C.C. Hunter's Blog, page 35

Guest Blog by Varsha Bajaj

Today I have a special treat for you. I’ve invited Varsha Bajaj to talk about her new YA novel Abby Spenser Goes to Bollywood. I can’t wait to read it!

 

My debut novel, Abby Spencer goes to Bollywood will be released by Albert Whitman and Company on 3/1/2014 and I couldn’t be more excited and nervous. Thank you, Christie, for inviting me to share the story behind the novel with your readers.

I wanted to write a book that I would have liked to read when I was twelve. I loved books with a sense of humor which I could connect with emotionally. ASGTB is a fun journey with lots of heart. It is the story of a father-daughter relationship. Abby is a teenager defining her cultural identity.

 

I was watching an interview with Liv Tyler (actress) and she shared that she didn’t know Steven Tyler was her father till she was a pre-teen.

It set me thinking. What if a girl discovered that her absent father was a celebrity? Given my immigrant background (born and raised in India), it was natural to take the next step. What if he was a celebrity in another country/culture? The premise intrigued me. A Bollywood star is the epitome of celebrity in India, and I made Abby’s father the equivalent of Brad Pitt in India.

It was a happy coincidence that I grew up in Mumbai, on a street, where some of my neighbors were Bollywood directors and stars. In fact, one of my childhood friends starred in a Bollywood movie.

My family also hosted International students during my late teen years. I therefore witnessed teenagers from the West navigate cultural differences in India. I have also been seen the reactions of my own American born teenagers to Mumbai and India.

Journey stories, like Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (Harper Collins, 2000) have always drawn me in, maybe because I love to travel. The idea of taking the reader on a fun journey to Mumbai with my protagonist was simultaneously daunting and appealing.

From these cumulative experiences, Abby Spencer was born. To learn more about Abby Spencer and her journey visit www.varshabajaj.com.

Winners!

The three winners of the Shadow Falls posters from last week’s giveaway are Nalynn, Hilary Bridge and Allison Dewey. Please email your mailing addresses to cc@cchunterbooks.com. Congratulations!

 

 

Reborn Music

Reborn will be released May 20. I know many of you have said you cannot wait, but in publishing, that’s not far away. There is a lot to be done between now and then. One of the things I am doing is looking for a theme song for Della. I have been searching the Internet, but I haven’t quite found the right song. I found Kylie’s theme song easily, or more like it found me. I had been looking everywhere, then I was driving down the road, listening to the radio and Natasha Bedingfield’s song Unwritten came on. It hit me like a ton of bricks. That was the perfect song for Kylie!

 

 

But now I need a song for Della and Reborn. I did find several that I thought might fit, so I’m posting them here. Tell me which one you like or suggest one of your own.

Cheryl Crowe’s The First Cut is the Deepest:

Kelly Clarkson’s Stronger:

Daughtry’s Over You:

 

Giveaway!!

This week I’m giving away three Shadow Falls posters to three people who leave comments. So let me know if you like one of these songs or suggest one of your own. (Sorry, this giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. And as always, if you are reading this on Goodreads, you must post your comment on my website blog for a chance to win.)

Reborn

Well, this last weekend I went to the Montgomery County Book Festival. And I had a blast.  Got to meet and chat with a lot of Shadow Falls fans.  And I think I snagged a few new readers, too.  I gave some of them a few sneak peeks into what Della is up to.

And oh, yes, she’s up to her eyebrows in trouble.  You know trouble is like her middle name.  Not that you can really blame her.  Della’s going through a lot.   I can’t give away too much, but I’ll give you just a few tiny tidbits, a few sneak peeks of what’s going on at Shadow Falls.

In Reborn, Della . . .

gets hit on by five guys.
has to deal with the loss of someone she loves.
gets to kick a little butt.
has six people offer a pint of blood to spend the hour with her.
gets caught lying to Burnett—for a good reason.
has to take down a kangaroo.
has to use duct tape to wrap up a problem.

