C.C. Hunter's Blog, page 34

Only One Week!

The closer it gets to release day for Reborn, the more excited I get! There’s only one week left. One week! I can hardly stand it. How about you?

And now I can tell you that the audio book for Reborn will be released soon, too. Here is just a preview: https://soundcloud.com/macaudio-2/reborn-by-c-c-hunter-audiobook-excerpt.

Free Saved at Sunrise

I know I strongly recommended you read Saved at Sunrise before you read Reborn. That’s the novella all about Della and Steve’s exciting FRU mission. And boy do the sparks fly between those two!  To make sure you read it, I’ve been posting a chapter every Friday at Wattpad, so you could read it for free. But if you did the math, you knew I didn’t have enough weeks left before Reborn came out for you to read it all by just a chapter a week. So, we solved that problem. The entire novella is now posted at Wattpad and you have a week to read it before the big day. Follow this link to Saved at Sunrise: http://www.wattpad.com/38470031-saved-at-sunrise-chapter-1.

Don’t Miss Out

I hope you have pre-ordered your copy of Reborn, because if you are going to buy it anyway, you might as well get your free copy of Shadow Falls: The Beginning. I mean, why wouldn’t you? All you need is your receipt for your pre-order to show to St. Martins Press. If you missed it before, here are the details: http://us.macmillan.com/SMP/promo/TheRebornPreorderSweepstakes.

International Giveaway!

This week, I’m giving away two copies of Reborn, one to a US resident and one to another fan overseas. All you have to do is answer these questions from the first chapter of Reborn. So, you have to go to Wattpad to read the chapter and answer these questions. You can find it here: http://www.wattpad.com/story/15649434-reborn. Make sure you email your answers to cc@cchunterbooks.com and be sure to tell me what country you live in, too. Don’t post your answers here. The winners will be chosen randomly from all those who answer the questions correctly.

What kind of PJs was Della wearing during her dream?
What secret does Della’s sister, Marla, tell Della about their father?
What was Della accused of stealing from her father’s cabinet?

 Winners!!

Last week’s winners of a copy of Reborn are Emily and  Kathy Lynn Frank. Congratulations! Please email your mailing addresses to cc@cchunterbooks.com.

 

 [j1]We said we’d give two away.

Reborn Preview

Does May 20th seem too far away? Want a preview of Reborn? Well, the entire first chapter is now up on Wattpad. And here’s another little extra for you.  A few weeks ago I posted a Reborn video created by R. M. Brand. Now, I can finally reveal St. Martin’s official video for Reborn. I LOVE it!

Free Book

In less than two weeks Reborn will be out. So, if you want to pre-order your copy and get a FREE copy of Shadow Falls: The Beginning, you better hurry. Shadow Falls: The Beginning contains both Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn in one book. It’s a great gift for a friend who hasn’t read my Shadow Falls series. For details just follow this link to St. Martins Press. You can pre-order your copy at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, online or in the store.

Contest and Giveaway!

I hope you’ve been reading Saved at Sunrise on Wattpad (http://www.wattpad.com/38470031-saved...) or have already read it all. Why? Because I’m posting 3 questions from Chapters 1-5 now up on Wattpad. Answer them correctly and you could win a copy of Reborn. It’s important that you email your answers to cc@cchunterbooks.com in order to be eligible to win.  I’ll select two names from the correct answer entries and those two people will receive a copy of Reborn. So, if you haven’t read Saved at Sunrise, get busy reading, and you could win a copy of Reborn. (Sorry, but I have to limit this giveaway to residents of the U.S. only.)

 

1. What state is Steve from?

2. When Della and Steve are in the warehouse with the rogue vampires, what kind of bird does Steve change into?

3. In the warehouse Della has to fight another girl who is half vampire and half what?

Remember, don’t leave your answers here, email them to me at cc@cchunterbooks.com.

Buy Reborn Get a Free Book!

