C.C. Hunter's Blog, page 21

MIDNIGHT HOUR Release Day Giveaway!!

It’s here! The day I’ve been waiting for. It’s the release of Midnight Hour, the final book in my Shadow Falls saga. Yes, it’s been a long and thrilling  journey, and I wanted to leave you with an exciting last look into the lives of Kylie, Della and Miranda. And while all three girls are in Midnight Hour, this is Miranda’s story, and her turn to shine. I’m so proud of how far she has come. She’s gained confidence and learned to rely on herself. Now, you can read Midnight Hour for yourself.  You can buy Midnight Hour at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

Prepare to fall in love all over again. . .

Being a dyslexic witch is a curse in itself, but Miranda Kane’s time at Shadow Falls has helped her harness her magical powers. Now, just as she’s finally mastered them and is preparing to graduate with her friends, a near-death experience threatens to ruin it all.

Miranda awakens in the hospital with a mysterious tattoo that no one can explain. As she struggles to make sense of it and questions her feelings for a certain irresistible shape-shifter and a hot new guy the strange markings begin to spread all over her body, leaving her desperate to find answers. But before she can solve that problem, a new one arises: her sister is missing.

Has her sister been kidnapped? Miranda will risk her life to find out. Will she live to share the day she’s worked so hard for with her friends? When the clock strikes midnight, will Miranda make it to her graduation at Shadow Falls?

In Midnight Hour, Miranda learns…

Belief in yourself not only changes how you see yourself, but also how others see you.
Change can be both exhilarating and scare the crap out of you—all at the same time.
Breaking up is hard to do!
Becoming who you need to be is sometimes more about accepting who you are.
Our decisions, the paths we think we should take are often paths that our parents guided us to follow.  Sometimes we need to stop and listen to our own hearts to know which road to take.
Sometimes the irritating tension between two people can end up to be a different kind of tension.  One that involves the heart.
No matter terrible or horrific things stem from family linage, you don’t have to follow that path.  The sins of our fathers are not our sins to bear.  Our destinies are our own.
Graduation means saying goodbye.  Graduation means leaving pieces and parts of our past behind.  But it is a passage that we must take in one of the last steps into adulthood.

To celebrate release day, I’m giving away one copy of Midnight Hour to someone who leaves a comment telling me who their favorite Shadow Falls character is and why. (This giveaway is for US residents only. And if you’re reading this on Goodreads, you must comment on my actual website blog.)

Reborn Special

For a limited time the ebook version of Reborn is on sale for only $2.99! Yup, it’s a real bargain. And even if you’ve read it, I bet you have a friend who hasn’t. You can order it for her online and have it delivered to her Kindle or NOOK for Christmas, or her birthday, or just to let her know you’re her friend. But this sale ends on October 31st, so you better order today at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

Enter Shadow Falls: After Dark and meet a vampire named Della, who’s about to discover what her own story is meant to be. . . .

Della had the perfect life-the family, a boyfriend, and a bright future-until she was turned, and abandoned by everyone she loves. She takes refuge at Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with paranormal powers. It’s where she and her best friends, Kylie and Miranda, heal their heartbreak with laughter, and where Della is training to be a paranormal investigator-and she refuses to be distracted. That means there’s no time for romance with Steve, a gorgeous shapeshifter whose kisses melt her heart.

When a new vampire named Chase shows up at camp, Della’s world is thrown into even more chaos. Arrogant and annoyingly sexy, Chase is a mystery . . . and the only mystery Della likes is one she can solve. She can’t solve Chase, at least not while she’s dealing with ghostly hauntings, vampire gangs and a web of family secrets. Can she prove herself as an investigator and keep her life-and her heart-intact?

 

 

 

 

Midnight Hour Countdown!

Only a week left until Midnight Hour is released! I can’t wait, because I want to share Miranda’s story and my last Shadow Falls book with you. Miranda is a character I can really identify with since she is dyslexic like me. And since she’s dyslexic, she sometimes gets her magic spells mixed up with disastrous results. But she does learn a a lot in Midnight Hour, including learning to believe in herself.

