Tour: Sins of the Mind by L.J. Garland & Debie Gould (Guest Post)

Please give a warm welcome to authors L.J. Garland and Debie Gould along with special guest, Abby! 

Sins of the Mind & A Taste of Red River

LAURA: Hey, Debbie, today we’re meeting Abby Montgomery, the heroine from Sins of the Mind, at the Red River Café. (bell jingles above door) Wow, everything smells so good.

DEBBIE: I’m going to need to hit the gym if we keep getting food at every stop we make. But I hear they make and awesome roast beef and cheddar melt here.

LAURA: Mmm. Coffee. Yep, gonna need a cup to go with that melt for sure! And quit talking about the gym…I know you’re just thinking about those hottie guys we saw in there a while back. (snort) Workout. Right. (nudges Debbie) Hey, there’s Abby over there at that table.

DEBBIE: Hi, Abby. Thanks for meeting us here. I’m trying to decide between the roast beef and the open face hot turkey sandwich.

ABBY: They are both to die for, but I will tell you they roast their own turkeys. And the gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes are all homemade. But then again, everything they make here in the café they make from scratch. Including a “to die for” apple pie.

DEBBIE: Well, that sold me. I want the turkey. (turns to Laura) Tomorrow we can come back and get the roast beef/cheddar melt.

LAURA: Sounds good. I mean, we gotta eat, right? (elbows Debbie and mumbles) And then hit the gym. lol

DEBBIE: Okay, Abby. Let’s get the tough questions out of the way first.

ABBY: You want to know about my rape seven years ago.

DEBBIE: Actually, no. There’s no need to get into that in the book and no need to talk about it now. Laura and I both know it took you a long time to heal, both physically and emotionally. That’s only normal. What I want to know is Ethan really as sexy as he’s made out to be?

ABBY: (laughs out loud) Well, you two should know. You put a few chapters of our sex life right out there for the world to see.

LAURA: And I’d say you two had more than a few sparks going. lol Which is great because people who read your story are hoping you two fall in love. Sex sells…and you guys were pretty sexy together.

DEBBIE: I did wonder though at the beginning. You two had kind of a rough start, lol.

LAURA: There were lots of tender moments. But there were also lots of intense ones. For you, what was the scariest part of this story?

ABBY: Hard to narrow that down. Again the two of you wove quite the tale. There are many moments where I was scared to death, but I could handle the times when I was in danger. Somehow, I always knew Ethan would be there. The scariest times where when Ethan’s life was on the line. I hated that. That shower scene…finding him like that…(shakes head) I still have nightmares.

DEBBIE: Yeah sorry about that. You can’t really have a romantic suspense without some drama.

LAURA: And even though you two had a perilous go of it, you still managed to find love. Which begs the question, what did you think of Ethan when you first met him?

ABBY: The first time I saw him? Well, he’s a detective, right? My history with detectives isn’t pretty. My uncle was murdered when I was a teen, and I was grilled for hours. My parents died long before that, so when Uncle Marty died, there was no one to stick up for me. Except for Grant.

DEBBIE: Your older brother?

ABBY: Yes. He always watched out for me.

LAURA: So what happened?

ABBY: Well, the cops were grilling him, too. There wasn’t much either of us could do at the time. And we were kids, you know? We didn’t know how to stand up for ourselves. And the cops were after a killer, so we tried to help. We sat in that small room on those hard chairs for…I don’t know. A long time. Hours.

DEBBIE: Wow. That sounds horrible.

ABBY: It was. And as a kid, it made an impression. So, when Ethan showed up at my house to question me about the death of my friend, well…I was spring loaded right off the bat.

DEBBIE: So, you didn’t hit it off?

ABBY: (smiles) No. Not really. I mean, I noticed he was cute and all, but after what had happened with my uncle, I was prepared for him to be a jerk.

LAURA: And?

ABBY: Well, he wasn’t. He was clumsy, actually. In a cute way. And my brother was right there with me, too. So, he helped me stay strong through the interview.

LAURA: So, I have to ask. Did they ever catch the guy who killed your uncle?

ABBY: (shakes head) No. And it wasn’t like the police didn’t try.

DEBBIE: So, what did finally attract you to Ethan?

ABBY: (giggles) He just kept coming around, you know? He’s got a sexy smile. And the way he looks at me. It’s like he sees all of me, inside and out. And his kisses? (fans self) Whew, that man can kiss. Honestly, the first time he held me in his arms, I think I knew. Though I wasn’t ready to admit it.

DEBBIE: Well, who can blame you? You were going through a rough time.

LAURA: Yeah. People you loved were dropping like flies.

DEBBIE: (elbows Laura) Have a little sympathy! Sheesh!

LAURA: Sorry. So, you have a phobia.

DEBBIE: (turns to Abby) We do make our characters lives interesting, couldn’t let you be totally normal.

ABBY: Yes. I sure do.

LAURA: So spill. What’s the hairy scary?

DEBBIE: (rolls eyes) My God! Were you raised with wolves?

