Character Interview with Grace Cummings (AKA Dancing Fawn) from White Heart, Lakota Spirit by Ginger Simpson #historical #romance

cover by Dawne Dominique

Today, my guest is Grace Cummings, here to tell us how she survived being captured by a war party:

Just for clarification, HOST will indicate the interviewer’s questions below:

HOST:   It must have been a very traumatic ordeal for you.  Can you tell us about it.

GRACE:  It was horrid. (She shudders) I still hear my mother's screams in my head.  I…

HOST:  Do you need a moment to compose yourself?

GRACE:  No, I'm fine.  (Deep breath)  It was 1874. My family had moved around a lot because my father, bless his departed soul, was a restless man.   It was hard for a girl my age to make friends, not living in one place for very long, and just when Ma, Kevin and I thought we might settle down, General George Armstrong Custer made an announcement about gold being discovered in the Black Hills of Lakota territory.  That's all it took!  Pa loaded everything back into our Conestoga and insisted this was his chance to strike it big.

HOST:  Why didn't you mother put her foot down?

GRACE:  You have to understand that back then, women were expected to know their place.  Ma pretty much did as Pa said.  Besides, he promised her that when he hit the mother lode, he would buy us a new house; new furniture and we'd never have to move again.

HOST:  I can see how that might have sounded pretty enticing.

GRACE:  It was.  We all had visions of putting down permanent roots, so being out on the plains, cooking over a campfire again and roughing it for a just a little longer was worth it if Pa and my brother, Kevin, found gold.

HOST:  Tell us more about your experience, please.

GRACE:  Okay.   We had made camp at the base of the Black Hills, near a sparse stand of trees.  There was a small stream nearby, so water was plentiful.  Ma and I slept on a pallet of blankets in the wagon, while Pa and Kev slept in a makeshift tent.  We had just finished breakfast one morning and were laughing and talking before Pa and Kev went off to the mine, when I happened to spy some riders on the horizon. It soon became clear from the whooping and hollering that they were being attacked by Indians.

HOST:  Oh my goodness, what did you do?

GRACE:  Pa immediately yelled for Ma and I to get back in the wagon, and he and Kev grabbed their rifles and crawled underneath.  I hunkered down behind the tailgate, waiting for Ma, but she never came.  I was so scared, hearing the sound of gunfire and those blood-curdling war cries, I covered my ears, but it didn't help.  When I got the courage to peek outside, I saw the Indians circling our wagon and Ma running in the opposite direction.  I think she was trying to draw them away from me.  I didn't realize it at the time, but Pa and Kevin were already dead.  They were easy pickings with no real shelter.

HOST:  How awful.

GRACE:  You have no idea!  (Stopping to bite her knuckle, then staring straight ahead). They…they shot my ma down in cold blood right before my eyes.

HOST:  Oh you poor thing.  What did you do then?

GRACE:  (Dabbing at eyes with hanky) I curled myself into a ball and prayedit was all just a bad dream, and that I'd wake up.   When I didn't hear anything for a while, I found the courage to rise to my knees and peer over the tailgate again.  I almost had heart failure when I came face-to-face with the ugliest sight I'd ever seen.

HOST:    Oh my gosh, I have goose bumps. What was it?

GRACE:  It was the person I later learned was Black Crow.  His face was painted with bright yellow lightning bolts, and he had a scar that ran from ear-to-ear.  He pulled me out of the wagon, barking orders in a strange language, and threw me to the ground.  I thought my heart was going to pound its way right through my chemise. (Holds hand against chest)

HOST:  Lord, what was going through your head?

GRACE:  I was certain he was going to kill me, too.  I think he might have had it not been for one of his friends.  The one, called Little Elk, stepped in and calmed Black Crow down.  Still, it was an awful thing to go through, wondering if I was going to live or die.  I might have been better off being shot like Ma.  Black Crow tethered my arms together and dragged me along behind his horse, like I was nothing more than an animal.   I struggled to keep up all the way to their  village.

HOST:  How far was it?

