I'm
so pleased to have Heather Gray here again. This time she's sharing her western
historical romance, Just Dessert. I fell in love with this story and its characters when
several of us participated in the Sweet Saturday Samples blog hop, and I'm
delighted that Heather completed the book!
Blurb:
Dessert…the
perfect remedy when nothing in life seems to be going right.
What
do you do when you are the sole protector of four children, your brothers and
sisters? When each day is haunted
by disappointment, disillusionment and desperation? When you believe that everyone who ever loved you, including
God, has abandoned you?
You
bake a pie, of course.
What
do you do when you find a woman whose heart is consumed by fear? Who does not know how to trust? Who scoffs at your faith and throws
your kindness back in your face?
You
eat a pie, of course.
Excerpt:
Seventeen year old Mary Fitzgerald stepped up next to the
deacon, a beautiful looking strawberry pie in her hands. Today was the day she
started taking lasting steps to protect her family. Pa was passed out at home,
having drunk so much there was no way he would be waking up to come to the
festivities at the church today.
She had been taking care of and protecting her younger
brothers and sisters, the four of them, as far back as she could remember, but
her pa was getting meaner and nastier with each passing year. Her brothers were
getting angrier and more volatile, too. It was important to get them all out
from under Pa's thumb before her brothers were ruined for life, sentenced to
turn into men like their pa.
Hoping to find a man willing to wed her and take her
brothers and sisters in, too, Mary had entered herself in the dessert auction
at a picnic hosted by the church. The auction was one of many events at the
picnic, but it was the only one in which Mary was interested. Only eligible men
were allowed to bid, and she hoped to use the auction to find a husband. How
old, ugly or poor – Mary didn't care as long as he didn't beat or terrorize
them. That was her highest hope, to find a man who did not cause her to cower,
who did not break her bones, who would not harm her brothers and sisters. She
had poured all her hopes for escape into making this pie to help her find a
husband. Harboring no illusions about love, Mary didn't even really care if the
man was kind; she only needed him not to be too terrible.
As the diminutive deacon with thinning grey hair was
about to begin the bidding, Mary glanced up. Fear grabbed hold of her heart and
squeezed so tight she thought she might faint right there. Neither the sea of
curious faces nor the beautiful blue Idaho sky drew her attention. Pa was
coming, and he looked madder'n a hot, hungry bull. Mary couldn't move. Her
breath came in short, shallow gasps as she tried to stay conscious. She was
terrified of this man. They had been so certain Pa would stay passed out all
day, that he wouldn't be able to discover their plan until it was too late. The
kids had all dressed in their finest clothes and promised to be on their best
behavior – no small feat for the boys – and now here came Pa, ruining their
chance for escape.
The deacon had not seen Mr. Fitzgerald yet and was taking
a big breath in preparation to start the bidding. His mouth was still open,
sucking in air, when the bellow came from the back of the crowd, "That's
my young'un and ain't nobody biddin' on her pie! I ain't raisin' no harlot to
get paid for her favors!"
Author Bio:
Aside
from her long-standing love affair with coffee, Heather’s greatest joys in life
are her relationship with her Savior, her family, and writing. Years ago, she decided it would be
better to laugh than yell. Heather
carries that theme over into her writing where she strives to create characters
that experience both the highs and lows of life and, through it all, find a way
to love God, embrace each day, and laugh out loud right along with her.
Buy Links:
Where to Find
Me:
Thank you for having me Patty! :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome here any time!
DeleteI love the last lines by Pa. lol
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!!
DeleteI'm not sure it's appropriate to say I had fun writing an angry and violent drunkard, but it was certainly a challenge, and I like challenges. So...in a strange kind of way, bringing Pa's character to life was fun. :)
Sounds like a book I need to put on my "to-read" pile. I enjoy anything with pie after all ;)
ReplyDeleteI've used different taglines for the book at different times to help promote it. One of them is: "Tragedy, triumph, faith, family, romance, and pie. What more could you want?" :)
Delete