A Beginning and an End

By Ginger Simpson (Guest Blogger)

My debut/swan song Erotica is available in ebook on Amazon. Why, you ask, is Beaches a beginning and an end? I discovered while writing the book, I’m a prude. I have very little life experience to draw from, and my bedroom imagination has faded with age.

It’s true, most authors, draw from their own lives to make stories come alive. Believe me, no one wants to read about my life. Any moans and groans coming from the bedroom these days are usually caused my hip, knee or back pain. Hubby and I enjoy “hall sex.” Like the joke says, as we pass in the hallway, we say “screw you.” It’s easier on the body and a lot less demanding. lol

Even though I’ve written many genres, Beaches was the most difficult for me. I mean, how many ways can you describe genitalia without being repetitive? I’m more a “behind the door” writer. I like to lead up to the scene, but leave the reader to imagine what happens then. Writing erotic novels requires you to be very descriptive and thorough, and for a prude, that’s difficult to do. I managed, and I must admit, I left myself needing a few cold showers. So, blushingly, I share the following excerpt from Beaches with you. Enjoy!

Katie Franklins shredded a paper napkin and tossed the remnants on the kitchen table. Her best friend, Irene sat across from her and let Katie rant. She needed a good listener right now.

The mess she’d made on the table reminded her of her life—in bits and pieces. Staring into the cup of coffee in front of her, she shook her head at her reflection. “I’m a married woman. I have to end this affair!”

The words replayed in her mind until she wanted to tear her hair out.

Her shoulders sagged but she looked at Irene, seeking an answer. “How did I get into such a predicament? Falling in love with one man while still married to another? Honestly? My body’s sensual needs must have possessed my subconscious mind and made me commit this sinful deed. What do I do?”

Male attention was the magnet that drew her to Joey, and now she couldn’t imagine life without him. At twenty-eight, attracting a twenty-five-year-old flattered her. His smile, his broad shoulders…everything about him stirred passion she hadn’t felt in ages. She never intended to fall into bed with him; the attraction was just too much. Being near him blurred her reasoning.

Irene, like a trained counselor, offered no solution, instead let Katie work through her own issues.

“Joey makes me feel sensuous and alive…so unlike the relationship between me and Rick. With Joey, I discovered my lost confidence and found desire again. But is it real? Seven years ago Rick looked at me with the same accepting love in his eyes. How did our marriage go so wrong?”

She flashed back to earlier days…when Rick’s touch ignited a fire within her soul. “You know, Irene, there was a time when I actually waited for Rick to come home…wanting to taste his kisses and feel his hands on my body, but something happened after Brandon was born. The passion just dwindled away.”

Wasn’t having a child supposed to bring people closer together…make them a family? A baby sure hadn’t worked any magic in their home. In fact, her pregnancy ended any intimacy she and Rick shared. Oh, they still had sex, but other than physical release, they shared nothing with one another. Katie lowered her head into her palms and heaved a sigh.

“Maybe if I’d lost the baby weight sooner, I never would have gone with you to Beaches. What if…oh hell, no matter what scenario I apply to my predicament, nothing changes. Should a few extra pounds matter if you truly love someone?”

Katie closed her eyes and shuddered, the frustration becoming more than she could bear. “Why can’t Rick see I’m the same person I’ve always been. Even when I was heavier, I had the same heart, feelings and needs… I didn’t really change, but he did. His endless cruel puns got to me…turned our marriage sour and made me doubt my feeling for him. He drove me right into Joey’s arms…didn’t he?”

Irene shrugged.

Katie took a sip of cold coffee and then released a loud breath. “It’s taken me several months, but now I’m back to what I weighed before I got pregnant. What I don’t understand is Rick’s sudden renewed interest in me.”

She fisted her hands and pounded on the table, sloshing her decaf over the cup’s side. “How can I forget all the terrible things he said or forgive how degraded he made me feel. Am I wrong to hold onto the hurt?”

Irene picked up her cup and blew away the steam. Her gaze focused on Katie. “Do you blame me?”

“No…” She shook her head. “No way. You didn’t hold a gun to my head and make me go with you. We just happened to be in Beaches the same night Joey was there. That’s not your fault. Still, I can’t stop fantasizing about him, but do I even have the right?” Tension pounded in her temples. She never expected things to become so confusing. Was it fate or luck that drew her to her lover? Was he just a passing fancy or was he the reason to end her marriage?

Katie rose from the table and poured her remaining coffee down the sink. She used what was left of the napkin to mop up her spill then threw the wadded paper into the garbage.

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and stared out the window over the sink. The gray clouds scudding by defined her mood. “No matter how I look at things, I’m still married and what I’m doing is wrong. Even if Rick’s touch leaves me cold, and his sexual innuendos do nothing to entice me, he’s still my husband. You know, I actually dread his coming home from work, and especially, bedtime. He won’t take no for an answer no matter how much I protest.”

Tears she’d successfully restrained all morning trickled down her cheeks like the rain pinging against the windowpane. One way or another, she needed to make a decision, and soon.

****

Beaches is available on Amazon at: http://amzn.com/B00J573RZE

All my other books can be viewed on my amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/author/gingersimpson

My thanks to Lisabet for allowing a prude on her page today. She’s such a prolific and awesome author, and a wonderful friend.

About Ginger

Ginger Simpson grew up reading anything by Laura Ingalls Wilder and became so fascinated with western historical novels, they've remained her favorite for more years than she cares to admit.

In 2002, Ginger decided to attempt writing her own novel, and in 2003 her first offering, Prairie Peace, was published. Since then, she's dabbled in other genres but always seems to migrate back to her favorite historical era. As all authors continue to learn through the process, so has Ginger, and her debut novel has been recently released with a new cover and title, Destiny's Bride.

At the beginning, Ginger accepted contracts with e-publishers with the realization her work would not be offered in actual stores, rather made available for sale by download or ordering through Internet sites. At the time, the reward of acceptance was enough, and the prayer that downloadable books would grow in popularity seems to have come to pass. Ginger admits she's no spring chicken, and her final goal is to see at least one of her works available in an actual "brick and mortar" store just so she can nod when someone asks if Walmart sells her books.

She's often joked that she may have to sneak a book into Walmart and leave it on the shelf next to one of Nora Robert's novels, but that's not really how she'd like her next novel to get there. Besides, there's probably a law that prohibits such a deed. She's already worked in a jail, so she doesn't care to experience the other side of the bars. Note from Ginger (2011): I actually did "sneak" a book into Walmart and take a picture of it on the "best sellers" shelf. I have the photo to prove it. I got a few weird looks from nearby people, but I didn't get arrested or escorted from the store. *smile*)

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Ginger Simpson @mizging

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