Again today The Cozy Page and Goddess Fish Promotions brings you a fun glimpse into a virtual book tour: Rie McGaha's romantic suspense, Closure. Be sure to read the entire post to see how you could win a Rie McGaha Writing Tablet. Take it away, Rie:
Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away and I've begun preparing my shopping list, menu, and decorations. I love the holiday season, which for me begins at Halloween and ends on January 1st. For many years Halloween hasn't been included because my kids had all grown up and the haunted house we did every year when they were young no longer held their interest. But now I live in a multi-generational home, so I have grandkids I can decorate for.
I have been big on decorations for each season, and each holiday, including Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, etc. but of course, the big holidays are Thanksgiving and Christmas. For Thanksgiving I love to decorate with small pumpkins, gourds, fall leaves, scarecrows and color coordinated tablecloths, table runners, placemats and dishes. My daughter, Lisa is awesome when it comes to decorating and I am happy to turn that part over to her because the cooking is on me. This is the area where I excel.
Since Thanksgiving is all about the food, I begin a day or two before, depending on how many of the kids are coming home for turkey day. I try to make everyone their favorite food, which generally includes many pumpkin pies, lemon icebox pies, pecan pies, banana cream pies, coconut cream pies, fudge, Toll House cookies, pumpkin rolls, maple bars, and cinnamon rolls. The dessert bar is always a big hit. And then there's the Thanksgiving meal.
While I try to make most of the dessert beforehand, I begin making the Thanksgiving meal very early. There is the usual fare: green beans with almonds, corn pudding, fresh baked bread and dinner rolls, macaroni salad, potato salad, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams with pecans and marshmallows, and the coup de gras, Tuxedo Turkey. Yep, our turkey wears a tux when he's presented at the dinner table.
Giving the turkey a tux was something I began when my children were small. Back then there was little money but I like to do things for my kids to surprise them and give them memories they would have later on. I made the tux our of pie crust dough, cut our buttons, pockets, and a bow tie, which I colored with food coloring. Mr. Turkey usually has a white tux (plain dough), a red bow tie, and black button and pockets. I pull the turkey out of the oven about ten minutes before he's finished cooking and arrange the tux on him. Then he's popped back in the oven to bake the tux. My kids and grandkids love Tuxedo Turkey. One year I decided since everyone was grown there was no reason to make the tux, and I never heard so much complaining, so the turkey gets his tux!
My memories of when my children were young are very special to me, and now that I have grandchildren, the memories are even more special. There is nothing like watching my children with their children. The memories we are making now are ones I hope will be my grandchildren's memories of me that they will share with their children when I am no longer here. The holidays are a sentimental time for me but also a tiring time. As much as I love them, I am always relieved when they are over so I can rest up for next year!
High in the hills above Albuquerque, New Mexico Detective Zachariah Ellison arrives at the scene of a murder, and not just any murder, but one that definitely falls into the “gruesome” category even for a seasoned cop like Zach. When another body is found murdered in much the same fashion, Zach knows he’s got a serial killer on his hands, and to top it off he’s got an assistant district attorney hounding him about the case. As Zach tries to investigate the crimes while sidestepping nosey Amy Logan, a third body is found and Zach hasn’t a clue as to whom the perpetrator might be.
Amy Logan has worked hard to put herself through school and pay for law school on her own and now that she’s secured a position as assistant district attorney in Albuquerque, she’s determined to do everything she can to be the best prosecutor this office has ever seen. And as if luck was following her, she’s been assigned to the biggest homicide case the city has ever seen. The only problem she’s having is the homicide detective who’s leading the investigation—Zach Ellison.
Click here to purchase your copy of Closure today or visit Rie at her website to learn more. By commenting to this post, you will be entered to win a Rie McGaha Writing Tablet. By commenting at every stop on Rie's virtual book tour, your chances of winning increase so be sure to stop by Goddess Fish Promotions for a complete tour schedule. In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from Closure....
She tilted her head back, looked up at him, felt her heart thud in her chest, and then his mouth was on hers and she was climbing all over him. All those years alone, all those nights of wishing she had someone to hold her, all those weeks working with Zach. The wanting of him, the needing of him, the denying of what she had been feeling—it all came pouring out of her at that moment of contact.
Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers worked furiously through his hair, over his shoulders, kneading his neck. She could feel his hands on her face, his fingers burning into her skin, his lips sizzling against hers as his tongue probed deep inside her mouth, encouraging her to take more of him, to give more to him.
She couldn't think for the blood pounding in her head, couldn't breathe because her breath had caught in her chest.
She could only feel. She could feel his hands moving from her face, trailing down her neck, felt them move over her shoulders and down her back. She could feel her body pressed against his, and then was suddenly very aware of the size of her breasts, aware that they were crushed against him. She had never been so aware of her own body in her life, had never been so aware of another person.
Then he was pulling away from her, took a step back from her, and dropped his hands to his sides. He was panting, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath.
They stood there looking at each other for a long moment, neither speaking. Zach raked his hands through his hair, took a deep breath and blew it out. He stepped toward her, took her hands in his and brought them both to his mouth, and kissed them gently.
“I—” He paused and took another breath. “I haven't been with a woman since my wife died. I haven't wanted a woman since my wife died. Not until I met you. Still, I didn't expect to feel what I just felt when we kissed. So I'm going to give you the chance right now, Amy. If you don't plan on staying, tell me now and I'll take you home. But if you come back inside with me, don't ask me to stop and don't ask me to take you home, because I won't.” He dropped her hands and looked into her eyes and waited.
She took a deep breath, fixed her gaze on a distant spot in the semi-darkness, chewed on her bottom lip as both fear and desire warred within her. Then she took his hand in hers and led him back to the house.
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