It is a privilege to interview local authors directly and gain insight into their published work. I had a picture of Larry Lauritzen, but I had never met him. When the moment finally arrived, the quintessential cowboy walked by. Tall and strong, he wears a Stetson and bolo tie.
I already felt immersed in his western/mystery novels. You can enjoy this same experience when you attend his presentation at
Lauritzen was born in North Dakota, but his family moved. His father was involved in major construction projects, including the Eisenhower Hospital in the 1970s. This was Lauritzen’s first encounter with the desert. But he didn’t stay and chose to work on heifer ranches in Arizona and Utah. He then traveled throughout California and Mexico as a beekeeper.
After graduating from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, I decided to further my education at Cal State San Bernardino. As fate would have it, he set foot on the wrong course. It turned out to be an education class. He liked his story and decided to become an agriculture teacher.
Lauritzen went on to teach an agricultural class at Indio High School, where he fell in love and married Nancy, a gardening teacher. Together, the pair settled down and raised a family. During her 28 years at Indio High School, the couple expanded the agricultural program and inspired many students to become leaders in the field.
Due to an ulcer, Lauritzen retired in 2013, beginning a new phase in his life. But not before looking at the previous chapter.
Lauritzen liked to write in third grade when his teacher Mrs. Larson (yes, he remembered her name) drew a picture in class and had him write a story about it. became. He won his Press Enterprise Award for his first article “Tom Turkey’s Thanksgiving”.
Retirement gave him the opportunity to join a writing group. With the group and Nancy’s encouragement, he started with his short story. Drawing from his own life experiences, his storytelling ranges from westerns and mysteries to a bit of his sci-fi.
In 2019, Lauritzen published her first novel, Regardless of the Consequences. The main character is Lance Tallbear, a half-Apache sheriff who has trouble identifying with both the white and Apache world. He makes further compromises with his troubled FBI partner Brad Hanley, who face countless obstacles in solving the wreckage of a mysterious plan on Superstition Mountain. The book is available in e-book, print, or audiobook format on Amazon and won the 2022 Audiobook His Review Action Thriller Award.
The second installment in the Lance Tallbear series, “Killing Ground,” will be released soon. That includes cross-border drug and people smuggling. It took Lauritzen a long time to write the book, he said. Because the nature of the study was so dark, he had to take a break before finishing it.Lance’s Tall Bear prose contains many characters and multiple perspectives with which readers can relate. It is Lauritzen always concludes her writing with a destination, humor and entertainment.
If you go: LD Lauritzen will be participating in the Friends of the DHS Library Author Series on Thursday, February 16 from 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm at the new Desert Hot Springs Library at Desert Hot Springs 14-380 Palm Drive. The event is free and open to the public. Please call 760-329-5926 for more information.
Sally Hedberg is curator of the Friends of the DHS Library Author Series.
