Monday, January 3, 2011

Guest post by Lorrie Unites-Struiff


Hi Katie, Thank you so much for the invitation to your blog.

Well, it’s a New Year folks. I wish all of you a good one.

I imagine everyone is recuperating from the holidays, thinking about the resolutions made.

I didn’t make any. Did you?

Where do you live?

Here, in Pittsburgh, PA, the weather is at its worst in January, February and well into March. I dislike cold weather and all the white stuff that falls from the sky. I’d love to fly south for the winter. Does anyone want to donate to my “Get thee to a warm place fund?”

I don’t like to drive on our hilly roads, breathe in the icy air, shovel and salt the walks and driveway. So, how do I try to get through each freezing day?

I get the “have to do’s” over with first. Then I put on my warm sweat pants and shirt, curl up in my favorite tilt-back chair, have a hot pot of tea on my little table, wrap myself in an afghan, and either work on my story with my computer on my lap, or read a good book. Now, that is enjoyment on these cold winter days. I’m all snuggly and warm.

Yes, yes, yes, I know some people like winter, I’m just one of those that don’t, so don’t smack me, please.

When I sink into a good book, I am lost within the pages, escaping the blustering wind outside and yes, looking at that white stuff. An adventure, a mystery, a paranormal, a romance or maybe a space trip into the realms of a far off universe sweeps me out of my misery. I’m with the characters, and I live their adventures and forget about the frost on my windows.

Or, I write new adventures, getting lost in my characters, and wondering how the heck I’m going to get them out of the trouble I have put them into. I make the setting a warm climate-- it helps.

I like to take odd characters, mix them together and see how they will react to each other. What fun. When I’m lost in my writing, I lose track of time, and can ignore the salt trucks rumbling up my street. And when I write “up” I do mean “up.”

So, are you a winter lover or hater?

And, of course I mean people that live in snowy, cold season places.

Let me offer you an escape with “Gypsy Crystal” and a shorter escape with “Wild Blackberries.”

GYPSY CRYSTAL

By Lorrie Unites-Struiff

Everyone has secrets.

Homicide Detective Rita Moldova has a secret, a crystal amulet from her Roma bloodline that shows her the last image a victim had seen before they died. Now, a ritual killer is terrorizing her town and the crystal’s magic has suddenly stopped.

FBI agent, Matt Boulet, is sent to lead the task force and gives the group strange orders. Worse, Rita senses he is holding back a deep dark secret about the killer.

When she confronts her seer mother’s advice, she learns another secret about their clan that she finds impossible to swallow.

Rita swims through a whirlpool of confusion as the investigation continues. Can Rita deny the lore of the ancients? Can she deny her growing feelings for Matt Boulet?

Gypsy Crystal is available in PRINT and Multiple E-book formats at Amazon

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

A short story and a roller coaster ride of thrills and chills.

Morgan is researching on an Indian reservation in Prescott, Arizona, for her new paranormal novel. She doesn’t believe in the paranormal, but writes it for the trend and the nice royalties. That is until her soon to be divorced husband tries to kill her, and she survives by her wits and a little “strange” help.

Buy site

http://www.bookstogonow.com/page27.html

Please check out my website for all my releases and read the reviews.

http://struiff.wordpress.com/

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Katie,
Well, it's twenty-seven degrees outside right now. Darn, I have to go out this evening in the miserable freeze-your-lungs air.
Thank you for having me on your blog. I hope readers let me know ways to beat the winter blues, er, white.

Cate Masters said...

I love the change of seasons, so I love winter when it comes, and by the time it leaves, I'm glad to see it go. :) I didn't make any official resolutions but my goal is to finish up many of the stories languishing on my hard drive!
Happy new year!

Margaret West said...

I live in the country and when the weather is bad its miserable. My new years res is to not make anymore lol I just never seem to stick to them!!!!

Nightly Cafe said...

Hi Lorrie,

I too am in PA and hate the cold winter months! Now I am thankful we are not in NY where I used to live and where they already have snow, but I too hate going out in the cold. Why we just don't move to a warmer state is beyond me, but I guess we like the torment lol.

Hope you had a great New Year and I loved Wild Blackberries! Will be reading Gypsy Crystal very soon :).

Blessed be,
BK

Cellophane Queen said...

I see the news reports on all the snow on the far side of the US and count my blessings for living in Oregon. Of course, I was born here, so I'm used to the 9 months of rain. Oregonians don't tan; they rust.

I've read both of Lorrie's books and recommend them both as great reads when you are stuck in the middle of the white stuff or basking under the summer sun.

maria altobelli said...

Hi, Lorrie. Since I live south of the border, I guess you don't want me to comment about winter, but I will say this just to dispel some of myths of Mexico. We have a portable heater running full blast right now and nights do go below freezing which is cold in houses with drafts and no central heating or insulation.

Another way to stay warm is to find a good book like Gypsy Crystal with a hot love interest like Matt and a sizzling romance like the one tucked in the pages of this thriller. That does a lot to up the thermostat.

Hope everyone was a very satisfying 2011. Marva, get out the WD-40 up there in Oregan.

lo said...

Oh I couldn't agree more with Lorrie. Winter is horrible. I offer to drive you to Florida if you get that fund going, Lorrie!!!! Can't wait to read your book.

Darla said...

Hi Lorrie,

As you already know...I hate hate hate winter! Tis the season for chills, body aches and a stuffy nose. All of which I get the first time the temp drops below 40. And when all the white sparkly flakes fall, making everything soo pretty, I become a hermit. (Our area is calling for 1-3" Thursday into Friday.) I won't leave the apartment unless absolutely necessary. Then I'm walking to the car like Tim Conway in a Carol Burnett skit.
And Lo, Florida's not South enough. Did you see the frost they had this year? Aruba is the place to go. (Warm weather and it only rains 16" in four months-great for those of us who battle the frizzies during Spring showers.)

As for resolutions...I'm with Margaret. Why make something I know I'm only going to break.
BUT IF I were going to make one it would be to sit my ass in the chair and not get up until I finished my novel.

Hope everyone had a great New Year. (Let's hope it's flake free!)
Congrats on Gypsy Crystal-it's a great read! And since I just recently won Wild Blackberries, I'll be reading that one soon! (Am I allowed to say that?)

Darla

Diane J. said...

Oh, my goodness, I love winter. I love how beautiful everything looks covered in snow. I love that I don't feel like I'm in a sauna when I exercise. I love going out and getting nice and cold only to come in and warm up, it really just makes me feel alive.

I grew up in Montana and am now living in Western Washington. We don't get enough snow (when we even get any). When it snows, I'm right out with the kids.

My only peeve? Not many people seem to know how to drive in snow, grrr.... And, then I wonder, how do they go to the mountains to ski? I don't get it.

Oh and one other thing. We had sun everyday, even if the weather was 20 below we had sun. Here, it's dark and gray and I'm still trying to grow webbed feet.