Somewhere between Heaven and Hell and San Antonio, Texas - Present Day

Sunny Acres — yes, that is her real name — is a true blue Texan girl with beauty queen looks and an infamous roller derby past behind her. So when she’s plucked from her bed and taken to Paradise by the heavenly gorgeous Jakeh and then told that she’s been chosen by God to fight demons and hold off the End of Days, Sunny thinks she’s had one too many shots of tequila. But it doesn’t take long for Sunny to accept her destiny — seeing the real Hell will do that — and accept that she’s been given a job she can’t refuse.

In that same extraordinary night, Jakeh takes her to Iraq to witness the first tear in the veil between our world and Hell and teaches Sunny how to weave it shut. He also points out the three American military men who will soon team with her to form the Armor of God. With orders to avoid showing off her new abilities lest the demons come hunt her before her men arrive, Sunny manages to stay out of trouble until Fiesta time arrives in her hometown of San Antonio.

Out partying with friends, Sunny is the only one who sees a fissure open and demons pour out in all shapes and sizes wreaking havoc all over downtown San Antonio. Knowing she can’t weave the veil shut without help, Sunny uses her newfound power to spiritually “open” her friends’ eyes and, together with a couple of biker dudes, they manage to save the day. Unfortunately, Sunny also manages to land herself on the national news. Just as she’s packing to get out of town, the cavalry arrives and Sunny is finally reunited with her team: Major Aaron “Stoney” Stone, Sergeant Jack McCleery, and Captain Daniel Troy. Talk about perfect timing since the demons and other assorted bad guys now know about her powers and want a piece of her ass. Come to think of it, so do Jakeh and Stoney. Could Sunny’s life get any more complicated? You bet.

In what will hopefully be the first of many Sunny Acres Adventures, it’s Buffy meets the Fantastic Four with a heavy dose of Old Testament thrown in. The story starts off a little slow, caught up in an excess of narrative and repetitive descriptions, but it quickly gains momentum, and the characters you meet more than make up for it. Sunny is one hell of a heroine (pun intended), funny, bold, and quite practical when she needs to be. From the swoonworthy Major Stone to the deliciously decadent Jakeh, each of the men is unique and charismatic and will leave readers wanting to know more about them. Other characters pop up here and there and are sure to make return appearances in future books.

Ginger Rodgers — yes, that is her name — has started a great new series and readers should waltz on over to DLSIJ Press and grab themselves a copy of this paranormal treat.

Reviewed by Isabelle Spencer for Romance Reviews Today

Posted on June 29th, 2007 by Ginger Rodgers
Filed under: Book Reviews | 3 Comments »

Sunny is simple country girl, living on her farm in Texas with dogs and goats. She enjoys going out to the local bar and having a good old time with her friends. She was even at one time a roller derby girl. That is why she finds it so hard to believe she is one of the four chosen to save the world from a coming evil. With three others she is a part of the Armor of God with special powers to fight demons and keep them from destroying the world. This is the story of how the meet and begin their adventure.

Sunny Side Up by Ginger Rodgers is a wildly fantastic paranormal adventure. A story of an ordinary girl who stands up when called to save the world from evil. Sassy and funny, Sunny does not take things lying down. She has a fiery temper. Together with three hunky guys and a thousand year old dark haired man in another dimension they work together to fight the sorcerers opening the portals to hell. Each member of the Armor of God has special powers for their mission. They battle the horrors and demons coming through the portals. This is a story filled with amazing action. There are also steamy, sexy scenes featuring Sunny and others.

Ginger Rodgers’ story is creative, action-packed. and filled with passion and adventure. It feels like a thrilling action movie.

