Ginger Simpson's Blog, page 55

Sunday Snippets with Ginger Simpson #SundaySnips

I'm baaackkkk, and it's time for another sampling.  Today I'm offering six paragraphs from "Odessa" a western historical that hasn't gotten much press.

Odessa Clay struggled to lift the overturned wagon off her father.  Her muscles burned and splinters dug into her palms, but Papa’s ashen face and eyes squinting with pain inspired her determination. She bit her bottom lip and struggled to stay calm.“God, please help me,” she muttered through clenched teeth, as she pushed, shoved, and lifted with every ounce of strength she had left. The veins in the backs of her hands bulged, but the wagon didn’t budge. At one hundred pounds and barely five feet tall, she proved no match for solid wood. Her chest heaved and each breath took effort. She brushed sweat-dampened hair from her brow and knelt. All her struggling had only succeeded in setting the left rear wheel into a slow spin and creating an eerie whirring in the silence. “Hold on, Papa. I’ll find some way to help you.”   Her nails bit into her fisted palms. His pale features contorted, and fear clutched her heart. She rose and stared up and down the trail. Nothing stirred except the hot wind that whipped her long hair into tangles and sent a dust funnel swirling in the distance.Turning her attention back to her father, she again attempted to lift the wagon’s cumbersome weight and failed. 
“Can anyone hear me,” she screamed, searching the trail again.
Cover by Dawne DominiqueFind Odessa on my Amazon page.  You can also find it at http://www.eternalpress.bizNow...hop on over to my Sunday Snippet playmates and see what they're offering:
Tricia McGill

Vijaya SchartzConnie Vines

Jamie Hill

Happy Independence Day

Independence Day as a kid meant fireworks at night and three or four long summer days spent firing off firecrackers, poppers, snakes, and other day works. When my kids were growing up we'd always make a trip to the fireworks stand and let them choose some $$fun$$ things to shoot off. I have to admit, once they lost interest in the fireworks, so did I. These days, if I happen to look out the window and see some fireworks I might watch for a few minutes, but I don't seek them out. 
Independence Day is also the name of a song written by Gretchen Peters and performed by Martina McBride. It's the story of a family living with domestic violence and in the end, the wife sets her house and husband on fire. As she's being hauled off by the police, and her daughter gets sent to foster care, she's apparently gained her freedom. All righty, then. Catchy tune, though.

Independence Day is the name of a pretty entertaining 1996 movie directed by Roland Emmerich. It starred Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, and Mary McDonnell. The plot revolved around aliens whose goal was to invade and destroy Earth. While it has a happy ending, a lot of the earth was destroyed before the aliens were driven out. I'm sensing a rather depressing theme here!

What's the real story behind 'Independence Day'? According to Wikipedia (so it must be true):
"Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July or July Fourth, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the National Day of the United States."
That's a bit more like it. My family 'celebrates' the fourth by spending time together and relaxing, enjoying the summer and a day off work. I'm proud to be an American and grateful to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
We'll wrap this post up with a riddle. 

Do they have July 4th in other countries? 

Of course they do. Their calendars don't skip from the third to the fifth. :)  Happy Canada Day (yesterday) and Happy Independence Day on July 4th!

Even Native Americans Had Women Problems by Ginger Simpson

http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h3771.htmlI have a wonderful reseach book, Sitting Bull, Champion of the Sioux, by Stanley Vestal.  I keep going back to one chapter in particiular because it's a fun read...The One-Man Woman.

One would expect that a man as wise in battle as Sitting Bull would be able to handle a mere woman, but this book tells a different story.  Perhaps if he'd remained monogamous rather than taking a second wife, he would have avoided his predicament.  Let me summarize for you.

Sitting Bull first married a young woman named Light Hair.  Their marriage was happy, their home harmonous--until he married a second time.  This new wife, Snow-On-Her, it seems, was a nightmare from the get go.  Unlike most men who were smart enough to marry sisters and found they were more accepting of one another, Sitting Bull married a second wife who refused to act as a hand-maiden to the first wife and concubine to her husband.  In other words, she refused to take orders from Light Hair, and rather than resign herself to being wife #2, she insisted on sharing his bed every night, along with Light Hair.  With one wife clinging to one side, and the second woman securing the other, Sitting Bull was forced to sleep on his back...when he could sleep.  His muscles ached every morning, and a peaceful night was hard to come by with the women always arguing about one thing or another.