So, don’t forget to preorder your copy of Midnight Hour today and get your receipt in to my publisher HERE BEFORE Oct. 24th, and you’ll get Fighting Back, Kylie and Lucas’s novella, for free.

 

 

What else happens in Midnight Hour? Quite a lot! And Miranda learns that…

Just because you think you might be in love with someone doesn’t mean you can’t admire another’s derrière.
When you lose your sister, you lose a part of yourself.
Love can make you do crazy things—like go on the lam with a guy wanted by the FRU.
Sometimes doing the right thing can hurt, but it’s still right.
If you can be anything, sometimes the hardest thing to be—is yourself.
Who knew that becoming a pink polka dotted elephant could save people you love?
Crawling under a dark, damp house with spiders and rodents is unpleasant, even when you’re a snake.
Being stuck between two guys is like being the white filling of an Oreo. And when you pull it apart, you’ll stick to only one wafer.
Some families have the occasional skeleton in the closet, other families have a warehouse full.
Sometimes the truth is sharp and jagged and can cut you.
Sometimes when someone says they are there to help you, it’s hard to believe.  Especially if they are an armadillo.

Winner!

The winner of a $10 Amazon gift card from last week’s giveaway is Jennifer Prager. Congratulations! Please email me at cc@cchunterbooks.com to claim your prize.

 

Fighting Back Preview & Giveaway

There is a such thing as the perfect apology.

People make mistakes.  In fiction and in real life.  In Fighting Back, Lucas hurts Kylie.  Not intentionally of course, but by overlooking and refusing to step back and see the truth in something.

Have you ever had someone hurt you and it felt as if you might never forgive them?  Then they come in and say something so right.  Their apology comes off as just darn perfect.  So perfect in fact, that you have no option but to forgive them.

What did they say or do that made that happen for you?  Are you too quit to forgive?  Or do take some time to forgive?

One person who describes their personal, perfect apology will receive a $10 Amazon gift card.

For your reading pleasure, here’s a scene from Fighting Back when Lucas is late again for a date he’s already canceled before.  Kylie is feeling like she isn’t that important to him, because he’s always canceling their dates.

 

 

Kylie stepped out of Holiday’s office door at the same time Lucas stepped into the cabin’s main door. He carried a bouquet of daisies and an expression that begged for forgiveness.

His eyes said he was sorry. His posture said he was sorry. His bad boy charm said he was sorry.

She was such a sucker for that charm—a sucker for Lucas.

“I know you’re mad.” He held out the yellow flowers and inched closer, cautiously optimistic and armed with male charisma. “And you probably want to kick my ass, and I’ll let you.” The slightest smile appeared on his lips, and he braved it by taking another step. “But you’ve got to forgive me.”

“Don’t do that,” she said.

“Do what?” he asked, now so close only the bunch of daises came between them.

Make it hard for me to talk about our issues. “Be cute.” She felt her anger evaporating.

“Oh.”  He smiled in earnest. “I can’t help that. I was born cute. Just like you were born beautiful.”

He leaned in and brushed his lips against her forehead. The softest of kisses, the hardest kind to refuse.The easiest to get lost in. “Let’s go hiking.”

“I thought I was going to get to kick your ass?”

“You can.” His words came with a chuckle. “We hike for an hour. You kick my ass for an hour. We make out for an hour.”

So, want to get your free copy of Fighting Back? All you have to do is preorder Midnight Hour and submit your e-receipt HERE, and on October 25th, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Fighting Back, the novella that will take you back to the first Shadow Falls romance that grabbed your heart. That’s right. All you have to do is buy a book that you were going to buy anyway, but just preorder it before it’s released. (If any of you have had difficulty getting your receipts submitted through the website, you can email them to romance@stmartins.com.)

 

Fighting Back

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know that I’ve written one final novella about Kylie and Lucas. Yes, I listened to your pleas for one more book about the couple that started it all. But you can’t just buy Fighting Back, however, you can get it for FREE. All you have to do is preorder Midnight Hour and submit your e-receipt HERE, and on October 25th, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Fighting Back, the novella that will take you back to the first Shadow Falls romance that grabbed your heart. That’s right. All you have to do is buy a book that you were going to buy anyway, but just preorder it before it’s released. (If any of you have had difficulty getting your receipts submitted through the website, you can email them to romance@stmartins.com.)

