C.C. Hunter grew up in Alabama, where she caught lightning bugs, ran
barefoot, and regularly rescued potential princes, in the form of
Alabama bullfrogs, from her brothers. Today, she's still fascinated
with lightning bugs, mostly wears shoes, but has turned her focus to
rescuing mammals. She now lives in Texas with her four rescued cats,
one dog, and a prince of a husband, who for the record, is so not a
frog. When she's not writing, she's reading, spending time with her
family, or is shooting things-with a camera, not a gun.
C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym. Her real name is Christie Craig and she
also writes humorous romantic suspense romance novels for Grand Central.
Here is the Interview!!
Can
you tell us 3 things about you that we can't find on the internet?
C.C.:
Oh, boy. You sure know how to start an interview with a tough
question, don't you? Honestly, though, I don't have that many
secrets left to share. I mean, I've answered a lot of questions
about my life, about my books, about my family (including my furry
family members), so almost all of the important stuff has already
been covered and is already out there. I suppose I could start
sharing some really embarrassing details, like a photo of me having
the Worst Hair Day Ever, but because I wouldn't want to inflict that
agony on innocent bystanders, I'll refrain. (Hey, I'm only thinking
about you guys here.)
Okay.
I think I have my three things that you can't find out about me from
the Internet…
The
first thing is that I love strawberries. They are so versatile and
they make a perfect addition to any meal. Like for breakfast, when
you can add them to a non-fat yogurt and toss on a bit of granola for
a healthy start to your day. Or you can enjoy them for lunch and
dinner; just slice them and toss them into a giant green salad.
(They're delicious with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing over leafy
greens.) Oh, and my favorite—strawberries for dessert. Choose
some of the big, plump ones and dip them in decadent milk chocolate.
Mmm. Strawberries.
Second,
I have a terminal case of cold feet. Now, I don't mean that I'm
afraid to try anything new. I just mean that my feet are always
cold. So, when I'm having a writing day and don't plan to leave the
house, I'll slip on some comfy sweats and a pair of socks with
skid-resistant bottoms so I don't go sliding all over the place on my
hardwood floors.
As
for the third thing that hasn't been put on the Internet about me—at
least I don't think it has—is that I'm a little bit of a true crime
geek. Yep. I love watching those true crime shows on cable TV. Of
course, since I'm a writer, I try to tell hubby I “have” to watch
them because it's research. And that is true--up to a point. But I
just find the subject fascinating. (And since hubby has known me for
a long time now, I think he's on to me. That and worried that I
love learning how people “almost” get away with murder.)
Can
you tell us a little about Taken at Dark?
C.C.:
I'd love to! Taken at Dusk
is book 3 in the Shadow Falls series. Kylie is learning more about
her special gifts, but she still doesn't know what supernatural
species she is. As the book opens, she gets to meet Daniel's
adoptive parents . . . or, at least that's who they say they are.
Burnett and Holiday aren't so sure, especially when the older couple
disappears. Or as Perry puts it, ‘goes poof.’ But Kylie's got a
lot of other things to worry about—she is growing closer to Lucas
and that is causing him (and her) a bit of trouble with his pack . .
. and his family. Her two best friends are still squabbling and
Kylie's new ghost is causing even more problems. But worse than all
of those things combined, the death angels have a new message for
Kylie: Two people will face danger. One will live . . . and one
will die. And Kylie's afraid that this time, she won't be able to
stop the prediction from coming true.
What
is a typical writing day like for you?
C.C.:
Well, a typical writing day starts
early. I'm usually up by 6:00 a.m. and at my computer. I begin by
reading through and editing the last scene I wrote the day before,
just to get me in the mood. I try to get in a good couple of hours
of work before I leave to take my morning walk. Writing is such a
sedentary occupation so I need the daily exercise. Plus, it helps me
work through any plot problems I may be having.
