C.C. Hunter

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. http://www.christie-craig.com/ Born At Midnight Kylie Galen has had a lot of crap tossed in her lap lately. Her parents are getting a divorce for who the heck knows why. Her boyfriend broke up with her because she wouldn't put out. And her grandmother died because . . . well, older people do that. But now, Kylie's acquired a stalker and she hasn't a clue what he wants or how to get rid of him . . . and she really wants to get rid of him because apparently she's the only one who sees him. Thinking she may be losing it, her parents send her off to see a psychologist who gets Kylie sent to Shadow Falls Camp. Kylie and her parents think it's a camp for troubled teens. They thought wrong. Kylie's surrounded by vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and shapeshifters. And if she believes what they tell her, she's one of them. They're just not sure exactly how she fits in. As Kylie struggles to cope with the realization that these creatures even exist, and the fact that she might not be human, she's got two hot guys, a werewolf and a half-fairy vying for her attention. And they can just keep vying. Kylie's determined that before she lets her heart loose on love, she needs to unearth the truth. What does the ghost want? Who can and can't she trust? And most of all . . . What is she?

CAT: How often do you get lost in a story?

C.C.: As often as possible, whether I’m writing or reading. First, about reading. I love to read. When I’m under deadline I do have a limited time to spend on pleasure reading, but nothing is more rewarding than losing myself in a great story. As for when I’m writing, I love it when I get lost in the story. It means the story has become real to me, that the characters are doing what comes naturally as opposed to doing what I tell them to do. I usually get that feeling by the third chapter but sometimes I’m lucky, and I’m sucked in by Chapter One. When that happens, the book usually writes itself.

CAT: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

C.C.: Pepe le Pew. I love that little guy and his cute French accent. Okay, so I love all skunks and they show up in my books quite a lot, too. In Awake at Dawn, the second book in my Shadow Falls series from St. Martin’s Griffin, a skunk plays an important role. Sort of, anyway. LOL.

CAT: What turns you off like nothing else?

C.C.: Oh, that’s easy. What turns me off are people who think they are above others. People who are bullies. I don’t care if you’re a cheerleader, the president of the US, or a movie star–you’re no better than anyone else. We are all alike and we should treat everyone with the same decency and respect.

CAT: Where do you read and how often?

C.C.: In bed, right before I go to sleep. I keep a book at my nightstand, always. Actually, I keep about a dozen there.

CAT: What sound or noise do you love?

C.C.: Hmm. I think I’d say the sound of slot machines. I admit it, I love the casinos, although I only get to go about once a year. In a way, I think that’s why I was attracted to writing. Every time I sent out a manuscript, it was dropping another coin in a slot machine or putting another chip on my number at the roulette table. Yup, I come from a long line of gamblers. Of course, most of them were also moonshiners. I like to call them good Alabama Stock. LOL.

CAT: Die Hard or Die Harder?

C.C.: Die harder. I don’t give up easy. I wrote for ten years before I sold my first book. And then I waited another thirteen years before I sold the second. And it’s not just writing that I’m stubborn about. My husband jokes that I even fish hard. Put a fishing pole in my hand, and all my attention goes to waiting for the little jerk that says “I got my fish.”

CAT: What’s the first thing you do when you finish writing a book?

C.C.: This is a little embarrassing but the first I do is a chair dance. I scream out, “Yes, yes, yes!” Then I’ll pick up the phone and call one of my critique partners and scream, ”It’s done. I did it. I really did it.” I know some people think that writing four books a year would make crossing the finish line less of a triumph. But nope. I’m totally psyched.

CAT: What is your favorite tradition from your childhood that you would love to pass on or did pass on to your children?

C.C.: Oh, this is a good question. I’d say laughter and the ability to laugh at our mistakes. When I was growing up in Alabama, laughter was very common in my house. When someone made a mistake or a goof, it was not uncommon to share it with everyone else. We always seemed to follow the old rule, if you can laugh at it, you can deal with it. If we laughed during good times, we laughed harder during stressful times.

CAT: What dreams have been realized as a result of your writing?

C.C.: Several years ago, I was at a RWA conference and Debbie Macomber handed out little green notecards and said to write down your three big goals. I did it. I wrote, “Get a three book contract. Write a book on writing that will help other writers, and make a “big” list, such as in New York Times or US Today.” At this point, the only one I haven’t made is hitting a list but I’ve got my fingers crossed that it will happen.

I believe in the importance of goals and dreams. I believe in working hard to make those dreams happen, too. I don’t believe in giving up. I tell people all the time that my best talent isn’t the craft of writing, it’s my stick-to-it-ness. I’ve met and know so many writers who are much more talented that I am, who haven’t published because they don’t have what it takes to put the effort into achieving their dreams. But honestly, while this is the hardest job I’ve ever had, I wouldn’t change it for the world.

CAT’S GOTTA ASK

If you were a t-shirt, what color would you be and why?

C.C.:’S GOTTA ANSWER

Hmm. I guess I’d say pink or purple. I like happy colors and for some reason, those colors scream happy to me.

GOT A QUESTION YOU’D LIKE TO ASK YOUR FANS?

Writing has always been my life-long dream. What is yours? Better still, what are you doing to make that dream happen?

C.C. will offer one copy of the book with a bag of Shadow Falls swag. Then she will give away another bag of swag to the second place winner. And for our adult vistors only, C.C. offers a copy of one of her romance novels, or Wild, Wicked & Wanton: 101 Ways To Love Like You’re in a Romance Novel.**

C.C. would love to hear from you. Visit her at www.CCHunterBooks.com. On Facebook at www.facebook.com/cchunterfans or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cchunterbooks.

**Note: Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North American addresses only. If an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) is available, the author may utilize that option for International participants. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.