"Classic Ginger" Do You Want a Husband or Need a Father?

I'm always amazed at the number of women who say, "My husband would never let me...(finish the sentence.)"

Just typing that quote makes me shiver.  I have always believed and do to this day, that marriage is a 50/50 arrangement.  I entered into a union as an adult and equal to my husband.  I asked my father for permission to do things because he was my parent and responsible for my actions until I became an adult, but I don't need to have permission from my husband to do whatever I wish.  Out of respect and kindness, I "check" my intentions with him to assure there is no problem, but to assume I need his permission is totally outside the realm of reality. I'm a grown woman.

I think this type of attitude transcends to the heroines in my books. I like women who have guts and aren't afraid to live life on their own terms.  Some of mine have withstood Indian attacks, mock rescues by the Cavalry,falling into a well, fighting a raging river, and in my current WIP, living life with someone threatening her with murder.  I've had reviewers call my female leads head-strong and spoiled, but I believe anyone who takes responsibility for their own decisions and stands strong against the grain can be considered spoiled if someone is viewing relationships from a parent/child aspect. If you look at an individual as a responsible and mature adult, you usually get a different outcome.

Main Character Acts Like a Spoiled Brat - A review for Ellie's Legacy

Another Review for Ellie's Legacy:  Although Ellie matured and realized her father was trying to do what was best for her, she acted like a brat for much of the time.

Review from Betrayed:  Although living a comfortable life financially, she wants to be loved and be in love. She meets Evan online and he sweeps her off her feet.

Review from Betrayed: Cassie is extremely trusting and let things happen too quickly. Evan took advantage of her at every turn and she suffered the consequences

A relationship should be a  sacred bond into which you enter with love and respect, not a means of binding someone to another's opinions and judgments.  In my humble opinion, separation happens when one party loses the respect of the other. Respect t is a big component in love...along with trust, and if you can't trust your partner to make their own decisions, there isn't much room for respect...or love.

In my novel, Betrayed, I wrote about Cassie Fremont, an independent woman who WAS a confident and self-supporting individual until she let a man steal her independence from her. Betrayed happened to be based on a true life experience with Internet dating, and the message I hoped to deliver resounded with the very person who lived through the entire ordeal.  Love is a wonderful thing, but none of us need validation to make us who we need to be.

Okay...this is my rant for the day.  Just remember, if you're talking to me on FB, don't ever indicate you have to seek your husband's approval.  *lol*

http://www.bookswelove.com/authors/simpson-ginger

Sunday Snippets by Ginger Simpson - #sundaysnips

Today, I'm sharing a little from my relationship book, Betrayed.  This story is based on a real-life happenstance, featuring my sister.  The nightmare is over, but the bad taste lingers.  We just discovered a month or so ago that the "antagonist" is now deceased, but there are thousands like him out there, waiting to prey on the innocent.  My book delivers a message you won't want to miss.

The constant buzz of the alarm invaded Cassie’s sleep. She reached to the nightstand and slapped the button atop the clock to silence the annoying noise. Although early, the light from the rising sun filtering into the room forced her to squint until her eyes adjusted to the brightness. If changing the position of her home became humanly possibly, she’d turn the whole dwelling around. The lacy white curtains that matched her down comforter made her bedroom stylishly feminine, but did little to darken the room.

With reluctance, she dropped her legs over the edge of the bed and curled her toes into the plush ecru carpet. It would be so nice to sleep in just one morning, but work beckoned. She grimaced at the thought of another day at the office. What would it be like to be married to a rich man and not have to work?

She covered her mouth to mask a gaping yawn, stood and stretched. Her fingers splayed through a gnarled mass, and she groaned. Going to bed with damp hair had been a bad idea.

Immediately, her thoughts returned to Evan—the reason she stayed up late. There was no use checking for a response this early, besides there was no time and she didn’t dare be late. Her new boss was a real jerk not at all like the wonderful man for whom she had worked for years. What were the odds that when her ideal supervisor retired, she would end up being supervised by a Japanese man? Somehow people of that particular ethnicity kept turning Cassie’s life upside down.

She had never been racially biased, but perceptions from her new boss’ actions indicated anyone of the female gender threatened him. He treated her differently than the male executives, not letting her make decisions as she had in the past, and never soliciting her opinion. In some ways, working for him felt like being married to Greg all over again.

