My Interview with Lorrie Unites-Struiff

Lorrie: Hi Kiki,

It’s so nice to be here today. Thank you for inviting me.

Kiki: What is your favorite genre to read in, and what is it about that genre that attracts you to it? If you like a specific mix of genres, please state that particular combination.  

Lorrie : I’m a many genre reader. I like sci-fi for its world building and adventurous characters. I love thrillers for the fast paced action. Paranormal for the creepy feelings they stir. Horror is usually a good read, not the gory sort, but the fear factor that makes me shudder. And I like humor. Any of these genres, especially when mixed only adds more flavor to the read. 

Kiki: I feel the same!

Kiki: What is your favorite author to read in that genre, and why? Also, please tell me a little about the best book by that author you have read.

Lorrie : I really don’t know how to answer this one, Kiki. I have too many favorites, so it’s an unfair question.

Kiki: *giggles* You are not the first one to say that.

Kiki: Do you have a Favorite Book of All Time? Of course, please tell us what about that book makes it your favorite.

Lorrie : I also have many favorite books. But I will choose one of them that I have found especially memorable for this interview.

I loved Plum Island by Nelson DeMille and his main character John Corey, and I continued to follow his John Corey novels, plus all of DeMille’s other releases.

Why Plum Island in particular?

DeMille wrote in first person, from Corey’s point of view. The voice is spectacular. He “downs” himself a lot and comes out with such great “zingers” that I wish I could think of for my stories.

The adventure Corey falls into while recuperating from a gunshot wound is such fun. Here is an author, while his character is with a hot babe, speeding in a small boat across a wild churning channel in the most terrible storm of the century while mercenaries are chasing him in a larger boat, shooting at them, and DeMille has me rolling on the floor laughing. I’m sure many authors are capable of this effect, but DeMille impressed the hell out of me. Those are my kind of authors.

Then there is David Baldacci with his popular Camel Club series.

Peter David is one of the most humorous authors I have ever read, also. The novels he wrote for the Star Trek series are filled with his special talent for making readers laugh.

Nora Roberts is a great romance writer. In Northern Lights, her characters are all so sharp, clear and yes, flawed. Her research is phenomenal.

I could go on to write a novel on favorite books.

Kiki: What is the best book you read last month, and would you recommend it to a friend?

Lorrie : I read Dark Deceptions by Dee Davis. It’s another in her A-Tac series of the men and women in the CIA who are assigned the riskiest jobs.  And yes, I would recommend it to a friend. She is another author that always pleases her target audience.

Kiki: What are your reading habits like? For example, how many books do you read on average in a week, what format do you prefer to read in, what time of day do you read, and what setting is ideal for you to get lost in that book?

Lorrie : Kiki, before I began writing, I averaged, and I’m not kidding, nearly a book a day--depending on the number of pages. I remember once reading Exodus by Leon Uris and staying awake until five in the morning to finish it.

Now, my writing takes a big chunk of my time and I don’t read as much as before. Being on the computer makes my eyes burn after a long length of time, but—in the evening, some nights I get off the computer early and just curl up in my tilt back comfy chair with a book, I prefer a paperback, and sink into the prose. This is especially wonderful in the winter with the freezing temps outside, and a hot cup of tea by my side. Heaven.

Kiki: If pressed, could you chose a favorite from the books you have written? Why is it your favorite?

Lorrie : Gypsy Crystal is my first long piece of work. Previously I have written short stories and I do have a favorite character. Soon, I hope to put a collection of “Winnie” stories together into a novel length format.

I like Winnie because she is an older woman who lands into the most absurd situations  by her own doing.

Winnie was struck by lightning while standing under her cherry tree in the backyard. She had a near-death experience and now has the gift of seeing and speaking to the newly departed in the funeral home, but only until the casket is closed and the spirit moves on. Fat Phil drafted her into the COD (Call on the Dead) club, and their mission is to grant the dead one last reasonable request.

Oh my, poor Winnie. All I can say is her rap sheet is growing longer with each story.

Kiki: How do you become inspired to write?

Lorrie : Odd characters float through my head. I like to take these characters, toss them together, stir well, then see what sort of trouble they can get into.

Kiki: Love this analogy!

Kiki: What part of the story do you think is your strength to write?

Lorrie : I feel I still have much to learn, but I think my strength is coming up with twists for the reader. My characters never take the expected course. In Gypsy Crystal, Rita, my homicide detective has a serial killer to catch. She is with the task force and a FBI agent. May I say a yummy one? Does the task force pin the killer? We take an unexpected turn here. I don’t want to put out any spoiler alerts, so I’ll leave it at that.

Kiki: Please share with ABA readers something I did not think to ask you about.

Lorrie : I’m so elated to have a longer piece published. I feel like I’ve accomplished a goal. I hope to reach that goal post many more times.

The publishing world has changed drastically and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad. What is your opinion readers? Good? Bad? 

Lorrie Unites-Struiff

Can gypsy magic help catch a serial killer?

http://struiff.wordpress.com/

In my novella,” Gypsy Crystal,” Rita Muldova, my homicide detective has pure Roma blood. She wears a mystical crystal amulet that gives her the power to see in a dead victim’s eyes the last image he/she saw. What a career boost.

 Now, with the task force, she is hunting for the “Ripper,” a serial killer loose in her town that is targeting prostitutes. But, oh, oh, for this murderer, the crystal has stopped working.

A yummy FBI agent, Matt Boulet, has been on the Ripper’s tail since the killings started in New Orleans. He has a yen for Rita and they have a weird connection. Plus, Rita would like to jump his bones.

Rita’s mother, Anna, is a great seer whom Rita turns to in time of troubles, but Anna can’t offer  an explanation of why the crystal has stopped working. Anna does tell Rita the lore of their clan. Rita is both shocked and horrified of the tale.

Filled with gypsy customs and lore, the novella takes you on a wild ride into the mystical world of the paranormal with thrills and chills to keep you turning pages.

For more details, excerpts and reviews, visit my website at http://struiff.wordpress.com/

Gypsy Crystal is available in print and e-book formats at Amazon.

<http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Crystal-Lorrie-Unites-Struiff/dp/1770650415/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 >