Happy Halloween

Pictures of our little witch, taken at a pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago.

Syfy Saturday

Ever notice how they'll be running from someone chasing them in a vehicle, and instead of veering off the road into the trees or something they'll continue running right in front of the vehicle, as if they can outrun it?

At that point I think they deserve to get run down.

First Review In

For All the Right Moves! Not from a professional review site but from a reader, and in my opinion, the best kind. Just in case you didn't catch Regina's comment on my excerpt post, she said...it was a great book,from the first page to the last page.LOVED IT.

Wow, that made my day. Thank you Regina! I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed All the Right Moves.

I love hearing from readers.

All the Right Moves Excerpt

Just released with The Wild Rose Press! Here's a steamy excerpt of my current full length suspense romance, offered in ebook and print.


Realizing that she was gawking, Annie turned to roll to her side of the bed, but she didn’t get far. A muscular arm wrapped around her waist and hauled her back against Marshall’s warm body. She gasped with surprise. Instant awareness warmed her, as she immediately became aware he’d removed her shorts when her naked bottom came up against the silk of his shorts.

He had a lot of nerve!

“Where do you think you’re going?” Annie felt his warm breath against the back of her neck. It caused a tingle of sharp need to travel down her spine.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She tried to pretend indifference but it was difficult nestled against him, and the soft part of him was rapidly showing signs of hardening.

“This is payback for yesterday.”

Payback? What did he mean by that?

“Remember how you passed out on me?”

Oh yeah, she smiled in spite of herself. “The wine—”

“You turned me on and then left me…ah, very frustrated.”

“It wasn’t my fault I passed out.” Oh! Was that his teeth sinking into the area between her neck and collarbone? Annie shuddered, suddenly feeling hot…all over. What does he think he’s doing? “It was the wine,” Annie explained in a breathless tone. “This is highly inappropriate, Detective.” She trembled with desire.

“Really?” Annie felt his smile against her skin.

Her pulse rate skyrocketed when his hand began to caress her naked belly. Had he removed all her clothes? Her exploring hands quickly found out she still had on her blouse from the day before and her thong, which wasn’t much more than a scrap of lace.

Before she could give him a piece of her mind, he pulled her sharply against him and the next thing she knew his arousal was poking her bare fanny. Her breath caught and she tried to strain away, even while secretly yearning to push back against him. Part of her wanted to encourage him, while the other half was terrified of what he’d do if she did. Would she be able to go through with it? Oh lord, Annie, she scolded herself. Of course, you’d be able to go through with it! You’ve been horny for the man since meeting him.

She ignored her inner voice. “I think one of us should get up.”

“I’m already up.”

His hand began to smooth down Annie’s stomach. His feather light caress tickled her and she sucked in her belly, breathing heavily. When his fingers reached the elastic to her thong, her hand covered his to stop him.

“Marshall, Mr…ah, Detective.” Annie bit her bottom lip to keep from moaning with pleasure. “Please don’t…” She bit off the word stop before it escaped her.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” He broke free of her weak restraint.

“Yes…” His hand glided over her hip and around to Annie’s bottom. She tried to reach for his hand to pull him away but the moment she felt his firm caress against her bare skin she was lost. She moaned softly and closed her eyes.

This was insane! But insanity had never felt so good. She knew she was crazy for letting Marshall touch her like this. A part of her wished he would lavish the same attention to her aching breasts. Was this how I made him feel yesterday?

His penis twitched strongly against her, revealing its size and strength. And before Annie could stop herself she arched a little, forcing her bottom further into his throbbing flesh. Thank god the material to his boxers was between them, but in the next instant, she was gasping and twisting with blossoming hunger. Somehow his hard flesh had found the opening of his shorts and slipped through. It felt like hot steel encased in velvet against Annie’s flesh.

Without thought or warning, they were straining against each other, lost in a moment of madness.

“Oh…” she choked out. How long since she’d last felt anything as good? “This isn’t fair…”

Marshall groaned low, and then shuddered. “You’re right; this isn’t fair to either of us.”