Men usually slept in only their breechclout in case trouble erupted during the night, but Sitting Bull would have been lucky to wrestle free from his wifely confines had that happened.  He often waited until both women were sleeping in order to free himself, roll over, and get comfortable, but not often enough to ease his pain, as one woman would likely awaken and the tug-of-war began again.

Despite his reprimands, his understanding and love of peace and harmony in his home were stretched to the limit.  His explanations of the role of the second wife fell on deaf ears, and "she (Snow-On-Her) made trouble from morning til night" as the author cites.

Snow-On-Her, like any jealous woman, planned to do away with her competition.  She embarked on a rumor spreading venture, portraying Light Hair as a cheating spouse.  This in turn enraged Light Hair, who had eyes only for her husband.  On a day when Sitting Bull was away, Light Hair turned to an older woman for help. After digging a shallow pit, they placed a gun, a knife and an arrow inside the hole, afterwards, she invited the entire camp to come forward.  The result was a meal where only women who slept with one man were welcome to eat.  Despite rumor's about Light Hair's being unfaithful, she waited for her nemisis to appear.  All the men in camp were also present.

The older woman stood and asked that any man who had physically known any of the women present to come forward and point her out.  The men were also invited to take up one of the weapons and take his oath on his choice.  If he swore falsely, the weapon would kill him.  Not one man came forward.

Light Hair did not feel vendicated.  She turned on Snow-On-Her and demanded she produce the partner with whom Light Hair had supposedly been unfaithful.  The anticipating stares and silence created a tense moment.  Snow-On-Her had nothing to say.  She pulled her robe over her head and elbowed her way through the throng while they pelted her with buffalo chips until she was too far away.  Dinner continued and Light Hair dined in triumph.

When Sitting Bull learned of the scandal, he sent Snow-On-Her back to her home.  One wife's honor had been proven, and the other had been the subject of ridicule.  Any wife of his must never be publicly considered ridiculous.  As the author says, "That night he (Sitting Bull) slept soundly."

Note from Ginger:  According to another resource, http://www.standingrocktourism.com/sittingbull/view.asp?ID=5,  Sitting Bull had four wives and twelve children.  He evidently didn't learn anything from his experience as this record indicates he later remarried Snow-On-Her on a reservation.  Maybe she recognized her role this time.  :)

Opposites in Love series by Janet Lane-Walters ~ Jamie Dug It!

I was advised recently that an author shouldn't blog about, nor review, another author's book because that's sending readers to check out books other than her own. While I can see this might be true from a hard marketing standpoint, frankly, I just don't write fast enough to keep readers enjoying books by ONLY me. (LOL) I have a new novel release approximately twice a year. My friends and co-workers download the book and usually read it within a couple of days. Then they have six months to wait for the next book. So I don't feel like I'm hurting my sales when I bring to light another book I've read and enjoyed.
Recently, it's been a whole series. The last series I devoured like this one was Geeta Kakade's Homespun Romance series. This time it's medical romance by Janet Lane-Walters, the Opposites in Love series.
I read the Aries-Libra Connection first. Jenessa is a nurse and Eric is the Director of Nursing. They have a history that he remembers but she doesn't, which is his concern. They're also on different sides of the hospital union/administration, and she's not sure they have a chance for a future because of it.
Next was the Taurus-Scorpio Connection. Laurel has her own history and Alex has a son. They work at the same hospital as Jen and Eric, and their story is just as compelling and entertaining. I love seeing characters from past books and catching up with their story lines.
Janet's latest release is the Gemini-Sagittarius Connection, Liz and Jeff's story. I'm looking forward to this one a great deal. I understand there are a couple more books to come in this series, and I'm glad. Janet Lane-Walters writes true to life medical romance with characters I come to know and love. I'll gladly pick up one of her romance titles any day.
Find Janet's Books We Love titles here: http://bookswelove.net/authors/lane-walters-janet/

