An Interview with Author Denise Hunter

Buy		Read

Do the secrets from our past affect who we become in the future?

Can the hurts we’ve experienced really prevent us from finding true fulfillment?

In her release, A Cowboy’s Touch, award-winning author Denise Hunter will explore these questions, and readers will discover that “the truth really can set us free.”

As the first book in the Big Sky Romance series, A Cowboy’s Touch is the story about a truthseeker who ends up discovering the real truth and a cowboy who learns to let go of his past. Hunter shines as she draws her readers into an intriguing world of boots, chaps and cowboy hats. This heartwarming romance is a story of love, pain and forgiveness. It has also been named a Women of Faith novel for 2011.

Hunter can also talk about encouraging others to go for their dream of becoming a writer. She talks more about that in her interview below.



An interview with author Denise Hunter:


Q: Have you always wanted to be a writer? When did you first begin to write?

I’ve always been an avid reader, but I didn’t start dreaming about writing a novel until I was in my early twenties. By then I was married and busy pursuing a degree. I put writing on the back burner until my grandfather became fatally ill. While I was visiting him in the hospital, I was struck by the brevity of life and felt God pressing on my heart to take the first step. I started my first novel a couple weeks later. I had two small children by this time, so I wrote while they napped. I wrote my first four books that way. Even if you can only write a page a day, by the end of a year you’ll have a complete manuscript!


Q: Are you a small town or a city girl? What inspired you to write a book about the life of a cowboy?

I’m a little of both. We live in a country setting just outside the city. It’s the best of both worlds. There’s something very earthy and organic about a cowboy’s life. I was drawn by the idea of living off the land. I think it takes us to a simpler time and place—even though the life of a cowboy is not necessarily simple! And Montana is such a beautiful state. I thought my readers might like to journey there with me through story.


Q: Can you tell us a little about what you have learned about the cowboy lifestyle while doing research for this book?

I  learned a lot of fascinating details about the workings of a ranch: branding, breeding, cattle disease, etc. But what I came away with is a great respect for cowboys and their families. Those who choose this way of life do it because they love it. It’s not easy, and it’s not for the faint of heart.


Q: Abigail’s title at her job is “the Truthseeker.” What is the significance of this title, and what do you think a real truthseeker does?

I thought it would be interesting to write about a protagonist whose job was to seek the truth and have her find out that she was missing the real Truth the whole time. Since Jesus is the Truth, a real truthseeker follows Him.


Q: Forgiveness seems to be a recurring theme in your books. Why do you feel it is so important? Your main characters both dealt with forgiving their past mistakes. Do you think that it is just as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive the mistakes of others?

With sin rampant in all of us, this is something we need to get good at! Eventually, someone’s going to do something you struggle to forgive. I think this is partly because forgiveness is easily misunderstood. It’s not saying that what they did is okay. It’s saying that you’re not going to hold it over them anymore. I do think it’s just as important to forgive ourselves as it is to forgive others. Oftentimes, it’s even harder.


Q: Abigail and Wade both threw themselves into their work in order to escape their pasts. Do you believe it is easy to find an escape in work in order to hide from our problems?

No one likes to hurt, so I think the tendency is to avoid it however we can. Throwing ourselves into our work is certainly one way of doing so. But these things have a way of bubbling up to the surface eventually, no matter how hard we try to avoid them.


Q: What would you like your readers to take away after reading A Cowboy’s Touch?

Abigail was essentially trying to work off her guilt. She thought if she could just keep exposing other peoples’ wrongs, it would appease her own guilt. I’d like readers to see that only God can redeem us.

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

Thomas Nelson/ March 29, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-59554-801-6/ 320 pages/ paperback/ $14.99

www.thomasnelson.com ~ www.denisehunterbooks.com

Special thanks to Audra Jennings of The B & B Media Group for providing this interview for me to use.

An Interview with Author Sue Dent

I cannot take credit for this interview. However, if you are interested in Sue Dent, or other "WILD Card authors", please join our group!


Sue, I've been doing a little research into your book. Congrats!
You've gotten some great kudos for the book and I'm even more anxious
to read it.
Yes, I'm always surprised when another review rolls in. Especially I
usually never solicit for them! I'd always heard getting those
reviews would be tough and many first time novelists must send out
review copies to get the reviews that people will pay attention to.
Good thing God's in control! J My first publisher didn't have time to
send out review copies. We were on a deadline to get the books to
Book Expo 2006 for my author signing.


