TUESDAY TALES - RANDOM

Welcome! Today's word prompt is "random". For those who have read, TO LOVE OR NOT TO LOVE, I am starting Maggie & John's story here in Tuesday Tales and will be bringing it out as a book when it's completed. Here's the first installment.

MAGGIE'S STORY

“It’s not like I’m going to take up with some random stranger, Mum,” Maggie said, twisting a handkerchief in her hand.

“Just be a good girl. Do what they tell you.” Her mother patted her hand.
“I’m not a girl. I’m twenty,” the young woman mumbled.
“Just don’t get preggers again.Okay?”

Maggie glared at her mother. A loud whistle startled the two women.

“Time for me to go.” With a quick wave, Maggie’s mother exited down the gangway as the ship prepared to depart Southampton for New York.
Maggie Chadwick spotted the woman making her way to the underground. Glad to have this bad seed off her hands, I bet. Sure she’d gotten knocked up. When Nigel bugged off to Wales, her mum had maneuvered her into having an abortion she didn't want.
Now Maggie was headed to New York City, to bunk in with a cousin she’d met once. Embarrassing daughter problem eliminated.
The ship pulled out of the dock and headed East. 

It took every penny her mum and dad had put away for holiday to pay for her passage. She assuaged her feelings of guilt with the fact that this was the last dime they'd ever spend on her. Her passage was one way. People milled around everywhere, but loneliness surrounded her lie a cloak. She shivered. She’d be cleaning up her own messes from now on.

When they docked in Manhattan, Maggie a woman in a loud dress accosted her.
“There you are, dearie! Good to see you, Mags.” The woman slapped her on the back.
“Gladys?”
“Come on, lovey. This way.”
After days of being alone, Maggie was happy to see a friendly face. She took a deep breath, then descended into the hot subway, half scared, half curious.  
The two bedroom apartment was small. Gladys led her to a narrow twin bed in a room jammed with two other beds the same size.
There was barely space to move.
“This is yours, love. Here’s the paper. Look for a job. If you can’t find anything. Burt might be able to get you some work as a chambermaid at the hotel where he works. Do ya know how to make a bed?”
Maggie nodded. Gladys handed her a set of keys, kissed her on the cheek and headed for the front door. When her cousin was gone,
Maggie sank down on her bed and cried.

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5 FAST, FUN FACTS FOOTBALL - 3

It's fast facts time again! Then there's a taste of GRIFF MONTGOMERY, QUARTERBACK. Who says football has an off season?  Here are some more fun and some surprising facts. 

Football Facts

1. Just two years after finishing their careers, approximately 78% of NFL players go bankrupt.

2.  Though football games usually last around 3 hours, the ball is typically in play for only 11 minutes. Around 56% of the game on TV is devoted to replays.

3.  In 1892, former Yale star William “Pudge” Heffelfinger became the first recognized pro player when he accepted $500 to play for the Allegheny Athletic Association.

4.  In an NFL game, as many as 75 minutes, or about 60% of total TV air time (excluding commercials), is spent on shots of players standing on the line of scrimmage, huddling, or just walking around between snaps.

5.  Injured football players in televised NFL games get six more seconds of camera time than celebrating players.

(Thanks to randomhistory.com)

******** 

A glimpse at Griff Montgomery:

Griff crouched down to scratch the dog behind the ears then straightened. “Time for bed.”

“I thought you already did that?” The unfiltered words flew out of her before she could stop them. Lauren clamped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late.

He threw a stern look her way.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. It’s none of my business,” she prattled on.

“Damn right, it’s none of your business.”

“I’m sorry. Really. It’s just that you said…indicated…implied you wouldn’t be home ’til morning and I…well, I mean, here you are. And I wondered…okay. I’m shutting up now.”

“Good night.” He turned his back to her and headed toward his room, stopping in the doorway. “And ‘no,’ I’m not going to tell you about my date.”

Embarrassment choked her. She scrambled up the stairs, wishing she could disappear.

 ********

Summary 

He wanted a wife. She didn’t want to get married – ever.  Not exactly a match made in heaven. Ten years ago, Griff Montgomery, star quarterback of the Kings and womanizer, became a stand-in father for his widowed sister’s kids. After they moved away, Griff wanted his own family. But where does a “player” go to find his ideal mate?

Having sworn off marriage forever, Lauren Farraday barely kept her life together after her divorce. With her career shaky and depression closing in, the last thing she needed was a courtroom battle with a sexy athlete.

Wary of Griff’s reputation with women, and hiding a secret, Lauren holds on to her heart.  Can the quarterback handle the truth or will he walk away, like he has in the past?     

Buy links:
SECRET CRAVINGS PUBLISHING
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS
ITUNES/APPLE
AMAZON U.K.

Get a sneak preview of Buddy Carruthers, Wide Receiver, the next in the First & Ten series by signing up for my free NEWSLETTER 
My WEBSITE

 

5 FAST, FUN, FOOTBALL FACTS - PART 2

Welcome back! Time for part 2  in our fun football facts post and another teaser from GRIFF MONTGOMERY, QUARTERBACK. I've been asked if my football romance book has real football scenes in it and the answer is "yes" it does, as do the others books in the FIRST & TEN series.

Football Facts 

1. Where do all those footballs come from? Wilson Sporting Goods Company in Ada, Ohio has been the official supplier to the NFL since 1941. They make over 2 million footballs every year!

