Wednesday, September 30, 2015

No Truer Words



This is where I'm at right now. I was doing pretty good, but these last couple of weeks, I take two steps forward and one step back on the weekend.

But, I have my goals and I will succeed, eventually. As long as I can put out the fire on the ground!


More on this subject later...


Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Smell Your Shoe...Have You Stepped in Something?

Isn't it amazing how we ofen pick the wrong time to jump into an ongoing conversation? Recently, I wrote an email  I thought was a polite and inquiring post to my author's loop, and when I read it aloud to my sister after I  got the scolding of my life, sis informed me my post sounded like my intent was to bait someone into an argument, and that if I intended to call someone out for what I considered bad behavior, I needed to grow a pair and be literal rather than dancing around the subject. Imagine my surprise since causing a problem was never my intent.  True, I did hope I was showing support for a peer by defending her actions, but I was simply clarifying why what she posted was so bad. Color me dense.
I seem to have a knack for causing confrontations that I despise, because I've never liked making anyone upset or being upset myself.  Honestly, to me this shows how someone can interpret something so differently than how we mean it.  I simply wanted clarification about what someone considered okay to post on loop so I didn't get myself into trouble, but I landed smackdab in mess of it.

As a result, I got publicly spanked, and then received a couple of chastizing emails from my publisher for daring to continue a threat she found contentious.  She told me I had no idea what had gone on previously, and she was right...so how would I know anything about how she felt?  

At this point, because she asked me not to contact her further, I'm unsure of my future there, and feeling like crap.  I just had three new books released there, and she also informed me she regrets helping me by placing an ad for one...something she does for all her authors.  I'm working on a story now...do I finish it or not?

There's nothing I can say at this point, and the real reason for posting this today is to warn you to "watch where you step."  What you think you doing and what you actually do might really shock you.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Sometimes We All Need a Reminder

By Jamie Hill



I shared this on Facebook but it's important enough to share again here. It's very easy to get irritated in life. I must of done it ten times today alone, and today was a pretty good day! LOL Two items I purchased at two different stores didn't ring up as they should. One, I stayed and argued and finally got the sale price. The other I let it go (and my husband said I should have stayed and argued because a sign was posted advertising the sale...)

Anyway, I suspect I'm heading into menopause because one day I'm on top of the world and the next I could bite somebody's head off with very little chewing. My moods go from totally upbeat to majorly depressed at the drop of a hat. 

I know I'm lucky, and that I have a lot going for me. I'm posting this to remind myself that sometimes, being happy is a choice. Happy is also an upbeat song by Pharrell Williams. And sometimes, when that stupid song comes up on my playlist, I fast forward because I'm not in the mood. <grin>

Don't worry, be happy. Easier said than done. But we have to keep trying.

Have a great week!



Saturday, September 26, 2015

Sunday Snippets with Ginger Simpson

Because my life is a mess at the moment, I'm veering from sharing tidbits from a work I've done, and instead sharing an interesting post with you I did on my other blog, Cowboy Kisses.  Hope you enjoy:

Hoopla about Immigrants by Ginger Simpson #immigrants

The New World existed with a total 'native' population.  Other than the Indians, the rest of us are either immigrants or the descendants of the Europeans, Africans, Asians, and others who came to the Americas after Columbus landed at San Salvador in 1492.  Even those waiting on shore to greet the crew were of foreign lineage.  Ever wonder where those red skinned folks we use in our books came from?

www.lib.utexas.com
The First Immigrants:

A land bridge between Siberia and what is now Alaska provided passage during the last Ice Age (about 12,000 years ago) for the first immigrants into the New World.  They consisted of hungry men and women, bringing their families on a hunt for game they needed to survive.

As families multiplied, or as the Bible states, "one begat another", the descendants spread out over the two continents...from Alaska to the tip of South America.  They encountered many animals and sites they'd never seen before, but not once did they run across another human being who preceded them.

Imagine surviving in sub-zero temperatures on the frozen tundra but then ending up along rugged coastlines, fertile river valleys, grassy plains or arid deserts.  The Indians and Eskimos were thought to be the last group to cross the land bridge and had to invent new weapons for survival, and develop new techniques for hunting, farming, and gathering natural medicines provided by the earth.  Just stop a minute and think of all the things you'd need to survive in a place unfamiliar to you and yours.  Could you tote water from a distance....in what?  Could you make clothes and tools...from?

