Classic Ginger: Sarah's Hope

Today, I'm doing a cover reveal for my upcoming novel, Sarah's Hope.  The manuscript is currently with editors, and I'm hoping they don't find much since I had my beta reader, Diane Scott Lewis go through it.  She made some wonderful suggestions and I believe I'm officially the queen of missing closed quotes.  *lol*

I'm currently working on another historical western, and I'm really excited about it.  Desperation's Bride is due to be finished sometime this year.

In the meantime, check out Sarah's Hope and Passion.  Although Sarah's Hope is a stand alone novel, it always helps to know backstory and there's a lot to read in the preceding book.

So...here are two beautiful covers.  I'm just sorry the girls don't look one and the same, because they are...at least in my mind.

TA DA!!!!!

Happy Reading!
Ginger

Sunday Snips & Stuff by Connie Vines

This Sunday please enjoy our newest blogger guest here at Dishn' It Out.  I. B. Nosey.

I.B. Nosey's Friday post and "The Blonde" who appeared yesterday.

Don't miss out on the other multi- published authors who participant in our weekly Sunday Blog Hop :

http://yesterrdayrevisitedhere.blogspot.com/

http://connievines.blogspot.com/

http://triciamg.blogspot.com/

See you soon,

Connie

Sunday Snips & Stuff by Ginger #Sundaysnips

Happy Mother's day!!!!

This week I'm just cruising.  I'm working on my next novel, Desperation's Bride when the mood strikes, but wanted to share the beautiful cover done by Charlene Raddon.  I'm a visual person, so having a perfect cover inspires me.  I guess you can guess this is a western historical about a mail order bride.  *lol*

Here's a sneak peek of the cover and the contents:

Char Raddon

Here'e the scene I wrote yesterday to coincide with the cover....see if you like it: (Remember this is the first unedited draft.)

Breakfast over, the children fed, outside playing, and the dishes washed by Clare, she followed Jason into his room.  “The dresses are in this trunk.  Don’t know why I saved  a couple when I decided to put Mary’s wedding gown aside so Susanna might wear it one day…maybe because I like the color blue.”  He opened the dusty lid.

Clare spread up Justin’s bed while he fished through the contents.  “I think Susanna will be happy to have a memory of her mother, even if she doesn’t wear her dress. You're very thoughtful.”

Strange, Clare thought.  She wasn’t bothered by the idea  of wearing a dead woman’s clothes, let alone the deceased spouse of her intended.

Justin shook the creases from  a beautiful long-sleeved, blue dress with lace at the collar and ruffles across the shoulders and down the front to the waist.   “This was always a favorite of mine.  You look to be the same size as Mary so I doubt there will be much to alter.”  He laid the garment on the bed and unfolded a floral with blue cornflowers as the prominent pattern.  “Here’s the only other one I kept.  Mary liked to wear this warm weather because it’s made of light cotton and has shorter sleeves.  She always wore…what are those things that make the skirt’s fuller?”

“Crinolines?”

A WHILE LATER, I WROTE THIS TO ACCOMPANY IT:

While the children washed up at the kitchen pump, Clare slipped back into Benjamin’s bedroom, spread up the bed, and filled the bowl on the night table from the matching pitcher.  She dipped a soft cloth into the water and washed her face, neck and other places not covered by clothing.  After disrobing, she washed her armpits, ran a bush through her hair, fished in the armoire for her toilet water, and applied some sparingly.  She wriggled into Mary’s blue gown, and smiled at the immediate fit.  Clare spanned the waist of the luscious material with her hands and spun around, feeling like she danced on a cloud.

  Visions of walking down the aisle to meet her groom flashed in her head and she walked to the window to make sure she hadn't imagined her new home.  Fingering the real glass in the window, she appreciated how smooth and wonderful the panes felt given the fact that Linus’ windows only had shutters to ward off the cold air and protect from the weather.  A thought donned.  Her groom waited,  so she cut her musing short,  perched onto the side of Benjamin's neatly made bed, pulled on her worn-out shoes, and quickly laced them.  Was this really happening?  Was she going to marry the man that dreams were made of?  Her cheeks hurt from smiling, and when she stood, she gazed down at the dress, deciding the small earrings she’d brought with her…one’s that Ma had given her, would be the perfect touch.  She found them in a small box at the armoire's bottom and clipped them on.  Pleased with her appearance, she swept out the door and went to meet her new family outside.

Check for this release of this one, hopefully by the end of the year.  In the meantime...hop on over to the following blogs and check them out:

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

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

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

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

Spring is Sprunging or Whatever that means... Sunday Snips & Stuff #sundaysnips

This week, because everything is starting to turn green and flowers begin to bloom...so to does the "Plant that Ate the South."  As I see it, it's continuing it's lunch as I type.

I wonder if those who lived in the late 1800s would notice what they  started.  While we innocently plant new landscape to liven up our properties, do we really realize what those little lives can become? Those who concluded Kudzu would be a great prevention of erosion certainly didn't look beyond their horizons.

