And Then She Said. . .

Her Grandfather never got to hold her and love this grandest of ours. Now she pays honor to him as best she can by singing with her school mates on Veteran’s Day.

Seven and a half, all dressed up and so glam on this day.

My young pilot in the Strategic Air Command during the Korean War. R.I.P.

The following title Farewell/Hello is a true story of love, war and everything in between.

Amazon | Apple | B&N

Farewell, Hello by Charmaine Gordon

That first kiss… that first incredible, agonizing, bellyache-making first kiss. Soon, Joy and Danny are inseparable, planning a future – a life, together. A kiss goodbye couldn’t prepare the high school sweethearts for all that lay ahead. A family crisis, a tornado, and the Korean War brought their plans to a screeching halt, and changed their futures… but maybe not their forever.

Once Upon A Time I looked Like This

Do you ever look at old pics and think, YIKES, that was me? Daughter loves pics, old and new. She literally uncovered this one of me. Honeymoon 1952, Miami Beach My first love and I got sunburned on one side of our bodies because we talked for hours lying on chaise lounges near the beach. That night, lathered in sun burn lotion, we saw Singing In The Rain. Two weeks in Miami Beach, honeymoon for lovers, then off to Texas where Bud learned to fly Bombers, we had many children and the girl from Chicago became a wife, a mother and part of the Strategic Air Command. The Korean War gripped us. Wives watched as the pilots and crews flew away for months on Temporary Duty. Women bonded, parades when the planes returned. Babies were born. A cycle of life far from my sheltered home in Chicago. A great life by comparison to the wars fought now.

We thank every veteran for serving in the military.

My young pilot  so proud

Sideways or upside down, it’s still me at 21.

Farewell, Hello is a story , partly true, of two young lovers in Chicago. He’s a senior in high school; she’s a virgin (gasp) and a sophomore in the same school.

blurb:

That first kiss… that first incredible, agonizing, bellyache-making first kiss. Soon, Joy and Danny are inseparable, planning a future – a life, together. A kiss goodbye couldn’t prepare the high school sweethearts for all that lay ahead. A family crisis, a tornado, and the Korean War brought their plans to a screeching halt, and changed their futures… but maybe not their forever.

Buy Links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/ B00L5WW6Z4
https://itunes.apple.com/us/ book/farewell-hello/ id888930495
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ w/farewell-hello-charmaine- gordon/1119733592
http://youtu.be/BizMdq7ENXo                                                                   

Thanks for reading and as always, I appreciate your support.

And Then She Said. . .

 

 

 

Grandest, now age six and a half, goes to half day summer camp. I drove her first day since daughter, voted best of the best or something wonderful at her school, still had one day left to work. I’m the go-to Granny. Blond hair already askew, she marched confidently in waving to everyone from last year. The differ this time is the way she introduced me.

“This is Granny. She writes books. Her new book is called “Farewell,” she tugged on my shorts. “Grans, what’s the next word of your funny title.”

“Farewell, Hello.”

“Isn’t that backwards?” By now she had the attention of counselors and parents.

“No. Young lovers say farewell when the boy goes off to war. Years go by and she doesn’t know if they’ll ever meet again.”

“Oh, I get it. Then she says Hello. Cool. Yay.”

“And you know you can get free four chapters of Farewell, Hello by using a certain link.” But by now she was playing with some kids forgetting about Grans.

“I’ll see you at noon.” My feet dance across the gymnasium floor as I leave.

 

 

Free 4 Chapter Preview Farewell, Hello

or

http://books.noisetrade.com/charmainegordon/free-4-chapter-preview-farewell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Then She Said… and Coming Soon…

The expression, “They grow up so fast” is often heard and oh so true. I never dreamed I’d help raise an infant when daughter had grandest yet here I am, surviving with a writing career, a dear second husband, and almost daily care of my best little pal.

The many faces of our lovely girl. This one shows her walking away, so confident in short strides.I’m thinking, “Don’t walk too far, too fast, too soon, precious child.”

The computer is not cooperating with me right now so I’ll post this incomplete and try tomorrow,  another day. Thanks for checking in, my friends.

She breaks a board at TaeKwando after passing her yellow belt test.