We tend to think of the tribes as one people, but for example the Tlingits are as different from the Sioux as Greeks are from the Danes (provided from research book to be named).  As the immigrants spread over the North American continent, more than 200 languages and dialects developed.  Imagine a Spaniard trying to converse with someone from Russia.

Different cultures, social and political structures...equally diverse.  Sound familiar?????  We all come from descendants of other races and cultures.  Be kind to the person standing next to you...they could be a distant relative.

Note from Ginger:  This too, was researched and paraphrased fromAmerica's Fascinating Indian Heritage by Readers Digest.

Now....please hop on over to the other gals who post on Sundays, and check out their offerings:




http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron)

If you get a page that has an old post...just realize that life sometimes happens, and then check back next week.  I've missed a few myself...summer time is camping time and we don't always have Internet access.  Like today, I didn't get anything scheduled nd know that Sunday, I'll be away from home.  Thanks for checking in and we hope you keep coming back.



Wednesday, September 23, 2015

It's Here...It's Here...my New Release, Lost in His Eyes by Ginger Simpson

Harlee Wagner didn’t expect to fall in the well when drawing water, and she certainly never expected to be rescued only to find her entire family gone. Logan Carruthers, her handsome hero insist she rest up before she starts searching and then leads her on a trail consisting of hints and guesses. Will she find her family, or will she discover love? There’s something about his gorgeous blue eyes and broad shoulders that makes her heart flutter.


Yep...my newest release from Books We Love is live, and you can find it in a variety of locations.  I would suggest going to my BWL page and selecting the cover to get to a Payloadz page where you can get you desired format and pay with Paypal or a credit card.  I've taken the liberty of clicking that beautiful cover by Michelle Lee for you.  Like I said...I can't believe how great Jimmy Thomas looks as Logan Carruthers while holding my "Harlee Wagner" in his arms.  Link  Just click it!

Here's a little snippet to tease you:


She made a first step and a second. Water dripped from her body and splatted into what remained in the well. Her limbs trembled. The coarseness of the rope nipped through the thin material of her dress and chafed her skin. On her third step, her left leg gave out and she slammed against the wall, knocking the air from her lungs and scraping her cheek against the rough stones. The stranger slackened the rope, allowing her to collapse back into the water. Harlee massaged her burning face, and even in the dim light saw blood on her fingers. She used the wet hem of her dress to soothe the burning and dab the wound.

“Are you okay?” His deep voice resonated and brought her to her senses.

Wouldn’t anyone who’d been trapped in a well for days be just fine? She took a deep breath and resisted asking him if he was serious.

“Did you hurt yourself?” He yelled louder.

“Yes. My cheek is bleeding and my hands are raw, but I’m ready to make another try.” Determination drove her.

“Okay, I’m going to start pulling again, so stand up and hold on tight.”

Her mind whirred with questions she hoped to ask. Harlee struggled to her feet and took a firm grip on her lifeline. “Pull.”

Despite the pain, she concentrated on each step, unwilling to waiver until she reached freedom. Her palms burned and the top of the well appeared miles away. Still, she made sure she kept one foot anchoring her in place before she moved the other. Many times she wanted to surrender, but looking up into the blurred face of her hero gave her the strength she needed to continue.

After what seemed forever, sunlight warmed Harlee’s face and a breeze caressed her soggy skin. The stranger grasped her beneath her arms and hauled her over the well’s edge. Her feet touched the ground, but overcome by weakness, she sagged against her hero. He swept her into his arms as if she was nothing more than a feather and cradled her like a mother would her babe. “There, there, you’re going to be fine now.”

Somehow, she believed his soothing words…especially because of the sincerity shining in his sky blue eyes—eyes you could get lost in.


****

BTW...this was a book that I self published that just sat there and did nothing despite my promoting it.  I'm so thankful that Jude and Books We Love gave me a chance to bring it to a new life with a much mor exciting cover.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Balancing Time and Blood Pressure by Ginger Simpson

One of the hardest things to do as an author is to balance your time in order to spend enough of your day at the computer to fulfill all the tasks that come with being an author...and it's not just writing.

Facebook, Twitter trends, games, cell phones and TV are all things that take precious moments away from being productive.  I'm as guilty as most for engaging in anyone of these 'time sucks', BUT, I do make part of daily regime sharing the posts of my blog partners and trying to find avenues that will allow me to promote myself.  For instance, I spent the better part of yesterday, updating ManicReaders, Library Thing, my website, and my blog.  I took a nap in the afternoon because my character, Sarah, woke me up at 1:30 a.m. and I needed to write down the info she provided to move my current WIP along,  but I still shared posts (Thanks Jamie Hill for always being dependable) from Dishin' It Out, Cowboy Kisses, Inside Books We Love, and approved over 75 tweets from people on Twitter.  In addition, I probably bored as many people with FB posts about my new releases, memes I shared, and silly comments I made.