GRACE:  (Holding out her wrists).  I'm not sure, but it seem a far piece. You can still see the scars where the rawhide bit into my skin.  I didn't have time to get my shoes on, so my feet were pretty raw, too.  I'm used to walking beside the wagon every day, but being dragged is quite different.  The torture went on forever.

HOST:  What happened when you got to the village?

GRACE:  I was so tired I could barely stand, but I dared not drop to the ground when the whole village stood in a circle around me, staring and laughing.  I thought for sure I was about to meet my maker, but something very surprising happened.

HOST:  Don't stop now!

GRACE:  A beautiful green-eyed woman walked into the midst of things and protected me.  She spoke their language and dressed in their clothing, but it was evident from her flaming red hair that she was white.  If it hadn't been for her I would never have survived to tell this story, that and the fact that Black Crow's mother despised having a white woman share her home.  (Grace chuckles half-heartedly.)

HOST:  So...What happened?

GRACE:  After only one night in her tepee, Black Crow handed me over to Little Elk. He, at least treated me with kindness, allowing Green Eyes to help me bathe and wash my hair.  I was still scared, but not nearly as much.  Pa always said I was headstrong, and it almost got me into  trouble when Little Elk gave me a new name.  (Sitting up straighter, squaring shoulders)

HOST:  Oh gosh, we're almost out of time and I hate to make you stop.  Can you give us a brief summary, and quickly?

GRACE:  Although there is so much more to tell, I'll just say white soldiers raided the camp and I hid along with everyone else. I was dressed like an Indian so....  *smile*  Unless you want to invite me back for another visit, I guess you'll just have to read the book to find out what happens.  (Holds out a copy)

HOST:  Is this for me? How nice, and it's autographed.  Grace Cummings, thank you so much for spending time with us and sharing your captivating story. I'd like to remind our readers that White Heart, Lakota Spirit by Ginger Simpson is offered at http://www.eternalpress.biz and on Amazon, available in both print and download.  There's more to story, and if you're like me, you want to know how things turned out.  Happy reading!

A PAGE STRAIGHT FROM GINGER SIMPSON #apagestraightfrom

White Heart, Lakota Spirit

by

Ginger Simpson

 Her gaze dropped to examine her hands. Her once-manicured nails were now jagged from hard work, and scraping countless

animals hides had calloused her palms. Gone was the naive and helpless Cecile, and in her place, Green Eyes, a woman who decorated clothing with beautiful quills, made moccasins from softened hides, and even erected tepees.

During their trip to the village, Lone Eagle had kept assuring her she would be safe, but the Sioux’s reception made her question his promise. Curious at first, then angry, the villagers demanded to know why he had brought a white woman to their home. But, little by little she gained their acceptance, and found peace and contentment with the very people she thought hated her.

A few loving faces crossed her mind—Rain Woman, her Un`ci

or grandmother, the tribe’s beloved medicine woman, with her

leathery complexion and toothless grin. And Little Dove, petite and delicately featured, a treasured friend and sister-in-law. Both had been among the first to offer their friendship. Spotted Doe,

Green Eyes’ only real enemy, was dead because she couldn’t accept that Lone Eagle chose a white woman over her. In a pursuit to find where Spotted Doe had hidden Green Eye’s son, the frantic

woman lost her footing and fell to her death. Where had the past eight years gone?

Somewhere in the village another sorrowful cry drew her thoughts back to present–the irony struck her. Today, amongst all the grief, came a reason to celebrate. Lone Eagle would become

the new chief.

This book was published by Eternal Press and is available on my Amazon page in both download and print.  If you know about history between the red and whites, then you will understand  this book is in no way sexist, and I certainly don't see how someone could compare my beautiful cover to something from Fredericks of Hollywood.  These are just some of the comments made by trolls on Amazon, so if you like what you read, I'd appreciate a REAL review.  I'm so pleased that Amazon has changed the review process so that people actually have to READ the book in order to leave comments.

