Framed For Murder Character Interview and Recipe by Mary Alford

Framed For Murder Character Interview and Recipe

Meet Liz Ramirez, an agent with a specialized CIA Anti-terrorist unit known as the Scorpion Team. 

Liz joined the team a few years back after the death of her husband, and fellow CIA Agent, Eric Ramirez. While Liz still mourns the loss of her husband, her work is important to her and helps to fill the gap in her life, Eric’s death left behind.

Yet as Liz soon knows well, when you’re dealing with covert affairs, you have to have the ability to weed through the lies in order to reach the truth and find the bad guys. And when you do, the outcome is anything but expected. 

Liz, thank you for taking time out from your busy life to stop by and visit us today.

You are welcome. I’m happy to be doing something that doesn’t involve getting shot at for once.

Describe yourself in five words.

L: Stubborn, tenacious, quirky, caring, and battle-worn.  

What do you want readers to gain from your story?

L: That no matter what obstacles you are facing, don’t give up. Keeping fighting and God will keep fighting right along beside you.   

 

Will readers be able to follow you in future books?

L: Yes! I will make another appearance in an upcoming book out next year that features one of my fellow Scorpion Team members, Alex Booth, so I hope you’ll watch out for that book. 

What is your go-to beverage?

L:  Coffee and plenty of it when available. Being an agent, I find myself traveling to some very dangerous locations, usually on a moment’s notice. The conditions I face are combat conditions where most times, I’m making life and death decisions. Coffee is not always available, but when it is, I consume pots of it at a time. I guess to make up for when I am forced to go without my caffeine fix. 

Also, today, I was asked to share one of my favorite recipes from chidlhood. While my mother was an excellent cook, my favorite thing that she made was at Chirstmastime. As a child, I loved to help my mother make her homemade Christmas cookies. It was part of our holiday tradition.    

Mom always went all out for our Chirstmas meal as well. Even after I grew up and moved away, I still loved to go home for the holdiays to see my family and taste my mother’s wonderful cooking.

So Mom, I hope you don’t mind me sharing your recipe for Christmas Cookies:

Ingredients

2/3 cups vegetable shortening

3/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large egg

4 teaspoons milk

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

Egg Yolk Glaze:

1 large egg yolk

2 to 3 drops food coloring

One 2-pound bag powdered sugar

1/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons pasteurized egg whites

Directions

For the cookies: Using a stand mixer, cream the shortening, granulated sugar, orange peel and vanilla thoroughly, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 more minute. Add in the milk and mix.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together, and then blend into the cream mixture. Divide the dough in half (thirds if you double your recipe), slightly flatten between 2 sheets of waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour (or freeze for 20 minutes).

Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Transfer the shapes to lightly greased cookie sheets and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

For the egg yolk glaze: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. While the dough is chilling, combine the egg yolk, 1 teaspoon water and food coloring. Paint the cookies (with a soft brush) with the egg yolk glaze.

Bake the cookies for 6 to 7 minutes. Do not allow the cookies to brown. The cookies will be slightly puffed and the glaze will look crackled. Bake in 2 batches if you don't reroll the scraps.

For the decorative white icing: While the cookies are baking, mix the powdered sugar, milk and egg whites. Make sure that it is thick and somewhat retains its shape.

Remove the cookies from the oven to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Using a pastry bag or zip-top bag, pipe the cookies with the white icing to decorate.      

Then Enjoy!

About Framed For Murder

FALSELY ACCUSED

Framed for helping her partner smuggle guns—and then murdering him—CIA agent Liz Ramirez must find the evidence that will prove her innocence…before she's caught or killed. So when her squad's leader attempts to bring her in for questioning, she knows her future depends on convincing Aaron Foster to go rogue and help her. On the run from the rest of her team and the gun dealers who are convinced she knows the location of their missing weapons, Liz risks losing the proof that would clear her name. But will eluding her pursuers—and trying not to fall for the handsome commander—prove to be fatal?

FRAMED FOR MURDER is available October 1st at:

http://amzn.to/2jXaPq3

https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780373457380_framed-for-murder.html

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/framed-for-murder-mary-alford/1125853587?ean=9781488019579

And at most online booksellers. 

 

About the Author

Mary Alford was inspired to become a writer after reading romantic suspense greats Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Soon creating characters and throwing them into dangerous situations that test their faith came naturally for Mary. In 2012 Mary entered the Speed Dating contest hosted by Love Inspired Suspense and later received “the call”. In addition to writing for Love Inspired Suspense, Mary also writes Christian romance and sweet romance. Being a published author has been a dream come true for Mary.