My biggest bug a boo is those who claim tthey're so busy they can't subscript to sites and return the sharing favor I manage to do every day.  Between FB, Google, Pinterest, and Triberr, I spend a lot of time promoting the work and postings of other authors, and I'm very discouraged when I don't see my efforts reciprocated.  I keep asking myself....why do I continue to be the nice guy.  I do because people can't read blogs they don't know exist, just like they can't read books that aren't promoted.  If we all don't do our part, what's the point?

Today, after speaking with a manaagement person at Southwest who insists I made two reservations for the same day for the same person and wasted $635 dollars plus the $60 to change the original ticket, and working with ARe to try to get books taken down that are there through a publisher that no longer has the rights to sell them, I've decided, people will never change Right now I could breath on a match and light it, but I'm just going to inhale and exhale until my blood pressure isn't 200 over 160 anymore. (that's what it feels like.)

 I guess I'd forgotten the old saying I always stood by when married to my alcoholic husband.  "You can't change anyone but yourself."  So...I'm gonna go take a nap, and to heck with anything else at this point.  I just spent money I can't afford, my books are going to remain on ARe forever, people are always going to be lazy about promoting, and there really isn't anything I'm willing to change about me.  So...night-night.  I guess living in a basement with no windows really does have its advantages.  *smile*

And now that I'm ready to schedule this puppy, I just got an error message from Spell-check that tells me to try again later.  Not a chance.  I you find a mistake, don't blame me...it's Blogger's fault.  *lol*

Sunday, September 20, 2015

The New Phone Books Are Here! The New Phone Books Are Here!

By Jamie Hill

I was watching my Friday night Blue Bloods rerun and discovered the new season of fall TV starts this week for many shows. I got so excited, I felt like Steve Martin in The Jerk when he saw his name in the phone book for the first time. Yeah, I realize that doesn't make much sense, but just imagine me shouting "The new fall season is here!" and hopefully you'll make the connection. My husband didn't even bat an eyelash. Football season has started and he has all the new TV he cares to watch already scheduled into the DVR.

I've always been a TV fan but in recent years have had to limit my viewing due to lack of time. The nice thing now is, if I miss a series and discover later that I should have been watching it, I can catch up On Demand or on Netflix, which requires a bit of patience but it's super fun binge watching a whole season in one weekend, LOL. I know, I read the study that says how unhealthy that is, but I'd be sitting in front of my computer anyway, you know? And I get up every hour at least to throw another load of laundry in. That's my weekend routine.

On to the new season. I'm excited for Downton Abbey. So excited I always watch online rather than wait for January in the states. Of course I'm excited for the new Blue Bloods, and I'm also a fan of Law and Order SVU. I love the bromance on Hawaii 5-0 and try to watch that regularly. I'm also looking forward to the Oct. 11 premiere of The Walking Dead and Talking Dead after it.

Hubby and I both like Shark Tank, Behind the Tank, The Amazing Race and Bar Rescue which all start this week. Graceland just ended (I'm sad--another year to see how that turns out) and Cedar Cove ends next weekend. (Ready for a break on that one. This week's episode was an hour-long commercial for Ford's Warriors in Pink charity. I know it's a great cause, but everyone in Cedar Cove was wearing their T-shirts, mentioning their website, etc. Come on, Ford. Sheesh.) I never got in to the Walking Dead spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead. I figure if it catches on I can always catch up later.

The only new show I have DVR'd (a new verb in my lexicon) is Limitless, featuring Jennifer Carpenter of Dexter fame. Of course a special appearance by Bradley Cooper can't hurt. :D

As if my spare time wasn't pulled in enough directions, the new fall TV season is here. The weather is cooling down, I've been able to get out and walk some and my diet is back on track. All in all, I couldn't be happier.

Which shows are you looking forward to?



Saturday, September 19, 2015

Sunday Snippets from Ginger Simpson #sundaysnips

This week, I'd like to share a little bit from my soon-to-be released western historical novel, Lost in His Eyes.  The cover is in and Jimmy Thomas looks spectacular as Logan with Harlee in his arms.  Yep...you guessed it, it's a romance.  Don't forget...this and all my other books are available via my Books We Love page.  Just click the cover you like and you'll be taken to a page where you can select your format and payment method.  Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!