Fighting Back

What will you learn in Fighting Back? Well…

If you don’t talk about problems in your relationship, they can fester.
Relationships are alive, they need to be fed, watered and given TLC to continue to flourish.
When you have to fart, make sure you sit next to a dog you can blame.

 

 

 

So, don’t forget to preorder Midnight Hour so you can get Fighting Back for free. Midnight Hour is available now for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

 

 

 

 

 

Winner!

The winner of last week’s giveaway of a copy of Midnight Hour is Victoria A. Congratulations! Please email your mailing address to me at cc@cchunterbooks.com.

What’s Special About Midnight Hour?

Several interviews have come in and one of the most asked question is:  What do I love about Midnight Hour?

So, I thought I would answer that for all you guys who stop by my blog.

Midnight Hour is special to me for several reasons.

I relate to Miranda so much because like myself, she is dyslexic. I know what it is to hate the word stupid.  When I was young, I heard it a lot from people who thought because I had some learning disabilities I wasn’t intelligent.  I’ve learned it isn’t true.  And I love seeing Miranda come to the conclusion that her dyslexia might result in some hurdles, but it also brings with it some very interesting gifts. For me it’s a imagination and the ability to read people and characters.
I loved adding the male point of view to And in Midnight Hour, you get not only one male point of view, but two. You are going to get to slip inside both Perry and Shawn’s heads.
I love how we see more of Burnett, the super- hot husband of Holiday. Most of you know that Perry lived in the same foster home with Burnett before he aged out. For the first time we really get to see the relationship between these two. I loved showing the softer side of the relationship between two guys who consider each other brothers.
I got great pleasure seeing my amazing trio together again.  Call them the Three Musketeers or Charlie’s Angels, but Kylie, Della and Miranda are so good together.  Those three have the most amazing friendship.  There isn’t anything they won’t do for each other.
Every book in the Shadow Falls series seems to have its own level of nail-biting suspense and a mystery you just can’t wait to solve. Well, something about Miranda’s book seemed to have an extra dose of page-turning drama.   Of course, when you start a book with an explosion, it pretty much tells you the pace isn’t going to slow down.
Midnight Hour is the finale. In this book you see all our Shadow Falls students graduate.  I cried so hard when it came to the end of this book.  These characters feel so real to me.  They are even more than friends, they are my family.  I’m going to miss them, and I know many of you will, too.

Okay, now I’ll give away an ARC of Midnight Hour to one person who leaves a posts telling me which scene you still think about from any of my books. (Sorry, this giveaway is for US residents only. If you’re reading this on Goodreads, you must leave a comment on my blog page to be entered.)

 

 

 

 

 

Appearances

October 1st: Texas Teen Book Festival

Guess what? You’ll be able to buy Midnight Hour before the release date if you come to the Texas Teen Book Festival on Oct. 1st! Yup, that’s right, there will be copies of Midnight Hour for purchase–and I’ll sign them for you. So be sure to come to the festival at St. Edward’s University in Austin.

October 8th: Barbara Bush Library

Want to win a copy of Midnight Hour? Join me at the Barbara Bush Library in Spring, TX on Oct. 8th, 10:30-noon. I’ll be teaching a teen writing class, answering your questions and selling & signing my books. I ‘ll also be giving away 2 FREE copies of Midnight Hour! Come by and you could be a winner!

October 21st & 22nd: Herlufsholm Fantasy Bogmesse

I’ll be in Denmark a book fair called Herlufsholm Fantasy Bogmesse and it will be at the Herlufsholm School near the city of Naestved on October 21st and 22nd. I’ll be there with fellow YA authors Eva Oakenshield, Brian P. Orbol, Kenneth Bogh Anderson, Nanna Foss and Haidi Wigger Klaris.

November 12th: Murder By The Book

Nov. 12th catch me at Murder by the Book in Houston, TX at 4:30 PM. If you buy a copy of Midnight Hour at the signing, I’ll still give you a FREE copy of Fighting Back, Kylie and Lucas’ last story..

 

 

What Defines Us?