I revealed the cover for Reborn on this blog back in August, and I’ve posted it several times since. Well, recently my publisher St. Martins Griffin Teen revealed the cover for Della’s second book, Eternal. In case you missed it, you can check it out at their February Cover Reveal Roundup.

Houston Authors Bash!!

Join me and over 45 other authors this Saturday, February 22 at Katy Budget Books’ Houston Author Bash. This event is FREE, but it is a ticketed event, so be sure to follow the link and register. There are even a limited number of VIP tickets, which acts like a fast pass and lets you skip to the front of the long lines,  for only $10. Don’t miss this event at the Harmony Science Academy of West Houston in Katy, TX.

So, who do you think hits on Della in Reborn?  How do you think she’ll handle it?

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

This Friday is Valentine’s Day. For many, it’s a very special day, for others, not so much. In fact, a recent poll said Valentine’s Day is the most stressful day of the year for many men. They feel they are under a lot of pressure to buy the right gift.  I feel their pain. We women can be hard to read at times. Even I sometimes forget that hubby isn’t a mind reader, but he usually comes through.

 

Now imagine being Della’s boyfriend. Talk about  stress! For so long Della had watched her two best friends with their boyfriends, and now it’s her turn. Even if she doesn’t want to admit she’s kind of in a relationship with Steve, I think she’d be hurt if he didn’t give her anything for Valentine’s Day. Della swears she’s not a girly girl.  She doesn’t need chocolate or flowers, but down deep she’s like everyone.  She wants to know some guy is crazy about her. That she’s special enough that he would go out of his way and get her something.  What do you think the perfect gift for Della would be?   Something that wouldn’t get Steve killed?

What would the perfect gift for you be?

Winner!!

There were so many great comments last week, it was hard to choose a winner. But the winner of the Shadow Falls: After Dark giveaway is Jo-Ann Stephens. Jo-Ann, please email me at cc@cchunterbooks.com with your mailing address.

I Really Want to Know

Let’s talk reading habits.  When do you read? How long do you read?  Are you a chapter at a time reader?  Or the type that gobbles up a book in one sitting?  I would love to be gobbler, but writing makes me a chapter at time reader, unless, I stumble across a book that just grabs me by the neck and won’t turn me loose. And I have to admit, I have stayed up all night reading. Have you ever stayed up way past your bedtime reading?  (Actually, I know some of you have because you’ve told me in emails.) So, where do you like to read?  I usually read in bed.  Or sometimes I read on the sofa.  I’m getting a new sofa for my new office and I want a comfy one so I can take breaks and read for a bit. You see when I’m writing, I don’t get a lot of time to read, so maybe I can work more in if I can stretch out on my comfy sofa and read for a few minutes during breaks.  However, almost every night I do pick up a book and read for a bit until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.  And whenever I’m on vacation, my goal is always to read a book.

Do you read at work? During your lunch break or do you sneak in reading when you should be working? Shhh…I won’t tell! We’ve all done it.

Do you read in school? And here, I don’t mean English assigned reading or math books. I’m talking about outside reading. Do you bring books to school to read during your breaks? During class? Well, my daughter is a teacher and lately she’s caught several students reading in class. She always gets on them, but the other day, she took this photo of what her student was reading: Taken at Dusk.

 

 Giveaway!

 

This week I’m giving away another swag packet to someone who leaves a comment.  (Unfortunately, this giveaway is limited to U.S. residents. Sorry! And if you are reading this on Goodreads, remember, you have to leave your comment on my blog in order to win.)

 

 

Where is CC Hunter?

I can always tell when it is getting close to the release of one of my books. I usually have a lot of signings and appearances scheduled. And it’s only about 11 weeks till the release of Reborn in the USA. It will be here before you know it. And let me tell you, Della is ready!

In the meantime, I will be popping up around Texas and elsewhere at bookstores and conferences, and I’d hate to miss the opportunity to meet you. So, I thought it would be good to list my upcoming book signings.

