Just A Taste - Ginger Simpson

Classic Monday from  Ginger Simpson

Joy Garrett is preparing to marry the man of her dreams and needs her birth certificate in

order to get a passport for her honeymoon. For some reason her mother wants to avoid the issue

and urges her to enjoy the good ol' USA. While pilfering in her mother's things in the attic, Joy

comes across a birth certificate, and although the date, hospital and doctor are a match with her,

the paper certifies someone else's birth... What secret is her mother keeping?

Excerpt:

Fresh from her shower, Joy Garrett stood naked in front of the mirror and fingered the inch-long

scar just below her navel. Surgery performed on her at ten months had left the jagged line.

She’d forgotten the reason her mother gave for the operation, but the obvious results, although

small, marred Joy’s otherwise flawless torso and irked her. Anyone who wanted to keep Scott

Porter on a short leash had to look their best.

Wrapped in terrycloth, she went into the bedroom. Her heart pounded with anticipation of

the evening ahead—her first cocktail party and introduction to Scott’s co-workers. She planned

to make this an evening he’d never forget.

She slipped into her matching black bra and thong and then removed her dress from the

hanger on the closet door. Thankfully, those dreadful panty hose of old and annoying slips were

passé these days. “The less the better,” Joy murmured.

The plastic bag, with the retail store’s name emblazoned across it, crackled as she slipped it

off of her slinky dress. Annoying static plastered it to her hand. She peeled the cloying

cellophane away, wadded it, and flung it into the trash. Visions of her luscious date ran through

her mind: dark hair, eyes bluer than the sky, tall…and those shoulders—broad enough to make

other guys envious.

“Scott Porter.” His name dripped from her tongue like water from melting ice as she

shimmied into her dress. Even though they’d been seeing one another for the past six months,

thoughts of him still turned her stomach fluttery. She hoped to marry him one day. Of course, her

dreams hinged on him asking.

She had one year left to complete her master’s degree and still lived at home. A part-time

job didn’t offer the luxury of an apartment. Sharing the rent with a roommate was an option, but

she was holding out for something better. She scanned her room, noting the floral drapes and

frilly bedspread, and then wondered what style Scott would prefer in the bedroom they’d share.

Yep, someday she’d be Joy Ann Porter if she had her way. She warmed at the thought of waking

up in Scott’s arms.

This and my other short stories are available at a discounted price in various downloadable formats at Muse It Up Publishing

SUNDAY SNIPPETS #sundaysnips

This week, I'm sharing six paragraphs from a scene in Time Tantrums, in which a pioneer woman and a modern day female attorney switches places and time...or and husbands who think the woman is his wife.  In this scene, starts, Mariah's journey to the future:

“Pa, can we stop please? I need to pee real bad.” Jacob’s voice held an urgent tone.

Frank reined the horses next to a boulder. “Here ya go, son, this should give you some privacy.

Jacob scurried behind the large rock and reappeared, moments later, fastening his pants and smiling. “Thanks, Pa, I feel better now.”

When Jacob was back in his seat, Frank flicked the reins. “Giddyap,” he yelled.

The horses failed to respond. Instead, they whinnied, snorted and reared back on their hind legs. One animal turned its face, displaying eyes wide with fear. The distinct rattle of more than one snake came from nearby, and Mariah instinctively knew Jacob had disturbed their nest.

“Rattlesnakes!” Frank had heard it, too. “Hold on, everyone.” He leaned back and yanked the reins. “C’mon, girls, calm down. Whoa... whoa.”

The wagon rolled backwards and jostled from side to side on the uneven ground. The frightened animals bolted into a dead run through deep grass and thistles off the beaten path. Mariah grasped the side and bottom of the seat so tightly that splinters pierced her fingers. Concerned with the safety of her children, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and glanced  over her shoulder. Callie and Jacob clung to each other, their eyes saucer-like.

Available at Amazon.

Now, for more Sunday Snippets, visit my friends at the urls below:

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

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

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

A Page Straight From Ginger Simpson #apagestraightfrom

Beaches

by

Ginger Simpson

This book is rated for adult reading only

Katie Franklins shredded a paper napkin and tossed the remnants on the kitchen table.  Her best friend, Irene sat across from her and let Katie rant. She needed a good listener right now. 

The mess she’d made on the table reminded her of her life—in bits and pieces. Staring into the cup of coffee in front of her, she shook her head at her reflection. “I’m a married woman.  I have to end this affair!” The words replayed in her mind until she wanted to tear her hair out.

