Novels
Sixteen-year-old Becky Walden has two big dreams: to become an all-state basketball player and to find a special boy to love. When she moves from St. Louis to a small town in southwestern Missouri, she meets Matt McRae. He shares her love of basketball and he comes to love her, but he is unwilling to fight the system of small town politics that has reached into the high school and tainted their sport. Becky learns that love doesn’t always mean happiness; sometimes it can really hurt.
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
THE basketball thumped on the sidewalk in front of Becky and bounced straight into the air. In one motion, she dropped her bag of groceries and reached out with both hands, snaring the ball. A bright November sun glanced off the orange rim ten feet up and Becky found her target. Her arms reached up, her wrist cocked.
And then she froze.
She knew she could make the shot. Twenty feet out from the corner never bothered her. It was a pair of eyes that stopped her, deep blue eyes that locked on to hers and held her captive.
“Well, go ahead and shoot!” It wasn’t Blue Eyes talking, but his tall lanky friend, impatient to get on with their game.
His words broke the spell. Becky lowered her gaze reluctantly, aware of a strange fluttering inside her chest, like a tiny basketball being dribbled up and down a miniature court. The ball felt cold and heavy in her hands.
“Here, take it.” She flicked a bounce pass waist-high to Blue eyes and stooped down to pick up the groceries. She felt her face flaming. They must have thought she was a complete idiot, dropping everything and standing there with the ball like some hotshot, while her apples and eggs– “Oh no! The eggs!”
Sticking her hand into the sack, she pulled out the white styrofoam carton. She had an awful feeling. Very gingerly she opened the lid.
“Yuck! What a mess!”
Becky whirled around. She hadn’t noticed the little boy before, but there he stood, a scaled-down copy of Blue Eyes, from the square little chin and tipped-up nose to those incredible eyes and a headful of light brown curls.
“I bet you broke more than half of ‘em,” said the boy, bending over to get a closer look at the sticky yellow mess. “Too bad we’re not closer to home. Our chickens are laying pretty good now and — “
“That’s okay, Jason.” Blue Eyes’ voice was deep and strong. “Here, you and Rich shoot some baskets.” He flipped his brother the ball and reached for the egg carton. “It’s a mess all right, but only two of them broke. Not bad, considering.” He closed the box and grinned down at Becky who was on the ground again, hunting for stray apples. “Got everything now?”
“I–think so.” In spite of the whole terrible situation, one pleasant thought crossed her mind as she scrambled to her feet. He must be well over six feet tall because she actually had to look up at him! Which didn’t matter, of course, because the only thing he’d remember about her was how she had dropped her groceries to go after a loose ball. It was always like that with boys. Sure they noticed her. How could they possibly miss all five feet, twelve inches? The trouble was, that’s all they ever saw.
Becky’s eyes traveled down to her faded jeans and baggy sweatshirt. She couldn’t have looked worse if she had planned it. Sometimes life was just plain cruel. “I’d better go,” she mumbled, putting out her hand. “Can I have my eggs back?”
“Sure.” He shoved the carton into her sack. “You live around here?”
She nodded.
“Come on, Matt,” Rich called. “Let’s finish the game.”
“Okay, I’m coming.” Still watching Becky, Blue Eyes took a step backward. “Well, see you around.”
Becky nodded again and quickly walked away.
“WHAT was that all about?” Rich Robinson asked, as he grabbed one of Jason’s rebounds. He lobbed the ball back, then shuffled across the parking lot toward his friend. Easing his lanky frame to the ground, he stretched out full length, his long fingers folded under his head.
Matt dropped down beside him. The air was cool in spite of the bright sun, and the hot concrete felt good to his tired muscles. They’d been shooting baskets at the Ridgemont Apartments for well over an hour, and he needed a rest. Besides, he wanted to think.
“Okay, who is she?” Rich seemed to read his thoughts.
Matt didn’t have an answer. He’d never seen the girl before, but she lived close by so she must be new to Summit. Probably she’d be at school on Monday. He liked that idea.
Something sharp rammed his ribs. “Ouch!” Lunging to one side, he grabbed Rich’s arm. “What are you trying to
do–kill me with that bony elbow?”