Her new supervisor’s treatment of her set the tone for the other men in the office and made going to work a chore. If there was any possibility of finding a job that paid the same great wages, she’d quit in a flash, but unfortunately, due to unemployment statistics, her chances hovered somewhere between slim and none.

Cassie shuffled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She shed her nightgown and stood waiting for the water to warm. A mental image of Evan drifted through her mind; he probably looked nothing like it.

She shuddered and peered into the mirror. “Internet dating, are you insane?”

After testing the water, she slipped inside the stall and ducked her head beneath the stream of refreshing liquid to clear her thoughts and hopefully untangle the Frankenstein’s bride look that sleep had created. Starting over with blown-dry hair would make her morning’s toilette a lot easier.

***

Cassie shifted positions, crossing and uncrossing her legs under the boardroom table. Her chair made an embarrassing sound as air escaped the bottom leather cushion; a few eyes turned in her direction. Despite her innocence, a flush crept up her neck. She hoped they didn’t think the rude noise came from her personally.

The business meeting seemed never ending. Mr. Takeda, her boss, had turned what used to be information-sharing workshops into dictatorial seminars. He stood at the head of the table and droned on and on. No longer comfortable with offering opinions, Cassie fidgeted with boredom, wishing the day would end.

How could one man make her feel so insecure? The abundance of confidence she once had at work had slipped away.  No longer boosted by career achievement, her personal life was now an issue. She glanced around the male-dominated room. Did other suffer Takeda’s wrath or was she the only one because she held the sole female position in management?  Between a bum marriage to someone who treated her as though she didn’t exist and a supervisor who operated in the same style, no wonder her self-esteem waned.  Even those in the secretarial pool offered no compassion or empathy.  They disliked her for being successful, too.

Finally, Mr. Takeda barked his last command and dismissed the staff. Cassie released a long breath. The meeting and the workday ended at the same time. She walked back to her desk, switched off her computer and grabbed her purse.

All the way home on the train, she pondered having to keep working under the present conditions. Her vacant stare glimpsed and stayed on the headlines of the newspaper held by a passenger across the aisle: Man Found Slain.

Cassie arched her brow at the thought, but quickly shook her head.

Nope, killing him wasn’t the answer. He wasn’t worth going to prison, but an impish chuckle escaped her lips when she pictured herself standing over Takeda’s body with a bloody knife.

The train’s jolting halt train yanked her back to reality. She gathered her belongings and, feeling slightly claustrophobic, blended in with the throng of people exiting the car. The man behind her slammed into her, pushing her into the woman in front. Cassie devised a new idea for offing Mr. T: let the crowd stampede and trample him. With no shame involved, she took a deep breath and adjusted her carry-on strap so it didn’t bite so hard into her shoulder.  Caught in the throng of bodies, she could only move as fast as the crowd. 

Betrayed is available with all my other books on my Amazon author's page.  Hope you'll check them out.

Now hop on over and check out my friend's offerings:

http://connievines.blogspot.com (Connie Vines)

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

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

SUNDAY SNIPPETS WITH GINGER #sundaysnips

Today, instead of sharing snippets of a book, I'm going to share an interview with Cassie from Betrayed.  I absolutely loved writing this book because it was based on a true story...something that actually happened to my sister when she met a man on the Internet.  Unbelievable how someone so charming and seemingly honest could take so many people on the ride of their life.  This was the first time I used an author's note to explain something to the reader.  Hope you'll give it a try.  I'm working on a sequel:  Deceived.  I guess from the titles, you can tell she doesn't have the best of luck with men.

“Go on   Get out there.  You promised to do this, remember?”  *Ginger pushing Cassie onto the stage*

*Cassie digs in her heels* “Okay, okay, I’m going, but I’d like to remind you that you’ve already put me through hell in that friggin’ book of yours.”

*She approaches the microphone and taps it* “Can everyone hear me?”  *smiles* “My name is Cassie Fremont and I’m the head female character in Betrayed. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to share with you that Ginger hasn’t already divulged in the story.  God knows she told you everything. *rolls eyes* I guess nothing is sacred when it comes to novels.”

*Pulls up nearby stool and inches her butt onto it. Heaves a big sigh, and runs her hands along her slacks while peering into the bright lights over the crowd.*  “Well, I promised her I’d make an appearance today, along with everyone else she’s invited, so I’ll get on with it.”

