BLOG TOUR OF CLOSURE BY R. MCGAHA (GIVEAWAY)

I want to welcome Rie McGaha to Books R Us. Rie is the author of Closure (Champagne Books: 8/2/2010)  Thanks for stopping by.

Going Through the Going Through

Recently a seven-year-old little girl named Maybl passed away as a result of Rhett's Syndrome. This little known disease is sneaky, deadly and steals a child's life. Maybl was born a healthy, happy baby girl who developed like any other baby. She sat up, crawled, cut teeth and laughed at her older sister, Audreay. When she was about a year old she began to digress physically and emotionally until she could only lie on her back as she did right after birth. The life expectancy of a Rhett's Syndrome child is late teens to early twenties but Maybl, bless her sweet little heart, lived seven and a half years. Unable to even eat, she was fed through a tube in her stomach. She couldn't sit up, crawl or talk but when she smiled she lit up the room. On the evening of September 20, 2010 Maybl's mother went to get her up for a bath and found she had passed away.

I have known Maybl's mom Kori since she was fifteen years old. She and my daughter Lisa were best friends from the moment they met and Kori spent as much time in my home as she did her own. I consider her one of my daughters and she calls me mom. Well, usually she calls me "Lisa's mom" because Lisa introduced me as her mom and Kori said, "Hi, Lisa's mom." And I said, "Hi, Lisa's friend." It's been a running joke ever since.

Over the course of my life I have lost five children and two grandchildren. Loss is something that we all experience. We know our grandparents are going to die, followed by our parents and various aunts, uncles and other relatives. The loss of a child throws our entire view of life off kilter. Our children and grandchildren are supposed to follow us in death, not precede us. When someone experiences the death of their child or grandchild everything changes. Life, God, breathing, getting through each day…everything is now a huge question mark and answers aren't easy to come by.

When my daughter Cassandra died at age sixteen I thought my world had ended. Taking a breath was difficult and just getting up in the morning was a chore, which was strange because I never thought I would sleep again. But I had other children to take care of, to try and explain the loss to, and a husband to take care of. While I was vocal with my feelings and cried often over our loss, Cassandra's father was the opposite. He didn't cry, he didn't talk about her, and in fact, he didn't want to talk about anything. I know he felt guilty because as a man, he felt as if he should have been able to protect her. I understood his feelings logically, but not emotionally.

In Maybl's case, I understand Kori's distress as a mother losing her baby girl. But for Maybl, I am happy. She is no longer confined to a body that refuses to obey, that refuses to move, and has been her prison for the past six years. I know her spirit is now free from the earthly confines she has known, and I know that as sad as Kori is, she also knows her baby is now in the arms of Grace. While the loss of a child is devastating and it's something you never really "get over," it does become easier to accept as time goes by. And when you know that a pure soul like Maybl's has been released, there is something very mystical and satisfying that settles inside of you.

Going through the going through is the hardest part of life but when you arrive on the other side, you find you are a better, more caring and loving person for having made it through the going through.

About the Author-

Rie McGaha is a wife, mother, grandmother who lives in SE Oklahoma. She is the author of several books in various genres. Her recent book, CLOSURE, is a spicy romantic/thriller from Champagne Books.  COMES AN OUTLAW, a historical romantic/western is now available at Silver Publishing. Excerpts are available on Rie's website www.riemcgaha.com.

About the Book-

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.

My Thoughts-

What a great thriller. It was a page-turner and well written. This novel is definitely for the 18 + crowd due to the erotic content and descriptive scenes in the book. I Thought I knew who the killer was but I never expected it to be... All the characters were well developed and interacted well. There were twists and turns throughout the book. I have always loved thrillers and this was one of the best ones that I had read recently. I Look forward to reading the author's other novels.

CONTEST-

Click here to purchase your copy of Closure today or visit Rie at her website to learn more.

By commenting to this post, you will be entered to win a Rie McGaha Writing Tablet. By commenting at every stop on Rie's virtual book tour, your chances of winning increase so be sure to stop by Goddess Fish Promotions for a complete tour schedule.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book for my honest review and I was not compensated for my review.