Ginger's Still Sidelined

So Ginger is still sidelined with a bum leg after her fall. I think she's really just hooked on her Blue Bloods marathons and am totally jealous. When she's able to get back to her computer she'll have more wonderful, thought-provoking posts to share and hopefully something from her current work in progress, because we all agree she should be sitting there with a pad and paper writing in long hand, don't we???
Everyone have a great weekend, keep cool, and maybe eat a Snickers. You're not you when you're hungry, right?
Catch you on the flip side of the weekend. Sunday Snippets should return next week, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise...
Jamie

Coming Soon ~ Cover of Darkness by Jamie Hill

My summer writing project is to complete book three in my latest series, Witness Security. Cover of Darkness tells the story of US Marshal Ben Markham  and ADA Addison Decker. 
Enjoy a preview of this coming soon title!


-----------------------------------------------------


Six months earlier Kansas City, Kansas

“Let’s call it a night. Have a good one, you two.” Mitzi Pomeroy flipped the lock on the front door to her club then waved to the last remaining bartender and waitress. It’d been a busy night and her feet were killing her. She climbed the spiral staircase to the second floor and slipped into her office.
The plush sofa looked inviting, but she didn’t care to stick around any longer than necessary. It was freezing cold outside. She simply wanted to finish the last of her bookkeeping and go home to a warm bath and a glass of white wine. Her thigh-high boots were rubbing one leg wrong, so the first order of business was to remove them. She sat in her desk chair and unzipped the black leather, peeling the boots off one at a time. Picking them up, she swiveled and set the boots aside for another night. She had some warm Uggs to wear home.
Mitzi massaged the ball of one foot for a moment before firing up her laptop to go over the night’s receipts. Removing her cell phone from her pocket, she scrolled through messages for anything important. Nothing that can’t wait. She set the phone aside and turned her attention to her computer.
Business had been as brisk as the weather. Something about cold nights brought people to the club in droves. When she saw the impressive numbers she could only smile. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
A loud crashing noise from downstairs caught her attention. Something had fallen over. Dave and Tricia were normally quick about leaving. She couldn’t imagine they were still here.
Mitzi padded out to the hallway in her nylon stockings and leaned over the railing. “Dave?” she called loudly.
There was no answer.
“Tricia?”
Nothing.
Damn it. Slightly irritated, she trounced down the stairs to see what was going on. If those two were getting frisky in one of the rooms she might just let them have it. The place was closed. They could take that stuff somewhere else. 
The club was dark and quiet. She didn’t see anything out of place, and wondered what had made the crashing sound. She walked through the bar area and flipped on the first light switch she came to.
Dave was lying on the floor, a pool of blood forming under his body. Stunned, Mitzi covered her mouth with her hands. She bent down to look at his face and spotted a bullet hole in the middle of his head. She still didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but something was terribly wrong.
She turned and saw Tricia’s body lying a few feet away with another bullet hole and a similar pool of blood. Panic gripped her as terror coursed through her veins. Mitzi struggled to remain calm. Must call nine-one-one. 
Patting her pockets frantically, she remembered the cell was on her desk upstairs. No time for that, she hurried to the regular phone on the wall by the hostess’ stand. She grabbed the receiver, but before she could dial, another noise brought her focus back to the bar.
A man dressed in dark jeans and a black hoodie rose from behind the bar, his arms full of liquor bottles. He looked at Mitzi and his eyes narrowed.
She’d never forget the vicious expression on his face at that moment.
He yelled over his shoulder, “Someone else is here!”
Another man appeared wearing the same attire and carrying a loaded canvas bag. “Fuck!” he swore and dropped the bag. 
They’re robbing the place. She didn’t have time to complete her call. She had to get out—fast.
The second man reached behind his back and pulled out a revolver, aiming it at Mitzi.
She glanced around. There was nothing on the hostess stand except paper and pens, but right next to it was a table where they kept a bowl full of promotional giveaways. Currently, it held pink and black stress balls for patrons to take and use as desired. The balls had ‘pleasure or pain?’ printed on them. Mitzi had thought it was cute at the time she’d ordered them.
She grabbed one of the palm-sized rubber balls and chucked it at the head of the man holding the gun. Her aim was off and she missed. But he ducked, which gave her enough time to make a break for it.
Mitzi raced to the front door, unlocked it, and ran shoeless and screaming into the frozen night.------------------
Coming this fall to Books We Love, Cover of Darkness, Witness Security, Book 3.
http://bookswelove.net/authors/hill-jamie/

MURDER SHE WROTE....AND SHE HEARD ABOUT IT!