*Shrugs* “I’m a dolt   What can I say?  I found myself divorced, middle-aged and lonely.  I share a home with my mother because I don’t want her to live alone, but she pretty much keeps to her own part of the house. I have a lot of spare time so I entertain myself with the Internet. Don’t  we all spend time on the computer? Well, I happened across a dating site one night…big deal   I figured it wouldn’t hurt to join and see what happened.  I never expected anyone… Okay, that’s a lie.  I wouldn’t have joined if I hadn’t hoped someone would notice my post.  I just didn’t expect it would turn out like it did.”

*Cassie rises, pulls microphone from stand and walks toward edge of stage.* “I admit I was flattered at all of Evan’s flowery words and his Texas accent, but I have no idea what happened to my common sense.  I’m quite sure everyone was stunned to learn I let a virtual stranger move into my house… and my bed. *gazes down at stage*  I guess if you’ve never been afraid of growing old alone, you can’t fathom why I did what I did.”

*Pauses, pinches the bridge of her nose, then peers out at the audience again*
“I should have listened to my sister and brother, but I didn’t.  Instead, I flew into a rage and wrote them off.  For two long years, they weren’t part of my life, but I was so wrapped up in myself and Evan, I didn’t miss them until things got so bad I had no where else to turn.”

*Shakes her head* “Hey, talking about this is depressing the hell out of me.  I’ve moved on to newer pastures.  If you want to know the whole story, you’ll ust have to buy a copy of Betrayed…*stares at the ceiling for a moment* “Boy, was I ever.”

*Walks back to stand and replaces microphone* “I can’t say it was a pleasure being here today, because no one likes to admit being an idiot, but it happens.  All I can say is if I pull another idiotic stunt, I sincerely hope my sister will have the courtesy to forgo writing another book about it. I could write a journal about her stupidity, but I haven’t.  *looks backstage and flashes a glare, then exits to applause*

I’d like to thank my sis for being so gracious and honoring her word to be my guest today.  Betrayed http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson. 

is available on my Amazon page at

Now, hop on over to the other participants and appreciate what they have to share:

http://www.jamiehill.biz (Jamie Hill)
http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

http://romancingscifi.blogspot.com/ (Vijaya Schartz)

http://connievines.blogspot.com (Connie Vines)

Sunday Snippets with Ginger Simpson #Sundaysnips

I'm sorry I'm late in getting this up, but this week has been hectic with unpacking moving boxes ad naseum, and trying to get settled. I've still got a long way to go, but I just realized I hadn't scheduled my post...so here are six paragraphs from my WIP - Deceived.  This is the follow-up to Betrayed, which is based on a true story.

“I’ll have the ribeye, medium well, with a baked potato and salad with ranch.”  Cassie closed her menu and smiled up at the waitress.

“I’ll have the same, but make my steak rare.”  Will’s gaze didn’t leave Cassie’s face.

The waitress walked away with a promise to return with their salads and bread.  Cassie’s stomach rumbled.  She hadn’t eaten all day and recollections of the plump yeast rolls from Huckleberry’s made her mouth water.  Will’s constant assessment of her made her uneasy and she glanced around the filled restaurant, noting the myriad of diverse patrons rather than maintain eye contact with him.

“You are so beautiful.”  His voice pulled her attention back to him.

“Oh, please.  I have mirrors in my house.  You know what ‘they’ say about the old gray mare?”

“Okay, then let me rephrase that.  I think you’re beautiful.”

Now "hop" on over to the following blogs and see what surprises are in store for you there:

http://www.jamiehill.biz/ (Jamie Hill)

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

http://medievalnovels.blogspot.com (Vijaya Schartz)

http://connievines.blogspot.com (Connie Vines)

Oh, and Happy Mother's Day!

SUNDAY SNIPPETS WITH GINGER #sundaysnips

This week I'm offering six paragraphs from one of my two works-in-progress, Deceived.  Last week, I offered a sampling of its predecessor, Betrayed.  Despite being told by my current publisher that my relationship novel was not selling and they wouldn't be accepting any beyond my next submission in that genre, I've decided to finish the story because I personally "lived" the event with my sister as she tried to recover from her Internet dating experience.  Of course, I fictionalized names and added a few phony facts. :)

I'm hoping for encouragement to continue writing this story, so leave me a comment and tell me what you think about both books.