Before Annie could guess his intentions, he rolled away from her and left the bed.

Awe mom...

We have a guest today!

Look who's visiting! Please welcome Rie and take a moment to read about her new book.


Writing Is My Pleasure
Rie McGaha

I'm a writer. It's not what I do, it's who I am. Yes, I am out of the closet and admitting it freely. I was born this way and I can't help it. I am a writer.

I began telling stories long before I could write, but as soon as I learned how to put letters together to make words, I was off and writing. I never wanted to do anything else. When I grew up I wanted to write books. I also wanted to teach school so I could teach other people to write.

I began writing little stories for my cousins and friends. I also read everything I could get me hands on. When I started kindergarten the teacher gave me a reader that I had already read and I told her so. In fact, I had read every book she had in her class and had to get me a first grade reader instead.

By the time I was in the eighth grade I was teaching the fifth grade writing class. I went to a very small school and the teachers thought peer teaching was beneficial to everyone. There were twenty-four kids in the eighth grade and I think I also wrote half of the final papers that year! I also wrote my first full-length novel.

I no longer have it but I wish I did. It was a story about a young woman from Boston who came to the wild, Wild West to teach school. She wound up falling in love with the town sheriff. I'm sure they lived happily ever after but I really don't remember. That was many, many, many years ago.

As I went on to high school, I wrote morose poetry and song lyrics. It was the early '70's and the hippy movement hadn't ended yet. We were still in Vietnam and the peace, love and drop acid movement hadn't ended either. And I lived in California. The perfect breeding ground for a teenager to rebel.

When I became a mother I wrote stories for my kids. As I had more and more kids though, I became too involved with work to support my kids, and working at home to care for my kids. Unfortunately, writing then took a backseat to life. It wasn't until most of the kids had moved out and the ones that were still at home had become teens that I had time to write again.

I didn't begin with the idea of writing for publication. I wrote for the joy and pleasure writing gave me. For the first time in what seemed like eons, I was finally able to do something just for me and it was something I loved. I spent several hours a day tapping away at the keyboard, ignoring everyone, lost in my own little writing world and it was heaven.

Even if I had never become a published author, I would still be tapping away, writing for myself. Perhaps I'd be writing more stories for my grandchildren if I hadn't been published, or perhaps I'd just be writing nonsensical stories that only I understand. Whatever the case, I know I would be writing no matter what else may be going on around me.


Blurb to Closure-
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.


Excerpt-
Zachariah Ellison ducked under the yellow crime scene tape that surrounded the area where the victim had been found. He shook his head as he saw a rookie cop run behind one of the police vehicles and puke. Zach had puked at a crime scene once or twice as well, but it had been a long time ago, and he thought now that nothing bothered him anymore. He couldn't afford for it to. He'd always known he'd be a homicide detective, even before he'd become a cop, although he wasn’t sure if he'd chosen it or if it had chosen him. Either way, he didn't think too much about it anymore.

He just did his job.

No attempt had been made to hide the body, even though it had been left in a remote area of the mountains east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The area was sparsely populated. The trees weren't dense in this particular part of the high desert, but hikers often trekked up this way.
Whoever had left the body here obviously wanted it to be found, but they'd been careful about it. The group of hikers that had found the dead man was still shaken by the sight, and a couple of them looked pretty green as officers took their statements.

Zach walked around the body, looking it over with experienced eyes. He'd been a cop for twenty years, fifteen spent in homicide, and he'd seen everything there was to see. Or so he believed most of the time. Though it still never failed to amaze Zach at how depraved human beings truly were. He'd seen some crime scenes that made him shake his head, wondering just how someone had even thought up such ways to commit murder. And this crime scene was one of them.

The cops at the scene gave Zach a wide berth while he continued his slow perusal of the corpse. His hands were clasped behind his back, his head tilted to one side as if the angle would give him an advantage. He was impressed with this murder. He'd seen a lot of messy crime scenes that immediately told him if the murder had been committed in the heat of the moment, a crime of passion, a crime of hate, or a drug deal gone bad. But this scene was almost a pleasure to work as far as Zach was concerned. It was nice and tidy in spite of the hideous method used to kill the man.

