Please welcome the talented and Amazon bestselling author, Keta Diablo. Remember to comment to be entered to win a Kindle Fire 7 on Christmas Eve!
What
is your favorite childhood Christmas memory?
Funny how our brains work, isn't it? I
think all memories are banked deep inside, yet some stand out as memorable. I'm
not talking about traumatic events or even life-changing happenings, i.e.,
graduation from college, marriage, birth of your first child; I'm talking about
seconds or minutes in your life that aren't very significant, yet take priority
in our memory banks.
One such memory for me is helping my
brother deliver newspapers on Christmas Eve. A light snow fell from the sky,
leaving two sets of small footprints in our wake. The air was crisp and cool
(almost balmy for a Midwest December), and in my mind, I see us chatting as we
moved along, our frosty breaths hanging in the ether between us. We were eager
to finish our task so we could join the rest of the family for the feast our
mother would have waiting. After supper, we would gather around the tree and
exchange family presents (Santa didn't come until morning at our house).
He thanked me for helping him when we were
finished, and I remember saying, "Of course, that's what families are
for."
There's nothing extraordinary about the
scene above, yet decades later, that one memory is called forth from the dark
recesses of my mind every Christmas season.
I hope you have a special memory locked
deep inside that brings you warmth, comfort and joy this year and every year.
What
is your favorite adult Christmas memory?
All the holidays when our children were
young. Fortunately, my father-in-law recorded a video every year. He had the
videos spliced, edited and combined and now we can all enjoy many Christmas'
pasts while it runs in the background on Christmas Eve.
Is
there a Christmas song that’s your favorite?
"Oh Holy Night" – Josh Groban
Tell
us about your family’s Christmas traditions.
Christmas Eve we have a large meal where
everyone contributes a dish (Italian menu usually wins out). The grandkids are
always eager to open presents so that's number two on the agenda. We end the
night with a family-friendly game of Texas Hold 'Em.
What about
Christmas do you most enjoy?
Family-time, of course.
Is
there something about this holiday that drives you crazy?
Yes! The commercialism. One year I was
determined to show my teens that not everyone was as fortunate as our family.
To prove my point, I called a local nursing home and asked for three adult
names of residents that had little or no family. I took the kids shopping and
asked them to choose gifts for Donald, Marguerite and Luella. We visited the
nursing home on the afternoon of Christmas Eve with our arms laden with gifts.
Unfortunately, Luella had passed on that week, Marguerite was ill and could not
receive visitors, but the smile on Donald's face when he put the new socks in
his drawer and refused to relinquish the sweat pants and matching sweatshirt (while
we joined the other residents for Christmas Carols in the hearth room) was
worth every penny spent. My teens were not impressed at the time, but now say
it's one of their fondest Christmas memories.
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| Nursing home residents |
What
do you hope for this Christmas?
Tolerance and peace – tolerance for others
in a country divided and peace in a very dangerous world.
Do
you have a treasured Christmas food? If so, would you care to share the recipe?
Yes, thanks for asking! This one has been a
family fave for years:
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| Pecan Crescents |
PECAN CRESCENTS
Ingredients
1 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped pecans
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees
C).
Cream butter or margarine, gradually adding
confectioners' sugar and salt. Cream until light and fluffy.
Stir in pecans and vanilla. Add flour
gradually. Mix well. Shape dough into crescents using a teaspoon full for each
crescent. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 15-30 minutes. Do not brown.
Let cool slightly, then roll cookies in additional confectioners' sugar.
Do
you have a book you’d like to share?
SOJOURN WITH A
STRANGER
A ghost haunts the halls of Stafford House. When Raine Brinsley arrives and accepts a position as a house servant, the ghost is determined to let Raine know who murdered her. Meanwhile, the lord of the manor, Derek Stafford, attempts to convince Raine to bear his child for a large sum of money. She needs the funds to return to her ailing grandfather in Maine and yet, something is terribly wrong at Stafford House . . . and possibly with the man himself.