“Just seeing if you’re awake.” Rich grinned. “That girl put some kind of spell on you?”
Matt felt his face grow warm, and he turned away quickly. He didn’t want to talk about her, not even to Rich, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. The way she’d snagged that ball and pivoted to shoot, she was no stranger to basketball. She wasn’t awkward either, like a lot of tall girls. And her hair. . .he’d never seen hair that reddish gold before.
A small sturdy body plopped down beside him. “Hey, Matt, how come your face is so red?”
Matt acted instinctively. If Rich ever guessed what he’d been thinking, he’d never hear the end of it. His right hand pinned his little brother to the ground, while his left began a systematic and very thorough job of tickling. “We’ll see who’s red! Say when, you little critter!”
Squealing and kicking, Jason laughed till he was gasping for breath. “When! When!” he finally managed.
Matt released him and jumped to his feet. Rich watched in bored amusement as Matt grabbed the ball and started dribbling toward the goal. He’d seen the whole performance a million times, with Matt teasing and Jason enjoying every minute.
“I’ll get you, Matt!” the boy shrieked, scrambling after his brother.
“Have to catch me first!” Matt raced across the court and pulled up about twenty feet short of the basket. He pumped and shot, and the ball slid through the net.
THE Walden’s station wagon sat in the driveway at 108 Hillcrest when Becky arrived home. Her mother had been out job-hunting since early that morning. Becky hoped she had found something. Her parents depended on two incomes, with three children to support and the cost of living so high these days. That was one of their big arguments for making this move to Summit.
Becky scowled, remembering everything they had left behind in St. Louis. Sure it was cheaper, with nobody here and nothing to do.
“What are you so happy about?” Her fifteen-year-old brother, Ken, walked out the porch with one hand full of cookies and a basketball in the other.
Becky ignored the question and tried to ignore the basketball. It stirred up too many recent unpleasant memories. “Did Mom get a job?”
“Yep, checking at the supermarket. Want to play a quick game?”
Becky glared, a fierce absolutely final scowl that told him exactly what she thought of that idea. He didn’t bother to argue.
She went into the kitchen and set her groceries on the table. Her mother stood at the sink peeling potatoes, while Debbie perched on a stool keeping her company. Seeing those two blonde heads, so very much alike, didn’t improve Becky’s mood. Some people had all the luck. She and Ken had inherited their father’s height, which didn’t bother her anymore since she started playing basketball four years ago, but today she would have given anything to be five feet two inches tall. She might even have traded places with her little sister. Anyone could tell that Debbie, even at six, would take after their mom, small and dainty, with the same bubbly personality.
“Did you have a nice walk, dear?” her mother asked.
“It was okay.”
“I thought you’d go out this morning so you kids could have the bread for lunch. I was at the market myself this afternoon, and I could have picked up what we needed.”
So the whole trip was for nothing. She could have saved herself the trouble, not to mention the embarrassment. Her face burned just thinking about it. How could she have acted so dumb? Why did they have to move here anyway? They were doing just fine in St. Louis.
“Did you hear that I found a job?” Mrs. Walden turned to look at Becky. Her round little face and pixie features glowed. “I start Monday morning.”
“Ken told me.”
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic. I’m really excited.”
“Is it what you wanted?”
“Mrs. Walden laughed. “It’s a job, darling. In a town this size you can’t be choosy. The market is clean and modern, and the people I met seemed friendly. I’m sure I’ll like it just fine.”
Becky was sure she would, too. She and Debbie were just alike, always looking on the bright side of things. But what about her? Mom couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to be yanked out of school in her junior year and set down in the middle of nowhere. She had left all her friends, all the things that really mattered, back in St. Louis.
A few weeks ago, this was going to be her big year. Ha! That was a laugh. All those years of hard work and practice, and when she finally earned a starting position on the basketball team at Glenview High, one of the biggest schools in Missouri, she had to leave. A good season now could have meant a spot on the all-state team and a good chance at a college scholarship. Instead, here she was stuck out in the sticks, miles from civilization. What kind of team would she find in a school with three hundred students? Maybe they wouldn’t even have an extra uniform!