This murder had not been committed in the heat of the moment—it had been planned to the tiniest detail. There was no heated rage in this one—no, this was cold rage that had deadly, calculated results. This was personal. The killer had known his victim, had planned the murder, probably for years before actually carrying out the plan. There would be no regret, no remorse on the part of whoever had committed the crime.

No—Zach shook his head and smiled almost imperceptibly—whoever killed this man was proud of their work.

Zach wasn't a profiler, but he'd been on the job long enough to be able to figure out a few things on his own, without bringing in a psychologist to do it for him. Whoever had killed this man was making a point, and the hatred he felt for the victim was a palpable entity hanging on the air.
The nude body had been hung spread eagle between two small but sturdy pine trees. Nylon ropes had left deep cuts in the wrists and ankles where the victim had struggled against them.

The body had been disemboweled, probably while the victim was still alive. The neck was swollen with an ugly purplish-blue tint to it. Embedded in the folds of skin was a narrow leather band, and there were bruises and singed skin over the torso that looked as if a stun gun had been used. But the icing on this cake, the thing that really told Zach what the killer thought of his victim, was the man's penis protruding from his mouth. The skin had been peeled and was hanging below it, stiffening in the hot desert air.

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Tell me again why you wouldn't hire me?

Remember when they wouldn't hire you because your hair was too long? To each his own, but, don't these folks realize they'll be old one day? I especially like the one of the man in the suit, and the one wearing his glasses. The most freaky is the skeleton face.

Last Girls Day Out

Gonna spend Friday in St. Augustine with my daughter, niece and granddaughter. It will be our last girls day out before Mason arrives in early December. I hope the weather is nice. We won't do much more than ride the trolley through town, have lunch somewhere and maybe shop a little. Doesn't really matter what we do. We just enjoy being together and acting silly.

How Rude!

I was given the finger while on my drive home this afternoon. Okay, I'll admit I was in the fast lane, but I was going over the speed limit! Out of nowhere this white car just appears on my tail. They follow me so close I can't even see their headlights. I had nowhere to go and when they were able to finally go around me they cut me off and showed me their IQ. My first thought was, I'm a nice person, why would they do that? And then, their mothers would be so proud, giving a grandma the finger. So you know what I did? I caught up with them, and when both men turned to look my way I returned the gesture. Yep! I sure did. I've never done that before but it sure felt good. And I didn't even feel guilty...I guess we all have our breaking point.

Have you ever noticed...

...when someone is running through the woods in a horror movie, to find help, that they run right to a house where the rest of the so called bad guy's family lives?

Talk Dirty to Me

Receives another 4-star review! You can read what Just Erotic Romance Reviews had to say by visiting their website.

Calmness

I am posting this because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives. By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace. Dr Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you have started and have never finished."

So, I looked around my house to see all the things I started and hadn't finished, and before leaving the house this morning, I finished off a bottle of White Zinfandel, a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream, a package of Oreos, the remainder of my old Prozac prescription, the rest of the cheesecake, some Doritos, a box of chocolates, and a half bottle of scotch.

You have no idea how freaking good I feel right now.

It's Release Day!!!

Breathless Surrender has just come out with Ellora's Cave! Check it out here.

excerpt-

Reid came to a halt in front of Alexis, standing for a moment and just staring at her. She gave no sign that she knew anyone was there. But instinct told him that she did. Reid gave her credit. She had to be terrified, yet she remained quiet. No screaming out or pleading for release, no twisting at the rope binding her wrists in an effort to break the restraint. The only signs of her turmoil were the tear tracks lining her cheeks.

Resisting the urge to look at the two-way mirror again, his gaze dropped down her body slowly, feeding the need uncurling and growing in his belly. He’d never had to perform with an audience before. Could he do it? He reached forward, needing to see more of Alexis. He answered his own question when he pushed her hair back to expose her luscious breasts, swelling over the top of her push-up bra. The shape of her full, sensuous body was hot enough to bring him to full arousal.