Friday Freebits with Ginger Simpson #frifreebits #blogshare

Today, another six from White Heart, Lakota Spirit before I switch to another book.  I hope you enjoy this selection and want to read more:

Set up:  As you've already read, Grace's family has been attacked by a small war party and killed.  In this scene, she's been taken back to the camp of Chief Lone Eagle and his tribe:

 Lone Eagle crossed the compound in search of his son. Nearing his mother’s lodge, raised voices came from a crowd gathered at the far end of the village. He quickened his pace toward the commotion, thoughts of finding Little Cloud lost.

Six young warriors rode into camp—their faces and horses painted for war. Shock and confusion jolted Lone Eagle at seeing his nephew, Little Elk, among them. Where had the group been? He had no idea they’d left the village. He shoved his way through the throng.

His gaze shifted to the white woman tethered and stumbling behind the Appaloosa of his nephew’s closest friend, Black Crow. Each faltering step testified to her exhaustion. She struggled to

remain standing. Her chin lifted momentarily, and she looked directly at Lone Eagle. Long blonde hair hung in matted strands. Her blue eyes, barely visible beneath the dirty tresses, were wide

with fright. One sleeve of her soiled dress hung in tatters down her arm, and crimson chafe marks marred her wrists. Raw and weeping red spots peeked through the veil of dust on her bare feet.

Rage burned within Lone Eagle. He stood in the path of Black Crow’s horse and raised his hand. “As your Chief, I demand to know what you have done.”

The band dismounted. Little Elk came forward, pride shining in his eyes. “My uncle, we rode together to make war against the whites. We have brought a captive as evidence.”

Lone Eagle’s icy glare spanned the young braves. He stepped closer to Little Elk and leaned in until they were almost nose-to nose. “Your chest puffs with pride, but your actions were foolish.” He fought the urge to shake some sense into his nephew and knotted his fists at his sides. “How dare you decide something without advice of Tribal Council! You have no right to put the tribe at risk of war. By bringing a wasichu captive to our camp, you place our people in danger and bring shame upon yourselves.”

Wow....bet you want to know what happens next.  Well, if you do, you can find your own copy of White Heart, Lakota Spirit on my amazon page.

Now scoot on over to my friends' pages and see what excitement they share with you today.  Like what you see?  Let us know, and keep coming back.

Jamie Hill
Tricia McGill
Juliet Waldron
Taryn Raye
Kathy Fischer-Brown
Rhobin Lee Courtright
Margaret Tanner

Friday Freebits with Ginger - #frifreebits #blogshare

Today, I'm continuing with White Heart, Lakota Spirit, and hoping you are enjoying it as much as I am.  Sometimes re-reading a story brings back the excitement the author felt when writing it.  I'm engrossed all over again.  Here's my six paragraphs about Grace Cummings and her family camped by the Black Hills.

***********

 The yelling grew louder as they came closer.

The furrows in her father’s brow frightened Grace “What is it, Papa?”

He darted for the wagon. “It’s Injuns! Hurry! You two women get inside and keep low. Kevin, get yer rifle!”

Grace’s heartbeat quickened and fear clutched her chest, making it hard to breathe. She’d heard about savages, but never saw one up close. She didn’t want to.

Her mother stood frozen in place. Grace grabbed her hand and pulled. “C’mon, Mama, we’d better do as Papa says.”

They ran around to the back of the wagon, and her mother boosted her up and over the closed tailgate. Grace dove inside, her mind filled with horrible thoughts. Would she get scalped or worse…were they all going to die? 

All the while, piercing yells sliced the air while thundering hooves pounded the ground.

*******

Like it?  Did you check out the snarky reviews on Amazon?  You can find White Heart, Lakota Spirit on my Amazon page.  Do they fit?

Now,  please visit my fellow authors who participate in this weekly feature and check out their offerings:


Jamie Hill
Tricia McGill
Juliet Waldron
Taryn Raye
Kathy Fischer-Brown
Rhobin Lee Courtright
Margaret Tanner

Friday Freebits with Ginger - #frifreebits

I'm currently sharing six paragraphs from White Heart, Lakota Spirit, a work I hope to re-acquire some day so I can add in all the little rules I've learned since I first wrote the book and make it a better read. As is, I still think it's a "bang for your bucks."

