Hello, Ginger Simpson

Hi and welcome to my blog tour. My first stop is here at my good friend, Roseanne Dowell’s site, and I’m so thankful she invited me to kick off a tour that is going to feature as many of my books as I can cram into the dates I’ve booked. How fitting is it that I share some information about my first novel with you. Prairie Peace, my debut historical romance, released by Wings Press in 2003 was my first attempt at writing a book. I’d always loved writing silly poems and Christmas letters, but on this particular day, while I had borrowed a laptop from work to complete a project, I met a young pioneer woman who had a story to tell. You see, my characters have open access to my mind, and these days I have a full house. Cecile Palmer was so anxious to tell me all about the striking young man she “fell” for…and I do mean fell, and as she relayed her life story, I typed like a mad woman because I couldn’t wait to see how her story ended. As we authors learn things over the years, we go back and read our previous releases and groan. “If only I’d known then,” we say. Luckily, there are some publishers who believe in giving a book a second chance at life. Eternal Press allowed me to re-work Cecile’s story, correcting the novice mistakes and making it a much smoother read. So, I acquired my rights and sold the story for a second time. Cecile told a story, but I added the elements to SHOW the reader the novel. Blurb: Cecile Palmer marries a handsome drifter after only a chance meeting. He sweeps her away to his “dream” home on the prairie where she finds herself pregnant, abandoned miles from civilization, and facing the fear that her beloved husband is not coming back. Will Lone Eagle, the wounded Sioux Indian, become her rescuer or her executioner? Four Stars from The Romantic Times Magazine - Five Roses from Love Romances - Five Flames from the Word Museum. 2003 CAPA and Golden Rose Nominee And these are from the original version. Excerpt: They passed the lake at the foot of the rise, with water so inviting Cecile wished for a swim, and just beyond, the thick stand of trees Walt had talked of so many times. Her heart fluttered with excitement. They were finally home. The team’s shoulder muscles bulged with effort to get the loaded wagon to the crest of the hill. Once there, Walt reined the horses. “Well, here we are.” His gaze was trained on the buildings below. Cecile blinked her eyes in disbelief. This couldn’t be it. There was no house, just a deserted shack with a terribly rundown barn. It had to be a mistake. She waited for Walt to put an end to his joke. He didn’t, just snapped the reins and set the wagon in motion, stopping in front of the ugliest structure Cecile had ever seen. She sat frozen to the wagon seat and looked around. Prairie grass had grown up to the doorway, and in place of glass windows there were only shutters barely hanging on to the aging wood of what Walt called a house. The previous owner had added on a makeshift porch that looked as though it might be unsafe. Her mind spun, remembering his description of his purchase. There were rolling hills in the distance, trees, and they did pass a small lake on the way in, but this couldn’t possibly be what he’d been so exited about. Tears burned the back of her eyes. Walt jumped off the wagon and reached to help her down. He looked so happy, she hoped her disappointment didn‘t show. She fixed a smile on her face and leaned over into his waiting arms. Despite her attempt at feigned pleasure, he must have detected something amiss. “What’s the matter, Cece? We’re home. Isn’t it a beautiful place?” He turned in a complete circle to marvel at his new land. Cecile forced herself to nod, trying to remain strong. She swallowed and fought the frown tugging at her lips. Yes, the surrounding land was beautiful, but where was the house he promised? This couldn’t be where he expected her to live. Walt chattered away, but she only heard the part where he insisted on waiting to unload the wagon until they tidied up a bit. He put his arm around her and stood silently admiring his new empire. “We’ll sleep in the barn until the house is ready. It isn’t quite livable yet,” he announced. The barn? A strong wind would be its demise. She stifled a hysterical chuckle at his suggestion that the barn was more suitable than the house, but sobered quickly when it occurred to her that getting the house into shape would be her responsibility. She hadn’t thought about that until this very minute. She glanced around again, trying to find something positive. More tears stung her eyes but she fought hard to hold them back. Walt was too busy gabbing about being home and gushing about the grandness of the place to notice her brushing away the wetness that trickled down her cheek. Her mother’s familiar voice rang in Cecile’s ears. “Be the best wife you can be.” She took a deep breath and sighed, then, forcing one foot in front of the other, she walked toward the ramshackle cabin. She whispered a little prayer. “Please God, keep me from anymore surprises.” *********************************************************************************************** Thanks for stopping by today and please join me tomorrow when I’ll talk about White Heart, Lakota Spirit at Sue Perkins’ blog, http://sueperkinsauthor.blogspot.com . In the meantime, you can find Prairie Peace available at http://www.eternalpress.biz or if you have a Kindle, you can find the Kindle version along with prin

t on Amazon.com. Nook? Try Barnes and Noble.com