Christy Barritt Shares about Life, Books, and Road Trips

I first learned of Christy Barritt about three years ago when I came across a little free book on Amazon called Hazardous Duty. Eleven books (and two novellas later), I still can’t get enough of Gabby St. Claire and the Squeaky Clean Mysteries gang. Christy’s success as a hybrid author (both independently published and traditionally published with Love Inspired Suspense and Amazon’s Waterfall Press), she churns out intense and engaging books for her readers regularly. Just to give you a glimpse at what this looks like, 2016 releases include Mountain Hideaway (Love Inspired Suspense) in January, Thrill Squeaker in February (Squeaky Clean series), Rattled (The Sierra Files) and Swept Away (Squeaky Clean novella) in April, Dark Harbor (Love Inspired Suspense) in June, Disillusioned (Waterfall Press) in August, and Cunning Attractions (Squeaky Clean) in September.

A little more about Christy Barritt

Christy Barritt is an author, freelance writer and speaker who lives in Virginia. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious–but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado. She’s only won one contest in her life–and her prize was kissing a pig (okay, okay… actually she did win the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery for her book Suspicious Minds also). Her current claim to fame is showing off her mother, who looks just like former First Lady Barbara Bush.

When she’s not working or spending time with her family, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and exploring small, unsuspecting towns where people have no idea how accident prone she is.

Connect with Christy on social media:

Website: www.christybarritt.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorchristybarritt

Twitter: www.twitter.com/christybarritt

As you can see, Christy Barritt keeps herself busy. Thank you, Christy, for taking some time out of your schedule to visit with us today. I’m excited to share a little more about you with our readers.

Welcome, Christy. Thank you for joining us this week on The Diamond Mine. Let’s dive right into some questions.



SW: After listing your book releases for 2016, I can’t help but wonder how you stay on top of all of your projects. What does your writing process look like? Do you work on writing one book at a time?

CB: I usually write one book at a time, but I may be editing or mentally plotting ideas for another. When I write my first draft, I write it pretty quickly—usually in about three weeks. I aim for 20,000 words a week. Then I spend the next two or three weeks in intense revisions where I usually add another 20,000-30,000 words to manuscript. After that, I begin the fine tuning process where I edit for clarity and send it to my assistant and editors for feedback. That said, I can usually write a book in approximately 2 months, depending on the book’s length.




SW: What are three to three things you have with you while writing?

CB: A water bottle, my dog Molly (a Maltese mix), and my cell phone. 

SW: If you were not an author, what would you be doing?

CB: If you follow me on Facebook, you’ve probably seen that I love taking pictures, so I’ll say a photographer.

 SW: You’re a fan of road trips. What’s the last one you’ve taken and what was your favorite part?

CB: We went to the Eastern Shore of Virginia and kayaked to abandoned beaches filled with conch shells. It was great fun. Being with my family made it fabulous.

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SW:  I love some of the stories you share about your boys on Facebook (and they almost always make me laugh). What have your boys taught you?

CB: So many things! People before projects, a hug makes everything in life a lot better, learning to read is an amazing thing, and that the years go by too quickly.

SW: For Mother’s Day, your boys made you a cute video where they answered questions about you. One of them was “What is Mommy good at?” The boys answered typing and playing the guitar. What is your answer to that question?

CB: Hmmm . . . Good question. I love creating—mostly characters and stories. But I also love creating adventures. I don’t care all that much about stuff—you can’t take it with you. But I love experiencing all that life has to offer. It’s one more reason I love road trips. So, I guess I’ll say “being creative.”

SW: You write books from both the first person point of view and the third person point of view. Do you have a preference for one over the other?

CB: Actually, I don’t. I like mixing things up because it helps my ideas not to grow stale. I usually alternate as I’m writing books—I’ll do one in first person, and then my next is in third and so on. Each one is fun in its own way.

SW: Switching gears a little bit, tell us a little bit about the book that released earlier this month, Dark Harbor.

CB: Dark Harbor takes place in Waterman’s Reach, Virginia, a fictional town I made up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. A reporter who’s desperate to prove herself must choose between advancing her own career or giving the object of her expose the benefit of the doubt—and possibly falling in love.

SW: Other than the satisfaction of finishing a good story—because I’ve gotten that from every book I’ve read written by you-- what is it you hope your readers come away with.

CB: I want them to come away with hope. Life can be filled with heartbreak and moments of despair. I want people to realize that before the storm, during the storm, and after the storm, there’s always hope on the horizon. It might sound trite to some, but I believe that even though life is hard, God and his love is good and can sustain us through hard times. As someone who’s lost three family members in the last three years, I can say this because I’ve been able to live it out. I can’t imagine going through those hard times without the hope that I find in Jesus.


Thank you so much for stopping by The Diamond Mine, Christy. It has been a pleasure having you this week.






Readers, here's more information about Christy's June Releases. Also, keep reading to find out how to enter to win a copy of Dark Harbor.

Dark Harbor

Someone wants reporter Madelyn Sawyer to leave the small coastal town she's just arrived in—even if it takes hurting her. But she won't give up her goal of investigating Waterman's Reach's new police chief that easily. Madelyn assumes that former big-city detective Zach Davis—who some believe is a murderer involved in a drug-trafficking ring—is behind the threat. Who else would have a motive? But as bullets fly Madelyn's way, it's Zach who keeps saving her life. The closer she gets to the truth, the more she wants to tell the handsome lawman why she's really in town. But if she does, will she lose his trust…and any hope of surviving long enough to bring the real killer to light?

Zach Davis has made an appearance in Desperate Measures, Hidden Agenda, and Mountain Hideaway. About time he gets his own book, right?

                                           Wait Until Dark 

Book three in the Carolina Moon Series

A woman grieving broken dreams. A man struggling to regain memories. A secret entrenched in folklore dating back two centuries. 

Antiquarian Felicity French has no clue the trouble she’s inviting in when she rescues a man outside her grandma’s old plantation house during a treacherous snowstorm. All she wants is to nurse her battered heart and wounded ego, as well as come to terms with her past. Now she’s stuck inside with a stranger sporting an old bullet wound and forgotten hours. 

Coast Guardsman Brody Joyner can't remember why he was out in such perilous weather, how he injured his head, or how a strange key got into his pocket. He also has no idea why his pint-sized savior has such a huge chip on her shoulder. He has no choice but to make the best of things until the storm passes. 

Brody and Felicity’s rocky start goes from tense to worse when danger closes in. Who else wants the mysterious key that somehow ended up in Brody’s pocket? Why? The unlikely duo quickly becomes entrenched in an adventure of a lifetime, one that could have ties to local folklore and Felicity’s ancestors. But sometimes the past leads to darkness . . . darkness that doesn’t wait for anyone.

 Christy Barritt is giving a copy of Dark Harbor to one of our readers. To enter, simply leave a comment below along with your email address so we can reach you if you win. Gain an extra entry by sharing this post on twitter or facebook. Just let us know you did so in your comment. 

Must have a minimum of 5 entries for contest to be viable. Ends July 5, 2016.