Blog Tour: Author Rie McGaha

Today I have an interview with Rie McGaha, the author of Closure. I'm participating in the blog tour for Rie today. You can read my review below the interview.

Rie, I just finished Closure, and have a few questions for you. I enjoyed the story, especially the main characters. Thanks for letting me pick your brain:)

Brenda: How do you research a crime novel like this one? I could tell you knew what you were talking about when it came to the procedures and details.

Rie: Funny you should ask. I watch the true crime channels at least eight hours a day. I also used to work in drug court, in community corrections, and I was the only woman on a unit with 120 male inmates. I've studied criminology and have been very involved with the justice system.
Brenda: I liked your explanation of why women who are abused don't leave their partners. Did you feel it was important to make that clear in the book for those that didn't understand?

Rie: I think there are a lot of people who have the attitude, well, if you don't leave him, you deserve to get beat, and they don't understand the dynamics between an abuser and the abused. An abuser doesn't just start beating his SO the first time they meet. There's a psychological aspect most people are unaware of.

Brenda: I noticed in one of your interviews that you have 12 children and 26 grandchildren:) Has your writing changed over the years as your kids have grown and you've experienced more of life?

Rie: You must've read an old interview because I now have 33 grandkids and counting! :) Of course my writing has changed. I wrote my first novel in the 8th grade and I'm quite sure it is very different from what I write now, at least I hope so! lol I've changed over the years, have gained knowledge and a great deal of wisdom and experience. I think some of my writing reflects who I wish I could be, or maybe the life I wished I had lived instead of the one I did live. Some of what I write is based on the lives of others, or on fantasies, but I tend to put at least one older person in every story that is the fount of wisdom, or an older loving couple with a rich sex life. I didn't receive a manual on being middle aged, and really have no clear idea what it means to be in my forties, and now in my fifties. But I hope to put just a little insight into middle age into each story. Being old ain't for
sissies!

Brenda: You've written many books, do you have a favorite; one that you'd love everyone to read first if you had a choice?

Rie: Oh yes. CROSS THE LINE will be released Dec. 1 from Solstice Publishing and it is my personal favorite, followed closely by DEEP WITHIN MY HEART and WRITTEN IN STONE from Silver Publishing. Cross The Line was 5 years in the making and is about former southern belle, Carrie Robertson, who, after the Civil War destroyed the plantation, finds herself living in a cabin in Indian Territory. The hero in this story is Noah Mosely, a runaway slave who was adopted into an Indian tribe. The pair meet when Noah is hunting and his horse is spooked by a mountain lion and throws him. His leg is broken and his horse is gone so he has to drag himself to safety before infection sets in. He finds himself at Carrie's cabin, and finds Carrie greeting him with a gun to his head.

I have used actual historical events and inserted my characters into the action, which I have done in Deep Within My Heart as well. Both of these are family sagas that take the reader through the lives of the characters. In Cross The Line, however, the family line comes all the way to current times.

In books I've read the reader is taken from the time the H/H meet and the trials that befall them until they overcome and wind up a couple with a happily ever after. But I always wondered what happened next, so in these stories, I've answered those questions.

Brenda: Thanks Rie. I can't wait to read Cross the Line in December.

You can find out about Rie's book on her website at http://www.riemcgaha.com/. (She's having a cool contest where someone will win her ENTIRE backlist. Details are on her website.)

CLOSURE REVIEW
Closure
Author: Rie McGaha
Publisher: Champagne Books
Released Aug 02, 2010

Summary: 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.

I was asked to review Closure and agreed since I really like suspense, and hadn't read that much of the genre lately. The author has combined steamy HEA romance with a gritty suspenseful plot. It's fast paced, and moves easily between the romance and the investigation of a serial killer case.

I thought the contrast between Amy and Zach's relationship and the killer's experience with abusive men a nice touch to the story. Zach is protective and stubborn, but he treats Amy with respect and love. She finds herself explaining to him why a woman would stay with an abusive man because for him it's black and white-why wouldn't they simply leave? I've had this same conversation with my husband, and it rings true. Good men can't imagine abusing a woman, so they have trouble comprehending the horrible toll it takes on someone that is being abused.

Closure is a great read for those who love romance and suspense. It does have detailed crime scenes and autopsy details which may be disturbing to some readers. The romance is sweet, but the sex is steamy and erotic. So be prepared to say "Ewwww" and then "Oh, my...".

About Rie
Rie McGaha was born and raised in northern California along the shores of Humboldt County where her grandmother often took her to dig for clams and watch the whales migrate. Being raised with the mountains on one side and the ocean on the other, gave Rie a deep love for nature. She has resided in the Kiamichi Mountains of SE Oklahoma for more than ten years with her husband, Nathan, where they rescue animals, nurses them back to health and tries to find homes for them. She is the mother of 12 and Nana of 33.