She let out a whimper when he touched her face, her body stiffening. It didn’t stop Reid from removing the tape over her mouth, exposing pouty lips that were meant to bring a man to his knees. She parted them immediately and sucked in air. Then her tongue came out to wet them. His gaze roamed slowly over her features, drinking in her flushed beauty. Fuck! The bastards had hurt her. A bruise discolored her cheek. He was careful not to let his expression give him away.

Tony, the brown-nose rat, had to be the reason Alexis was here. They’d gone barhopping a couple nights before. Tony had a big mouth. Reid should have remembered that. While making idle conversation with the man to gain his confidence, the topic had turned to women and Reid had casually mentioned there was a hot babe living next to him that he’d like to get his hands on.

Alexis opened her mouth and Reid knew she was going to speak. He moved his mouth to her ear and made a sound for her to be quiet. “Alexis.” He’d made it his mission to learn who all his neighbors were when he moved into the building, but he’d have wanted to learn the beauty’s name regardless. “Don’t say anything.”

She caught her breath in obvious surprise. Reid sensed it was because she recognized his voice, not because he’d spoken her name. “Reid?” The voice that passed through her trembling lips was soft and frightened. “Why are you doing this?”

“That’s not important right now.” Reid said against her ear. “Do you want to live?” Ever aware they had an audience, he ran his hand along her collarbone and around the back of her neck, burying his fingers into the fall of her hair. Damn! Just like I imagined, thick and silky. He rained kisses along her soft cheek to her mouth. But he only toyed with her lips, teasing them with the barest touch of his. Letting their breaths mingle.

“Yes,” she whispered against his mouth. “I—”

“No talking.” His hand was still buried in the luxurious mane of her hair. He pulled her head back, exposing her throat to his hungry mouth. The light scent of her flesh was intoxicating and he had to fight the urge to devour her.

“Please…” she pleaded softly, trembling wildly. “Let me go. I won’t say anything.”

She didn’t listen very well, but then he couldn’t blame her. And Reid didn’t have time to explain what was going on. He had his orders, and his gut told him to get on with it and get her out of there as soon as possible. He had to wonder whether once he removed the blindfold, she would fight him tooth and nail. Or would survival instincts kick in, allowing her to succumb unwillingly to a situation out of her control? And mine.

“Reid…”

He felt her slight resistance when his mouth covered hers but he steeled himself to ignore it. Her lips were soft and the taste of mint caught Reid off guard. His moved his hands over her, from her hair down to her waist, taking hold of her hips and bringing her close to him. He kissed his way to her bellybutton, wrapped his arms around her knees and lifted her to give her arms some relief.

The Year is 1910

One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes!

Here are some statistics for the Year 1910: The average life expectancy for men was 47 years.

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower !

The average US wage in 1910 was 22 cents per hour.

The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year.

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,

A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME ..

Ninety percent of all Doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which Were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

The Five leading causes of death were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza

2. Tuberculosis

3. Diarrhea

4. Heart disease

5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars ...

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada , was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help ....

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A. !


Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

IT STAGGERS THE MIND

Have you ever noticed...

When you're watching a syfy movie and someone is running for their life from the killer, that the killer is walking, yet he manages to stay right behind the person he's after? And he catches them?

My Bucket List

I bet we all have things we'd all like to do before we die. When I received a concussion last weekend after falling and hitting my head, let me tell you it got me to thinking. I recalled a friend's husband at work recently lost his best friend from hitting his head, and not seeing a doctor about it. He was gone like a week later. Then I recalled the awful story of Natasha Richardson. So I let my daughter take me to the hospital.

For one God awful moment I found myself thinking, what if I'm not here tomorrow? Which was immediately followed with the thought of not seeing my grandson come into the world next month.

What if...? What about the things I'd like to do before I die? Simple things really. Some I've already accomplished. Others I may never get to, but it's nice to have goals.

find my soul mate
publish a book
travel to Ireland
watch my grandkids grow up
see my granddaughter get married
ride in a hot air balloon
have children
retire from work
lose weight and keep it off
see 80

What's in your bucket list?