2.  Only two players have caught, rushed, and thrown a touchdown against the same team in the same game: Walter Payton in 1979 and David Patton in 2001.

3.  Originally, football was most popular in Midwestern industrial towns, its spread and rise in popularity around the U.S. is most often traced to the 1958 NFL Championship game, which has been called the “Greatest Game Ever Played.”

4. That game was played in Yankee Stadium. The game between Baltimore and New York went to sudden death overtime. Final score? Baltimore 23, NY 17. Why was this game so popular? It was televised nationally on NBC. 

5. Another fact that sent this game into star status were the 12 receptions by Raymond Berry for 178 yards and a touchdown. This record stood for 55 years until Demaryius Thomas broke it with 13 receptions in Super Bowl XLVIII. Wow! 
(Thanks to randomhistory.com) 

********

Now for 2 short teasers from GRIFF MONTGOMERY, QUARTERBACK (caution, locker room language ahead):
1.

With Spike tucked securely under his arm, Griff pushed open the door to the workout room at the stadium.

“No dogs allowed, Montgomery. And that includes your girlfriend,” snickered Aloysius “Trunk” Mahoney, defensive linebacker.

“Very funny. I’m gonna die laughing.”

“What if he shits in here?” Mahoney cocked an eyebrow at Griff.

“He already took a dump in your helmet, asshole.”

  2.

“Quite a welcoming committee. Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“To these animals? Never. Come on.” He took her arm, turning her toward the parking lot and escorting her to her car.

“Some of them are kinda cute. ’Specially the one with the blond hair,” she said, fishing around in her purse.

“Buddy? He’s the biggest man-whore of them all.”

She chuckled as she pulled out her car keys. “Bigger than you?”

“He leaves me in the dust.”

Lauren stopped, her eyes wide. “Wow.”

********

Summary

He wanted a wife. She didn’t want to get married – ever.  Not exactly a match made in heaven. Ten years ago, Griff Montgomery, star quarterback of the Kings and womanizer, became a stand-in father for his widowed sister’s kids. After they moved away, Griff wanted his own family. But where does a “player” go to find his ideal mate?

Having sworn off marriage forever, Lauren Farraday barely kept her life together after her divorce. With her career shaky and depression closing in, the last thing she needed was a courtroom battle with a sexy athlete.

Wary of Griff’s reputation with women, and hiding a secret, Lauren holds on to her heart.  Can the quarterback handle the truth or will he walk away, like he has in the past?     

Buy links:
SECRET CRAVINGS PUBLISHING
AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE
ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS
ITUNES/APPLE
AMAZON U.K.


Get a sneak preview of BUDDY CARRUTHERS, WIDE RECEIVER, the next in the First & Ten series by signing up for my free NEWSLETTER 
My WEBSITE

5 FAST, FUN FACTS ABOUT FOOTBALL!

Welcome! For the next three weeks, I'm going to be posting new fun facts about football and short teasers, every couple of days, from my brand new book, GRIFF MONTGOMERY, QUARTERBACK, first book in the First & Ten series. 
In addition to being a romance writer, I'm also a rabid football fan.  Even though I'm a big fan, I still had to do tons of research. I guess you could say it was a labor of love. 
Watch for the announcement of a new post on Twitter, or follow my blog and you'll be notified automatically when a new post is up. Thanks for stopping by.

 Football Facts

1.  American football sprouted from a combination of rugby and soccer - both from England. This bastard sports child called football took hold on college campuses in the 1800's, and grew from there to capture many U.S. hearts.

2. In the late 1800's a coach named Walter Camp became known as the "father of football" when he created rules regarding downs, distances and scrimmages.

3. The NFL started out in 1920 as the American Professional Football League. Two years later, it changed its name to the National Football League, which is what it's known as today.

4. The Super Bowl is the most watched television event, surpassing the Oscars, March Madness basketball, the World Series (one game) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs (one game).

5. Pigskin? Think again. Footballs are made from cowhide. It takes about 600 cows to make enough footballs for an entire season of NFL games. 

******

Here's a snippet from GRIFF MONTGOMERY, QUARTERBACK, my brand new football romance novel:

“What else are you good at, besides grilling and throwing a football?”

“Do you want the PG version or X-rated?” He snickered, his dark eyes dancing with mischief as they skimmed over her skimpy robe, making her shiver.

She laughed.

Griff slipped his hand over her free one. “Or should I show you?” His gaze settled on her lips.

She finished chewing and sat back, checking him out again. His muscles were nicely defined, and the sprinkling of dark chest hair tempted her fingers. She ached to touch him, but resisted. He’s a womanizer. He’ll leave you. He’ll hurt you. “Don’t think so.” She removed her hand to cut another piece of meat.

All buy links HERE

Brief synopsis:

He wanted a wife. She didn’t want to get married – ever.  Not exactly a match made in heaven. Ten years ago, Griff Montgomery, star quarterback of the Kings and womanizer, became a stand-in father for his widowed sister’s kids. After they moved away, Griff wanted his own family. But where does a “player” go to find his ideal mate?

Having sworn off marriage forever, Lauren Farraday barely kept her life together after her divorce. With her career shaky and depression closing in, the last thing she needed was a courtroom battle with a sexy athlete.

Wary of Griff’s reputation with women, and hiding a secret, Lauren holds on to her heart.  Can the quarterback handle the truth or will he walk away, like he has in the past?     

*****

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