In less than a month, Reborn will be released. Now, you can wait and buy it in your local bookstore. And that’s great. But did you know you can actually preorder Reborn from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or any other book seller and get a copy of Shadow Falls: The Beginning for FREE?  Shadow Falls: The Beginning is one book, but it contains both Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn, the first two books in my Shadow Falls series.  St Martin’s Press, my publisher, will give you a copy of Shadow Falls: The Beginning and all you have to do is show your receipt for preordering Reborn. Now I know a lot of you guys already have that book—or the first books.  But what about a friend’s birthday? Or get it and save for someone’s Christmas present.  Anyway, I love that they are giving it away for free.  Even better, it’s not only available to US residents, but this deal is also available to Canadian residents (except residents of Quebec). For more information, go to St. Martin’s Press or follow this link: http://us.macmillan.com/SMP/promo/TheRebornPreorderSweepstakes.

And don’t forget every Friday I am posting another chapter of Saved at Sunrise, my novella about Della and Steve’s FRU mission, on Wattpad.com. Don’t worry if you didn’t start reading it when I first posted chapter one because chapters 1-4 are still available. So you can start at the beginning and read through chapter 4 and be all caught up. Then next week, I’ll post chapter 5. So follow this link and get started on Della’s adventure: http://www.wattpad.com/38470198-saved-at-sunrise-chapter-4.

 

 

If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know that I was just in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for Barbara Vey’s Reader Appreciation Luncheon. Barbara Vey organized the event for the third year in a row as  a chance for readers to have lunch with their favorite authors. Over fifty authors participated in the sold out luncheon featuring Debbie Macomber as the Keynote Speaker. I had my own table where I was joined by some of my hard core fans. It was really great to meet them and swap stories over lunch. So, I wanted to share some of the photos with you.

 

The center piece on my table.

 

 

Diane Kelly, Barbara Vey & Me

 

Me and some of my fans.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More pics!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me, Michelle Callahan & Deeanne Gist

 

 

Me with Diane Kelly and Darynda Jones: Three St. Martins girls!

 

 

 

 

 

Now, I want to know what you are looking forward to most in Reborn. Holiday and Burnett having their baby? Or maybe you’re expecting to learn about something else?

More Answers

Della answered your questions about me last week, and I have to say, she did a pretty good job. I guess she’s been in my head for so long that she knows me pretty well. So, I thought I’d give her another chance to answer a few more.

Okaaaaay, I guess CC liked my answers last week. So, I took another crack at your questions, and I’ve got to say, I think I’m really getting the hang of this now.

Kayla asked, “What inspired you to write something like the Shadow Falls series? And was it that same inspiration that encouraged you to write the Della spin off series?”

Oh, I’ve got this one! I’ve heard CC get asked this question a lot. Actually, the idea for Shadow Falls Camp came from her editor. CC was writing romance and her editor asked if she’d be willing to try writing young adult novels. She also told CC she had an idea for a book—a paranormal camp. CC, being CC, went home and started thinking about this idea and let her imagination take over. Before she knew it, she had Kylie and me and the rest of the Shadow Falls campers running around in her head. So, now that I think about it, I guess in a way I have CC’s editor to thank for my existence. But CC’s the one that’s always all up in my business. So maybe that’s where my series came from. CC is nosey, so once she started focusing on me and Steve, well, she couldn’t help herself, could she?

Lucy asked,  “ If she had to write a different series, 1) what genre? and 2) what it would be about?”

Actually, I heard her talking to a friend the other day about another young adult series she has planned. It sounds pretty scary. You all know I don’t like ghosts, they scare the beejeezzus out of me. But this series is even worse. She said it was about the descendants of Grim Reapers.I hope she won’t expect me to be part of it and hang out with them or something.

Yvonne asked, “ H ow do you get paid as a writer and where do most authors work (home, office)? I really want to know because I’m thinking about becoming a writer.”

From what I’ve seen, CC gets checks from her publisher in the mail. I’ve seen them on her desk in her office—which is where she usually writes. But since she bought her new house with the big wrap-around front porch with the cool porch swing, she sometimes writes out there. I wish we had a swing like that on our cabin’s porch at Shadow Falls. I could see sitting out there with a certain guy—if he behaved himself!

