Friday, August 5, 2016

A Friendly Chat with Erin Unger and Honorary Giveaway

Renee: Please welcome Erin Unger back to the Diamond Mine!
Erin Unger weaves romantic suspense tales long after the midnight oil has burned out. And her fast-paced life sometimes rivals the suspense in her books thanks to a house full of teens. Her first novel, Fateful Fall (Worthington Detective Agency Book 1), released on August 2. She illustrated Memphis Learns the Hard Way by Karla Priddy Gragg in 2013. And, Splickety Magazine published her flash-fiction story, An Accomplice to Love, in February 2016.
For those who may not know, Erin is one of the founding members of the Diamond Mine of Christian Fiction. She helped create this wonderful blog and as I like to say, once a Miner, always a Miner. I can’t wait to get started so without further ado, here’s Erin.
Erin: Hello, everyone. It’s a great pleasure to sit and talk with you today!
Renee: It’s so nice to see you here. Even though you’re no longer gracing our blog as a Miner, I know you’ve been busy. What’s your biggest challenge as an author?

Erin: A house full of teens, makes writing quite difficult at times. My kids love to have friends and family around, and they know how to wheedle me into allowing everyone to visit when I should be writing. No matter how much they promise to be quiet, I never manage to get much done with a bunch of guests. But they are lots of fun to be with.

Renee: I have an official empty nest now. No child, no parents, just me and the hubby and believe it or not, I’m busier than ever! LOL When you do get around to putting the pen to the page, what is one of your favorite settings?

Erin: There’s nothing like being in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall. The colors are phenomenal and there’s a festival or fair to attend up there pretty much every weekend. There’s this one festival I put on my calendar every year. There’s no cell reception and it’s very remote. It’s the perfect location for a murderer to hide.

Renee: I love the fall colors. The Rocky Mountains and Black Hills are beautiful that time of year too. I’ve never been to many festivals though. Fairs and rodeos, yep. They make for good story fodder too. It’s amazing where the ideas come from! What would we do if we couldn’t write anymore?

Erin: Writing is ingrained so deep I don’t know how to not write, but if I stopped I’d go back to doing foster care. I love the kids so much. And, I’d be thankful for the opportunity to show them Christ’s love, even if only for a bit.

Renee: You are one special lady. And strong. I bet you’d read one of your children’s books too. By the way, what’s your favorite book and where do you like to read?

Erin: My favorite book is The Host by Stephenie Myer. The emotional way the story grabs me, keeps me turning the pages, and gives me the inclination to want my readers to feel the same way when they read my work. I have this great sunroom. It’s light and airy, full of beach pictures and memorabilia. Yep, it’s the most comfy room in my house to cuddle with my cat and read.

Renee: That’s the type of room I want my office to be. Light, airy, and fresh. A place where I can go and breathe lighter and easier when I write. That sounds crazy, don’t it? Do you have any hobbies or things you like to do when you aren’t working?

Erin: Renovating my house, ha ha. It’s a never ending battle but I quite enjoy most of the work. And most of the houses we’ve owned, we’ve remodeled. I’ve done almost everything from kitchens, dry-walling, roofing, even a bathroom remodel just the other week. But my favorite is painting. It can transform a room with minimal work.

Renee: Painting? I wish I liked to paint. I like it for the first ten minutes. I have a few rooms you can transform if you want to come on by. I’m sure my landlord won’t mind. Truly, I’d love to just get away from it all. Not sure where’d I go, but—hey, if you could spend a week anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Erin: Ireland for sure! We took a two week trip last year and drove around the country. It was the best vacation ever, and I want to do it again.

Renee: Oh, I’d love to see Ireland and Scotland. Those are two places on my to-see list, but things are getting a bit hairy in Europe right now. I’m not sure if it will ever happen. I may pass on those dreams . . . for now. How do you face life in this changing world today?

Erin: Boy, do we live in a scary world these days. I can’t imagine life without Christ. He keeps me going every day.

Renee: Amen to that, my friend. Thank you for visiting with us and don’t be such a stranger here at the Mine. We’ve missed you!
Erin: I’ve missed you too. Thanks for chatting with me.