Her shoulders sagged but she looked at Irene, seeking an answer. “How did I get into such a predicament? Falling in love with one man while still married to another? Honestly? My body’s sensual needs must have possessed my subconscious mind and made me commit this sinful deed.  What do I do?”

Male attention was the magnet that drew her to Joey, and now she couldn’t imagine life without him. At twenty-eight, attracting a twenty-five-year-old flattered her.  His smile, his broad shoulders…everything about him stirred passion she hadn’t felt in ages. She never intended to fall into bed with him; the attraction was just too much.  Being near him blurred her reasoning.

Irene, like a trained counselor, offered no solution, instead let Katie work through her own issues.

“Joey makes me feel sensuous and alive…so unlike the relationship between me and Rick. With Joey, I discovered my lost confidence and found desire again. But is it real?  Seven years ago Rick looked at me with the same accepting love in his eyes. How did our marriage go so wrong? 

She flashed back to earlier days…when Rick’s touch ignited a fire within her soul.  “You know, Irene, there was a time when I actually waited for Rick to come home…wanting to taste his kisses and feel his hands on my body, but something happened after Brandon was born.  The passion just dwindled away.”

Wasn’t having a child supposed to bring people closer together…make them a family? A baby sure hadn’t worked any magic in their home. In fact, her pregnancy ended any intimacy she and Rick shared.  Oh, they still had sex, but other than physical release, they shared nothing with one another. Katie lowered her head into her palms and heaved a sigh.

“Maybe if I’d lost the baby weight sooner, I never would have gone with you to Beaches.  What if…oh Hell, no matter what scenario I apply to my predicament, nothing changes.  Should a few extra pounds matter if you truly love someone?”

Katie closed her eyes and shuddered, the frustration becoming more than she could bear. “Why can’t Rick see I’m the same person I’ve always been. Even when I was heavier, I had the same heart, feelings and needs… I didn’t really change, but he did.  His endless cruel puns got to me…turned our marriage sour and made me doubt my feeling for him.  He drove me right into Joey’s arms…didn’t he?”

Irene shrugged.

Katie took a sip of cold coffee and then released a loud breath.  “It’s taken me several months, but now I’m back to what I weighed before I got pregnant.  What I don’t understand is Rick’s sudden renewed interest in me.”  She fisted her hands and pounded on the table, sloshing her decaf over the cup’s side. “How can I forget all the terrible things he said or forgive how degraded he made me feel? Am I wrong to hold on to the hurt?”

Irene picked up her cup and blew away the steam.  Her gaze focused on Katie.  “Do you blame me?”

“No…” She shook her head.  “No way.  You didn’t hold a gun to my head and make me go with you. We just happened to be in Beaches the same night Joey was there.  That’s not your fault.  Still, I can’t stop fantasizing about him, but do I even have the right?” Tension pounded in her temples. She never expected things to become so confusing. Was it fate or luck that drew her to her lover? Was he just a passing fancy or was he the reason to end her marriage?

Katie rose from the table and poured her remaining coffee down the sink.  She used what was left of the napkin to mop up her spill then threw the wadded paper into the garbage. Katie sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and stared out the window over the sink. The gray clouds scudding by defined her mood. “No matter how I look at things, I’m still married and what I’m doing is wrong. Even if Rick’s touch leaves me cold, and his sexual innuendos do nothing to entice me, he’s still my husband.  You know, I actually dread his coming home from work, and especially, bedtime. He won’t take no for an answer no matter how much I protest.”

  Tears she’d successfully restrained all morning trickled down her cheeks like the rain pinging against the windowpane. One way or another, she needed to make a decision, and soon.

Released July 12, 2014 - Sarah's Heart & Passion

Look a little familiar?  I've combined two books into one with hopes it will soon be available in print, and Michelle Lee has designed a dynamite cover from the two that captures the essence of the story.  This book was originally a stand alone story about Sarah's Journey, but I actually received a couple of reviews that had my reviewers in tears because they didn't like the way the story ended...so I wrote a sequel for those who didn't understand the story and why there was no HEA for a white woman and a half-breed man in the 1800s.  Now, you can read the entire story, and it's a great combination of the old west, time-travel, humor,contemporary, romance, and even a little fantasy.  In fact, I had a hard time trying to decide how to categorize it.  Be the first to leave a review and let me know how much you enjoy Sarah's story.