Thanks, Della! I could have answered these myself, but I think it was interesting to hear your take on me. I actually get asked that last question a lot. So tell me, how many of you have considered a career in writing? If you have, what sort of books would you write?

Della Dishes on CC

A few weeks ago, I asked you to send in any questions you had for me and I would let Della answer them. I’ll tell you, I must have been crazy. After all, Della is permanently pissed at me for some of the things I did to her in Reborn.  But I promised, so I’ll turn it over to Della.

Thanks, CC! When CC told me about this I was not happy. I’mway too busy with the FRU, not to mention juggling two guys. But once I had a chance to think about it, I changed my mind.  After all, this  might just give me the opportunity to dish out some of what CC is so quick to dump on me. Give her some of her own medicine Yup, I intent to make the most of it. So, here goes

Jen asked, “Do you ever have one guy in mind for a character and as the story goes, decide you know what I think this guy fits better?”

Actually, this did happen to CC when she was writing Kylie’s series. You see when she started Born at Midnight, she’d sort of decided that Kylie was going to end up with Derek. Then Lucas happened. Yes, he was always meant to be the other guy that challenges Derek for Kylie’s affection, but Kylie just seemed to fall so hard for Lucas. Now as Kylie’s friend, I wasn’t that keen on the wolf early on, and when he got engaged the other wolf skank, I was ready to suck him dry and skin the pelt off his ass. But CC really thought he was the best guy for Kylie, and Kylie certainly agreed. So, I guess I had to give the guy a chance, and I’ve got to say, he not so bad—and he seems to make Kylie happy.

Alicia asked, “Do you enjoy writing more from Della’s prospective than you did from Kylie’s prospective of things?”

I’ve heard CC tell people she most identifies with Kylie, so she said Kylie was most like her and the easiest to write.  But I’ve been in her head, too. I have got to say, she really gets into writing from my point of view. She loves letting her sassy side out, and writing through me gives her an excuse. I’ve even heard her sound like me when she wasn’t even working on my books. Her husband doesn’t like it.

Kellie M. asked,” When writing Shadow Falls, did you have the series planned out, or did ideas come to you when you were writing?”

CC is what’s called a pantser not a plotter. It means she writes by the seat of her pants and doesn’t plot out every little thing. Oh, yeah, I know I told you originally she was going to have Kylie fall for Derek, so she does have a vague idea of what’s going to happen. But switching gears to Lucas, is part of being a pantser. She realized Kylie was heading in another direction, so she changed things. So while she might have an idea of some things that will happen in her books, she doesn’t sit down and plot everything out. Since that’s the case, maybe there’s hope for me. Perhaps I can get her to change a few things she has in store for me in Eternal.

Winner!!

The lucky winner of the ARC of Reborn is . Please email your mailing address to cc@cchunterbooks.com. Congratulations!

Reborn Giveaway

Hey guys here’s a video that my friend, R. M. Brand, made, and didn’t she do an awesome job? St. Martins is actually filming a video, too, and I even got to pick out the actors. How cool is that?? Keep checking back because the St. Martins video should be posted soon.

I’m also going to share the official book blurb for Reborn with you.

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?

Gosh if I hadn’t written this book, I’d be buying it myself.

Saved at Sunrise

Have you read Saved at Sunrise, yet? It’s the novella about Della and Steve’s FRU mission. Now you can read Chapter One on Wattpad for FREE: http://www.wattpad.com/38470031-saved-at-sunrise-chapter-1?d=ud. I’ll post a new chapter every Friday. I recommend you read it before you read Reborn. You’ll understand the tension between Della and Steve much better.

Nestled deep in the woods, Shadow Falls is a secret camp where teens with supernatural powers learn to harness their abilities and live in the normal world.  But Shadow Falls is facing a problem that could finally expose them to the rest of the world.  Humans are showing up dead, and rogue vampires may be to blame. 

Camp resident Della Tsang, who’s still coming into her own vampire powers, is assigned to help find those responsible. If she succeeds, maybe she’ll even land her dream job: working for the F.R.U., the enforcers of the supernatural world.  But when she sees that her new partner is a hunky shapeshifter, things get complicated.  Steve, too gorgeous to be trusted and capable of seeing through her tough-as-nails exterior, knows just how to get under her skin.  And only hours into the mission, Della realizes rogue vampires aren’t the only threat she’s facing. If she’s ever going to complete her assignment, she’ll need his help…but learning to trust him will be her hardest challenge yet.