Here's a sneak-peek of the unedited version:

The flames danced higher when Logan added more dried sage. The fiery fingers reached for the sky while puffs of dark smoke almost made him invisible. He coughed and backed away, fanning the air with his hat.

Harlee sat with her back against a rock. The sun’s heat still radiated from the stone and eased her sore muscles. She covered her mouth to smother her laughter; her gaze followed Logan as he spread sleeping rolls on both sides of the fire.

“It’s a good idea to sleep far apart, Logan. Your mother would be proud of you.” A sassy tone edged Harlee’s voice.

“I figured you’d be safer on your side.”

“From the animals?”

“From me.” Turning toward her, he grinned. “Are you ready to bed down? We’ll be leaving early.”

Harlee went to her bedroll and slipped between the uncomfortable wool blankets. She reached behind her head and loosened her hair from its ribbon. The canvas on the ground beneath her bedroll crinkled, making her long for the comfort of the guest room. Sounds from the other side of the fire indicated Logan had also settled in, and when the crinkling stopped, the only noise was the crackling and spitting of the flames.

The day’s unrelenting heat turned cold as a million stars twinkled overhead. In the distant night, a coyote howled. The lonely call raised goose bumps on Harlee’s arms, and she snuggled deeper in her scratchy bedding. Although the animal received no response, it sounded far too close.

“I’m cold, Logan.” Harlee sought the comfort of knowing her companion was awake.

“The fire is still going.” He pointed out the obvious.

“I don’t care. It’s cold and these blankets are making me itch…and I’m not so sure about nearby animals.”

He propped himself on an elbow. The fire’s reflection showed his furrowed forehead. “What, exactly, would you like me to do? I put your bed over there so I wouldn’t be tempted by having you near, and…I can toss another log on the fire if you want but that’s the bed you’re stuck with.”

“Didn’t you hear the coyote?”

“Yes, but like I said, the fire will keep them away. Sound can’t hurt you, so let ‘em yowl all they want.”

She sat up, pulling her blanket to beneath her chin. “But what if the fire dies and you’re asleep?”

“I swear, Harlee. I’m bone tired and we have to get up early. 
Would you like me to track the animal down and shoot it?”

“No…don’t do that.” She shook her head, swaying her locks from side-to-side.

“Then what?”

“I want to sleep closer to you.”

*******************

Now....hop on over to my gal pal's sites and see what goodies they're sharing this week.  Don't forget to leave a comment, and if you have time, we also love it when you share the posts by using the buttons for the different sites.




http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/ (Juliet Waldron)

If you get a page that has an old post...just realize the life sometimes happens, and then check back next week.  I've missed a few myself...summer time is camping time and we don't always have Internet access.  Hope you keep coming back.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Blog-jacked from Inside Books We Love - Post by Sheila Claydon

I absolutely love this post, so I borrowed it to share here.  There are so many reasons that readers get disenchanted with stories, and Sheila shares her own..  We can learn from this.  I totally agree about too much telling.  I once edited a book in which the author insisted on writing about every nook and cranny in the kitchen and every tree that grew on the property.  He just wasn't willing "to get" that it's fine to show the characters using objects in the kitchen...perhaps opening a cabinet that you can describe so the reader can picture it, or even pulling out a squeaky drawer to fetch a knife for carving that big old turkey on the table that filled the room with delicious aromas.... he wanted to describe every drawer and cabinet in the room and talk about every tree outside.  I suggested it might be a better story if he picked a tree outside the heroine's window and shared about a black bird perched on the almost bare branches and singing a throaty song. 


By the way, repetition of words in the same paragraph are my annoying feature when I read.  To me, using the same word over again shows a lack of imagination or just plain laziness.  I'm a frequent user of my thesaurus and I wonder why others aren't.  So...here's what Sheila has to say:




 Although I love to read I'm becoming more and more picky with age. I no longer read books where too many words get in the way of the story. Ditto books where the author shares every detail of every bit of research ever done. Recently I read a book that listed all the tools a thatcher uses together with a 'how to' guide, while another one described an autopsy in such detail over several pages that it read like a medical text book. Although I'm never going to thatch a roof or become a pathologist it doesn't mean I'm not interested. What I don't want to do, however, is waste time reading pages of badly disseminated research that add nothing to the story.