 For the present, I'm not at all happy with the "snarky" reviews I've gotten on Amazon, so if you like what you're reading and decide you'd like to review my book, I would greatly appreciate something favorable and TRUE.  I'm amazed that readers don't know that frequently women were taken hostage and choose to remain with their captors, whether out of an formed relationship or fear of how they would be treated after being a captive.  It's history, people!  In my FICTIONAL story, my heroine decided where her heart truly belonged.

 I also detest that someone felt the need to "tear down" the image my cover portrays, saying it smacked ofporn and Victoria Secret. Of course then someone else followed the leader.  Actually, Dawne Dominque captured the essence of the story with her creativity, and given all the practically nude and suggestive photos used on covers, I have no idea why someone felt a need to be so unkind. Judge for yourselves.  A young blonde woman is captured by the Lakota...does the image work?  I loved it!

 Oh well...on with my six paragraphs...

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

 Kev and I will finish our temporary shelter, so we can spread out

a bit.”

No more climbing in and out of a wagon to sleep. Grace clapped.

“Oh, Papa, that sounds so good.”

She sobered and flashed the look that always won him over…the half-pout, wistful gaze. “When we finally settle in our real house, it will be near a town, won’t it? Otherwise, how do you expect

me to be courted out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“I’m not so sure I want you to be cour...” He jerked around and looked over his shoulder. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Kevin asked.

“I hear it, Papa,” Grace chimed in. “Sounds like yelling.”

Her father stood and scanned the horizon. He pointed. “Look. There!”

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

If you'd like to check out the reviews or purchase your own copy, you can find White Heart, Lakota Spirit on my Amazon page.

Now hop on over to the other Friday Freebitters and see what they are offering up.  Bet you'll love it!

Jamie Hill
Tricia McGill
Juliet Waldron
Taryn Raye
Kathy Fischer-Brown
Rhobin Lee Courtright
Margaret Tanner

Friday Freebits with Ginger #frifreebits #blogshare

This Week, I'm continuing with my western historical, White Heart, Lakota Spirit.  If you enjoyed Destiny's Bride, Green Eyes continues as a character in this stand alone story.

This from the prologue:

 Her father drove the wagon while Kevin prodded their single

cow along and kept her from straying. Grace smiled, thinking of

her older brother’s silly jokes. He always seemed to find humor in

everything, and even when times got tough, he made her laugh.

Recalling a few nights back when he’d donned Mama’s bonnet and

danced a jig around the campfire to Papa’s fiddling, caused Grace’s gritty lips to lift in a smile. At twenty, Kevin should have a wife and be making his own plans, but with all the moving around, he hadn’t found a woman to share his life. Did it bother him? If so, he didn’t complain.

Lost in thought, Grace missed slamming into the back of the

wagon by inches. She swerved out of the way. Her father had

stopped the team to check the harnesses. She walked around

front and stood next to him. “Papa, when are we going to stop for

the night? My legs are tired.” Her words came out in a whine followed by a loud sigh.

He glanced at the surrounding terrain. “We’ve come a far piece

today. Don’t reckon’ we’ll find any place much better than right

here. Go gather up some kindlin’ for the fire.” The gaze in his eyes

turned dreamy. “Just think, in a couple more days, we’ll stop for

a good spell.”

* * * *

Living here, in the shadow of the mountains, two weeks had

passed. The loneliness and desolation weighed on Grace, and

made the time she’d lived in the wagon seem more like a lifetime.

She’d seen no other families, just solitary miners occasionally

passing by and working the hillsides, all too busy to share even a

howdy-do. Greed for the precious ore provided great motivation,

but left little room for making friends. The sounds of hammering

filled the days—a steady cadence that already grew tiresome.