Reviewed by Anita for The Romance Studio

Posted on June 29th, 2007 by Ginger Rodgers
Filed under: Book Reviews | No Comments »

Hello all. I’ve finally got what everybody has been asking for — a pic of Bill, the rowdy billy goat. Don’t let his cute, purple flower-munching face fool you — he’s a real butthead.
Ginger Rodgers

Posted on June 29th, 2007 by Ginger Rodgers
Filed under: General | 2 Comments »

My new novel The Fragrant Trail : a Rusty Linden Mystery has just recently been released. Unlike my two previous novels, and my short story which are all set in 1940s Hollywood, this is a contemporary murder mystery which weaves its way through the suburbs of my home town, Sydney.

Most of the action takes place in the inner city suburb of Newtown, a place which has traditionally been home to the working class and various counter cultures but is fast becoming a sought after location by the upwardly mobile.  To a lesser degree, some of the suburbs on the western side of historic Botany Bay were also featured in the story. This is because I live in the area and love spending time down by the water. As far a I know, these places have not been mentioned in any other fictional works. I have so many images of the locale etched in my mind, I was anxious to work them into the story.

This mystery/supsense novel is published by DLSIJ Press <http://dlsijpress.com> Following is a brief synopsis:-

A murderer kills random victims in the Sydney suburb of Newtown and taunts the police with provocative letters. The only clue is an exotic fragrance that permeated the air on the occasion of the first attack. Crime reporter Rusty Linden, who also receives letters from the assailant, conducts some detective work of her own and finds herself in more danger than she ever imagined.

Posted on June 23rd, 2007 by Pat Turner
Filed under: New Releases | 4 Comments »

I just returned from 16 days in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. I saw recycling like you wouldn’t imagine. Ever thought of wrapping your groceries in big leaves? I became grateful for our tap water. Even the Thai people don’t drink water out of the taps. I thought about respecting the office of authority, even if you don’t like the person in it. Thai people don’t criticize their King in public or in the paper, though privately the can raise all kinds of questions. Slamming candidates isn’t allowed. Questioning the job they’ve done is. I walked among elephants and rubbed their trunks, learned not to roar when a gecko lizard scampered along my wall, and discovered that things like ivy, morning glories, red ants, crickets, and even rats can be eaten. I saw a society that is still able to shut a shop by just drawing a shade and walking away for an evening, knowing that people might drop into the stall for a snooze, but they won’t take anything. I walked across the bridge on the River Kwai and learned that Hollywood did it again. The prisoners of war didn’t detonate the bridge, he USAF took care of that, several times–there was no River Kwai, but rather the Meiklong and the Kwai Noi. A misunderstood Thai word got the Maiklaung renamed the River Kwai by the GIs, and led to the movie that was more fiction than fact, except for portraying the tough conditions for the Allied Prisoners of War.

I have a zillion photos to develop and I imagine one of my characters will fly off to Bangkok one of these days. An airplane is a glorious thing. It gets people together, jet lag or not. I think I could figure a way for someone from my novel Snap Me a Future to go. Perhaps Shelby McCoy, the heroine, her lover Benjamin Keith, or someone new whom I haven’t discovered yet. Maybe you could check out the book at dlsijpress.com and shoot me an idea of how you See Shelby on a jet to Bangkok.

I’m glad to be home, but again struck by the rich diversity of expression of universal ideas, and handling of universal needs for food, love, shelter, clothing and shelter we humans can come up with.

When I get images out of the dark room, I’ll post one or two.

Posted on June 13th, 2007 by Connie Gotsch
Filed under: General | 3 Comments »

After giving birth to my second child five months ago, I was prepared–or so I thought. After my first baby was born in 2004, I started writing Finding Lilies to free my mind during her naps. I enjoyed escaping into my fictional world. It left me refreshed and ready to be a mommy again.

Little did I know that staying at home with two children would leave me with very little time to write or promote my book. I guess I envisioned both of my kids miraculously coming into sync with each other . . . napping at the same time, eating at the same time, etc. How perfect this vision was in my mind. Ha! I couldn’t have been more off the mark. In fact, this is the first time I’ve been able to sit at my computer and not simultaneously breastfeed, or hear those dreaded words–”Mommy, I’m through!”