When
I get back from my walk, I head back to the computer and write for a
few more hours. Then I'll take a lunch break, catch up on some
emails, make a few phone calls, and then it's back to the computer
for another two to three hour writing jag. I continue like this for
the rest of the day. If I'm under a tight deadline, I may even work
a little into the evening, although I generally try to call it a day
around dinner. I'm really lucky in that I have such a supportive
hubby. He makes dinner most nights, so I don't even have to worry
about that when I'm writing. Plus, he even does the laundry! Am I
lucky or what?
What
made you want to become an author?
C.C.: Well,
when I'm asked this question, I usually blame it on my family and/or
being from Alabama. You see, creating stories—or just flat-out
lying about stuff if it makes for a better story—is a time-honored
tradition in the South, and it was a way of life in my family. As a
kid, I had a vivid imagination—still do. I’ve always had
book-length stories running around in my head, but I didn’t try to
capture them on paper until I was 23 and my new hubby suggested I go
back to school to become a teacher. That’s when I admitted to
him—and to myself—that I wanted to become a writer.
And
make no mistake about it—saying out loud that I wanted to be a
writer was a huge step for me. You see, I'm dyslexic. That means
I’m a terrible speller and often I get words and sentences
backwards, so not only did pursuing my dream meant I have to learn
how to write, I also had to learn how to deal with my dyslexia. But
you know what? I think being dyslexic helped me with my writing.
The experts say that dyslexics are very intuitive. And I think this
is what helped me understand people’s emotions, which is so
important in developing characters in fiction. Plus, being dyslexic
forced me to work harder, and that led to my viewing a rejection as
an invitation to try harder.
Out
of all of your books, what scene stands out to you the most?
C.C.:
Oh, this is such a hard question to
answer. It's like asking me which book is my favorite. Or whether I
love my former feral cat Skitter more than I love our family's former
junkyard dog Lady. (I love them both equally although, to be honest,
there are some days that I heap on a bit more sugar and love to one
of them than I do the other.) But about my "favorite"
scene, usually, it's the one I am working on, which is a good
attitude for a writer to have because it keeps my enthusiasm high,
and I think that comes across to the readers when they're reading my
stories. But, having said that, I do have one scene that I wrote
that has a special place in my heart.
It's
the scene in Born at Midnight
when Kylie offers Della her blood. That scene was so hard for me to
write—not that it was a difficult scene for the characters, but the
emotion of it really got to me. I think of that scene as a turning
point for Kylie’s growth as a person, as well as her relationship
with Della. Plus, the scene echoes the theme of how important it is
to look past the “differences” we see in others and to accept
them for who they are, not what
they are.
What
are you working on?
C.C.:
Right now, I'm working on Whispers
at Moonrise, which is book 4 of my
Shadow Falls series. I'm nearly finished with the book and, as
usually happens when I'm getting close to finishing a book, the words
are just flowing out of my brain onto the page. What is really cool
about the writing process is that I learn what is happening at the
same time Kylie does. Yeah, I know that sounds a little strange. I
mean, I'm the author and I should know everything that is going to
happen in the book. And some stuff I do know before I sit down to
write. For example, I'll know what spirit is going to visit Kylie in
the book. (I may not always know why
the ghost is there or even who
the ghost really is, but I'll know enough to get the ideas
percolating in my brain.) I'll also know the general plot of the
book. It's the specifics that I learn as I write the story. And
when the book is speeding toward the last pages, well, that's when it
gets really exciting for me to write. And I hope it's just as
exciting for you to read!
Are
you on Team Lucas or Team Derek?
C.C.:
Oh, that's so totally unfair. I love both Derek and Lucas.
Besides, if I had a favorite boy, it might influence my writing. So,
I'm firmly Team Kylie when it comes to this one. Now, I think
I know who she is going to pick in Book 5, which is the final Shadow
Falls book, but I could be wrong. Like I said above, I learn the
details of the story as I write it. But one thing I do know is that
writing that last book is going to bittersweet. Answering all
Kylie’s questions is going to great, but saying goodbye to all my
Shadow Falls characters is going to be hard.
Thanks
again for having me visit the Books and love. I've had a blast
answering your questions. I hope you and your readers love reading
Taken at Dusk
as much as I enjoyed writing it!
C.C.
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