Renee: Find out more about Erin at the following sites! She's awesome.
Social Media Links:


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* * * HONORARY GIVEAWAY * * *
To celebrate Erin’s visit back to the Diamond Mine, Renee’s offering one of her books as the giveaway prize (winner’s choice)! Answer the question below to enter:
How do you face life in this changing world today?

Winner will be selected by random draw from eligible comments on 8/13/2016.
(Minimum of 5 comments required to validate contest. Please include your email address with your comment to facilitate contact if you are selected as the winner.)

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About the Books:
Beast of Stratton (Amazon Best Seller):
2014 ACFW Genesis Semi-finalist
He appears the beast but she sees his heart.
Architect Aimee Hart, determined to locate her father, infiltrates Miles Stratton’s engineering firm as a secretary. Her presence wrenches the shaggy, wounded man from his penthouse, and the quest begins.
He’s been betrayed by his best friend. Miles would rather hide than help, especially his daughter. But it isnt over. Someone’s trying to destroy Stratton Industrial. A war veteran, he knows how to defend his own, the Beast of Stratton can do it again.

To Soar on Eagle’s Wings:
Spring’s in the air. While the sun shines in Timber Springs, snow falls on the Snowy Range, and trouble’s brewing in the meadows. The area’s new game warden, Steve Mitchell launches his first wildlife investigation of the season, but the trouble follows him—straight to town.
Rachel Fitzgerald’s on Spring Break. Or at least she’s trying. Between paperwork, and harassing phone calls, she may as well have stayed in her classroom. So much for relaxation. A ‘chance’ meeting with her brother’s old roommate offers her weary soul a shred of hope, but she discovers love, like life, isn’t easy.
He talks with the wisdom of the Lord but rejects the future. She wants to soar with the eagles but walks alone. And trusting God proves to be more of a challenge than ever before…


Through Raging Waters (Amazon Best Seller):
If Mother Nature has her way, Timber Springs will never be the same...

A warm spring and early rainstorms melt the snowpack. Spring runoff compounded by the storm of the century sends Timber Springs into a tailspin.
Tossed into the role of rescuer, local pharmacist Paul Fitzgerald must face his past before the whole world falls apart. While he fights to contain the beast around him, he finds his steadfast control slipping through his fingers. And life…everyone’s life…hangs by a thread once again.
She isn’t a hero. Melissa Hampton has her own demons to battle. After she learns of her mysterious beginnings amidst her mother’s keepsakes, she faces more than just the river rushing outside her door. Now, she must discern friend from foe…but as waters rise and tension climbs within Timber Springs, she needs to rise to the challenge or lose the only man she's ever loved.

Can two people find each other through raging waters? 

10 comments:

Erin Unger said...

Thanks for having me!

LiteOfTheNite said...

You're always welcome, Erin! :)

Gail Kittleson said...

Erin, it's great to meet you here and hear about your writing - sounds so interesting. My head swirls even thinking of four teens - you go, girl!

Unknown said...

Enjoyed the interview. Don't include me in the drawing. I have already been blessed with copies of both books.

Erin Unger said...

Thanks, Gail. Sometimes I'm ready for all my teens to be adults but then I remember how important it is to relish each day with them.

Erin Unger said...

Thanks for taking to time to stop in Ann Ellison!

Deana said...

I've read two of your books and loved them. Now I just need to read the other one. I love your writing style. I spend time writing in my journal scriptures that God shows me to relieve mt stress. Thanks for the chance.
Jhdwayne@peoplepc.com

LiteOfTheNite said...

Hi Deana, thanks for the compliment! I'm so glad you "get" the way I write. I love to bring people along with me on the journey. Since I dream my scenes (literally as if I'm right there!), I try to impart the excitement to y'all! The "cryptic" part of my writing isn't something that everybody likes, I think, but is part of my style. I like to weave a bit of a puzzle into my stories. I actually do it without meaning to while I write! LOL I don't even know the answers myself until the end of the story. Hehehehe. God surprises me too.

LiteOfTheNite said...

By the way, Deana, keep an eye out for Erin's book. If you can get ahold of it, do so. I'm not sure when she'll be able to get it back on the market. We're all praying for it to be REALLY soon. :) (You go, girl!)

LiteOfTheNite said...

And the winner is...Deana Dick! Congratulations! :)