Meet Christy Barritt - Interview & Book Giveaway

Today I’m pleased to welcome author Christy Barritt. Her latest book, Suspicious Minds, is the second in the Squeaky Clean Mystery series. Let’s meet Christy!

THE BIO

Christy Barritt is a freelance writer, author and speaker. Her newest book, Suspicious Minds (Kregel, 2008) is a lighthearted mystery about a sassy crime-scene cleaner who likes to stick her nose into police business. The first book in the series was Hazardous Duty, a finalist in the ACFW Book of the Year contest. She’s also the co-author of Changed: True Stories of Finding God in Christian Music (Standard, 2005).

Christy enjoys teaching and speaking at various functions, from writers groups to women’s luncheons. She has a passion for sharing the truths and lessons that she’s learned throughout her life. For two years, she was an assistant editor at Standard Publishing. When her father became ill, she moved home to be closer to him. The move propelled her back to her first love—writing—and she hasn’t stopped since.

She’s married to Scott, a teacher and funny man extraordinaire. They have one son, Eli Samuel, and two dogs, Duchess and Benji. When Christy’s not writing, she enjoys having coffee with friends, taking crazy road trips that usually involve no maps and flipping coins, and making her 24-month-old son giggle

THE INTERVIEW

JA: Your new book is Suspicious Minds. Please tell us about it.
CB: In Suspicious Minds, crime-scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire takes a mold remediation job to make ends meet. While in the crawlspace of a dilapidated old house, she finds Elvis—dead and still wearing his blue suede shoes! Gabby can’t resist sticking her nose into another investigation. Along the way, she tries to figure out her love life, her spiritual life and the wacky world of Elvis impersonators!

JA: How did you get the idea of incorporating a dead Elvis impersonator into this story?
CB: I’ve been writing for my local newspaper for five years now. One interview I did was with an Elvis impersonator (or, an Elvis Tribute Artist, as I was quickly informed) performing at a senior citizens’ center. I had no idea what to expect before I went. After I finished the interview (and I’ve had easier times getting interviews with senators than I did with this guy after his show), the president of his fan club came running after me as I walked to my car. She presented me with an autographed picture of him. I thought, this man has a fan club? The ideas spun from there.

JA: This is the second outing for heroine Gabby St. Claire. Are there certain challenges to keeping a character fresh and interesting when she’s the center of each book?
CB: Definitely. I have an overall character arc for the series and for each book. Gabby is such an interesting character, so complex in many ways, that it’s simply a matter of choosing which of her issues to deal with in each book! I actually loved writing about the same character—at this point, I know her so well that I instinctively know how she’ll react to a situation or how she thinks. Writing book number two was a lot of fun.

JA: What do you hope people take away after reading Suspicious Minds?
CB: First of all, I hope they’re entertained and have a great time reading the book. I also want them to learn a little about themselves by learning about Gabby St. Claire, my protagonist. She struggles with questions of faith and issues of loneliness. I think we can all learn a little about those areas.

JA: What’s next for you in the writing arena?
CB: I’m writing the third book in the Squeaky Clean Mystery series. Gabby, of course, has to get into some more trouble! But she also explores her relationships… from friendships, to romance, to God. She has some unresolved issues from her past that she needs to lay to rest. And, of course, she has crime scenes to clean! I have a couple of other projects as some other publishers. We’ll see what happens there!

JA: What inspired you to write become a writer?
CB: I’ve always loved stories and I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a writer. I studied communications at college and worked at a publishing house after graduating. Today, I don’t just write books… I’m also a stringer for my local newspaper and a freelancer for a couple of magazines. I love to tell stories!

JA: Who are some of your favorite authors?
CB: Too many to name them all. But here are some of my favorites: Linda Hall, Siri Mitchell, Terri Blackstock and Mary Connealy.

JA: You’re a worship leader at your church and have written a book about finding God in Christian music. How has music, Christian and otherwise, impacted your life?
CB: Music has always acted as a soundtrack for my life. It ministers to me so deeply. I’m one of those people who constantly sings or hums or whistles. I often find that when I’m going through a tough time, God will place a song on my heart that ministers to me. I may not realize it at the time—I may just be singing absent-mindedly. But all at once I realize how the lyrics apply to what I’m going through.

JA: If you could pack up your family and take off for a fantasy vacation, what would be on the agenda?
CB: I’ve always wanted to go to Venice. On my agenda? Eating lots of good Italian food and riding down those streets of water!

JA: Last but not least, how can people keep up with your latest publishing news?
CB: Just visit my website at www.christybarritt.com.

Thanks for visiting with us, Christy. May God continue to bless you in your writing journey!

WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of Suspicious MInds just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll combine the responses of my Blogger and ShoutLife blogs to pick a winner at random on May 19th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) ShoutLifers will be contacted via ShoutMail. Good luck!