 

Good news – Coming Soon – latest book, now titled Farewell, Hello set in 1948:

 

Blurb:

That first kiss… that first incredible, agonizing, bellyache-making first kiss. Soon, Joy and Danny are inseparable, planning a future — a life, together.

A kiss goodbye couldn’t prepare the highschool sweethearts for all that lay ahead. A family crisis, a tornado, and the Korean War brought their plans to a screeching halt, and changed their futures… but maybe not their forever.

 

You’ll laugh and cry with the story; references to Seventeen Magazine and not allowing ‘privileges’ to boys until after marriage may seem funny and archaic but that’s how life was in a time I know very well. Authentic and so real, I cried and laughed writing this story.

 

 FREE 4 CHAPTER PREVIEW DOWNLOAD

 

See you soon with more about Grandest and my latest book. Right now, this Granny is weary.

 

5/18/14 WEWRIWA

TEAM WEWRIWA, I love you. Thanks for saving me last week with helpful comments and understanding.

She Never Said Yes has a few important changes going on thanks to you, so here’s a quick preface before the eight.

Danny listens to fellow cadets opinions on sex, fidelity, and marriage and decides he is way off base thinking his views should change and he and Joy are on the right track. After the phone call that ends with him slamming the phone down saying she should keep the ring, he realizes he’s gone wrong.

excerpt in eight:

Danny stared at the black phone, his lifeline to Joy cut forever thinking, Oh God, what did I do? and called the operator, giving her the number and dropped in a bunch of quarters.
After holding on, he heard, “No one is answering at that number, Sir although I’ve tried several times and let it ring.”
Desperate to reach her as fast as possible, Danny called information for Western Union knowing telegrams got there fast, same day or even overnight.
“Operator, this is an emergency; I’m a pilot in the Air Force stationed in San Antonio, Texas. Can Western Union help me?”
“Your message, please and remember to say Stop after every sentence, the shorter the less expensive.”
He looked at the dwindling stack of coins and began, Please forgive me STOP; Will wait for you. STOP; Love forever Danny STOP

Excited he’d taken action no matter what his pals said and did, Danny rattled off the delivery information, listened to the ping in the coin box and  suddenly the operator came back on the line saying, “Sorry to say there’s a tornado watch and heavy winds across Kansas and all the way through the Midwest have caused lines to go down.”
So that’s why he couldn’t connect with her; the storm in his heart had reached out to the weather God and cursed him just like in the Shakespeare tragedies he’d loved in high school.

for more snippets from talented writers:                                     

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5/4/14 WEWRIWA

May Day, May Day. A signal for help in the military. Often writers call May Day searching for constructive criticism as we write and that’s exactly what we receive here at WEWRIWA.  

This week I continue with She Never Said Yes. Danny and Joy are engaged and plan to be married right after he finishes pilot training and receives his Air Force wings at a formal ceremony in San Antonio, TX. Joy’s father pays for them to meet in Oklahoma City for a weekend one month prior to the ceremony. At Chicago’s bustling airport, Joy’s father says, “Be a good girl.’

Excerpt in eight:

Adjoining rooms with my sweetheart, temptation was almost more than we could bear. So we kissed, bodies pressed together straining against the blanket I’d wrapped around him to remind us to stop. In the corner of my mind were Father’s words trusting, “Be a good girl, Joy” and mother’s warning not to allow ‘privileges.’
Over and over, I stopped him with, “Wait honey, it’s the right thing to do and I’ve already picked out a virginal white lace wedding gown.”
Laughing, fighting desire, kissing, two wonderful days had passed and I just started to pack when the phone rang.
Father’s voice demanded, “Joy, come home right now, Mother is very ill.”
Panic set in, my hands trembled remembering all the times Mother needed to rest and how she stumbled so often.
We kissed good bye and I left my sweetheart shaking his head, looking bewildered as I hurried to American Airlines where I boarded the plane to Chicago to cry on the long flight home.                      

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I suggest you pamper both your Mom and yourself with a copy of my very first book To Be Continued. It’s the one that begins with “It’s not you, it’s me.” Not the kind of love letter you want to read left by your husband or lover. A story of survive and thrive, To Be Continued is optioned for a television movie. This proves with some good dialogue and a storyline that resonates with readers, great things can happen.

