Christy Barritt: Desperate Measures

By K. L. Bridgewater

If I had to list my favorite suspense authors who I enjoy reading, Christy Barritt would fit on that list with Steven James, Terri Blackstock, Lynette Eason, Brandilyn Collins, Colleen Coble, Irene Hannon, DiAnn Mills, Janice Cantore, Kathy Herman, Dani Pettrey, and Dee Henderson are among the top ones. Anytime a new book comes out by these authors, I rush to the store and purchase it.

If you haven’t heard of any of these authors, I suggest going out and trying a book by them. Great writers! I study them and try to see how they write, so I can apply it to my personal writing.

Christy Barritt’s most popular Kindle series is called the “Squeaky Clean Mysteries,” beginning with Hazardous Duty. Currently, there are nine books in the series with a spin-off series featuring the protagonist, Gabby St. Claire’s, best friend, Sierra, appropriately titled “Sierra Files.”  Gabby is a crime scene clearner with hidden desires to actually be a crime scene investigator. Barritt, also, writes for the Love Inspired Suspense line for Harlequin where she has written eight suspense novels.

Her latest book, Desperate Measures, came out in the beginning of September. The story features Samantha Rogers, a runaway mother, trying to escape her damaged past with her eight-year-old son Conner, and John Wagner, an ex-Coast Guard member, trying to fix up cottages on Smuggler’s Cove. One evening after Samantha was pretty roughed up by a big man in a grocery parking lot, she runs into John and tries to flee with her life and her son. Wagner offers her a place of solitude in exchange for a helping hand on his cottages.

The story thickens as someone breaks into her cabin, not once, but twice. Graffiti shines on the cabin’s wall. There are bullets flying. Chases through the woods. An abduction. To add to the drama, a hurricane or huge storm is brewing in the ocean, headed straight toward Smuggler’s Cove.

Even though the action is flying across every word of Barritt’s expertly crafted plot, the emotions explode like fireworks between Samantha and John. Both of them have been hurt and let down in the past with relationships, so they do not want to start anything new, but they are attracted to each other anyways. Even though Samantha is trying to save her and Conner’s life, she does not want anything to happen to John because she starts to allow him to creep into her heart.

Barritt’s characters are realistic and will grab you from the first page. As you ride the storm of the plot, you will become invested in the lives of Samantha, Conner, and John. As a reader, I prayed that John would protect Samantha and Conner from their past and allow Samantha to move on with no fear for her life anymore. Barritt does a good job at bringing out the flaws in her characters. They are not two-dimensional who have no emotions. Barritt explores their emotions to make the reader experience what the character feels. 

I hope you go out and buy this book or any of her books and enjoy them as much as I do.

Christy Barritt loves connecting with her fans. You can find her at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christy.barritt?fref=ts

Web: http://www.christybarritt.com/

You can purchase all her books at Amazon. Here is the link to her Author page:

http://www.amazon.com/Christy-Barritt/e/B001HMWPIA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=undefined&sr=1-2-ent

Welcome Christy Barritt

Last year I met Christy Barritt in Dallas at the annual ACFW conference. She's very sweet, and I'm excited to have her join us today.

Thanks so much for having me here on Sleuths and Suspects! I’m Christy Barritt, I’m the author of more than twenty books, and my latest book is called High-Stakes Holiday Reunion. This romantic suspense novel released this month through Love Inspired Suspense.

Today, I wanted to talk a little about how to keep writing during the holiday season. In the writing life, keeping the pages cranked out during the holidays can be difficult. There are added events on our calendars, shopping to do, family to visit, and meals to cook! But it is possible to keep writing and meet deadlines, even when Christmas lights are strung outside.

I’ve actually written ten books this year. People always think they’ve heard me incorrectly when I say that, but it’s true. Their next question is how? I have two young kids, I homeschool one of them, lead the children’s choir at my church, and I freelance for a couple of other publications.

I’d like to say there’s some magic secret to how I get so much accomplished, but the truth is that I make myself work hard. Every week, I write between 10,000-15,000 words. I usually continue this over the holidays, although I do try to take some time off. This year, I have a book deadline on December 31, so I’m not sure I can cut myself any slack.

Writing that many words a week, I can finish the first draft of a book in roughly four to six weeks. I usually start another book then, set the other book aside for a few weeks, and then write the first draft of another book. I got back to the first book, edit it, and I continue to work on new projects. It’s quite a bit to juggle, but I’ve gotten into a good routine with it.

Another secret is the fact that I really enjoy what I’m doing. I love creating new stories and characters and dilemmas. I give myself deadlines, and I have people to hold me accountable. Doing something you love makes it feel less like work. I’m definitely blessed to get paid for something that is so much fun!

So, keep writing at the holidays. Jot down notes about your senses during the season. Remember the smells, the tastes, the emotions, the strange events, or quirky neighbors who celebrate in ways different than you. Enjoy life, but tuck away memories for your stories.

One final thing I thought would be fun to share a recipe. This is a super simple one for Caramel Apple Cider, but I love it. At Christmastime, I buy a gallon of apple cider, some caramel topping (one of those bottles that can be squeezed on top of ice cream), and a can of whipped cream. I put the apple cider into a crock-pot and add about half a bottle of the caramel topping. I heat it up most of the day (makes the house smell wonderful!). I then serve it in mugs and top it with whipped cream. I drizzle a little more caramel across the top. It’s yummy and sweet and requested every year!

Thanks for letting me share.

God bless, and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!



USA Today has called Christy Barritt’s books “scary, funny, passionate, and quirky.” Three of Christy’s books have been Amazon bestsellers and others have won the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery, been nominated for the Romantic Times’ Reviewers Choice Award, and finaled for a Carol. She writes two genres: quirky first person mysteries and romantic suspense. For more information on her books, visit her website at www.christybarritt.com

Please be sure to leave a comment and your email address for a chance to win a book from Christy. Paperback or ebook, your choice.

Race Against Time

Madison Jacobs is attacked by a serial killer and left for dead until Detective Brody Phillips rescues her in the nick of time. The killer has each victim leave a suicide note. Until Madison survives, the cops thought each murder was a suicide. Together Madison and Brody hurry to find the killer before he strikes again.

Christy Barritt wrote this Love Inspired Suspense that's on sale now.

This is a fast paced page-turner with likeable characters that you'll root for until the very end.

This will be available on April 1 at Amazon.

*The authors of this blog are Amazon.com affiliates. Sometimes, we will include links in our blog posts. When visitors to this site purchase items from Amazon.com using links in our posts, the authors of this blog earn a percentage of the sales.