Saturday's Blurbs feature Books by Ginger Simpson #MFRWauthor #Historical #suspense

1. First Degree Innocence:   (Prison Suspense inspired by my time as a Correctional Officer) 

 Carrie Lang’s sheltered life ends with a prison sentence for involvement in a bank robbery. Her arrest comes on the day she’s called in sick and stayed inside, so she can’t explain how an eye-witness describes her in great detail, down to the make and model of her car. 

A terrible mistake has been made, and her insistence of innocence falls on deaf ears. Even her fellow inmates don’t believe her as it’s a claim they all make. Alone in the world, she has no one to turn to for help, and not a single soul to campaign for her freedom…at least until she makes a valuable friend.

In the meantime, a plan for retribution is brewing, and naïve Carrie finds herself smack dab in the middle of an evil scheme concocted by the prison bully. A ten year sentence seems mild when she’s threatened with death for refusing to participate. Can Carrie find a way out of this horrible nightmare, or is she destined to spend her days locked in terror, isolation, and the cold gray interior of prison walls?

2:  Yellow Moon:  (Western Historical inspired by my love of the genre)

Yellow Moon, a Lakota maiden, accompanies her family to the Sun Dance and becomes promised to a Santee warrior who’ll soon be chief. While accompanying Thunder Eyes’ clan back to his tribe, she and the other women are stolen by the Crow, and while in Plenty Coup’s camp is told she’ll become his second wife rather than be a slave. She finds friendship and help at the hands of his first wife, a Cherokee captive called Pretty Shield.
When Thunder Eye’s comes to rescue his betrothed, she begs him to take her newfound friend along, and the two women eventually become sisters-in-law. When the Crow come to extract their revenge, fate changes their destiny in a big way. 

3:  Time Tantrums:  (A pioneer wife and a modern day attorney involved in a time-travel experience.)

Mariah Cassidy awakens in the twentieth century. Confined in a pristine environment, hooked to tubes and beeping machines, she’s scared, confused and wondering why everyone keeps calling her Mrs. Morgan. Who is the strange man who keeps massaging her forehead and telling her everything is going to be all right?

Taylor Morgan tries to focus on her surroundings through a blinding headache. The patchwork quilt, the water basin, and the archaic room don’t strike a familiar chord. Her mouth gapes when a handsome man waltzes into the room, calls her darling, and expresses his delight that she’s on the road to recovery.

Clearly something is amiss.

Friday's Guest - Ginger Simpson - Writing style #MFRWauthor #writing #research

We all know there are six elements of fiction. Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. I believe the first five lead to the sixth which for me is plot. What's your take on this?

 My stories jump into my mind, inspired by a character already named and they share with me.  The majority have historical western ties.  I have zero control other than researching facts and lingo.

1.      How do you create your characters? Do you have a specific method?

They just appear with a story to tell.

2. Do your characters come before the plot?

 Yes....hand and hand.

3. Do you know how the story will end before you begin? In a general way or a specific one?

No.  Writing is like telling myself a story.  I never know where I'm going till I get there.

   

4. Do you choose settings you know or do you have books of settings and plans of houses sitting around?

No.

5. Where do you do your research? On line or from books?

 Both.  I usually check my facts on the web several times because I've found conflicting info.  I have several research books on the Lakota Sioux.

6. Are you a draft writer or do you revise as you go along and why? Do you sketch out your plot or do you let the characters develop the route to the end? 

I use my characters ideas and put the story into my words.  They lead the way and I follow.

 7. Where can we find you on the net?

Day?

  I am RVing a lot these days so I've let my own website and blogs go.  You can find me on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/author/ginger simpson.  I also have a featuring page on my

publisher's page at Books We Love (BWL).