PRINT – http://www.amazon.com/To-Be-Continued-Charmaine-Gordon/dp/1935407430

Kindle – http://www.amazon.com/To-Be-Continued-ebook/dp/B0030IM65G

AllRomance Ebooks – https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-tobecontinued-395548-149.html

Smashwords for All Ereaders – https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7283

Free Book Club Discussion Packet – http://store.payloadz.com/go?id=912108

4/27/14 WEWRIWA

Hi gang and welcome to our terrific Sunday’s where we get to read and leave comments on eight sentences written by talented writers.

To catch you up on my WIP, She Never Said Yes, this eight is when Joy and Danny go to her club dinner dance. Kid brother, Gary snaps away with the Brownie camera until they escape; Joy in a red taffeta off-the-shoulder dress, Danny wearing a dark blue suit. He’s given her an orchid wristlet corsage.

Eight with a possibility of creative punctuation. Hmm.

“Nice of your Dad to loan you his Studebaker,” I touched his hand and he almost shifted into the wrong gear by mistake probably because I talked too much.
Excitement grew when Danny helped me out of the car, my taffeta dress making a swishing sound when we walked holding hands

On the dance floor, we fit together as I followed Danny’s lead jitterbugging all over, the big senior so confident who didn’t know anyone there except for me, a fifteen and a half year old sophomore.

Hours later in the car I wondered if he expected to neck or do stuff like privileges when all of a sudden Danny hummed the music from a popular song, “It’s Magic,” we sang together our voices blending, “You sigh, a song begins; you speak and I hear violins, It’s Magic.”

He pulled up behind Father’s fancy black Chrysler and as soon as he shut off the motor, I jumped out of the car before he came around to open the door.

“Don’t be nervous, I really want to kiss you goodnight and I promise not to bite,” he touched my lips and shook his head, “nope, you’ve got them pressed so tight together not even a crow bar could pry them apart so loosen up, Bearhugger, I won’t hurt you.”

Just for an instant, when he called me that funny name, my lips did soften and Danny moved in fast to plant a soft kiss; then dazed by a strange feeling, I drifted up the steps to the front door with his arm around my waist, I heard him say, “Goodnight, my girl, I’ll wait until I hear the lock click and you’re safe inside.”

Holding onto the railing all the way to my room, I had a belly ache way down low and thought, If this is what a kiss does, I won’t kiss anyone again. Ever.

 

Try out for new pic. Comments, anyone?

for more snippets from talented writers:

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4/20/14 WEWRIWA

Another sunny day in NY with birds chirping and neighbors coming out of hibernation in this quiet neighborhood. I woke up today and that’s always a plus. Welcome to my world and Weekend Warrior Writers. Know this, my friends, I appreciate your critique of my new story. Every comment is important. Thank you all.

Continuing with my WIP She Never Said Yes. 15 and a half year old Joy Davison invites eighteen year old Danny Wilson to her club dinner dance. Sounds easy, right? He accepts and she’s thrilled. Mother wants to meet this senior boy after warning her only daughter saying boy’s will expect “privileges”, never telling innocent Joy what that means. She also wants to meet this possibly depraved boy so when he comes to the door to tell Joy a secret, Mother is there. And to Joy’s surprise , when Mother and Danny shake hands, her mother holds on too long to be polite and peers into Danny’s eyes like detectives do in the movies. A sign of the 40’s with Mama Bear protecting Baby Bear. Left alone at last, Joy is anxious to find out what Danny wants to tell her.

Excerpt in eight:

He shuffled his feet the way I’d seen him do when we walked home and I guessed he was uncomfortable and why not when he’s so sure of himself in school and my home is like foreign territory.
“You want to tell me something?” fingers crossed tight under my arms praying he didn’t plan to say he didn’t want to go out with me or even worse, he had another girlfriend.
His voice kind of choked and finally he spilled the beans, “Remember I said my dad was an immigrant from Russia and did you wonder why my last name is Wilson, not too Russian?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I thought, not the date or another girl and fingers uncrossed, I leaned toward this adorable nervous boy to listen.
“Danny,” I touched his reindeer sweater so soft his mom must have washed it a million times, “I didn’t think about it but I betcha I’d have asked you, um, soon.”
He settled back against the stiff blue silk covered sofa, more comfortable since he’d started talking: “His family arrived at Ellis Island, do you know about Ellis Island?” I nodded. “The inspector asked Grandpa his name and Grandpa spoke a garbled Russian, the story goes, and said “Wolinsky” simplified by the man in charge to Wilson.”
“Danny, the same thing happened to my father’s family and that’s how the name Davidonivich became Davison.”
His freckled face looked so serious all of a sudden especially when he said, “Let’s pinky swear not to tell anyone else” and right then we locked pinky fingers, his large, mine small and shook them, our first pact.