The picture at the left was taken at Walmart...you'll see my book on the "Bestseller's shelf" but my novel was only there a few minutes...just long enough to remove the book from my coat and take a snapshot.  :)  I figured when people ask if my book is at Walmart, I could say I saw it there once.  *lol*

I'm not mainstream material...I admit it.  I don't write to word requirements, and I hate the box your have to fit your story into.   I love small press because they allow you creative liberties you don't usually have, as long as you write it well.

 For a couple of years, I reviewed HQ medical romances...until I got totally sick of reading the same story with different names and locales.  Honestly...even if you write fiction, you have to use a little reality in your story.  I can't count how many times, I've read reviews that expressed their appreciation for the believability of the story.

So...I dare to write outside that stupid box.  Since I'm a pantser, my stories are all character driven, and when the hero or heroine stops talking, I stop writing.  I take the story as far as the character wants to go, and that's where it ends...whether it be 35,000 words or 95,000.

In Yellow Moon , one of my latest releases, I dared end with something other than the standard HEA.  Oh, if you look beyond, there is an HEA, just not the one expected.  A review I received gave me 4 stars.  She liked the romance, but didn't like the ending.  You can't please everyone, everytime.

NEWSFLASH!  I base my books on reality even though I write fiction.  I don't like stories tied into a neat little box, and I try to bring something a little different to the reading world.  What I've found?  Most readers want to escape their own lives, live in the shoes of a heroine or hero, and they aren't ready for the unexpected.  If you throw in a surprise ending, it upsets people, and they let you know it.  I guess Mainstream romance has taught folks to expect the hero to gallop in on a white stallion, rescue the damsel in distress, and ride off into the sunset together, to live a beautiful life, happily ever after.  Yuk!  Why can't he trample the heroine with the horse, pick up a secondary character and sweep her away to an expected future?  Okay...maybe  "trample" is a bit extreme, but you have to admit, you'd be surprised, and someone is living happily ever after, just not who you thought it would be.  To me, that's being creative.

Although my first instinct is to respond to those bitter reviews with "Write Your Own Book," I grit my teeth and move on.  I guess I'll never be as popular as those who write their stories to fit into tidy little boxes, but I enjoy being that different author.

Here's hoping there are some readers out there looking for me.  :)

If you are, you can find my books on Amazon.

Movie Quote Trivia ~ Father's Day Edition ~ Answers

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check out my Movie Quote Trivia on Thursday. Here are the answers:

1) Easy

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

Answer: Liam Neeson played Bryan Mills in 2008's Taken.


2) Medium


"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Answer: Gregory Peck played Atticus Finch in 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird.

 



3) Movie Buff


"Papa! Papa, don't, I'll say anything! Please, papa, I'll say anything you want, tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it... Papa please don't go!"

Answer: Skye McCole Bartusiak played Susan Martin, Benjamin Martin's daughter in Mel Gibson's 2000 movie, The Patriot.

Thanks for playing along!

Still Sidelined...

Borrowed from Google ImagesI apologize for my missing posts, but I'm still using my phone and confined to my recliner.  I'll be back soon.  My knee is getting better, and the othro doc says nothing is broken, just lots of stretches and swelling.  Youch!!!

Movie Quote Trivia ~ Father's Day Edition

Time for another game of Movie Quote Trivia. This one is in honor of Sunday's Father's Day in the USA. I'll give you three quotes, ones I consider easy, medium, and Movie Buff! Can you name the movie and better yet, the character who said the lines? Try not to cheat!

1) Easy

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."




2) Medium

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."



3) Movie Buff

"Papa! Papa, don't, I'll say anything! Please, papa, I'll say anything you want, tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it... Papa please don't go!"



Good luck! I'll post the answers next Monday. Thanks for playing along and Happy Father's Day!