Saturday's Excerpt from A Novel Murder by Ginger Simpson

Excerpt: A Novel Murder


The smell of decomposition hung heavy in the air of the small bedroom—a nauseating odor that defied description. A homicide detective in Philadelphia for nearly five years, Michelle Wallace still found dealing with death unsettling. She clutched a tissue to her nose to help block the stench. Nerves beneath her skin shuddered as she surveyed the posed body of the deceased. On the queen-sized bed, a naked woman in her late twenties or early thirties lay with arms crossed over her breasts, her blue eyes fixed in a permanent stare toward the ceiling. Her mouth, lips painted bright red, twisted in what was probably her last attempt to scream. The piece of rope embedded around her throat left ligature marks on her otherwise flawless skin.

The room hummed with activity while uniformed officers with gloved hands went through drawers and the closets. No one dared touch the body until the medical examiner arrived. Michelle didn’t need confirmation. She already knew. In an unbidden vision, she’d seen the bits and pieces unfold. The occurrences weren’t frequent or regular, and when young, she’d tried to seek an explanation from her mother but got only a dismissive wave and words uttered about an overactive imagination.

Shell’s gaze shifted to the nightstand, noticing the novel next to the lamp, titled The Perfect Crime. Would there be ramifications if her fellow officers knew she authored the book. Her pseudonym, consisting of her initials and her mother’s maiden name, kept her writing persona separate from her professional side. Although proud of her work, she dared not brag. The guys would never let her live down the fact she’d used facts from past cases to pattern her storylines. Only Mom and her best friend, Naomi, knew about Michelle’s fiction passion and they’d been sworn to secrecy. No book signings or personal appearances would be scheduled until she wrote that breakthrough novel, earning her rights as an author and enabling her to leave the force.

Her attention flipped back to the hectic scene transpiring around her, especially the three officers ogling the shapely corpse. Shooting them an icy glare, she motioned them away. “Geez, move it along, you guys.” She rolled her eyes, disgusted at the lengths some men went to for a glimpse of a bared breast—even on a dead woman.

Finishing his conversation with the building super in the hallway, Michelle’s partner, Tony Rizetti, strode inside. He eyed the body, his brow raised. “How long you think she‘s been dead, Meesh?”

God, she hated his nickname for her. Why couldn’t he call her Shell like everyone else? So many times she’d asked, but the sparkle in his eyes when he defied her showed his stubborn side.

Already certain of her answer, she shrugged. “Three, maybe four days—but that’s just a guess.” The lie about the time rolled off her tongue as smooth as butter. She turned and eyed the body, knowing for sure that exactly three days ago the woman had been brutally attacked and murdered.

Tony checked his notes on a small pad he carried in his pocket. He flicked to another page. “Her name’s Cara Austin. Neighbors on this floor called the super and complained about a strange stench. When he got no answer to his knocks or phone calls, he used his master key and found her just like this.”

He flipped his notebook closed and stashed it in his breast pocket. “So, Meesh, I guess whether or not our victim was sexually assaulted will determine if this is our case.” As junior detective, Tony always turned to her for guidance. “Is there anything I should be doing until…?”

Michelle met his inquisitive gaze. At least he was asking now, instead of striking out on his own as he had in the beginning—and usually creating a mess she had to fix. “Did you ask the superintendent if he noticed any strange visitors coming or going from this apartment?”

Tony hung his head. “No.”

“Then go back and talk to him again. Find out how long she’s lived here…if he has a phone number for her next of kin—anything that can jumpstart the investigation for whoever takes it on. We’ve got to cover those bases whether it’s a sex crime or not.”

Tony gazed at the corpse. “I’ll bet you anything sexual activity took place. Why else would she be naked?” He popped the gum he chewed.

Impatience jolted her last nerve. “If asking a few more questions is too tough for you, I’ll take care of it. Believe it or not, lots of people sleep in the nude. I do.”

The hair on the back of her neck bristled as she stared at the dead woman. Of course, the vic hadn’t been sexually assaulted. Along with the talent to write novels, Michelle’s ability to “see” things allowed her to view images she’d rather not. Always the victim but never the culprit. Just sketchy details and she didn’t know why. She’d known about this particular murder even before anyone even called it in. What was never revealed was the “when, where, why or whodunit,” but she had visualized the brutal demise of a shapely woman with blonde hair—the very same color of the long tresses splayed across the bed pillow.