I am interested in ways to express, as you said, Light in new
ways. I would think a story of evil vs good could be well presented
in the legends of vampires and werewolves. Anyway, I'm anxious to
read the book.
That's just what it does too. And in a way so that a Christian can
read and enjoy without compromising their Faith.


I am curious - where has your book been marketed? Obviously not to
the CBA stores so are you out in the general market? Has that been a
challenge to get it marketed there?
I marketed my book to the general market, Christian and otherwise. I
Targeted Young Adult readers, Horror readers, Fantasy readers and, it
seems, readers of the conservative evangelical CBA market. I
certainly do market to CBA readers as they, so far, have been some of
my biggest advocates. Sadly that doesn't mean my book will be in CBA
Christian Bookstores, (BTW most bookstores with the label Christian
attached are CBA) but that's because, as a rule, they only allow
books in that meet their strict CBA/ECPA guidelines. Guidelines set
up to protect their conservative evangelical market. The only
challenge there has been to redirect people's thinking that not being
in a Christian bookstore means nothing more than you don't write for
a particular niche market. And let me tell you, that's a BIG
challenge!


What inspired you to write Forever Ceese?
*Sue shaking head* Yet another title for my book. LOL Okay, it's
Never Ceese, silly. But at least you didn't call it Never Cease. I'm
keeping a tally you know. J


What readers do you think would most enjoy this book?
Based on the reviews—everyone! My mom looks at everything I do with
a critical eye and rose above that to tell me she really enjoyed it.
Many CBA readers have rushed to embrace it. Horror readers, Fantasy
readers, readers who like good books—you name it. I'm constantly
amazed.


What would you like your readers to gain from the book?
I good read. I want them to have a spare moment that they want to
fill with something entertaining and exciting. That's what I want
from a book.


What inspires you as you write?
What inspires you to breath? There are stories in my head all the
time, every day. They're so good that as a child, I'd think all day
about one in particular so I'd could hopefully dream about it at
night. I honestly did this and was always excited when it worked out
that it happened.


Tell us something about yourself that we couldn't discover from
reading your website.
I don't like the horror genre. It scares me. LOL But I love vampire
and werewolf lore. It intrigues me.


I know you've written a second novel, Forever Richard. Do you plan
to write more books in this genre?
I like the speculative aspect. I have several other stories ready to
go that are speculative in nature. Hopefully the next one out will be
my modern day rodeo, western with a bit of voo-doo in it! Oh, yes I
did just say that! LOL


How is your faith expressed in your writing?
I write what I know. I was raised a Southern Baptist. Go figure! My
Granddaddy Lawler was a fire and brimstone Southern Baptist preacher.
He ordained my brother who is also presently a Baptist minister after
spending much time on the road with his family as the southern gospel
singing wonders, "The Steele Family." My family later started
attending a charismatic non-denominational church. What a wonderful
place of worship that was! My writing is a culmination of all that I
am.


What advice could you give to other writers interested in writing
Christian horror/speculative fiction?
A Christian author should never assume everything with the label
Christian means that's what it is even if they're told differently.
There are many different markets for Christians. The label Christian
should never be attached to an organization unless it strives to
appeal to all Christians. Otherwise they should say who they appeal
to. I point directly to CBA/ECPA because they are notorious for not
saying who their market is and it leads a LOT of authors into
experiences they shouldn't have to go through. CBA serves a very
targeted market of conservative evangelicals. It's important to make
the distinction between them and the general Christian market. It's
important to do so because, as a rule, they won't. Their market is
not the general Christian market. The speculative fiction they
produce should legitimately be called CBA speculative fiction, as it
has to meet the same guidelines and writing restrictions as all their
other work.

When a Christian market is asking for speculative fiction MS's please
explore the market. If you're turned down and told it's because your
work isn't Christian enough, please explore further. It's difficult
to be write for the CBA market and why would you if you want to
appeal to the general Christian market. You will have to compromise
your writing to appeal to their market. BTW that's not a problem if
that's what you want to do. Just know that they're looking for
something very specific. J

My first publisher was Christian (not CBA affiliated as the label now
seems to infer.) My new publisher is also Christian. I've been
blessed by God twice and actually found two publishers who aren't
afraid to say who they are and sever the general Christian market as
well! How cool is that?