Sunday 25 September 2011

AUTHOR INTERVIEW - C C HUNTER




1.     What is your name, where were you born and where do you live now?
C.C.:  Hi, "Jeanz".  Thanks again for having me visit you today.  My name is C.C. Hunter and I grew up in Alabama as the lone girl sandwiched between two brothers who thought making farting noises with their armpits was a fine art form.  I have two children, and live in Texas with my hubby.  We also have four rescue kitties, a puppy who sometimes thinks my furniture tastes better than his kibble, a rabbit named Floppy Skivvies whom the cats think is just a funny-looking cat.  Then there’s the wild assortment of outdoor critters, like raccoons, opossums and the occasional turtle.  Now, that may sound like a lot of crazy, what with all the animals, but it works for us and you know, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2.     What is the name of your latest book, and if you had to summarize it in less than 20 words what would you say?
C.C.:  Oh, thanks for asking.  Awake at Dawn, book two in my Shadow Falls YA paranormal series, will release on October 11th.  Now, I gotta warn you.  I’m southern.  That means I’m long-winded, so asking me to summarize my book and series in 20 words is about as hard as trying to teach a cat to water ski.  But I’ll give it a whirl:
“For sixteen years, Kylie Galen tried to figure out who she was, only to discover she didn’t know what she was.”
Okay, that’s technically 21 words but I think it summarizes the series pretty well.

3.     Do you have plans for a new book? Is this book part of a series?
C.C.:  Awake at Dawn is book two of my Shadow Falls series.  I just turned in Taken at Dusk, book three, and that should release in April of 2012.  I have two more books left to write in the series.  And I can tell you, that I’m already grieving leaving these characters behind.  As crazy as it sounds, when a writer spends a lot of time writing a book, these story people feel real.  I love all the crazy Shadow Falls characters.

4.     Which format of book do you prefer, ebook,hardback, or paperback?
C.C.:  Definitely paperback.  They just fit in my hands so much better.  I love to read in bed at night.  Nothing beats going to bed with a good book, especially when that books keep you up until way past your bedtime.

5.     What piece of advice would you give to a new writer?
C.C.:  Oh, great question.  I have three pieces of advice for new writers.  First, remain positive and focused on your goal.  What works for me is to do something each and every day to achieve that goal.  It can be a little thing, such as researching something you need to know before you write a scene, or it can be something bigger, such as writing X number of pages.  One thing I really believe in that keeping a positive outlook is vital to building a career as a writer.  Surround yourself with people who share your positive outlook, and try to limit your contact with those who spread negativity. 

My second piece of advice goes along with my first, and that is to work hard to become a better writer every day.  Take a writing class or workshop or read a how-to book.  Expand your horizons and read widely.  Become a sponge and soak up as much about the writing process as you can.    

Last, and perhaps most important of all, accept that rejection will happen, no matter if it’s your first book or your 20th, and it’s never personal.  I worked hard to get published and believe me, I had my share of rejections before I published my first novel with Silhouette Romance in 1993.  And I’ll admit—I thought all my worries were over once I signed that first contract.  I thought I’d made it and the days of getting rejections were over but I was wrong.  The rejections kept coming.  When I wasn’t having any success selling a second novel, I decided to focus on my freelance non-fiction.  I did well with that.  I’ve had over 3,000 national credits and my non-fiction writing assignments have taken me all over the world, but along with that success came a lot more rejections.  And when I switched back to writing my adult romance novels, I racked up more rejections and even after I broke back into the market (I sold four novels in a single day,) I still got my share of rejections.  But I never, ever let those rejections stop me from pursuing my dream.  And neither should anyone else.



6.     Do you or would you ever use a pen name?
C.C.:  Actually, C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym.  My real name is Christie Craig and I write adult humorous romantic suspense novels, as well as non-fiction, under that name.  I decided to use a pseudonym because my YA novels are paranormal and my editor wanted my name to sound a bit darker.  I don’t keep the pseudonym a secret though, and a lot of my adult readers have started reading my YA books and really enjoy them.

Where can readers follow you?

Your blog details?  www.CCHunterBooks.com/blog
Your web site ?  www.CCHunterBooks.com
Your facebook page?  www.Facebook.com/CCHunterFans
Your Goodreads author page?  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4154802.C_C_Hunter
Your Twitter details?  @CCHunterBooks

And any other information you wish to supply? 

Just a thank you to all my readers.  I love writing, it’s my hobby, my passion, and I consider myself very lucky to do what I love for a living.  




Thank you for taking the time from your writing schedule to do this this great chatty interview!

1 comment:

  1. Great interview--and I love that cover! *adds to 'books to stalk' list*

    ReplyDelete