Hadn’t she learned her lesson? Cassie Fremont mentally kicked herself as she busied herself with a much overdue house cleaning.  She'd just returned from her second date...lunch...with a man she met on the Internet. One would suspect after what she'd been through, she would’ve known better.  Her sigh sliced the silence as she thought back on her disastrous past.  She tried never to let the name, “Evan Dennis,” drift into her mind, but she couldn't help wondering if he'd found another sucker who believed  he actually gave a damn about her.

Clearing the devastation Evan had wreaked on her emotionally and financially had taken years.  By the time the proverbial smoke had cleared, Cass realized“sucker” was the only word fit to describe her any anyone else who accepted his line of charming bullshit.

Leaving the dust cloth splayed on the end table, she widened the slats on her mini blinds and peered out the front window at cars passing on the street.  Who rode in them, where were they bound, and were they happy?  Distracting thoughts kept her from the task of cleaning and thinking of Evan.  With any luck, he rotted in Hell.

 Having already married once and divorced, she’d taken back her maiden name to try to erase fifteen years of heartache, but nothing, nothing, could eradicate the bad memories of being cheated on by her first husband.   With no self-esteem left, she'd lost herself in Evan, and then discovered he’d been a cheater, too, but in an entirely different way.

  Past experiences left her cold and unyielding to the idea of male company for five long and lonely years, killing any chance she'd had with Brian Green, the police detective she dated for a time while he investigated the dead-end Evan had become.  Then Will appeared. Something about him thawed her icy protective barrier and penetrated her defenses.

Maybe she’d been seduced by his handsome face, trim body, longish hair, or chocolate eyes that saw through to her soul, or...perhaps she was just a desperate, aging woman who needed male companionship and sex.

  Cassie furrowed her brow, fought niggling doubts about men, and  backed away from the blinds.  She resumed dusting, but still her naive actions played in her mind.  Was Will really the one for her? Their first meeting had been on a dating site despite her swearing she'd never visit one again after the disaster with Evan. Depression and lack of finances kept her housebound, and surfing the Internet became her only entertainment. In a weak and stupid moment, she'd created another profile, but that night, she'd actually gone online with the intention of removing it.  That's when she saw Will's picture.

****

This is the intro to the story, and if you haven't read Betrayed, you might have read it as Embezzled Love.  I previously released this story through another publisher who dealt only in paperback, and of course I don't know if I sold any, so I thank Books We Love for giving it new life, cover and title.

Deceived is the continuation of Cassie's journey to find love.  You can probably tell by the title, she's not lucky in that department...or maybe she is now.  :)  Check out my Amazon page for all my books.

Now, hop on over to the following blogs and see what's cookin' there:

http://www.jamiehill.biz (Jamie Hill)

http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)
http://medievalnovels.blogspot.com (Vijaya Schartz)

SUNDAY SNIPPETS WITH GINGER #sundaysnips

I'm giving you a teaser from Betrayed which is now on Amazon Countdown. Get your copy while the price is only 99 cents. The special lasts until May 1. I'm currently working on the second in the series, Deceived.



“Ring, damn it!” Cassie sat, curled up on the sofa, and stared at the phone. For the last hour she’d fought with herself about being the one to initiate the call, but her mother’s words echoed in her mind. “Nice girls don’t call boys. They wait.”

Cassie wondered what her mother would think about this whole Internet dating scene. Mom maintained old-fashioned standards, still believing that real men opened doors and threw their cloaks over mud puddles. Cassie opened her own doors and stepped over puddles, but the one thing she couldn’t do was fill the void of loneliness inside herself.

The phone’s loud ring sliced through the silence, startling her and ending her dilemma. She took a deep breath before she answered. She didn’t want to sound too eager.

“Hello.”

“Hi, purdy lady.”

Cassie’s heart warmed. She snuggled down on the couch and cuddled the phone between her head and shoulder.

 http://amzn.com/B00GXKW7OI

BLURB:

The advertisement claimed: “Find your true love; we’ll match you with the person of your dreams.” Their irritating spam clogged her computer inbox. "Free tonight? Let’s chat." Cassie Fremont thought of hitting the ‘trash’ button, but the promises were alluring. Divorced and so lonely, Cassie signs up for the on-line dating service. What she doesn’t know is the cost of the ticket for her ride on the romantic roller coaster from hell.

Now hop on over to these other blogs and view their Sunday Snippet:

http://www.jamiehill.biz/
http://triciamg.blogspot.com (Tricia McGill)

Friday Freebits with Ginger Simpson #Frifreebits

“Ring, damn it!” Cassie sat, curled up on the sofa, and stared at the phone. For the last hour she’d fought with herself about being the one to initiate the call, but her mother’s words echoed in her mind. “Nice girls don’t call boys. They wait.”

