Teaser Tuesday - Goodbye Emily

I knew I'd enjoy this book (especially since I'm a Baby Boomer), but I had no idea it would be such a touching and entertaining story. This isn't merely a flashback to the 1960s; it is a story of love, healing, and the power of friendship. The characters felt real and the plot kept me engrossed. I finished reading GOODBYE EMILY in one day. 

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Humor
Author:  Michael Murphy

Number of Pages: 270

Amazon Link: Goodbye Emily

Teaser:

He wore a greasy green Transcontinental Transport T-shirt and carried an empty pitcher of beer. His shaved head, shirt and thick toad-like body reminded me of Shrek, without the ogre's charm. To my great relief, he chose a stool at the other end of the bar.
[at 1% on my Kindle - approx Page 4]

GREAT description, isn't it? Can't you just see that guy?

Goodreads Synopsis: 

Three baby boomers relive their 1969 trip to Woodstock. One final roadtrip. One last chance to say Goodbye Emily.

They met at Woodstock, and the love lasted a lifetime. Then she was gone, and so was his college teaching job. Heartbroken but determined, he calls on his two best friends to help him return to the place it all began.The professor and his Woodstock buddy need the third tripper from back in the day, now in a nursing home with early stage Alzheimer’s. When the home refuses to allow their friend to come along, the professor and the vet bust him out, attracting the attention of the cops and the media, fascinating the public.   The roadtrip turns into a flight from “the man” and not even the professor’s defense attorney daughter can help. In a psychedelic van, the trio dodges cops and prosecutors. Against all odds, they close in on their destination, where thousands of supporters and cops await them.   Goodbye Emily is the irreverantly funny story about a journey of self-discovery for a man who thought he’d left all important journeys in life behind.

NOTE: If you like this, you might also like our book: I.O.U. SEX

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away -- you don't want to ruin the book for others)
• Share the title and author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers

Sweet Saturday Sample - March 31

Our Sweet Saturday Sample for today is a little more serious than some we’ve posted in the past.

We sometimes wonder if women really remember how things were back in the 1960s. During that time, birth control pills were just becoming widely available for married women. In 1964 eight states still prohibited the sale of contraceptives, and laws in Massachusetts and Connecticut still prevented the dissemination of information about birth control.

Abortion was illegal in the United States until January 22, 1973, when Roe vs. Wade gave women a safe and legal choice. Up until that time the majority of abortions were performed by unqualified practitioners in back rooms using things like coat hangers instead of sterilized surgical instruments. This resulted in the untimely deaths of many young women.

Single motherhood was socially unacceptable among the majority of the middle class. Therefore, keeping a baby and raising it as a single mother was simply not done in most cases. It would stigmatize the child who was illegitimate and the mother who was the one committing the sin of sex without the benefit of marriage.

Regardless of your beliefs as to the rights or wrongs of these options, this was the reality in which June (from I.O.U. Sex) had to make decisions about her pregnancy in 1966.

June sat at her Aunt Betty's kitchen table, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she told about her pregnancy. "I just feel so stupid."

Betty patted her niece's hand and listened, not speaking until June had finished. Her first words gave June hope. "I'm glad you came to me, honey. I'll do anything I can to help."

Over hot chocolate and with a box of tissues nearby, the two women discussed June's situation. Throughout her teenaged years, June had heard whispers about girls who were "in a family way." The solution to their dilemma was either a hurried marriage or banishment until after the child had been delivered and given up for adoption. It was hard for her to believe she faced the same bleak choices. The thought of entering a home for unwed mothers depressed June. The only other option, a backstreet abortion, terrified and repulsed her.

Right away, June admitted she was not ready to raise a child, especially as a single woman without the support of a husband or her parents. "Mom and Dad would never forgive me," she said. "I would be miserable and so would the child. I can't bear to tell them I'm pregnant." Just the thought of having that conversation filled June with dread and fear.

Judgment of an unwed mother during this time in history was harsh indeed. “Dread and fear” are exactly what young women like June must have experienced in the 1960s. What did June decide? Next week we’ll talk about June’s eventual choice.

If you’d like more information about the history of  The Pill and about the legalization of abortion in the United States, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has aired documentaries on these subjects.

 

You'll find more delicious novel excerpts here: Sweet Saturday Samples

Our sources:

The Pill:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/timeline/timeline2.html

Roe v Wade:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/clinic/wars/cases.html

Photo:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leffler_-_WomensLib1970_WashingtonDC.jpg

SULTRY SUMMER NIGHTS - IGNITE YOUR PASSIONS BLOG HOP TOUR - August 22-29

SUMMER LOVIN’…DID YOU GET VERY FAR?

Do the words summer lovin' bring back memories of your teenage years? We sure remember the good ole days of summer way back when … and so do the three main characters in our book, I.O.U. SEX. After all, their goal was to find their former high school steadies and give them the sex they’d missed out on so many years before.

So let your mind travel back in time and think ... going steady, necking at the drive-in, and summer lovin’ as we revisit Dallas with our character June. She’s at the drive-in theater with her one-and-only, and they’re not watching the show.

Photo Source: Coltera's Photostream

    “Mmmm, Junie. You drive me wild.” Denny reached across the vinyl-covered seat and pulled June closer.

    She snuggled against him and stretched up to whisper in his ear. “Wild, huh?” She inhaled his unique scent—Brut aftershave mixed with the faint aroma of Lava soap and motor oil from his dad’s garage.

    Denny’s laugh sounded nervous. When he shivered, June giggled and stroked his wavy hair, then tickled his earlobe with her tongue, making him gasp.

