Denise Hunter ~ Author Interview

Dec 26, 2014 by Rachel

Welcome back to Rachel’s Back Talk! Another Friday interview!

Today’s interview is with Denise Hunter. This past Monday, I had the opportunity to review her newest book, A December Bride.

So without further ado, on to Rachel’s Back Talk – Special Edition! 

Interview:

RR: Hi Denise! It is so wonderful to have you here at Rachel’s Back Talk. To begin, let’s talk about when you knew that you wanted to be a writer.

DH: In my early 20s I started toying with the idea of writing a book. But I was in college, and then I started having kids, and life got busy. It wasn’t until my late twenties when my grandfather passed away that I realized life was too short to back-burner my dreams.

RR: So how would you describe your writing process? Are you more of a planner or freewriter?

DH: I’m a little of both. I like to have a basic roadmap. I know where I’m going and a few stops along the way. The rest I leave up to spontaneity.

RR: That is pretty much how I roll too! When is your best time in the day to write?

DH: Mornings! But not TOO early. After I take my son to school, I come back and get down to work, and I keep writing until I’ve met my daily quota of 6 quality pages.

RR: Oh yes! Even if I try to write in the early morning hours, I usually don’t get much done. How do you know when you have a great story idea?

DH: It’s a gut thing for me. It has to move me in some way. Since I write romance, it’s the love story that has to move me. There has to be some element that makes my stomach clench, just thinking about it. I think if it has that innate appeal for me, it will have that same appeal for readers.

RR: That’s great! Ok, here is the big question. Out of all your books, which has been your favorite to write?

DH: “Dancing with Fireflies” had that gut appeal, and it flowed easily, but “The Wishing Season” was the most fun to write because of PJ, the spirited heroine.

RR: I am anxious to read both of those! Let’s move onto one of your most recent books. How did you come up with the story idea for “A December’s Bride”?

DH: When I wrote “Barefoot Summer”, there was a character, Layla, who was the hero’s sister. I knew she had a story in her, but there was no room for her love story in the series (Chapel Springs series). Then my publisher came to me and asked if I’d like to write a wedding novella, and I knew Layla would have a chance at her happily-ever-after. I envisioned a fake engagement, and all the pieces just fell into place. “A December Bride” was one of those (few!) stories that practically wrote itself.

RR: Yay for Layla! Everyone needs a happily-ever-after! Are the characters Layla and Seth based off of anyone you know?

DH: Not anyone I know, per se, but I confess to thinking of Ryan Gosling while writing Seth.

RR: Do you find that you enjoy one type of writing (novellas versus novels) over the other?

DH: There are pros and cons to each. A novel has the room to really expand upon the story and pull the reader deep into the emotions of the characters. However, a novella is so quick to write in comparison. It’s like the difference between a sprint and a marathon. (Not that I do either!)

RR: I can definitely see that…it must be the same for reading, because I like reading both types for the same reason! How much time was spent researching verses writing in this book in particular?

DH: There wasn’t a whole lot of research in this particular story. I researched some things about staging since that was Layla’s occupation. There are always little pesky details to research, but that was the biggest one.

RR: Occupations are a big part of a book to research, especially if you talk about the job! As we close here for today, is there one tip that you could share that has really benefited you in your writing?

DH: Write the book you want to read. Don’t settle for a plot that “works”. Wait for one that is unique, one that stirs you up. Make sure it has an engine to it—something that keeps the story moving along. Otherwise you’ll find yourself stalling out in the middle.

RR: I love that and I will definitely reflect on that for myself! It was been great having you here today, Denise! Thank you so much!

If you have any questions for Denise or remarks about the interview, please leave a comment. I love hearing from you and I know Denise will too!

 

And in case you missed it, here is the review that I wrote about Denise’s book, A December Bride:

A December Bride

 

 

Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 20 books, including Dancing with Fireflies and The Convenient Groom. She has won The Holt Medallion Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.

Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the pages of her books.

In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!

When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are raising three boys.

You can learn more about Denise by visiting her website, www.denisehunterbooks.com or her FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter.