Cate: Please welcome Ginger Simpson. Ginger, will you please share a short bio with us?Ginger: Would you like me to lie, or would you prefer the boring answer? Truth is always best I suppose. I’m a modern day “Grandma Moses,” hoping to leave my mark on the world. I retired after two and half decades at an institution of higher learning so I could devote more time to my passion of writing. In 2002, my grandson was born and later diagnosed with Global Development Delays, NOS, which is a nicer term for autism. He became my main focus, the sunshine in my life, and my reason for hoping to hang around. I want to see him thrive and become a productive young man, and I know he will. All my writing plans have taken a backseat during the school year when I had him everyday. Now I’m trying to play catch-up, but I have so many voices in my clamoring to tell their stories, I can’t think straight.
I live with my husband Kelly…alone at last after many years of sharing space with relatives. We moved into a condo that isn’t big enough for anyone else to share with us, and we’ve instituted a two night maximum stay. The “welcome mat” no longer appears outside our door, and unless Mary has another immaculate conception and comes to our door on a burro led by Joseph, we definitely have no space to let. *lol*
Cate: Such a wonderful endeavor. Your grandson will thrive under your loving care, I'm sure.
Tell us about your release and where it's available.
Ginger: Well, I’ll have to step back to Sisters in Time, a time-travel romance with an historical twist. Up until lately, I could have mentioned another book, but alas, differences with publishers do happen, and I’ve pulled that book and expect to get a written release from this by the end of the week. Sad when things don’t go as you planned, but that’s life.
Cate: Sorry to hear that! But I’ve always loved the premise of Sisters in Time. Please tantalize us with a story blurb or excerpt.
Ginger: Of course…This is one of my favorite books, but then, aren’t they all?
Two eras collide when a modern day attorney and a pioneer wife find themselves locked in a time not their own.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 alright?
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.
Rather than an excerpt, here’s the link to the video: http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=488
Cate: Can you tell us why we're going to love your hero?
Ginger: In this case you have two heroes to love. I think you’ll find admirable traits in both as they suffer through the confusion of constantly being told by the woman they believe to be their wife that she isn’t. A handsome cowboy and a gorgeous modern day guy…you get the best of both worlds, and a touch of humor, too.
Cate: Twice as nice! :) Tease us with one little thing about your fictional world that makes it different from others.
Ginger: Where else can you fall asleep in your perfectly coordinated twentieth century bedroom and wake up in another sporting antiques, quilts, and an armoire filled with clothing in no way befitting a modern-day attorney. Imagine your surprise when the man insisting he’s your husband has no idea what you mean when you ask about your cell phone. And forget trying to explain that the last thing you recall is driving your Lexus to work and adjusting the dial on the radio. He’s totally clueless.
Cate: What's next for you?
Ginger: You know, if you had asked me that question ten years ago, I would have said mainstream was on my wish list, but now I think I’ve found a niche that fits me. The tide is turning to ebooks, and I’m not a spring chicken who has time enough to query countless agents and big dog publishers only to be disappointed. I’m very proud of my accomplishments, and I’ve recently signed with a new publisher launching in December 2010. Muse It Up Publishing, with Lea Schizas at the helm, is everything I’ve ever imagined an e-publisher should be. If you sign a contract to be part of the team, you should be treated as one, and Lea shares everything with her authors and makes them feel an integral part of the business.
Cate: Wonderful! What inspired you to draft your first story?
Ginger: A love of the historical west and growing up on a steady diet of old westerns on television.
Cate: The Lone Ranger was one of my first loves. Can't wait till Johnny Depp stars in the movie version!
Do you have a writing routine?
Ginger: I did once upon a time, but now I write when the opportunity presents itself and when chanting, “I will not play Farmville, I will not play Farmville,” works. I’m finding that emails, loops, groups, chats, blogging to promote myself takes an enormous amount of time away from writing. I recently added reviewing to my list, but I’m seriously considering putting the skids on that idea. It’s just too time consuming with little reward for me other than reading a myriad of awesome books that could easily be on the NY Times Best Selling List. I love the idea, but I need to be writing. I have so many works-in-progress, I’ll be lucky if I can ever finish them all in this lifetime.
Cate: I hear ya! Where can we find you on the web?
Ginger: Google my name. I find myself in the weirdest places. But if you want to view my website, I’m at http://www.gingersimpson.com and my blog, “Dishin’ It Out” which is my favorite place to hang out…http://mizging.blogspot.com.
Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Ginger: Where do you hide? I know authors are readers, too, but let’s face it; we’re each others competition. I want to know how to tap into those shadowy places where all the readers hide when we’re having chats and trying to sell you our books? *smile* The unsolicited emails I’ve received over the years from readers telling me how much they enjoyed my book have meant more to me than anything else. I keep them in a special place and when I need inspiration to write more, I dig them out.
Cate: Readers, Ginger is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting. She'll pick a winner on Saturday, August 21st. The winner may select a PDF of any of her available novels or novellas.
Thanks again for being my guest Ginger!