Fans of mine might have noticed that most of my books have an underlying theme:  What defines us?  Are we products of our DNA?  How much of who we are stems from the learned behavior we get from our parents?  Midnight Hour showcases Perry seeking answers from his parents who abandoned him when he was three, and Perry, like me, is left to wonder about what defines him.

When I was young, I used to really think I might have been adopted, swapped at birth, or picked up on a street corner.  I know I write about a lot of dysfunctional families.  Mine wasn’t that dysfunctional.  But I was just different.

I was dyslexic.  I really think that if I hadn’t been dyslexic, I would have been a blatant book geek.  And frankly, no one in my family is a reader with exception of my maternal grandmother.  And, yes, I think I did get a lot from her.

I struggled more in school than my brothers.  However, I also internalized everything.  While I didn’t read, I was already creating stories in my head, yet not once did I consider growing up and writing.  It just didn’t seem like something someone like me would do. Both my parents and my two brothers did things with their hands.  Dad was a contractor and plumber, my mom was a housewife and worked a little as a nurse’s aid.  My older brother loved music and played numerous instruments, while my younger brother was totally into sports.

Yes, I was definitely the odd one in the bunch.  I wanted go to my room or find a spot in the woods and lose myself in my stories.  Now, I do see some personality traits I’ve inherited from my parents.  My dad loves to laugh and tease and I’m right there with him.  My mom is a bit zany and can laugh at her own mistakes.  I certainly got that from her.  But other than that, I’m still the odd one out.

Seriously, neither of my parents read my books, but they are very proud of me.  And they expect copies of every book I write. They just aren’t readers.  And not only am I a writer, but I’ve overcome a lot of hurdles and now I love to read as well.

So, like Perry, I ask myself: Are we defined by our DNA?  Did I get all of this from my grandmother?  Why am different from my family?

What do you think?  How are you like your parents and siblings?  Do you ever feel like an odd man out?

Buy Midnight Hour Early!

You can purchase Midnight Hour before it even goes on sale! No, I’m not even talking about preordering it. October 1st, I’ll be at the Texas Teen Book Festival at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. It’s a great event with book signings, games, parties, workshops, a costume contest and a chance to meet many of your favorite authors. And they also sell books–and they will be selling copies of Midnight Hour, so you can purchase them and have me sign them for you before it’s even officially released.

But if you can’t make it to the book festival, you can still preorder Midnight Hour and submit your receipt to St. Martin’s Press HERE. Then, on Oct. 25th, you get a FREE copy of Fighting Back, Kylie & Lucas’s novella. Now, several of you have contacted me saying you’re having trouble submitting your receipt to that page. So, if you have a problem, please try sending it to romance@stmartins.com. Just remember, to get Fighting Back, you have to submit your receipt BEFORE Oct. 24th!

 

 

 

 

Midnight Hour Video!

The countdown has begun until the release of Midnight Hour on October 25th! It’s the last book from my Shadow Falls series, and I’m having trouble saying goodbye to my characters. But it’s kind of like having kids, you have to let them go and fly on their own one day (and when it comes to many of my characters, I mean actually fly).  But, I’m planning on having some really cool giveaways to celebrate the release. Plus, I’ll be posting some teasers about what happens in Midnight Hour. So be sure to check my blog every week.

This week, I’m debuting the book trailer. I LOVE it! I hope you do, too.

I’ll also be posting my schedule soon for all the book signings once Midnight Hour is released. I may be coming to your town or city! Right now, I’m getting ready to head off to the Herlufsholm Fantasy Bogmesse, a book fair in Denmark. It will be at the Herlufsholm School near the city of Naestved on October 21st and 22nd. I’ve never been to Denmark, but I’m told it’s amazing. I can’t wait!

Don’t Forget!

Preorder Midnight Hour and submit your e-receipt HERE, and on October 25th, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Fighting Back, the novella that will take you back to the first Shadow Falls romance that grabbed your heart. That’s right. All you have to do is buy a book that you were going to buy anyway, but just preorder it before it’s released. Midnight Hour is available now for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

Winners!!

The winners of last week’s giveaway are form the U.S., Tiffaney, Abbey from the U.K. and from The Netherlands, Michele. Congratulations! Email your postal address to me at cc@cchunterbooks.com, and I’ll mail you an advanced copy of Midnight Hour.