Giveaway!!

Now, want to win an ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of Reborn? Just leave a comment on this post. Tell me how you like the video or how much you are looking forward to May 20th.Or maybe you can share with me what you are doing to get ready for Reborn. (Sorry, but because of mailing costs, I have to limit this giveaway to U.S. residents only.)

 

Widget

I’m so excited. Do you know what a widget is? No? It’s on my home page and it counts down the days, hours, minutes and even seconds to Reborn’s release. Did you notice I have a brand new widget for Reborn?  It’s even better than before because it not only counts down the time to Reborn’s release, but it has excerpts, character descriptions, links to the free stories, and more!

For you bloggers, it’s easy to snag my widget for your home page. Just select the “Share” button under the image and follow the directions.

Remember to continue spreading the word about Reborn’s release!

Next week, I’ll answer a few of those questions Della asked you to send in.  Have a great week guys and leave a comment telling me your favorite scene in all the Shadow Falls books. Was it when Perry mooned everyone, or was it that first kiss Lucas gave Kylie at the creek?  Was it when Derek told Kylie he loved her the first time?  One person, (sorry, U.S. mailing address only) will win a free Shadow Falls: After Dark poster.

Winners!

Boy you guys came up with some great questions, and Della is going to have fun answering them. The winners of the Shadow Falls: After Dark posters are Teresa Zimmer from Germany and Samantha Wallace from the U.S. Please email your mailing addresses to cc@cchunterbooks.com. Congratulations!

Della’s Confession

Shhh…can I talk to you? It’s me, Della. And I just have to tell someone. May 20th, my first book, Reborn, is being released in the U.S. Don’t tell CC, but I’m actually getting excited about it. I know, I give her a hard time, but during Reborn, she gave me the hardest time of all. I mean, she put me in some really tight places—and she left it up to me to get out!

Of course, CC tells me that it’s not her fault.  She blames you.  Yeah, she says the fans will only read my book if I’m constantly nose deep in chaos.  Now, what’s up with that?  Don’t get me wrong, I know that I hate reading about boring, perfect people, too.  But I could really use a little slow down.

And guys?  Don’t even get me started on them! Steve is great, but sometimes he drives me crazy. So we had a great night on our FRU mission, but that doesn’t mean I want to be joined at the hip with him. Yes, he can be really sweet, but then he can turn around and be a jerk.  Then there’s this new guy at Shadow Falls Camp, and Burnett tells me I have to work with him.  But sometimes I don’t like the way he looks at me, and other times, I like it way too much. What’s a vampire to do?  I mean, I know he’s keeping secrets.  I can just tell.  Can’t you tell when a guy isn’t telling you the whole truth?  And this guy, he’s definitely holding back.  Claims he wants to get to know me, that he likes me.  Right! You all know that I’m not that likeable.

Besides, I don’t need anyone else in my life. I’m too busy and I need Burnett to take me seriously as an agent. A relationship would just get in the way. So, I need to keep my distance from ALL guys, but CC keep tossing me together with one of these two very hot guys. It might sound too good to be true to some of you, but I don’t want it. I’m fine on my own. And I’m going straight to CC’s mind and tell her what I think.   Well, I will just as soon as I get my head wrapped around exactly what I’m going to say.  I don’t want to be there any longer than I have to.  Because let me tell you, her mind is a scary, scary place.  It makes dealing with ghosts a cakewalk.  She’s got thoughts of murder, and some totally spooky settings running around that mind of hers.  And she can envision some pretty terrifying stuff.

Anyway, today I’m going to take a few questions about CC.  I mean, she’s always answering questions about me. So now it’s my turn to dish on her.  Now’s your chance, if you have a question about CC, post it, and I’ll answer a few of them of every week.  And don’t get too personal.  She ain’t gonna let me tell you the really good stuff.

