CML Interview with mom, mystery sleuth: Christy Barritt (GIVEAWAY!)

Have you ever read a book and laughed out loud? I've done that this week with a fun mystery suspense book about...an Elvis impersonator. I'm not joking. I read so many books because I interview authors, but I forgot I was reading this to share it with you. This is a fun book, one I think you might love to check out. Join me today as I interview author, mom, and mystery sleuth, Christy Barritt.
Suzie: I really loved this book. No kidding. It was fun from page one. How did you come up with the idea of a crime scene cleaner and a dead Elvis?

Christy: I came up with both of those ideas thanks to my journalism career! I saw the idea to write about a crime-scene cleaner while writing for a publication that profiles people in different careers. I never even knew crime scene cleaners existed! But I immediately knew that career would perfectly fit a protagonist for a mystery novel. I got the idea to write about Elvis after doing an interview with an Elvis impersonator (or, an Elvis Tribute Artist, as I was quickly informed). I had no idea what to expect before I went. After I finished the interview, the president of his fan club came running after me as I walked to my car. She presented me with an autographed picture of the fake Elvis. I thought, this man has a fan club? The ideas spun from there.

SE: How long have you been writing?

CB: I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. As a child, I always wrote stories. In high school, I actually wrote a couple of books (that will never, ever see the light of day!). In college, I continued writing (usually while in my Old Testament history class—ha!). One of the manuscripts I wrote in college was actually requested by a publishing house and ultimately rejected. After college I started working for a Christian publisher. I did that for two and a half years and put my own writing on the back burner. My father became ill and I moved back home to be near him. That gave me the push I needed to begin writing again. Writing also helped me to express my feelings as I watched my father deteriorate with Alzheimer’s and cancer.

SE: Writing is cathartic. So is humor and you offer lots of that in a very subtle way throughout the story. It made me want to read more. What's next? Another book in this series or another novel?

CB: I’d love to finish Gabby’s story with a third book and I’ve already written the proposal. Now I’m just waiting to hear back from my publisher on it! I also have a pending contract for another mystery series called the “Suburban Sleuth Mysteries,” which pokes fun at life in suburbia, neighborhood dynamics, homeowner’s associations, etc. The first book is called “The Death of the Couch Potato’s Wife.” I have several other proposals I’m trying to find homes for!

SE: Your character is confused about love -- both from a guy and about the love of God. How does she learn who to trust?

CB: It’s definitely a process for Gabby. She’s attracted to Riley because he’s noble—even though he has screwed up, she can still see that he strives to be honest and forthright. Gabby wants to be a scientist, so the idea of believing in God is a struggle for her. Can science and God mingle? Or are they separate, and if you believe in one, you can’t believe in the other? Like any good scientist, she’s determined to get to the bottom of the dilemma and she’s not going to believe in anything blindly. Eventually, though, trust is just something you have to take the plunge with. You have to look at the facts and make a choice.

SE: When you were researching for this book did you have to creep under any old houses or come face-to-face with a snake? : ) Tell us about the research.

CB: Ha! Thank goodness, no. The whole “dead body under the house” idea came about because we had a pipe leak at my house. We had to hire a restoration company to come in and clean up the mess. They suited up in their Tyvek outfits and disappeared into the crawlspace under my house. I’m sure they thought I was strange because I began asking them all of these questions about their job and the equipment they used and what their past experiences were. I got some great stories, though! They told me about the mold problems they’ve seen under some homes and about dead animals they found, etc. That’s where I got that idea! As for other research, I usually try to find an actual person who can tell me about their experiences. Books and articles are great, but nothing beats talking to someone who’s already been there.

SE: Do you know what I loved best about this book? It felt real. Real characters. Real fun. Real edgy humor, but a raw search for truth. Why is this story different from most on Christian bookshelves?

CB: That’s a good question and I’m not sure I know the answer. My goal when I’m writing is to make sure my stories are “organic.” What I mean by that is that I want them to be natural. When I finished the first book in this series, “Hazardous Duty,” I realized that my protagonist wasn’t ready to be a Christian. I struggled with whether or not I should rewrite the ending, but I knew I couldn’t. I couldn’t force her to begin believing in God. At the same time, I didn’t know if a Christian publisher would even touch it without a conversion. Thankfully, Kregel did take a chance on the book. I like to ask the hard questions and I don’t like giving the easy answers. Sometimes, there aren’t easy answers to give. I knew I had to be true to the story God placed on my heart instead of writing for the market.

SE: Okay, a fun question. Tell us about a typical day. What is on your desk? What is for lunch? How many words do you write?

CB: Every day is different. I have a two year old who always wants 100% of mommy’s attention. I also write for my local newspaper and lead worship at my church. At the beginning of every week, I make a list of everything I have to get done in the next seven days. Then I prioritize. That said, there really is no typical day. My mom does watch my son two days a week. On those days, I’m doing everything from interviewing people for the newspaper, transcribing the interview, writing article rough drafts, yelling at my dogs to get off the couch, fact checking, lining up book signings, writing at least one chapter on a book, critiquing chapters for my critique partners, making dentist appointments, getting out stains from where my son has wiped his mouth on my new clothes, looking at my nails and thinking that I need a manicure though I know I won’t get one, blogging, chiding myself for drinking soda, etc.

Lunch? The remainder of my son’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chicken nuggets, or a Lean Cuisine meal. Exciting, huh?

SE: Maybe not exciting, but I just ate an apple and peanut butter and soup for lunch. So, I identify with the glamorous writers' life. : )

Where can readers find you?

CB: My website is: www.christybarritt.com and my blog is: http://myblog4fun.com/cbarritt. I also blog over at www.Faithchicks.com and at http://canblog.typepad.com/canbookmarketing/.

Thanks so much for the interview, Suzie! Great questions and a lot of fun. I appreciate your time and effort, and I’m soooo glad you enjoyed the book!

SE: You have an open invitation to come back when the next books hits the shelves. Thanks, Christy.

Members, leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed copy of this great book! Drawing November 25th!