I didn't need to know about shearing hooks, legatts, crooks and pins and nor did the police sergeant in the story, who was told apropos of absolutely nothing. The detail, which took up 3 pages, was not only entirely irrelevant, it came out of nowhere. At first I thought the conversation held a hidden clue  but no, the victim was shot, not sliced open with a shearing hook.

I have another bugbear. If, after a paragraph or two, I find myself editing some of the author's convoluted and wordy sentences in my head, I know the book is not for me.

Facts are fine, so is descriptive prose if it adds to the story, but I'm of the Stephen King persuasion. Write the book. Put everything in it and then take out half when you first edit it, and more again the second time around.

Then there's the plot. A good plot keeps me guessing almost to the final page while a bad plot bores me to death. This happened last week and halfway through the book I did something I've never done before, I turned to the end. It was a crime novel by a well known author who has had work translated into a very successful TV series, so my expectation was high. The only downside as far as I could see was that it comprised 650 close typed pages, a bit long for a 'Whodunnit'. Sadly the author let me down. I worked out the entire plot as well the outcomes of quite a few of the side stories within the first half dozen chapters. When I also found myself continually re-writing some of the sentences in my head I gave up, turned to the end, confirmed what I already knew, and then chose another, very much more enjoyable and well written book about the young Australian war brides who were transported to Britain at the end of WW2.

That TV series thing gets to me too. Although I've read some good ones I've also read a number of poorly written books by different authors that have been turned into very successful TV series.  Is the success of the TV version down to a very talented script writer and director or have I missed something? I'd love to know how producers choose their stories. Do they actually prefer a book they can tinker with,  look for characters who need to become more rounded, a plot that needs tightening up? I wish I knew.

My attitude is a personal one of course. Some readers enjoy lengthy prose and I have one friend who can't abide modern literature and just re-reads all the old classics. There's certainly a place for those in our literary lexicon but fashions change, and some of the old stories I once enjoyed now seem wordy and contrived, although others have stood the test of time to an admiral degree, so yes, I'm picky about the classics too.

Am I like this because I'm becoming more selective as I grow older, or is it because I'm a writer? It's probably a bit of both, but what I do know is that life is far to short to waste time reading a book I'm not enjoying. What about you?

For a great many very readable books go to http://bookswelove.net

For my own (I hope) readable books, go to amazon.com/author/sheilaclaydon or http://bookswelove.net/authors/claydon-sheila/


Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Cover Reveal and Blurb for Arizona Sky - Coming Soon from BWL #newrelease

To be released any day now...Arizona Sky. Make sure and check Books We Love for availability, and order your preferred format and pay with your credit card or Paypal.  Woo Hoo!!

No matter how hard he tried to prevent them, images of her naked body played in his mind.  Clearly, she had more of an effect on him than he’d planned.  When had he started thinking of her less as a girl and more as a woman?  He hadn’t really seen it coming. 

  Now, outlined in the moonlight, her full lips, slender neck, and soft curves begged for attention.  He wasn’t as experienced as most men but had learned in the bed of a local saloon whore who knew her trade well.  Memories stirred his desire.

Clinging to his gentlemanly manners, he escorted Odessa to the lobby door and doffed his hat.  “I promised you some privacy, so I’m gonna go see to the horses.  I’ll be back to the room later.”

“But wait….” Her voice summoned him back. “Don’t you want to take a bath, too?”

He widened his eyes, afraid to ask the question that leapt into his mind. Was she proposing he join her?

__________________________________________________

All you have to do is go to my BWL page, click on the cover of the book you like, and you'll be taken to the page at Payloadz where you can download for a really good price.  It's that easy!


Sunday, September 13, 2015

Autumn Trivia by Jamie Hill





The temperature was 58 degrees F when I woke up Saturday morning and man did that feel nice. We were able to turn off the central air and open the windows for the first time all summer. I see 90 in the forecast later this week but for now, we're soaking up the fall.


Football, hoodies, campfires, S'mores...fall brings lots of enjoyable activities and no, I don't count leaf-raking as one of them. Fortunately, the nice young men who mow our lawn take care of that now. Age does have a few privileges.

How about some (easy) Autumn Trivia from Party Ideas Parade?

Autumn Trivia Questions and Answers

Q.) What famous dress up holiday falls in the Autumn months?
A.) Halloween falls on October 31st every year and it is the dress up holiday when we all don our costumes and go trick or treating. 

Q.) Another holiday in Autumn involves the turkey. What is it?
A.) The other popular holiday in Autumn is Thanksgiving Day. Lots of people refer to this one as Turkey Day! 


