How did you . . .” She paused, glancing over her shoulder.
Mick was standing next to her cart. In his hands was the donut bed. And perched on top of the fluffy fake pink frosting was one very naughty hedgehog.
“JoJo!” A wave of relief washed over Kat, stronger than she could have anticipated. Slowly, Kat got to her feet. She felt wrung out, like she’d aged a year in the past minute. If this was what being a parent was like, she wanted nothing to do with it. “You gave me quite the scare, you little stinker.”
“Aw, she only wanted to test out her new bed,” Mick said. “I’d say she approves.”
“And I was about to put that thing back on the shelf,” Kat admitted. JoJo nestled deeper into the hole of the donut, whiskers twitching, perfectly content and absolutely unrepentant. Kat groaned. How was she supposed to resist such cuteness? “Fine, we’ll keep the bed.”
Mick chuckled and eyed the pile of stuff in Kat’s shopping cart. “I think Seamus isn’t the only spoiled pet.”

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

A swoony, slow-burn rom-com, Melonie Johnson’s Too Wrong to Be Right features a true romantic on a mission to find her happily ever after.

After her latest jerk of a boyfriend dumps her (and ditches her with his pet hedgehog), florist Kat Kowalski is done chasing after Mr. Wrong. With her two best friends moving on to more serious relationships, she’s ready to stop repeating the same mistakes that are leaving her stuck in the single lane. Armed with a list of qualities for her perfect Mr. Right, Kat swears off dating until she finds him.

Then in a meet-disaster involving a corpse and a salty cockatoo, she stumbles across Mick O’Sullivan at his family’s funeral home. Their immediate chemistry warns Kat to keep things platonic; after all, following her heart never worked out in the past, and this time she’s determined to listen to her head. But can Kat and Mick be just friends? As she gets to know him better, the lines blur, and Kat starts to wonder if she’s gotten it wrong and Mick is exactly who she’s been looking for…
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Meet the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Melonie Johnson—aka #thewritinglush—enjoys sipping cocktails that start with the letter m. Declared a “writer to watch” by Kirkus and a “fizzy, engrossing new voice” by Entertainment Weekly, her smart funny contemporary romances include Too Good to Be Real and her award-winning Sometimes in Love debut series: Getting Hot with the Scot, Smitten by the Brit, and Once Upon a Bad Boy. A former high school English and Theatre teacher, she spends her days in her Star Wars office, dreaming up meet cutes. She lives in Chicagoland with her husband, their two redhead daughters, and one very large dog.
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