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4/6/14 WEWRIWA

We could while away the hours conferring with the flowers, consulting with the rain. . .Why do I feel like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz? Why not? It’s Spring again and birds on the wing again-but as the old joke goes-“I always hoid the wing is on the Boid,” if I only had a brain. Are we having fun or what, my friends?

Continuing with She Never Said Yes, my WIP. Joy asked Danny to the club dinner dance, he said okay and somehow the school day passed. Walking home, they meet.

Excerpt in eight:

On the way home from school, I heard Danny call, “Hey Joy, wait up,” and at last reading Seventeen magazine paid off since I’d just memorized the latest advice column on how to talk to boys.
He carried my books and took long steps so I had to kind of double step to keep up; without saying a word he slowed and I asked my first question, number one on the list.
“What’s your favorite sport, Danny?” Grinning he opened his jacket to show off the S for soccer stitched on the white letter sweater, a big deal at our school and I wondered if he’d ever let me wear it; also something special to show a boy really liked the girl.
“And what’s your favorite sport?” he said making both of us laugh ‘cause there were no team activities for girls except cheer leading and I couldn’t do splits, pyramids, or twirl a baton.
“I’ve been dancing since I was three years old: tap, ballet, you name it and someday I plan to be a professional dancer maybe in New York but don’t you dare tell my family.”
We reached Ridgeway and Ainslie Avenue, the corner where I live and I stopped, pointed to the big house, said, “That’s my house, so don’t forget it, you” and before he knew what happened, I lifted my books from his arms and ran up the steps to the door. Dropping my key on the first try, I looked down to see Danny still standing on the corner and all I wanted to do was rush down to hug him and never let go.
Shivering from the chill October wind blowing dry leaves all over the last of green grass, I opened the heavy wooden door, closed it and leaned back, my heart beating so hard I thought Mother might hear it from the kitchen where I smelled delicious pot roast cooking.

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A bonus week for me, folks. Check out the newly released The Beginning. . .Not The End Volume 2, my series of Mature Romances. This one includes No Time for Green Bananas, She Didn’t Say No and Dr. D and the Dad.

Here’s the link to the video on youtube.

The Beginning…Not the End, Volume 2 by Charmaine Gordon: http://t.co/yU8kKvSJo5 via @YouTube

3/30/14 WEWRIWA

Hi, my friends. Thanks for the perfect critique last week of my WIP. Just what I needed to move along on this end of March. YIKES! Purple crocus abound in the front near the house where it’s warm. So sweet and pretty.

She Never Said Yes continues. Last week, Joy made a plan to ask the most popular boy, a senior in high school, to her club dance. She’s 15, a sophomore. He’s eighteen, a senior. The year is 1948. The Korean War is two years away from drafting young Americans into the conflict.

“Okay,”he said, and just like that I had a date with Danny Wilson for my club’s dinner dance in two weeks. Handing him an invitation with my name, phone number and address, I said, “Pick me up at seven.” Our hands touched just for second; his hazel eyes locked on mine and I had a thought that maybe we were meant to be together. Heart pounding with excitement, I said ‘bye and raced downstairs to the third floor gym just before the bell rang.

My good friend Liz shared a locker with me and as we changed into the ugly green gym suits, she asked why my face was red and how come I almost missed the bell. Jumping up and down I squeezed her hand and shouted, “I have a date for the dance with Danny Wilson.”

Her jaw dropped and she almost shrieked his name but Miss Clemens blew a whistle and calisthenics began so we followed her commands to her commands and I worked off some of the excitement, not all, just a little bit.

If I knew how to do cartwheels I’d be doing them all over the gym but just wait ’til the dance, Danny Wilson, ’cause that’s where this jitterbuggin’ girl could show off her stuff.

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