Derek and Lyman Stafford race against time to produce the first male heir in order to secure the title to Stafford House. The brothers will do anything to win . . . including murder. Will Raine submit to Derek's offer and live a life of luxury or will she meet the same fate as his late wife?
SOJOURN WITH A STRANGER Setup and Excerpt: Told from Elne's POV (the hero's mother) the woman is delighted that the servant girl, Raine, has consented to play Christmas carols on the piano after the evening meal.
Delighted to see the servant girl, Raine, behind the
piano, Elne sent her a smile. Derek said the girl had consented to play several
holiday carols. He promised the experience would be pleasant and they would
remember the night for a long time. Several compositions later, Elne had to
agree. The girl played masterfully. Astonished by the diverse range in her
repertoire, albeit without sheet music, she couldn't believe their good
fortune. At the conclusion of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, every member
of the Stafford family had gathered around the piano. With agility and grace,
the girl rose to a vigorous round of applause.
"Please, Miss Brinsley, will you play something
classical?" Derek asked.
Clever man, Elne
thought. How can she ignore a direct request from her employer?
"Mister Stafford, I'm certain they've heard enough."
"On the contrary, dear," Elne interjected. "It's
been so long since anyone has played at Stafford House."
With a nod, Raine settled onto the bench again and flexed
her hands. "I'll play my favorite, Moonlight." The haunting notes
drifted toward the ceiling and scattered to every corner of the room.
With the last note, Elne rose from her chair. "Heavenly.
I'm moved by your passion."
"Thank you, Mistress Stafford. The credit must go to
my grandmother."
"It's hard to believe a mentor could one-up you on
the piano."
Elne took a moment to study the girl. It made sense, an
exquisite classical face to companion the music. Stunning came to mind, the
dark green eyes, the thick auburn hair, flawless skin and sculpted features.
She realized she had been staring when the girl looked at her with a question
on her brow.
Elne recovered. "I've attended too many operas and
concerts to count, but not one featured a pianist who played with such elegance
and ability."
"You're too kind, ma'am."
Rising for the second time, the girl curtsied and made her
way from the room. Crete hugged her as she passed. The strange curdling
returned to Elne's stomach, and for the life of her, she couldn't name it.
She looked at her sons. Lyman reminded her of a lion about
to devour the hapless gazelle, and the look in Derek's eyes she had never seen
before. She tried to recall the months he courted Cinda and the days preceding
their wedding. Had he looked at her with...love? God help him. Her youngest son
had fallen in love with a servant.
She recalled the look Raine sent Derek when he asked her
to play a classical piece. Had she missed something in the girl's eyes? No, she
had made a deliberate attempt to study her after Derek's request and she saw resentment.
Why would she feel resentment toward Derek? A muddied mess brewed, and Elne
couldn't begin to guess the depth of the mud pile.
From memory, she ran through the words of Zaira's note in
her mind. Whose bastard suckles at her breast? Something nefarious rode the wind and she had
to find out what. She looked at Julian staring out the window gathering
moonlight. She would bet her mother's finest pearls her husband was involved.
Her head spinning with conjecture, she called out to him, "Dear,
we must be going."
On the journey home, she thought about broaching the
subject with her husband, but cast the impulse aside. The words of Sir Walter
Scott tumbled through her mind, Oh, the tangled webs we weave, when we
practice to deceive. Elne closed her eyes and drifted off to the soothing
sound of hooves treading over the hard-packed earth.
* * *
Purchase SOJOURN
WITH A STRANGER
Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she's not writing, Keta loves to garden and commune with nature. She adores animals and donates time and support to local food banks and several animal shelters. She rescued Emma LaPounce from one of the shelters when her owners abandoned her. Emma must believe Keta's computer mouse is a real mouse because she won't stop batting it around!
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| Emma LaPounce |
Keta is an Amazon bestselling author multi-published in western romance, contemporary romance, historical romance, erotica romance, and the occasional gay romance. Keta's books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Read awards from top professional review sites.