Well...dah!

Why I'm divorced . . .

Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up on that morning.

I went downstairs for breakfast
hoping my wife would be pleasant and say,
'Happy Birthday!',
and possibly have a small present for me.

As it turned out,
she barely said good morning,
let alone
' Happy Birthday.'

I thought....

Well, that's marriage for you,
but the kids....
They will remember.

My kids came bounding down stairs to breakfast
and didn't say a word..
So when I left for the office,
I felt pretty low
and somewhat despondent.

As I walked into my office,
my secretary Jane said,
'Good Morning Boss,
and by the way
Happy Birthday ! '
It felt a little better
that at least someone had remembered.

I worked until one o'clock ,
when Jane knocked on my door
and said, 'You know,
It's such a beautiful day outside,
and it is your Birthday,
what do you say we go out to lunch,
just you and me..'
I said, 'Thanks, Jane,
that's the greatest thing
I've heard all day.
Let's go !'

We went to lunch.
But we didn't go
where we normally would go.
She chose instead at a quiet bistro
with a private table.
We had two martinis each
and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.

On the way back to the office,
Jane said, 'You know,
It's such a beautiful day...
We don't need to go straight back to the office,
Do We ?'

I responded,
'I guess not.
What do you have in mind ?'
She said,
'Let's drop by my apartment,
it's just around the corner..'

After arriving at her apartment,
Jane turned to me and said,
' Boss, if you don't mind,
I'm going to step into the bedroom
for just a moment.
I'll be right back.'
'Ok.' I nervously replied.

She went into the bedroom and,
after a couple of minutes,
she came out
carrying a huge birthday cake ...
Followed
by my wife,
my kids,
and dozens of my friends
and co-workers,
all singing 'Happy Birthday'.


And I just sat there...

On the couch....

Naked.

It's Out!

Ebook or print, All the Right Moves has arrived!

Men in Uniform Series

After discovering one of her patients dead in her office, Doctor Annie McCall finds herself on the run for her life. Detective Marshall Thomas isn't afraid to break the rules and offers her refuge. The only problem is who'll protect Annie from him?

Marshall hadn't counted on his primary suspect creating such a dilemma in his life. But once he discovers someone wants her dead, he is determined to keep his mind on the job in order to find the killer and to keep her safe.

As they struggle to stay one step ahead of the killer, their attraction for each other spirals out of control. And soon the only danger Annie's facing is the heat between them.

(Pages 236) Spicy
ISBN: 1-60154-824-9

Know what I like about the month of October? The thirty-one days of Halloween on syfy! It's the one month you get a great variety of movies. Some I've never seen before. It's like they dig through the archives or something. The rest of the year it seems like they show the same ones over a lot.

Ever had a concussion? I just experienced my first one this past weekend. I slipped and fell and slammed the back of my head against the vanity in the bathroom. My daughter insisted on taking me to a walk-in clinic but because I had blurred vision, was nauseous and had a headache they made me go the the emergency room. Later she told me I seemed confused right after it happened.

No swelling, bumps or lacerations, thank goodness. The attending physician decided to do a CT, also my first, and take an ex ray of my tail bone. I landed on it pretty hard. Just what I needed! I've been suffering with a bad back and chronic back pain for years. Do you suppose landing on my tail bone did it any good?

I stayed home from work a couple days. All I wanted to do was sleep. Plus I was sore all over, and my head just didn't feel right. I hate missing work when I haven't planned for it.

Hey, don't you agree that giving a little four year old FIVE shots in one day is a little like torture? I wonder why they can't mix the medicine all in one big shot. Poor little Alivia has three band aids on one arm and two on the other. We were expecting three shots and that's what we told her. But the doctor decided she also needed a flu shot and hepatitis B shot on top of her others. After the nurse left the room she glared at her mother and said between her little teeth, "Mommy that was more than three shots!" We were all smart enough not to laugh.