Monday, December 17, 2012

Recipes and a look at her book! Welcome Mary Burton!

Today it is my pleasure to host a look at Best-selling author MARY BURTON's newest release, THE SEVENTH VICTIM. As well as sharing an excerpt, Mary's also sharing some of her wonderful recipes for you to enjoy over the Holidays!

We'll also be doing a giveaway for a paperback of Mary's novel, so do leave a comment and your email address for us to contact you!!

Now, a peek at the novel:


EXCERPT FROM MARY BURTON’S THE SEVENTH VICTIM


                 He pushed his cup away from him.  “I’m not sure how much more Texas coffee I can stomach.”
                 “I made this latest batch.  It will be good.”
                 “Good coffee in Texas?  I don’t think so.”
                 She cocked a brow.  “Be right back.”
                 Before he could answer, Danni vanished behind the counter.  She grabbed a new cup and carefully poured coffee into a mug.  She moved toward him with quick, purposeful steps and then set the mug in front of him.  “That’s good coffee.”
                 “Really?”
                 “I can’t write legibly, and I can’t cook a lick, but I can make coffee.”
                 He took a sip and found he was pleasantly surprised.  “Good.”
                 “Puhleez.  It’s the best.”
                 “I’m from Seattle.  We are ground zero for coffee.”
                 “As long as I’m on duty the coffee will be good.”  She took the half-full cup and set it on her tray.  “Enjoy.”
                 “Thanks, Danni.”  As she turned he said, “Hey, didn’t that girl that was killed work here?”
                 Danni’s eyes grew suspicious.  “Yeah.  You a reporter?”
                 Raines shook his head.  “God, no.”
                 “Cop.”
                 “Do I look like a cop?”
                 Danni arched a brow.  “Yeah.”
                 “Nice to see I haven’t lost that.”  At her confusion he added, “I used to be a cop.  Long time ago.  I guess the case caught my eye.  Hard not to ask questions.  Sorry.”
                 His honesty appeared to disarm her.  “No harm.  And for the record, I didn’t like what they said about her in the news today.”
                 “Straightforward enough.”
                 “I guess I just didn’t like the way they boiled her life down to bare facts.  She was so much more than that.”  Anger hardened her face, but there was no hint of tears.  “Her uncle is flying in tomorrow to claim her.”
                 “I feel for them.  I wouldn’t wish losing a child on my worst enemy.”
                 “Yeah, well.”
                 “What can you tell me about her, so I’ll remember more than the basic newscast?”
                 Danni’s voice grew softer.  “She was kind of corny.  Liked pink and singing Lady Gaga in the kitchen.  She was moving to New York.  I was kinda jealous of her.”
“You’ve got nothing to be jealous of, Danni.  You strike me as a sharp kid.”
She snorted a laugh.
“Was there anybody who might have wanted to hurt her?”
“Mack and I were talking about it, and none of us can think of anyone.  Like we told the Rangers, we’re all thinking it was some random guy.”  A customer at another table caught her attention.  “I’ve got to go.”
He watched as she moved toward another table and began to gather up plates.  Danni was a tough nut and no wilting flower.  Just like his daughter.
He could almost hear his wife now.  “That girl of ours is going to be a general one day.”
He sipped his coffee, thought of his wife, Susan, and how much he missed her, their daughter, and home.  Pushing aside a pang of guilt, he redirected his gaze to the patrons.
Within seconds he spotted a slight blond woman enter the café. She wore jeans, a T-shirt, and sandals and had a backpack slung over her shoulder.  She was as slight as a teenager, but she moved with a confidence that only came with maturity.
Lara Church.
Beck had been right.  She wasn’t the meek girl who’d fled Seattle seven years ago.  As a man approached her, Raines noted slight stiffening in her back as she extended her hand.  Her handshake was firm and her gaze direct.
She laughed as the graying gentleman in his fifties spoke.  After what looked to be a question, she pulled out a notebook and made a note.  They chatted another half minute and then she made her way to the diner register, where she ordered a coffee.  Just as quickly as she came, she was gone.
Lara Church, the Seattle Strangler’s last victim, had managed to rebuild her life.      

©Mary Burton





THE SEVENTH VICTIM
Mary Burton
Zebra Books/Mass Market Original/Fiction
February 2013/On Sale 1-29-13/$7.99 ($8.99 Canada)
978-1-4201-2505-4

The tradition continues!  Baker extraordinaire and bestselling author Mary Burton is once again sharing her favorite holiday recipes. This treat honors the protagonist of her next novel, THE SEVENTH VICTIM, with a recipe both delicious and memorable. 

Lara’s Church Lady Maple Cookies

1/2 pound (two sticks) butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup toasted walnuts (optional)

Cream together butter and brown sugar.
Add the egg and mix well.
Add the maple syrup and vanilla.  
In a separate bowl mix together flour, salt and baking soda.
Slowly blend dry ingredients into butter- sugar mixture.
Spoon cookies onto a greased baking sheet, leaving room between them because they will spread.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Sit back and enjoy!

It’s true.  I’ve forgotten how many people I’ve killed already but the number keeps rising—least in my novels.  I’m delighted to say that no one has yet expired as a result of my passion for baking.

This one’s a family favorite that the kids expect to see multiple times during the holiday season.
    
I hope your family and friends enjoy Lara’s Church Lady Maple Cookies as much as mine do.
                                         
Dressed In White Chocolate Coconut Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-3/4 cups flour
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
Confectioner's sugar

Cream together butter and sugar.  
Blend in coconut extract and egg.  
In a separate bowl mix baking powder, baking soda and flour.  
Mix dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture.
Add white chocolate chips and coconut.
Spoon onto a baking sheet.
Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  
Dust with Confectioner's sugar.
Enjoy!

The romance between coconut and chocolate has made this recipe one that’s asked for time and again by my family and by those on my always growing holiday cookie list.  Even a few friends who say they don’t like coconut have a soft spot for these.

I always set a few dozen aside so we still have some left to enjoy as we ring in the New Year.  We pour the eggnog and champagne, sprinkle (probably too much) Confectioner’s sugar over them, and try to imagine what the next year will hold. 

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
Mary



THE SEVENTH VICTIM
Mary Burton
Zebra Books/Mass Market Original/Fiction
February 2013/On Sale 1-29-13/$7.99 ($8.99 Canada)
978-1-4201-2505-4



3 comments:

  1. This sounds devine! Thank you for sharing your the absolute best! I totally loved the excerpt it rocks! Excellent work!

    desere_steenberg(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Exciting and delicious as well! ven123star (at) yahoo (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loved the excerpt...can't wait to read the book. My tbr pile just got a little bigger. The recipes are wonderful, if only I could find someone to make them for me (husband fixed my oven 15 years ago = no oven still)!

    kcnrhtx at charter dot net

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Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.