Q.) Autumm is also known as something else. What is it?
A.) Autumn is also know as the Fall. 

Q.) When does Autumn officially begin?
A.) If you are in the northern hemisphere of Earth, Autumn or Fall begins with the Autumnal equinox September 22-23. Autumn ends with the onset of winter on the Winter solstice Decenber 21-22.
If you are in the southern hemisphere of Earth, Autumn or Fall begins with the Autumnal equinox March 20-21. The season ends with the onset of winter on the Winter solstice June 20-21.
 

Q.) Name a song about Autumn.
A.) There are many songs written about Autumn. Some songs about autumn are "November Rain" by Guns and Roses. "See You in September" song by The Tempos and the Association and and "Chill of an Early Fall" by George Strait. 


Q.) What is the most famous food of the autumn months? You can make a soup or a pie from this. Some people like to carve them up for Halloween.
A.) That's an easy Autumn trivia question...it's a Pumpkin. 

Q.) Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?
A.) The pumpkin is a squash like fruit although it is used as a vegetable in meals. 


Q.) What do you call a full moon in Autumn?
A.) A full moon in Autumn is called a Harvest Moon. 


Happy Autumn! Happy Fall!

 

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Sunday Snippets from Ginger #sundaysnips

Today, I'm sharing snippets from an unedited submission that should be released very soon.  Arizona Sky was published under a different name by another publisher, but I feel it never got a chance to be a hit.  I re-read and re-worked (removed amatuer issues I've learned since writing the story) and believe me, I'd forgotten what a good book it is.  I hope you'll agree.

SNIPPET:

Zach carried her to the other side of the standing wall. A weathered bench sat among broken pottery and rusted utensils. An old coffee pot, dented and missing its lid, rested on its side next to a pile of ashes left by previous travelers. He sat her down on the rickety wooden seat. “Will you be all right while I get our gear?”

She nodded, lowering her head and making a futile attempt to brush the dirty stains from her skirt. “I suppose.”

When he returned, laden with his bedroll and her pack, and both rifles slung across his shoulder, the bench was empty. His breath caught in his throat. He whipped his gaze around and didn’t see her. She couldn’t have gone far.

  Storm nickered loudly. Zach dropped everything and dashed back to where he’d left his horse. Odessa struggled with the reins, trying to lift her foot into the stirrup. Storm snorted and reared. The girl jerked and stepped back when flying hooves clawed the air close to her head.
Zach snared the reins that now dragged the ground. “Shhh, it’s all right, boy. Calm down.”  Storm snorted again and pulled against him.

“What the hell were you…?”   His harsh tone faded when he noticed her eyes were wide as silver dollars, her chest heaving.

“I’m sorry.”  Tears clouded her eyes. “Please don’t have me hung for being a horse thief. I just…” Her chin sagged to her chest and she sobbed.

“Oh, don’t cry. I hate when you women do that.”  Zach clucked his tongue against his teeth. “No one’s getting hung, so stop your caterwauling.”  This wasn’t exactly the reward he expected for his good deed.

Odessa sniffed and swiped her sleeve across her nose. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Maybe I’ve been in the sun so long it’s baked my brain. I should be thanking you instead of trying to leave you stranded. Can you forgive me?”

Those eyes again. How could he say no?  He lowered his gaze and kicked at a pebble then looked up. “I guess I can, but how do I know you won’t try it again?  Am I gonna have to tie you up?”
Her mouth gaped. “You wouldn’t?”

“It’s your call. This horse means more to me than you do.”

“I promise I won’t do anything so addlebrained again.” She clasped her hands beneath her chin and flashed a weak grin.

“And why should I trust you?” He cocked his head, still holding the reins.

“Because I give you my word, and my pa, may he rest in peace, taught me about honor.”  She dropped her arms and squared her shoulders.

“I guess you must have forgotten a few minutes ago, huh?” He patted Storm’s forehead. “But then, you don’t know anything about me, so I reckon I understand.”


Her shoulders sagged. “I’ll be good. I swear on my mama’s grave. Pa’s too, if I knew for sure he had one.”

Good news....all of my books are now available via Books We Love.  You click on the cover, download the format you need and pay using a credit card or Paypal....your choice.  So...if you like what you've seen, check out the page and keep an eye out for the cover.  It should be available anyday.  In the meantime, you might enjoy something else I've written: http://www.bookswelove.com/authors/simpson-ginger/

In the meantime...hop on over to the other authors who post Sunday Snippets and see what they have in store:






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