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Meet Ginger Simpson "Spice Up Your Life with Ginger" |
Ginger Simpson is a new name out there, but you will find her name gracing the front of a variety of books—paperbacks and ebooks both. She writes time-travel, historical, and suspense romance. Ginger has also written a book with a title that brings to mind Erma Bombeck: LIFE IS A BOWL FULL OF TOILETS AND I CLEAN THEM. From the reviews, I'm thinking she could give good ol' Erma a run for her money.
It's not
too surprising. Ginger seems like a lady who values a good sense of humor and
the power of laughter. Just reading her biography at her website is proof of
this. Even without her mentioning, "My real dream in life is to be a stand-up
comedienne...", it is easy to see she is not afraid to poke fun at herself, her
life, even at her family a bit and you can't help but chuckle and relate to much
of it.
Ginger lived in Sacremento, California with her second husband, Kelly, but has since relocated to Tennesee. As you will see from her interview, her environment has changed but her sense of humor is still going strong. You've gotta love that in a person.
After reading the interview, I know you will want to go over to Ginger's website:
http://www.gingersimpson.com/index.htm
In addition to learning more about her, etc., you will be able to find links to Ginger's poetry and short stories that are worth checking out.
1. You are still fairly new to the world of publishing,
with your first novel having just been released about a year and a half ago, in
May 2003. Has being a published author been what you expected? Has there been
anything you never anticipated coming along with it?
It's been far more than I expected, since I'm published
by what's considered "small press." I never expected to receive so many kudos
and have an actual following that looks forward to my upcoming releases. There
is nothing that can top the feeling of a letter from someone who has read your
book, telling you how much they enjoyed it.
2. Even in such a short time, you have written quite a few
stories: 3 published novels and several e-books. How long does it usually take
for you to write a story?
Back when I wasn't working I could devote more time to my
efforts. SISTERS IN TIME took me about a year to
finish and edit, but now that I'm back to being employed full-time, I'm
struggling to find the time and energy. BESIDE MYSELF
took about eight months to finish and I really, really like the way it turned
out.
3. You are on both sides of the fence, so to speak, as an
author who has stories available in both print and as downloads. Is there a
difference in how you might write one from the other? What differences have you
found between them as far as getting your story out there? Is one more
prestigious than the other?
Money-wise, there is no difference—I get paid the same
amount, whether it is ebook or trade. The only difference is that with a trade
paperback, you actually have something you can hold in your hands and show to
friends and that means a lot to me. My desk holds all my works on easels to
remind me what I've accomplished. I've printed out my ebooks and bound them for
myself because I need "tangible" proof. I still think it's going to take a good
while for the ebook idea to catch on because many are from the same school...you
want something you can hold and not many people want to have to print it out.
Still, I will continue to pursue epublishing because authors can be more
elective in subject matter and aren't forced to meet ridiculous word
requirements simply to fill pages. Those who aren't willing to try e-published
authors are missing out on a world of new talent. Egads...the competition is
getting tougher because more authors are submitting every day. I'm just very
honored to have received only one rejection, but turned around and had that work
accepted by a more, open-minded publisher. One of the perks of e-publishing is
that I can submit novellas and still keep my name in the "limelight" until I can
quit my job and go back to being a full-time author. *lol*
4. You have an erotic ebook,
SEARCHERS, available at Whiskey Creek Press, that
you wrote as Pepper St. Claire. So, I have to ask, how did you come up with that
pen name?
I used Pepper because I've been mistakenly called that many times in my life by people who knew my name was some sort of a spice but couldn't remember which. Seemed like a logical choice.
5. Did you find writing erotica easier or more complicated
than other forms of romance? Do you have any plans to write more?
I have to say I truly admire those who easily pen
erotica. It was one of the most difficult genres for me because I'm somewhat of
a prude...guess my Granny did that to me. *smile* I don't have any plans to
write another, I'll just add a few spicy love scenes to my other works.
6. Your writing covers several areas - humor, suspense,
time travel, historical, poetry and short stories. Do you have a preference?