Oh, and we’ll give away two posters today.  The new Shadow Falls: After Dark poster.  We’ll give one away to an international fan and another to a U.S. fan.  So make sure you tell me in your post where you live.

Winner!

Last week’s winner of Born at Midnight in Spanish is Gaby. Please email your mailing address to cc@cchunterbooks.com. Congratulations, Gaby!

Languages

Do you know if I wasn’t a writer, there are two things I might want to do when I grow up.  (Yes, I said grow up, because I don’t care how old I am, I don’t feel I’ve completely grown up!) Oddly, these two things are completely different.

If you are a fan, you might have already figured out one of these things about me.  I love to make people laugh.  I write characters who make you laugh.  Della’s sassy comments made me chuckle when I’m writing.  And Perry, his crazy antics are for sure always worth a few good belly laughs.  (Remember when he mooned everyone at lunch?) When I get emails from you telling me that I made you laugh, it makes me feel so good.  I love making people laugh so much that if I didn’t spend all my time writing, I might try my hand a stand-up comedy.

The second career I might have pursued, is not so apparent. You probably wouldn’t even guess it.  You see, I love languages.  And yes, I do speak a second language.  I speak Spanish.  No, I’m not Hispanic.  But years ago, I lived in Maracaibo, Venezuela and learned to speak the language there.  I still make a lot of mistakes.  And here’s the sad part, I can’t read or write a tenth of what I can speak.  Being dyslexic, I am what a lot of people call an oral learner.  I learn by listening.  So actually learning a language comes a little easier for me than maybe some people.  And if I wasn’t busy playing with my characters, I would love to learn to speak more languages.

You know, in Reborn you learn that Della speaks Mandarin.  And while I don’t speak that language, I did go to China for ten days.  During that time, I had a translator and she taught me a few words, I could say simple things, like order my food, or ask how someone was doing, or say thank you, and excuse me.  A lot of the times the translator would laugh because I would say something and the Chinese people would be shocked and start talking to me.  They thought I could speak it.  And I honestly think if I had stayed there a month or so I could have learned a lot.

I think it’s sad that here in the United States so few people speak another language.  I’ve read a lot of things about how learning a new language opens up and uses different parts of your brain.  Here in Texas we have a lot of Spanish speaking residents and I get to use my Spanish a lot.  I will admit I love shocking people sometimes.  I will be in a store and two women will be talking about me, maybe commenting about my shoes or purse.  And I will turn to them and tell them where I bought the item.  They are always shocked because being blond with green eyes, I don’t look like I speak the language.

Today, I will give away one copy of Born at Midnight in Spanish.  Maybe you have a friend who is Hispanic and reads better in Spanish, or maybe you read better in Spanish.  Sorry, due to mailing cost, the winner has to have a U.S. address.

Do you guys speak another language?  Are you taking one in school?  I encourage you to do it.  So for now, Adios.

 

Spring Time in Texas!

It’s almost spring.  Today it actually feels like it, too.  Spring in Texas always brings on thoughts of road trips.  Road trips to see the blue bonnets.  I love seeing landscapes of nothing but the purplish blue flowers.  It’s amazing how they can cover an entire field for as far as you can see. The Texas Hill Country is known for its fields of blue bonnets every spring.  Maybe that’s why it’s the Texas state flower.

I also just bought myself a ‘spring time’ gift.  A new lap top.  And why for the spring time?  Well, because I’m going to be writing on my front porch swing at my new house.  I love it when it the weather is nice and I can sit and let the breeze whisper over me.  Something about being outside in the fresh air that allows me to slip into the  Shadow Falls world and walk around with Kylie, Della, Miranda and the rest of the campers.

As you know, I have sent Reborn off to my publisher. Whew! Again, it will be out May 20, 2014 in the U.S.  So right now, I’m working on Della’s second book,  Eternal.  And I gotta say, I’m loving it.  Della is in full on sassy mood and is learning a lot of about growing up, love, friendship and even some heartaches.

So, is it your spring break now, too? I know the break is usually later up north. But here, it’s Spring break. Tell me, what are you guys doing?  Any fun plans?