I know every mom reading this is thinking, “Yep. Been there. Done that.” Or maybe you’re thinking, “I hear ya, girl. I’m right there with you.” Regardless, I think we can all agree that being a mom is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences a woman can have. Every moment spent with my children enriches my life–even those spent chatting around the training potty.

Kelly Clark Baugher is the author of Finding Lilies, a contemporary romance novel.

To learn more, visit http://www.dlsijpress.com or http://www.kellyclarkbaugher.com

Posted on May 30th, 2007 by Kelly Clark Baugher
Filed under: General | 3 Comments »

The great costume designers of Hollywood’s Golden Years brought an incredible amount of artistry to the screen. The creations of Adrian, Travis Banton, Helen Rose, Howard Greer, Edith Head, Irene, Orry-Kelly and many others were the epitome of style and enthralled moviegoers over many generations.

One of these great designers, Adrian, is featured in this photograph. The other person is Greta Garbo who started out in silent films and was one of the few to make a successful transition to talkies. Adrian designed many of Garbo’s gowns and here the pair look over some sketches for un upcoming production.

I was so inspired by Adrian’s remarkable work that I featured him in my novel Ashley’s Rainbow as friend and mentor to the main character, Ashley Dann. Ashley is trying to make her own way in the costume designer industry and at the same time break free from the shadow cast by her famous, selfish and self-centered actress mother.

I find that those who are great in their chosen profession, whatever it may be, always inspire others in one way or another. In the case of writers the inspiration often provides them with the germ of a story or an interesting characterization which they can further develop.

The talented Garbo pops up in my novel Gossip Column in a minor but important role.

Posted on May 17th, 2007 by Pat Turner
Filed under: Hollywood Snippets | 2 Comments »

‘Member when your Mama told you ‘be careful to be nice, you’ll never know who you’ll impress?’ She was being straight with you. A while ago, Kathy Cordova of El Prado, New Mexico kindly wrote me a nice review for my novel ‘Snap Me a Future.’ She published it in the Silver City Press, Silver City New Mexico.

Silver City’s an old mining town in Southern New Mexico, now turned arts hub. The editor and now owner of the Silver City paper, Tiny Ely. liked the review. She and I are both in the New Mexico Press Women and the National Federation of Press Women. But all Tina knew of me at the time of the review was that I was the NMPW Communication Contest Director, and foolhardy (chuckle) enough to be for the umpteenth year.

That got her to thinking about my career in New Mexico as a writer, journalist, and broadcaster. It’s been a joy ride, folks. She decided this year to nominate me for 2007 New Mexico Press Women Communicator of Achievement. This fall, I get to compete for the title at the National Federation of Press Women. I about fell out of my chair when my name was announced for the beautiful award.

When Tina gave me the award–the person submitting the nomination always gives the award at the annual NMPW Banquet–Tina talked about my novels as important in her decision to suggest I get recognition. Of course my books are ‘Snap Me a Future’ about a publicist turned arts reporter in the beautiful Four Corners Area of New Mexico. And ‘A Mouth Full of Shell,’ about a college professor in Pennsylvania and her struggles to get tenure. DLSIJ Press publishes them. See dlsijpress.com for details.

So big thanks to Tina Ely at the Silver City Press, and if you get to Silver City New Mexico, stop by and tell Tina hello for me. Read Kathy Cordova’s reviews if you can get to the paper on line or in print. Silver City’s a great town to visit if you’re planning a New Mexico Vacation, or a Southwest Vacation, and the Press is a neat paper.

El Prado, by the way, is right near Taos. Kathy Cordova is a teacher and a recent PhD. Yeah Kathy. She’s native to New Mexico and does historic walking tours of Taos besides teaching and writing her own articles and books.

Taos, of course is a neat New Mexico spot, as is El Prado.

And remember, Mama is usually write, (or right) even 50 some years after the fact.

Posted on April 29th, 2007 by Connie Gotsch
Filed under: News | 4 Comments »