Getting to Know the Authors: featuring C.C Hunter!

Bio

        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. www.christie-craig.com

       C.C. would love to hear from you. Because of deadlines, it may take her a day or so to get back with you, but she will reply. cc@cchunterbooks.com

       What has she written? 

       C.C Hunter is the author of the Shadow Falls Series, and now the Shadow Falls: After Dark Series.

Now for the interview!!

1. How old were you when you started writing, in your opinion?

I didn’t start putting words on paper until I was 23. I’m dyslexic, and the idea of being a writer when I had trouble spelling and reading wasn’t something I considered.  But from about twelve, and all the way through those teen years, I spent a lot of time in my own head making up stories.  All of them had a cute guy in them, too.  I didn’t realize it then, but I was practicing for my career as a writer/storyteller.

2. What do you want a reader to gain from reading your works?

Great question!  When I sit down to write a book, I don’t intentionally try to incorporate a take-away value.  I simply want to entertain.  However, in every book I write there are life lessons to gain.  And they always have to do with the lessons and dilemmas my characters are learning and facing.  That said, I think I always give my characters certain traits that have helped me in my own life: perseverance and the ability to laugh.  My grandmother used to say, “If you can laugh at it, you can live with it.”  And laughter has gotten me through a lot of hard times.  And it has gotten Kylie and Della out of some real pickles as well.

3. What are your three top suggestions on becoming an author, or being a pleasure writer?

Read a lot and study the books that really excite you.  Figure out what it was that had you turning those pages.  Write regularly.  Writing is like exercising.  When you keep it up, you love it, but if you stop doing it, it’s hard to get back into the swing of it.  Join a critique group and work with other writers.  When you read someone else’s work and try to help them with the craft of writing, your eyes can suddenly become open to some of your own mistakes.   

4. What is your favourite novel, why? 

Oh, my, that is a very hard question.  I love so many books.  I think my favorite book when I was young was Charlotte’s Web.  And I don’t even like spiders.  But I think her concern about saving Wilber just made her special.

5. Who is your favourite author, why? 

Hmm, I love a lot of authors because I read so many genres.  I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kelly Armstrong and Joy Preble.

6. What are your favorite pass times besides writing? 

I love spending time at the beach, sitting on the front porch, and laughing with friends. 

7. Who in your life do you credit your imagination to the most? 

My grandparents played a big part in my life.  My grandmother was a school teacher, and knew that sometimes I felt I wasn’t as smart as I should be because I am dyslexic. But she always told me, “It may be a little harder for you, but you can still do anything.”  And then my grandfather was a storyteller, and wherever he went, he had an audience he could tell stories to, so I think I learned a lot about spinning tales from him.

8. What are the top five things on your bucket list?

Rent a house on the beach and stay there for a whole week.  (I’m actually going to do this next month.)  Fly in a hot air balloon—I’m scared of heights, so this one will be hard.  Spend three weeks in Italy.  Write a book that people can’t stop talking about.  Get on an airplane and sit next to someone reading and enjoying my book.

9. What is your funniest childhood memory?

Hmm.  I guess I associate funny with embarrassing, because two memories come to mind.  The time I lost my bathing suit top after jumping off the diving board, which was funny for a long time!  And the time I was learning how to drive and almost ran completely into the post office.  It had a glass wall, bushes and a flowerbed in front.  I drove over the curb, smashed the flowers and plowed down the bushes.  The bumper of my car was kissing the glass and everyone in the post office had jumped over the counter.  My mom still made me go in and buy stamps.

10. To the youth of today, if you could tell them one thing, what would it be?

I hear so many people say, “If only I could go back to my teen years.”  I don’t feel that way at all.  Being a teen was hard . . . really hard.  So I guess I would tell them to hang in there.  As hard as it is to figure out who you are and where you fit into this world, it does get easier.  Don’t beat yourself up for the mistakes you make.  Everyone makes them, just learn from them.  And always remember, making a mistake isn’t so bad, it’s repeating them that can make us failures.