Cassie wondered what her mother would think about this whole Internet dating scene. Mom maintained old-fashioned standards, still believing that real men opened doors and threw their cloaks over mud puddles. Cassie opened her own doors and stepped over puddles, but the one thing she couldn’t do was fill the void of loneliness inside herself.

The phone’s loud ring sliced through the silence, startling her and ending her dilemma. She took a deep breath before she answered. She didn’t want to sound too eager.

“Hello.”

“Hi, purdy lady.”

Cassie’s heart warmed. She snuggled down on the couch and cuddled the phone between her head and shoulder.

“Hi yourself, cowboy, I was hoping you’d call.” The bold admission shocked her.

“Reckon I’d have to be a darn fool not to call. I’ve been thinking ‘bout you all day.”

Cassie chuckled. The rapid palpitations of her heart made her feel as though she was back in high school.

“What? Why are you laughin’ at me? I just couldn’t think of anything but you and wantin’ to call you tonight.”

“I wasn’t laughing at you. I just love your voice. You sound so cute.”

“I reckon I’m a far cry from cute, but I like that you think that. So … you thought of me today?”

“I told you I was hoping you’d call me tonight. If my mom hadn’t taught me better, I would have called you first.” Cassie swore under her breath and felt a warm flush creep up her neck. She barely knew the man and already she confessed an interest in him. What if he was a serial killer or something? She felt so conflicted.

“I sure would like to meet you in person,” Evan drawled.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little premature?”

“Pre what?”

“Don’t you think you’re rushing things? We’ve only talked on the phone a few times. I think we need to get to know each other better before we even think about meeting.”

Cassie’s own ruling caused a pang of disappointment. Maybe she was afraid of meeting him, but curiosity was killing her.

“What’d you do today?” She picked a safe question, but one that might tell her a little more about him.

“I started out drawing some landscaping plans but found myself distracted.”

“By what?”

“Thoughts of you. What else?”

“I’m sorry I interfered with your work, but flattered that your thoughts were of me.”

“You have no idea how much you disrupted my day. I tried to work but I kept checkin’ my watch.”

At the mention of time, she glanced at the clock. If only time at work went by as fast as the time she spent on the phone with Evan. Reluctantly, she put an end to their flirty banter. “Gosh, I just noticed the time. It’s late and I have some work to do before I can get some sleep. I’ve really enjoyed our chat. Call me tomorrow?”

“Sure ‘nuff, baby girl. Hope you dream of me.”

Betrayed is available with my other works on my Amazon page.

Friday Freebits with Ginger Simpson #Frifreebits

Let's see...Cassie is bored with her life and has made a connection on a dating site.  She's already given her phone number and had a conversation with Evan who lives in Texas.  Now she's back at work in her real life...not just a dreamworld.

Cassie sat at her office desk and stifled a yawn. She wasn’t used to being up as late as she had been last night. Her thoughts turned to Evan, and she checked her watch wishing time would pass quickly so she could go home and spend time on the phone with him again. Just remembering his deep, southern-drawl caused her heart to skip a beat.

The memory of his descriptive language warmed her. She nipped at her bottom lip.  She didn’t even know the man, yet he sounded genuine and sincere. What kind of man would put his own life aside to take care of someone? He must be a rare bird. Gregory had barely wanted to see his mother, let alone live with her, and Cassie’s brother, Frank, rarely came to visit their Mom. Cass pulled a mental picture of Evan into her mind and wondered what it would be like to meet in person.

The buzz of the intercom on her desk interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes?” She clenched her teeth at the disturbance.

“Mr. Takeda would like to see you in his office,” the voice on the other end responded.

“Thank you.” Cassie’s hands shook as she pushed back from her desk and prepared to face her boss. What could he possibly want from her? Or worse, what had she done to piss him off now?

She squared her shoulders, bravely left her office, and walked down the long, carpeted hallway. 

Outside his intimidating mahogany door, Cassie stopped, took a deep breath, and rapped her knuckles against the shiny wood.

“Come in,” Takeda’s authoritative voice boomed.

Cassie’s insides trembled like a mass of Jell-O, but she put on her most professional and fearless face. “You wanted to see me?”

Checkout Betrayed and my other books on my Amazon page.

Don't forget to come back next week for more Friday Freebits.