Here's the blurb:

Sarah Collins set her sights for California and a new beginning, but never imagines a war party's attack on the wagon train she joins. A sole survivor, Sarah must find her way back to civilization, and a man of half-blood happens along at just the right time and becomes her hero...or is the whole scenario only a dream driven by all the romance novels she reads as an editor? 

Sarah wakes, her cheeks damp with tears. Like a dust devil in a dying windstorm, all traces of her handsome rescuer vanish with a farewell kiss and the annoying blast of an alarm clock...until he appears at her door as a new neighbor. Will Sarah find a way to win the love she tried so hard to capture in her dream without being declared insane, or will the sexy woman living an apartment away beat Sarah at her own game? 

Previously published as Sarah's Heart and Sarah's Passion, this edition combines both stories

You can purchase this book on Amazon.

Snippet Sunday by Ginger Simpson

 

Hi, It's Sunday and I'm reinstating my 'sharing a snippet' feature.  Having a topic helps me keep on track.  You'll notice that Rita is back sporadically...Thursday and again a couple of times next week.  She's still having lots of pain from her wrist surgery, going through painful physical therapy and hoping to get unrestricted movement back so she can get back to those flying fingers we love.  

Thanks for bearing with us during her absence.  I know I can't stop into those talented shoes and come up with all those fascinating writing topics, but I can show you how I do it.  So...here's a sneak peek from my newest release, Ages of Time, and this little snippet is from Chastity's story...the first of three in one book…and it's published by Books We Love.  Tune in next Sunday and I'll share a little from Faith's story, or you can go to http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson and get your own copy and not have to wait.  :)  Here's Chastity, our twenty-something heroine:

Her mind wandered. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a handsome, male aide to keep her organized and cater to her sexual needs? Thoughts of her imaginary assistant’s hands roving over her body increased her respirations and yanked her back to reality. Upon attempting to straighten, she realized her hair, cascading over the back of her chair, had caught on something.

“Ouch.” She squirmed and tugged until she freed herself.

Rubbing her head, Chase eyed the stacks on her desk. Enough wasted time. The last thing she needed was to be caught daydreaming. She reached for the pile of folders resting on the mahogany edge and they teetered precariously. Although she tried to catch them before they fell, the mountain cascaded to the floor in a colorful waterfall.

“Crap!” Chase chewed her bottom lip and sighed. She stretched over the desk and viewed the letterhead, pictures and reference correspondence littering the beige carpet.

“Okay dummy, if you’d taken time to organize things a little better and kept your mind on your job, you might have avoided this mess.” But then again, maybe not. Too much snow always caused an avalanche.

She walked around and stood over the mess. An unsettling face stared up at her from one of the photos on the floor. Damien Sloan, the newest applicant for the recently advertised Research Associate position. His file had been used as an example during her interview and was the very one she sought.

His smirking grin made her feel as though he peered up her skirt. She stepped to the side then realized her foolishness, but his leering expression still sent a shiver running through her body.

The warm temperature of the office overcame the chill and she shrugged off the blazer she wore. After hanging it on the coat rack, she hiked up her black sheath and dropped to her knees to gather the scattered papers. With Dr. Sloan’s disturbing snapshot tucked back inside his folder, Chase crawled from one paper to another, sorting through the rubble, and returning each piece to its own file. The task seemed to take forever, but her newfound determination kept her focused. Never again would she let her desk get so cluttered.

With everything back in order, she leaned back on her heels and heaved another sigh. As she surveyed her new office from a lower perspective, she noticed the crookedness on the wall of the certificate that signified completion of her correspondence course. She made a mental note to straighten the frame and flicked away a stray wisp of blonde hair too close to her eye. Was that an elusive sheet between the file cabinet and her desk? She inched further under the furniture and extended her arm between the metal and wood but couldn’t quite reach the paper.

Crouched, with her fanny in the air, she wedged her shoulder firmly against the desk and stretched her fingers as far as she could. “Damn, I can’t reach it!”

Her office door opened and a cool breeze crept up her dress.

“Ahem.” A deep throaty cough sounded behind her.

The shock lengthened her grasp and she succeeded in snaring the errant page, but a flush blossomed up her neck and set her cheeks ablaze. What a predicament—being caught in such an unprofessional posture.

She edged backwards, still clutching the paper, with her eyes charting the trail behind her. She focused on a pair of shiny black shoes, then sat back on her heels again and peered up into eyes as blue as a summer sky and clear as a mountain stream.

“Hell…hello there….”