    “Whoa, baby. You better slow down or you’ll get more than you bargained for.” He turned and grasped her shoulders, staring into her blue eyes. “Or have you changed your mind?”
    June scooted away, her warm feelings cooled by Denny’s question. She pushed her long blonde hair off her face and anchored it behind her ears. “You know how I feel about going all the way. Why can’t we just have some fun?”

    Denny groaned. “Junie, baby, you really don’t understand, do you? Have you ever heard of blue balls?”

    June stammered. “B-blue what?”

    Denny ran his fingers through his hair, making the short strands stand on end. He sighed. “Never mind. Come back here, June Bug. Let’s figure out what we can do without actually doing it.” He pulled her closer and slid the spaghetti straps off her shoulders, gently kissing the spots where the fabric had been only moments before.

    They’d done some heavy petting in the past, so June didn’t object. She loved it when Denny caressed her breasts and his kisses warmed her inside and out. Once she’d let him touch her down there. It felt go good—until she got scared and made him stop. She could only imagine the thrill of real sex.

    Of course, good girls didn’t go all the way. She’d had long discussions with Kiki and Peggy on the subject of how far to go without getting a bad reputation. Peggy said once you did something, boys seemed to expect it every time. And Kiki sure had a lot of information for someone who claimed virginity.
    June smiled and unbuttoned Denny’s shirt.

♥ ♥ ♥

Perhaps you once met a boy who was cute as could be, and you remember your summer days drifting away. We hope this blast from the past reminds you of hot summer nights at the drive-in movies with your first love.

GIVEAWAY: As a thank you for joining us on our visit to the Jefferson Drive-In in Dallas, Texas, we're giving away a free download of I.O.U. SEX from Smashwords. Even if you don't own a Kindle, the book can be downloaded to your computer, iPad, Nook, etc. Just post a comment below, give the name of your favorite movie, and include your email address for notification in case you win. We'll put your name in the pot for the drawing on August 30.

To connect with more Sultry Summer Nights participants, click on this link:

SULTRY SUMMER NIGHTS

TOUR RULES:

1) HAVE FUN!!!
2) INVITE ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS!!! SPREAD THE WORD!!!
3) THIS TOUR STARTS: Monday, August 22, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
THIS TOUR ENDS: Monday, August 29, at Midnight (Arizona Time)
Winners will be drawn and posted August 30th! ***
4) MEET AND MINGLE WITH ALL THE AUTHORS! EXPERIENCE A DIFFERENT SULTRY SUMMER NIGHT AT EVERY STOP! PARTICIPATE IN EVERY BLOG CONTEST AND BE ENTERED FOR CHANCES TO WIN MULTIPLE PRIZES! EVERY BLOG VISITED IS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO WIN!!
5) PARTICIPATION AT ALL BLOGS IS RECOMMENDED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. REMEMBER, THE MORE BLOGS YOU HOP, THE BETTER YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING PRIZES. EVERY AUTHOR IS WAITING TO MEET AND INTERACT WITH YOU, SO PLEASE BE SURE TO SHOW EVERY AUTHOR SOME LOVE!
6) DID I MENTION TO HAVE FUN? WHOO! HOO!! HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!

***Authors have full discretion to choose an alternate winner in the event any winner fails to claim their prize(s) within 72 hours of their name being posted or after notification of win, whichever comes first. Anyone who participates in this blog hop tour is subject to these rules***

RED & WHITE MEMORIES

Every author brings a little bit of himself or herself to his/her written words. This old photo shows both Sandy and I when we were in the drill team. It seems like only yesterday that we were sitting in an assembly listening for our names to be called out as new members of the Stockard Strutters, our red & white dream. When I first looked back at this photo, I had to really study it to even find myself, but I was surprised at the memories that came back to me as I also studied the many faces represented here. Ah, the fun, the joy of having a common cause to support - our beloved school, L. V. Stockard, and its championship football team (& boys!).

When Sandy and I wrote I.O.U. Sex, some of those same memories reappeared in the fictional content of June, Kiki, and Peggy's memories of being a "Rayette" at Rayburn High School. It's a fictional work, but it's still filled with memories.
~ Miss Pickles (alias Sandra Allen)

HOW I MET MY HUSBAND

I read a post on another blog that told how the writer met her husband, many years before. With St. Valentine’s Day approaching, my how-we-met story seemed like just the thing to include here. I did change the names of a couple of the characters* in this tale, but the story is true.

Cynthia* and I had been sharing the apartment for a couple of weeks when she asked my advice. "There's this guy I'm crazy about. His name is Mike* and he works for my dad," she said. "I sure can't call and ask him for a date, but maybe I can invite him over to see our new apartment. What do you think?"

(This was the late 1960s and most women still weren't quite liberated enough to initiate a date.)

"Call him," I answered. "I can stick around for a while and then go out somewhere and leave you two alone."

Cynthia picked up the phone and dialed.

Mike said okay, but he had one condition - he wanted to bring along his buddy, someone for Cynthia's roommate. 

She put her hand over the phone. "Do you mind? I'll owe you big time if you say yes."

"Sure! Why not?"

So, Mike brought along a guy named Bob with a weird last name. I did leave the apartment after a while, as promised, so that Cynthia and Mike could be alone. But I didn't leave by myself, even though Bob really wasn't my type. I liked tall thin guys, and Bob was an ex-football player with a thick neck and big hands. But he was intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor, he knew the words to all of Bob Dylan's songs, and he was such a good kisser! He was someone I could fall in love with, if I was interested in falling in love with someone, which I wasn't.

Later I found out that Mike actually brought Bob with him as protection against the wedding bells he saw in Cynthia's eyes! Since she was the daughter of his boss, he was in a sticky situation. But eventually, Cynthia got the message.

Mike never came back to the apartment, but Bob did. We married one year after that first date and are still married forty years later.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!