LAURA: No. I was raised with a wonderful family, thank you very much. Besides, everyone knows that wolves don’t lap up coffee, so I would’ve never survived. They drink water. (narrows eyes) So, I guess I could ask YOU the same question. Did you hang with a wolf pack, cause you’ve been chomping my butt all morning!

DEBBIE: (sighs) I’m not even going to answer that.

LAURA: Hey, maybe we should put wolves in the next Red River book!

DEBBIE: Jot that down, then.

LAURA: (turns to Abby) You never answered. What’s this big phobia of yours?

ABBY: Peppermint.

DEBBIE: (raises brows) Peppermints? That’s odd. But don’t tell us why. Let the readers find out for themselves.

LAURA: Yeah, must be hard to go to restaurants since a lot of them bring several with the check. I mean, it’s just a mint.

ABBY: That’s what Elliot said.

DEBBIE: (shivers) Yeah, let’s not talk about Elliot Swanson. That guys strange and he weirds me out. So, what’s next for you?

ABBY: Happiness, I hope.

DEBBIE: After what you went through, you seriously deserve it.

ABBY: Thank you. Ethan’s sister, Ever, is graduating and coming to visit this summer.

LAURA: Didn’t Ethan and Ever have another sibling? A brother?

ABBY: (frowns) I’d really rather not get into that.

DEBBIE: That’s fine. We don’t have to. I hear he’s bad news anyway. (glances up) Well, here’s our food. Oh, wow. It looks and smells wonderful.

LAURA: Yes, it does. (turns to Abby) Hey, thanks so much for meeting us here and chatting about yourself and Red River. It’s been very interesting and great to get your take on everything.

DEBBIE: Yes it has, Abby. And, thanks for being such a sport about all we put you two through. (turns to Laura) You know it’s a wonder she talked to us at all.

LAURA: I know. We were pretty harsh with her in Sins of the Mind. And I added a note about those wolves. Don’t you think there’d be some out in the woods up there in Red River?

DEBBIE: I’d imagine so…among other things we probably can’t talk about.

Red River’s To-Die-For Apple Pie

Crust:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup Crisco shortening

Ice water

Filling:

1/2 cup to 1 cup all-purpose flour

6 to 7 cups apples cut into thin slices

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl combine the apples, with the brown and white sugar. Add flour, cinnamon and continue mixing until they are well coated.

Directions:

In a medium-mixing bowl cut the shortening and salt into the flour by hand or with a pastry blender hands until it's the texture of cornmeal. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of ice water over the mixture and mix just until the dough is moistened. Repeat by adding 6 to 8 tablespoons water (one at a time) until all the dough is just moist.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Divide the dough in half and roll into a ball. Roll 1 ball into a circle to fit a 9 to 10-inch pie plate. To transfer the pastry to the pie plate, wrap it around a rolling pin and ease it into the pie plate. Be careful not to stretch the pastry. Add the apple filling into the pastry lined pie plate. Make sure they are laying flat. Cut butter into small pieces and put on top of the filling.

Roll the remaining pastry into a 12-inch circle. Place on top of the filling. Trim off 1-inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the edges as desired. Cut slits to allow steam to escape when baking.

Cover the edges with foil to prevent over browning. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Seven years ago, Abby Montgomery survived a brutal attack. Now she is ready to put her pain in the past and move on with her life. The problem is, one by one the men in her life are being viciously murdered.The detective assigned to the case, Ethan Parker, has demons of his own to hide. As the danger gets closer to Abby, so does Ethan. But can they get past his secrets before the killer gets to them? Sometimes the sins of the mind are more depraved than the sins of the heart.

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EXCERPT:

“Moment?” He raised his eyebrows, tried for a surprised expression. “We were having a moment? Where was I?”

A husky laugh escaped Abby’s lips. She gave him a playful shove, but he caught her hand, his fingers encircling her delicate wrist. With great care, he bowed his head and pressed his lips to the center of her palm. Her sharp intake of air told him she liked it.

“Is this the moment you were referring to?” He kissed her wrist. “Or this?” His mouth grazed along her skin, up the side of her neck to the tender point below her ear.

“Mmm.” She tilted her head, offering him better access.

He inhaled, reveled in her unique scent. A mixture of spicy vanilla and exotic flowers invaded his senses and sent the room slowly spinning. Primal lust roared through him, demanded he possess her in a rush of carnal passion.

But Ethan resisted.

Intent on enticing Abby into a wild, heated frenzy, he trailed the tip of his tongue along her throat. Her pulse hammered beneath his ardent attention, and he reveled in her response. His fingers slid over her supple skin. One hand sought the silky tresses adorning her head while the other coaxed her legs across his lap then slipped around her waist.

He pulled back, stared into her lovely face. Eyelids fluttering, she sighed in his arms. When she looked at him, desire burned bright in her eyes. His heart stuttered at the sight, and hot need rushed to his groin.

“Abby.” Her name rolled from his tongue in a mix of desperation and lust. A voracious hunger to taste every inch of her body washed over him. The urge to kiss the small of her back, to run his tongue along her skin, delving and dipping into her secret, sensitive places, all but overwhelmed him. “Tell me to stop. If you’re not ready, honey, tell me to stop right now and by all that’s holy, I will. But you need to know how much I want you right now.”