You can find this and other books by Ginger Simpson on her author’s page on Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/gingersimpson

Friday's How She Does It with Ginger Simpson

. How do you create your characters? Do you have a specific method?






Strangely, I have voices in my head clamoring for me to tell their stories. My characters come with names and usually with a story title. I often feel like their secretary, doing the typing while they dictate. I just remember to SHOW the reader the story rather than tell it as I once did as a novice author.



2. Do your characters come before the plot? Do you sketch out your plot or do you let the characters develop the route to the end? I don't plot. I've tried it on a few occasions, and it just doesn't work for me. The nice thing about using my method is that I never know where I'm going until I get there. Listening to my characters is akin to telling myself a story, and I often can't wait to get to the end to find out what happens.



3. Do you know how the story will end before you begin? In a general way or a specific one?





I usually don't know the ending until I get there. A great example is my recent romantic suspense, A Novel Murder. I had no idea until the end who the murderer would be. It was tough throwing in red herrings without the name of the "doer," and I got one three-star review because I don't think she liked who was picked.



4. Do you choose settings you know or do you have books of settings and plans of houses sitting around? As I transcribe my stories, I picture the setting and add the descriptive flavor to the scenes. I also try to remember to remember a new rule I recently learned...when you are in someone's POV, there is no need to keep reminding the reader who is doing the seeing, hearing or wishing by adding those extra words.



5. Where do you do your research? On line or from books? Both. My biggest passion is writing western historical novels and since I've been reading them most of my life, I have a good vibe for what is right and what isn't. When it comes to word origins, I look them up online but I rely heavily on my print books about Indians when I involve my favorite tribe, The Lakota Sioux. The Internet is a big help, but I never rely on just one site. I traditionally check two or three to assure everyone agrees. Remember, you can't believe everything on the Web.



6. Are you a draft writer or do you revise as you go along and why? I write first, edit as I go, and because I belong to a critique group, which I highly recommend, I have more than one pair of eyes checking to make sure what I'm writing makes sense. I know a lot of people are using Beta readers these days, but I love my crit group and they've been one of the most valuable assets to help me grow as a writer.

Just A Few Lines Ginger Simpson from A Novel Murder

Simpson-ANovelMurder-200x300.jpg>A Few Lines from A Novel Murder by Ginger Simpson




“I’m going to resign!”

“Resign?” Naomi’s mouth gaped.

“God, you sound just like Tony. Relax. Not right at the

moment, but as soon as our current cases are solved. I can’t walk away when

women...one of which I’ve met, are losing their lives.”

“So, have you really thought this through?”

“You have no idea. I actually made some progress on my novel

tonight, but my muse isn’t cooperating because I can’t stop thinking about

Kitten and Persia.”

“When did you get cats?”

“Oh, Nay. Those are the stripper names of the two dead

women.”

“Hmm, yeah now I remember. Sorry, guess I had a memory

lapse. So more about this resignation thing...”

“I have my writing to fall back on, and my editor thinks

this next story is going to be the one that makes me big bucks. I’m making out

pretty good on the first, but I love to write, so being

free of the force will

give me the time I need.”



Ginger

Spice Up Your Life with Ginger

Ginger Simpson

http://www.gingersimpson.com

http://mizging.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson

Books We Love Blurbathon First Degree Innocence by Ginger Simpson

First Degree Innocence by Ginger Simpson


a Contemporary Mystery Romance



http://www.amazon.com/First-Degree-Innocence-Ginger-Simpson/dp/1456320092/ref=la_B002I7JX38_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361659683&sr=1-1



Sentenced to ten years for a crime she didn't commit, will Carrie Lang find someone who believes in her innocence? Experience the cold, gray walls, a devilish matron, the prison bully, and a scheme that pits Carrie against the closest friend she has inside. What part will her surprise visitor play in Carrie's bid for freedom?



Spice Up Your Life with Ginger

Ginger Simpson

http://www.gingersimpson.com

http://mizging.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson


Return on the 28th for a blurb by Janet Lane Walters