 I recall when we first visited Tennessee, I was so impressed with the different colors of green, specifically the huge vines adhering everywhere.  I later learned that "vine" is called Kudzu.  I've done a little research...and I want to share this interesting information with you.  I'm copying and pasting from Wikipedia, so I credit them with the content of this blog.

Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) is a serious invasive plant in the United States. It has been spreading in the southern U.S. at the rate of 150,000 acres (61,000 ha) annually, "easily outpacing the use of herbicide spraying and mowing, as well increasing the costs of these controls by $6 million annually."Its introduction has produced devastating environmental consequences. This has earned it the nickname, "The vine that ate the South."

The kudzu plant was introduced to the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. Kudzu was introduced to the Southeast in 1883 at the New Orleans Exposition. The vine was widely marketed in the Southeast as an ornamental plant to be used to shade porches and in the first half of the 20th century, kudzu was distributed as a high-protein content cattle fodder and as a cover plant to prevent soil erosion. The Soil Erosion Service recommended the use of kudzu to help control erosion of slopes which led to the government-aided distribution of 85 million seedlings and government-funded plantings of kudzu which paid $19.75 per hectare. By 1946, it was estimated that 1,200,000 hectares (3,000,000 acres) of kudzu had been planted. When boll weevil infestations and the failure of cotton crops drove farmers to move from rural to urban districts, kudzu plantings were left unattended.

 The climate and environment of the Southeastern United States allowed the kudzu to grow virtually unchecked. In 1953 the United States Department of Agriculture removed kudzu from a list of suggested cover plants and listed it as a weed in 1970. By 1997, the vine was placed on the “Federal Noxious Weed List”. Today, kudzu is estimated to cover 3,000,000 hectares (7,400,000 acres) of land in the southeastern United States, mostly in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. It has been recorded in Nova Scotia, Canada, in Columbus, Ohio, and in all five boroughs of New York City.  NOTE From Ginger...let me tell you, it's everywhere in TN, too.

Kudzu is a perennial vine native to Southeast Asia, primarily subtropical and temperate regions of China, Japan, and Korea, with trifoliate leaves composed of three leaflets. Five species in the genus Pueraria (P. montana, P. lobata, P. edulis, P. phaseoloides and P. thomsoni) are closely related and kudzu populations in the United States seem to have ancestry from more than one of the species.^] Each leaflet is large and ovate with two to three lobes each and hair on the underside. The leaves have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, which can supply up to 95% of leaf nitrogen to the plant in poor soils^] Along the vines are nodes, points at which stems or tendrils can propagate to increase support and attach to structures. As a twining vine, kudzu uses stems or tendrils that can extend from any node on the vine to attach to and climb most surfaces. In addition, the nodes of the kudzu vine have the ability to root when exposed to soil, further anchoring the vine to the ground. The roots are tuberous and are high in starch and water content, and the twining of the plant allows for less carbon concentration in the construction of woody stems and greater concentration in roots, which aids root growth. The roots can account for up to 40% of total plant biomass.

Kudzu’s primary method of reproduction is asexual vegetative spread (cloning) which is aided by the ability to root wherever a stem is exposed to soil^] For sexual reproduction, kudzu is entirely dependent on pollinators.

Although kudzu prefers forest regrowth and edge habitats with high sun exposure, the plant can survive in full sun or partial shade. These attributes of kudzu made it attractive as an ornamental plant for shading porches in the southeastern US, but they facilitated the growth of kudzu as it became a “structural parasite” of the South, enveloping entire structures when untreated and often referred to as “the vine that ate the south”.

Note from me...Kudzu is everywhere, and I wonder why nothing is done to rid this voracious weed when it is dormant.  During the winter, it turns brown and wilts like all other plants here, but come spring, it greens back up and continues its onslaught, overtaking almost everything in it's path.  I guess Kudzu only likes certain trees as our property, very wooded, has been spared being a lunch entree.  I shudder to think what might happen if it accidentally sprouts here.  Notice these  few pictures showing what this hungry plant is capable of doing:

Now...hop on over to my gal pals and see what they are offering:

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

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

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

Sunday Snips & Stuff #Sundaysnips

Author's are either plotters or pantsers.  I'm the latter, meaning I write by the seat of my pants.  I never plot, can't, don't even try.  My stories come to mind through characters who take up residence in my head, have a story they've already named and introduce me to the cast (also named.)  I guess you could say I have it easy because I don't have to fret over titles and suitable monikers for my characters, but...I'm only successful as long as the characters speak to me.  My writer's block comes from long unexplained silences. Don't understand the muted periods, but I have plenty of noises in my head.  :)

I love writing short stories because I'm not one for extraneous information or word counts.  I was very fortunate that Books We Love took a chance and put seven of my short stories into one book entitled, Discovery.  Strangely, all the stories fit that title because the characters in each tale discover something they didn't know.  I invite you to take a peek.  These short works make excellent reading while waiting for appointments, killing time, or just finding extra minutes to enjoy a story that makes you happy.