She felt a dangerous prickling behind her eyelids.
“Becky’s going to cry, Mama,” Debbie announced, matter-of-fact, popping another slice of potato into her mouth.
Mrs. Walden dropped her knife into the sink and walked over to Becky, a worried frown creasing her forehead. “What’s wrong, darling?”
Knowing her mother really cared and couldn’t do a thing to help was more than Becky could stand. “Everything’s wrong!” she wailed. “This town, the kids, everything! School is going to be awful, I just know it. I probably won’t make a single friend. Why did we have to come here anyway?”
She didn’t try to stop the tears, and her mother didn’t try to stop her as she ran out of the kitchen.
Becky flung herself across her bed and cried till she simply ran out of tears. Finally, she raised her head and looked around the room, still stacked with boxes the movers had left yesterday. It would take days to straighten out this mess, and even then she’d never be able to fix it the way she wanted, not with Debbie throwing her stuff all around. In St. Louis, she’d had her own room.
The whole situation was awful, just like she’d said, but deep down she knew she hadn’t told her mother what really bothered her. She couldn’t–not without revealing her most secret dream, the one she kept locked away in the deepest corner of her heart, the one that told her even big Becky Walden would someday meet a very special boy. The situation was awful because on top of everything else that had gone wrong, she had finally met that special boy. His name was Matt. He was the best-looking boy she had ever seen, and he wouldn’t even remember her. If he did, he’d just have a good laugh, thinking about the girl with the broken eggs.
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Earth Magic
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“Sneaking into the Hills house is something that Jenna will remember for the rest of her life. Unexpectedly transported to a parallel Earth, where magic abounds, Jenna is about to find out that someone wants to use her. In addition, they will use anything to get her to help them, including using her cousin. Jenna is now going back to Earth One to find her cousin. She will find that magic does come in handy, especially in dangerous situations. Jenna Douglas thought the only thing she had to worry about was spring break. However, after going into an old house, she finds things turn out very strange. Now friends with a blind boy and his talking cat, she must find her cousin, Annie, who disappeared when she was caught up in a spell Jenna was doing. Robert Hathaway is a blind apprentice. Along with his talking cat, Victor, he has been trying to do his school work and get his tests done. However, meeting Jenna, he now has more things to do, like making sure she does not hurt herself or others. Earth Magic is a story that will intrigue and thrill young adults into fantasying of far off places in realms of magic. Jenna was a young girl who did not believe what she is seeing; but in the end had to believe to help others and herself. Rob is a young boy who would let nothing stand in the way of what he wanted, even if he was blind. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even if it is for children.” ~ Rating: 5 CUPS, Reviewed by Sheryl for Coffee Time Romance (October 2004)
Lost Little Leprechaun
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“Five minutes to curtain call and the premiere of The Shamrock Pageant! Patsy, a little red-haired girl, is gathering her 
siblings together for her St. Patrick’s Day directing debut. Megan is ready to do the Irish Jig. James is ready to sing “When Irish Eyes are Smiling.” Liam the leprechaun is ready to—no, he’s not ready. He’s lost! Pippin the dog saves the day, in more than one way. Paula Blais Gorgas, the author of two young adult novels, has written a lovely children’s picture book celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Whether you are reading this story to a group of children in a library or school, or just one-on-one in your home, this will be a popular story. A mystery involving a family; solved by the family! Big, colorful, cheerful illustrations reflect the author’s storyline and characters wonderfully.” ~ Reviewed by Tanya Boudreau for TCM Reviews (03/2006)
The Perfect Purple Present
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“Young readers will be drawn into Gorgas’ second (Little Lost Leprechaun) holiday picture book by the promise of the perfect present, purple at that. They will stay engaged from the first sentence, which reveals the young heroine’s dilemma: Jeanne-Marie is quarantined with chicken pox the week before Christmas and cannot leave home to buy gifts for her family. While members of her family try to console her with predictable suggestions, its Jeanne-Marie’s empathetic Grand Maman who helps her tie loose ends together just in time to present her family a unique contribution to their Christmas celebration. Taylor’s lively and colorful characters reflect the story accurately… This story, drawn from Gorgas’ childhood experience, belongs high on the stack of Christmas Read-Aloud books.” [FOUR STARS] ~ Carole Gill, Children’s and Young Adult Librarian