I love them all, but my favorite is humor. I always
wanted to be a stand-up comic and I think you can see that in my books. Even
though my time-travel had a historical touch, there were some humorous parts,
and in BESIDE MYSELF, I'm thrilled with the reviews
that recognize my sense of humor and say they giggled through some of the
chapters. Historicals are my second favorite, but people read those with such a
critical eye. Tons of research time is required to get your facts straight and
keep your credibility as a historical writer.
I had a wonderful editor with PRAIRIE PEACE who taught me tons, but even with all the editing and re-editing, there were still those who questioned a few occurences in the book. When I have more time, I plan to finish my next historical, SPARTA ROSE, but you can bet there will be a few humorous scenes somewhere within.
7. Tell us a little about your family. I read that your
husband is a classic car buff. How does he indulge in his hobby? Does he collect
cars? Restore them? Or are you lucky enough that he just admires them at car
shows? *BG* Does he have a favorite?
When I met my
hubby, ten years ago, he had a 1956 Mercury (beautiful blue with purple
scallops). Our first real date was to a car show in Carson City, NV.
I got caught up really fast in the thrill of being an owner and participating in the cruises, dances, etc. Since money is a factor in owning/restoring, Kelly kept himself satisfied with constantly changing the looks of the car. He changed the scallops to flames and monkeyed with the color a little. Unfortunately, taxes hit us hard and we had to donate the car as a write-off. But, it wasn't long before he acquired another heap and turned it into a beauty. He does all the body-work and paint himself so we save all that expense, but still the interiors don't come cheap. By the time he had it looking beautiful and I feel in love with it, he wandered off to a swap meet and came home with something older and uglier. *lol* I guess I should be happy he's only swapping cars. But, that older and uglier piece is now in our garage and it's a beautiful 1938 Pontiac, red and black with a beautiful image of Marilyn Monroe on the trunk. He's a genius...I just wish he knew it! As for his favorite car...too many to list.
8. Between your husband and yourself, you have 4 sons. **
did I get this right? ** What do they think about your writing? Have they read
any of your stories? Or have any of their girlfriends/wives?
You got it right. My husband has two sons, much younger
than mine. His are 18 and 14 and mine are 29 and 36. We rarely get to see his
children because their mother tends to find fault with everything about us. But
I'm saving that for another book. *lol*
Unfortunately, I've been very disappointed that not much has been said about my writing career. I think my oldest son read, LIFE IS A BOWL OF TOILETS AND I CLEAN THEM, but didn't appreciate my humor about him. :) My younger son is afraid to read it. *rofl*
I read many posts from other authors who feel the same disappointment, and I can identify. I don't feel that my family shares my pride in my accomplishments...except for my Kelly. He's my biggest fan!
9. When you aren't writing, what are you doing? Any
hobbies?
When we moved to Tennessee, I don't think we were
prepared for the depressed wages. We were so excited to start a new venture that
we didn't think it through quite well enough. So, my newest hobby is being a
Corrections Officer for about 120 inmates. I couldn't believe you could walk in
off the street and be hired for a job like this, but the wages are so poor, I
guess not many people are willing to take the risk. I'm hoping it's just
temporary until Kelly can find something permanent, but because of his cornea
transplants, there aren't many jobs that have a clean enough environment for
him. I don't mind working...life here is much better than sharing the airspace
with a bitter ex-wife who wanted to make us miserable. She's still trying, but
we refuse to let her.
There I go again...giving away future plots.
10. Writers are usually avid readers. What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors?
Until I started writing, I was an avid reader of anything
with the word, "savage" in the title. Historicals set in the old west were my
passion and Madeline Baker is a favored author. Now that I've become an author,
I tend to read only books published by e authors because I can download and
carry them on my pocket reader. Prior to moving here, I had read and reviewed
over 100 books for a few of the review sites (under a different name, of
course), and found several new authors that I truly enjoy. Sherry Derr-Wille and
Catherine Snodgrass are two who come to mind. They are both very talented,
prolific and can cross genres with ease. Erin Moore is another new find and I
feel she bears watching.
There are so many I could just read all day if I had the time. The good news is, I have over 100 new fans. I've put my books on the library cart for the jail and I'm a HIT! Not much money involved, but praise goes just as far with me these days!