She stared out at the miles of drying grass they’d traversed and

sighed. Surely this wasn’t to be her home until Papa struck it rich.

It might take forever. The accommodations paled in comparison

to living in a real house. The makeshift canvas tent, hooked to the

side of the wagon, served as a bedroom for her father and brother,

while she and Mama shared the wagon.

 Papa and Kevin worked during the last glimmer of sunlight

every evening on a temporary shelter built from spare planks and

pieces of wood found in and around the mining area. The lopsided

building didn’t look like it could provide much more protection

from the elements than the wagon did.

More next week.  Hop on over to the next person on the list for their offering.

Jamie Hill
Tricia McGill
Juliet Waldron
Taryn Raye
Kathy Fischer-Brown
Rhobin Lee Courtright
Margaret Tanner

From Doing a Happy Dance to Walking in the Rain - by Ginger Simpson

A few years ago, I wrote a sequel to my debut novel.  White Heart Lakota Spirit portrayed my love for the Lakota people by showing that a kidnapped young white woman could forgive losing her entire family and learn to believe that there were people with redskin who fought hard for what they believed to be right.  Here is the blurb:

Caught between the world of red and white, how will Grace Cummings choose?

A normal morning turns to disaster when a small war party attacks Grace Cummings’ family and slaughters everyone but her. She returns to the Lakota camp filled with hatred, anger and fear, but through the help of another white woman in camp, learns the Lakota way. When white soldiers invade the camp and presume to rescue Grace, she must decide where her heart lies.

Show more

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The story is fictional, but I poured a lot of heart and soul into the writing of this novel. Racism never entered my mind when I toiled over the story line, and although I know reviews are subjective, I was still shocked at the differing opinions of my novel.  How can I earn five stars from a woman whom I believe GOT the story....

 

5.0 out of 5 stars So Enlightening, So Inspiring

By 

Quendra - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Heart, Lakota Spirit (Kindle Edition)

I have perhaps seven black friends, and for me it's important to see works out there which really emphasise how much we white people just want to love and respect Native American people by condescending to them. I love Native Americans - I always buy dreamcatchers at my local town's Renaissance fair, I've watched Little House on the Prairie at least four times, and actually my great-grandmother was an Indian woman; from Jaipur, but it's basically the same thing I reckon.

This book is really wonderful; I think these sorts of ethnic books can be really reverse-racist when they don't include white people, but this book avoids that brilliantly by having two white characters at its heart. I also really like her cute face make-up.

10/10 would recommend

 Then drop to the very bottom with one-star reviews from three who found my attempts to entertain offensive, racist, and even more awful, attacked the cover that does such an exceptional job of portraying the story

1.0 out of 5 stars "Save the Pearls" but with Native Americans-BOO

A. George "song writer" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: White Heart, Lakota Spirit (Kindle Edition)

How is this any better than "Save the Pearls" which came out early last year and attempted to portray "reverse racism" while failing hilariously? (And by hilariously I do mean horrifyingly offensively). White women kidnapped by "savage" Indians only to develop Stockholm Syndrome and later have to decided between her race and her kidnappers who she might be in love with. Right. Okay. This book, much like "Save the Pearls", is offensive and stereotypical. I don't recommend it to anyone. -10. (unfortunately Amazon makes me give it a star to post this -_-)

AND THIS

1.0 out of 5 stars Racist

By 

Jay El -

This review is from: White Heart, Lakota Spirit (Kindle Edition)

Cultural Appropriation on the cover? Check.
White Woman's Post-Menopausal Fantasy? Check.
Stereotypes galore? Check.

Sounds legit.
I don't think I can ever take this seriously. Who even buys this stuff?
The cover is taking cues from No Doubt, Victoria's Secret and Kathy Griffin in being cultural appropriation porn and racially insensitive.
Who publishes and green lights this sort of thing? Seriously?

AND THIS

1.0 out of 5 stars Disgusting

By 

Alicia A - See all my reviews

This review is from: White Heart, Lakota Spirit (Kindle Edition)

There is nothing about this cover that doesn't scream stereotyping and racism. The description of the story assures me that it's contents will be no less nauseating. Not cute, Ginger. Not cute.