Here's the cover and blurb, plus a little comment from an author I admire very much:  Heather Haven.

Seven stories in one novel; each one with it's own plot and lead character: a stewardess who discovers her judgement may be a little flawed, an older divorcee who finds something far more interesting than sandals at a shoe clearance, a bride-to-be thinking she has a valid reason to call off her wedding, a pudgy ex-wife with a fear that a medical apparatus will make her look like Jacques Cousteau, a newcomer to Florida expecting fair weather and experiencing her first hurricane, but not alone or scared, a daughter in mourning, pursuing the meaning of three tarnished bars held together by a black ribbon, and a doctor who discovers something totally unrelated to medicine that heals a heart problem. 

"Throughout these stories, facets of each person's character are revealed, layer by layer, often with a punch of the Ginger Simpson sense of humor. Delicious! I can think of no better way to spend an evening or lazy afternoon than wrapped in the comfort of her words." ~ H. Haven

You can find Discover at http://amzn.com/B00IP06KFG  I do hope you'll order a copy.  Remember, it takes a long time to write a book, but only a short time to make it fizzle.  :(  If you're patient and cheap (lol), this book will be featured free in May.  I'll post the dates on FB when it's time.

Now, hop on over to my pals and see what exciting blogs they share this week:


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

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

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

Sunday Snips & Stuff #sundaysnips

Some time ago, I started a story inspired by a trip to Alaska, but I never finished it.  I had planned to tell the story of a Danaina Athabaskan Indian maiden from Elutna, Alaska.  I ran short of research information, so I switched to something else, I know better...the old west.  Still, I'm fascinated by the over one hundred spirit houses that surround St. Nicholas' church in the historical Eklutna burial ground, so I'm going to share a little info with you.  Indian didn't just exist in an area we consider the "old west."

Back in the early 1800s, Catholic missionaries came to Alaska and thrived among the many tribes dwelling at the mouth of the Eklutna River.  As was the custom before the arrival of the Russian Orthodox, deceased Athabaskan were cremated by the tribe, but as cultures blended and Catholic belief forbade cremation, spirit houses cropped up around the church..  When a person died, they were laid out beneath a blanket and a layer of stones to keep them warm for the forty days the Indians believed a person's spirit lingered.  A spirit house was built to shelter the corpse and keep the departed from dwelling among the living, and the family painted the house in their own traditional colors.  A cross, reminiscent of the one on which Christ was crucified was erected as a final touch. 

 Some believe Spirit Houses were necessary because the ground was quite frequently frozen and unyielding to grave digging, but history tells us that the unique buildings were part of the Athabaskan belief.  Just a point of reference, I learned...the Alaskan tribe are tied linguistically to the Navajo and Apaches.

Unlike the upkeep of burial plots here in America, Athabaskan's believe that which is taken from the earth must return to the earth, thus the houses are left to decay and rot.  When touring the resting place, it's not uncommon to see new houses of those with Danaina ancestry  stand among the ruins of the old.  The homes...some realistically complete with flower boxes and draperies, are said to represent the level of grieving.  Small houses  indicate the passing of a child, and I was moved by the large amount of those at Eklutna.  The number of those lost made sense when I learned  a small pox epidemic wiped out a large portion of the tribe in the 1830s.

If you ever make a trip to Alaska, I urge you to visit the historical resting place in Eklutna, not far from Anchorage.

NOW...please hop on over and check out my partners in crime.  Tricia has been dealing with an ill sibling, so she may not have a current post, but keep visiting...she's an awesome author and has lots of info to share.  Have I mentioned that each of the bloggers who join me are excellent authors.  Books We Love is picky about whom they publish. :)  Here's the links:

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

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

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

Sunday Snips & Stuff #snipsandstuff

Today, I'm confessing.  It took a lot of courage, but I removed myself from Facebook. I was starting to feel like I needed a twelve-step program.  Why you ask?  You probably didn't, because you already know I can't keep my political opinions to myself.

  When I was younger, I didn't really pay much attention to politics, and I'm sure someone like Bernie would've grabbed my attention with all his claims of free stuff.  As one grows older, political viewpoints become important, especially if you aren't satisfied with the manner in which the future of our country is headed.  See...I told you.  Even in my disclaimer, I still managed to insert my viewpoint.  Sorry about that.  It's an illness I'm trying to overcome.

So...to cut to the chase, as the saying goes, I've decided to find another way to occupy my days and nights.  FB has become a giant time-suck that lured me into unintended squabbles, ,made my blood pressure rise when I couldn't get someone I continued misguided to see the light, and was my only excuse for lots of time wasted.

Maybe after the election is over, I will return as a more contented person, or I'll come back to keep from committing suicide over the choice of the POTUS.  Anyhow...I'm still out here, but you just won't find me on FB.  I'm wasting time doing something else because I'm retired and I can.

Now....please visit my friends and see if they have better self-control than I do.  *lol*

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

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

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

If Tricia isn't participating, it's because she has an ailing sister at the moment.  Prayers welcome!

Hope to see you again next week.

 ,