Dreamtime
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“Professor Loren Price feels pretty good as he drives home until he sees the light in the sky. He believes a plan is about to crash, but instead a light hovers over his vehicle. Later, he realizes he cannot account for an hour of his time, learned no plane crash occurred, and suffers nightmares. Once as steady as Gibraltar, Loren is incapable of assisting his pregnant wife Barb. Barb’s sister, reporter Jeannie MacLeod, wonders what is happening to Loren who is extremely jittery as if he suffers from battle fatigue syndrome. She begins to investigate and soon believes she has evidence of flying saucer activity over Tulsa.” ~ 4 1/2 STARS Affaire de Coeur
Other Worlds: A Collection of Short Stories
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Megan’s Window
Carol Langston is the wife of the up and coming Hal Langston. His bid for the U.S. Senate has finally shown Carol his true colors. His belief in the creation of the Perfect Society has put their three-year old daughter Megan at risk. Megan’s visions of a future world lead Hal to believe that she is imperfect and therefore dispensable. Carol must make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure her daughters’ safety as well as the fate of the world.
Carol fights to hold on to her daughter as any mother would, and it makes her character very believable. Hal, like many misguided zealots, believes in only his way of thinking. That is what makes this story so very real, and scary.
The Ghost and Ms. Ferguson
Patty Ferguson was refurbishing her home when she got an unexpected visitor. She felt a presence in her home, and was
sure she saw a woman on different occasions. She enlisted the help of an old friend Sam Wilson, and felt a connection to him right away. Together they tried to figure out the mystery of Myra Grayson’s ghost.
The characters of Patty and Sam were endearing and fun. They both had flaws and were not ashamed to show them, and the cat Pudge just made the story more entertaining with his snooty cat attitude. This story is lighthearted and fun to read.
Paper Angels
Julie had to get away from Eddie Baxter’s fists; she only wished she could take Mikey with her. She knew that she was too young to take care of Mikey, but that did not make leaving him any easier. She was helped along the way by three people, and found that she did indeed have a guardian angel.
Julies’ situation is very real and heart breaking; it makes her character come to life. You can feel her pain and hopelessness. This story is inspiring and well told. The true Christmas spirit shines through in the end.
Shadow Lady
Alana Stottbridge aka Laney was looking at herself in the mirror, not her reflection, but literally herself. The mirror shimmered then Alana reached out and pulled Laney through the mirror and into her room. Once the initial shock wore off, they found an inner strength they did not know existed. Laney proved to Alana that she could be independent of George and live her own life.
Sometimes we all need to take a good hard look at ourselves; Alana and Laney do just that. The trick is to listen to our hearts and be true to who we really are. This story is a great example.
Faerie Tale
Laura Margaret Jennings, animal rights activist, was holding a demonstration outside of Mrs. Stuart’s shop. She was not prepared for the stranger that appeared on the platform alongside her. He was unlike anyone she had ever seen, and his presence was an omen of things to come. His people had had enough of the humans drain on Earth, and he was there to stop it. Laura soon became an activist to save the human race.
Laura was true to her beliefs. Her character was strong willed and pushed past her fears to do what was right. This story is unique and entertaining.
There is a moral too each story in this anthology. Ms. Gorgas has a great talent for putting a unique twist to her stories. She infuses heart and feeling into every page. They make you feel happiness, sadness, and anger towards the characters and the situations they are involved in. I recommend these stories to anyone who wants a little inspiration in their life.
Lototy
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Sixteen-year-old Becky Walden has two big dreams: to become an all-state basketball player and to find a special boy to love. When she moves from St. Louis to a small town in southwestern Missouri, she meets Matt McRae. He shares her love of basketball and he comes to love her, but he is unwilling to fight the system of small town politics that has reached into the high school and tainted their sport. Becky learns that love doesn't always mean happiness; sometimes it can really hurt.