Miranda & Foreign Giveaway!

Last week I asked you to send me some suggestions for a song for Miranda, my dyslexic witch. I got a lot of really great suggestions. But I thought I’d do some searching, too. In during my search, I came across a song that reminds of both Miranda’s book, Midnight Hour, and Kylie and Lucas’ novella, Fighting Back.  Now, I realize most of you haven’t had the chance to read Midnight Hour and none of you have read Fighting Back yet, but this might give you a sense what’s going to happen.

I feel as if I had some music therapy looking at all those videos.  I haven’t found the perfect song for Miranda, but I’m still searching.  So keep looking and sending me those links to songs that you think represent Miranda.

Winner!

The winner of last week’s giveaway of a bag of Midnight Hour swag is Alyssa Venema. Congratulations! Please email your postal address to cc@cchunterbooks.com.

Preorder Reminder!!

Don’t forget the only way for you to get Fighting Back is by preordering Midnight Hour and submit your e-receipt HERE.   Then, on October 25th, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Fighting Back, the novella that will take you back to the first Shadow Falls romance that grabbed your heart. Midnight Hour is available now for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

This offer is good for US and Canadian residents plus UK residents as long as you preorder and submit your receipt BEFORE October 24th!

 

 

 

GIVEAWAY TO US AND FOREIGN FANS!!

I’m giving away two copies of Midnight Hour to two fans who help me promote the book. One will be won by U.S. resident and the other won by an international fan.

Big News!

Okay, I promised you something special. Everyone asks me for more Kylie and Lucas. You’ve all been hungry for a little more of the couple who started it all. Well, I listened. So, I’ve written one final Shadow Falls novella about Kylie and Lucas. It’s called Fighting Back. But you can’t just buy this novella. No, this time it’s a bit different. You can actually get it for FREE!

All you have to do is preorder Midnight Hour and submit your e-receipt HERE, and on October 25th, you’ll receive a FREE copy of Fighting Back, the novella that will take you back to the first Shadow Falls romance that grabbed your heart. That’s right. All you have to do is buy a book that you were going to buy anyway, but just preorder it before it’s released. Midnight Hour is available now for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

 

 

 

For a special preview of Fighting Back click HERE.

In Fighting Back Kylie and Lucas face their biggest challenge yet.

Will their love survive?

Midnight Hour Giveaway!

Wow, I can hardly believe we began this Shadow Falls adventure March 29, 2014 with the publication of Born at Midnight. It all started with Kylie’s story. Then there was Della’s. Now, it’s Miranda’s turn. Three best friends. Three incredible life journeys. I’m best friends with all of them. Perhaps you are too. I have seen them grow, change, mature as their story progressed. Now, it’s drawing to a close. I’ll miss them all, and I will hold them in my heart forever.

 

 

 

 

I came across a song that reminded me a lot of Kylie when I was still writing her series. I think of her every time I hear it. I posted it before, but I think it bears reposting. I also asked you to help me pick a song for Della and you did. I love what you chose. Now. I’m asking you to help me find Miranda’s song. She’s a loyal friend who has grown up a lot since we first met her at Shadow Falls Camp. And in Midnight Hour, she finds a strength she didn’t know she had to meet her foes head on. So, it should be a special song, one that fits both her soft and new found strong side. So, please help me out and post your suggestions below.  I’ll give away a Midnight Hour bag of swag to someone who leave a comment/suggestion. What will Miranda’s song be? (This giveaway is limited to US residents. If you’re reading this on Goodreads, you must leave a comment on my website blog in order to enter my giveaway.)

Kylie’s Song: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

Della’s Song: Stronger by Kelly Clarkson

Miranda’s novel, Midnight Hour, is available now for pre-order at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks and Kobo.

For a preview of Midnight Hour click HERE.








BIG NEWS

On Thursday, September 1st, I’m posting a special blog. I’ll be announcing my big news. Yup, the thing I’ve been hinting at for a while now. So, you really need to set a reminder on your phone to return here on Thursday. You won’t want to miss this announcement. I think it will make all you Shadow Falls fans very happy.