I'm sharing these reviews with hopes of enticing someone else to read this story and decide which end of the spectrum more closely aligns with your opinion.  If you are interested in reading this story, contact me via email.  Please put the title of the book in the subject line.

Sneak-Peek-Sunday with Ginger

Welcome to Sneak Peek Sunday. The rules are simple and anyone can join in.

1. Sign up in the Linky List on the host's site.  The Linky List will go live 12:01AM Monday and will close at 11:59PM Saturday night every week.
2. Post 6 paragraphs (no more, no less) from either a WIP or a published work. The post must be live by 9:00AM Sunday.
3. Open to both un-published and published authors.
4. Post the link back to Sneak Peek Sunday so that others can hop along.
5. HAVE FUN!!

Today, I'm giving you a peek at the sequel to Destiny's Bride, White Heart, Lakota Spirit.  This is the day Grace is brought to the Lakota Camp.  Cecile, from the previous novel, has become Green Eyes and is now married to Chief Lone Eagle.  Her ties to her white heart kick in when she sees a poor, scared girl being dragged into the masses:

Green Eyes stood outside her lodge and spread three large rabbit pelts across her drying rack. A commotion caught her attention, and she crossed the compound to where a crowd gathered. She stood on tiptoes, looking over shoulders to see what caused the excitement.

 Little Elk stepped aside, and the reason for the fervor became evident. Black Crow towered over a terrified young white girl who looked to be around sixteen. Her sobbing had no affect on him, and with eyes wide with fright, she cowered in the dirt at her captor’s feet.

Intent on helping the poor child, Green Eyes pushed through the crowd. She tapped Little Elk on the shoulder. “Who is this girl?  Where did she come from?”

“Black Crow captured her. She will be his prisoner.” The young brave standing before Green Eyes hardly compared to the twelve-year-old orphan left behind by Spotted Doe. His body was no longer that of a child, and his voice boomed with authority.

His attitude angered Green Eyes. “What were you thinking? You cannot keep her against her will.”

Black Crow grabbed the white girl by her wrist and yanked her to her feet. He pushed Little Elk aside and glared at Green Eyes. “You have no say in the matter. It is not your place to question the actions of a warrior. Go away from me.”

If you want to read more, you can purchase all my books via Amazon on my author page.  Now, scroll back to the top and click the logo to return to visit the sites of other participants for Sneak-Peek-Sunday.

Me, A Liar?

I was honored with The Best Liar Award by not one, but TWO good friends. Lea Schizas and Lisabet Sarai both are under the impression that I can't hide a one little truth among a bunch of lies. To that I say, "Ha!"

Of course none of these awards come without hurdles...so here are the ones I must jump through:

1: Thank the person who gave you the award and link to them. DID THAT
2: Add the award to your blog. DID THAT
3: Tell six outrageous lies about yourself and One Truth.GONNA DO THAT
4: Nominate six creative liars... I mean writers and post links to them. PICKING MY VICTIMS...I MEAN NOMINEES NOW!
5: Let your nominees know that they have been nominated. WILL DELIVER THE GREAT NEWS.

So...now find the one truth in this list.
1. I sleep in the nude.
2. My middle name is Sonia
3. I once went parasailing at 700 feet in Hawaii.
4. I'm not afraid of snakes.
5. I love to skydive.
6. I'm an avid football fan.

My list of awardees consists of:
Kayden McLeod
Cate Masters
Tabitha Shay
Sharon Donovan
Lorrie Struiff
AnitaDavison

I hope my pals will forgive the extra workload, but anything we do to get our name out on search engines helps promote our work. I've linked to each of your blogs and I'll be checking to see if you're carried out your assignment. *smile*

Also...for those who read, find the truthful statement and comment, I'll draw a winner from the correct answers for a free download of my upcoming release, White Heart, Lakota Spirit. You can read more about it at MoonGypsy Press.