January 28, 2014 (Yes that’s today!) I’ll be Lori Wilde and I are hosting a pizza party at Books and Crannies in Terrell, Texas. Lori Wilde is not only a dear friend, but the best-selling author of over 60 romances. We’ll be discussing and signing our books from 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Did I mention there will be pizza?

February 1, 2014 Lori Wilde and I will signing our books at Murder by the Book, 1:00 PM, 2342 Bissonnet St., Houston, TX 77005.

February 1, 2014 I will be at Star Pizza, 2111 Norfolk, Houston, TX 77098 with Lori Wilde. Are you sensing a theme here? Or maybe we just love pizza!  We’ll have exclusive giveaways and tons of fun! Each ticket will include a free copy of two of my romances. For more information go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/570277763062708/.

March 29, 2014 I’ll be at Book Extravaganza in Houston, 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. This is  spectacular conference designed to teach, inspire and motivate.

April 24 & 25, 2014 I’ll be at the Dessert Rose RWA Conference in Tempe, AZ. On Saturday, April 5th, I’ll be participating in the book signing from 7:00-8:30 PM that is open to the public.

April 8-11, 2014 I will be at the Texas Library Association Conference in San Antonio, TX. James Patterson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Henry Winkler will also be there. I can’t wait!

April 26th, 2014 I will be at Barbara Vey’s Reader Appreciation Luncheon in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And April 25th, the night before the luncheon I’ll participate in a Q & A session. So it is your chance to a ask me about Shadow Falls!

July 23rd-26th,2014 I’ll be back in San Antonio at RWA National Conference. I’ll be part of their huge “Readers for Life” Literacy Autographing on July 23rd from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. I’ll be one of over 500 authors signing our books for literacy. AND it is all free and open to the public!

So that’s it for now, but I’m sure I’ll be adding dates to this list. You can check back for updates on my Event page on this website. I’ll also be posting upcoming signing on my Shadow Falls Series Facebook page and my CC Hunter Books Facebook page so be sure to follow me there.

Insecurities

I’ve been holding my breath.

Biting my nails.

Sitting on the edge of my seat.

Waiting for my editor to read Reborn and give me a thumbs up.  Yeah, I know, you probably are thinking what most everyone thinks:  Please, you are an experienced writer.  You’ve written twenty something books, you don’t worry anymore.

But you and all those other people are wrong.  I still worry.  I still fret to the point it wakes me up at night.  I guess you could say in a way I’m a little like Della in this manner.  She acts all tough, nothing can hurt her, she’s not afraid of anything.  But down deep, she is afraid.  She’s afraid of a lot of stuff.  And in Reborn, in her point of view, you learn about Della’s own demons.  Things that keep her awake at night.

And like Della, most of the time I put on a good front, I pretend I’m a writer who knows what she’s doing.  Someone confident in her established career.  Someone wise beyond her years.  And I know, I’m not clueless, but dad-blast it if I still don’t deal with a whole boatload of insecurities every time I send a book in.  And then magically it’s as if a negative gremlin living inside my head, starts tossing out self-doubt by the crap loads.  Things like: What if this book really sucks?  What if you only thought it was interesting.  What if nobody, starting with your editor, cares about your plot?

But I have learned that sometimes admitting our fears, voicing them, can actually help us cope and help us quiet that dab-burn gremlin.  And sometimes hearing that other people deal with insecurities too can help us deal with them.  Perhaps, feeling insecure just makes us human.  Well, not just human, because all my supernaturals feel it, too.

I think, besides a few lucky people, most of us deal with some kind of insecurities.  And I’ll even venture to say that on occasion, that gremlin makes me try harder to improve myself.  So maybe it’s not all bad.  Maybe it’s somewhat normal.  However, as normal as it may be to be afraid to fail, we cannot let that fear of failure stop us from trying.

What are you afraid of trying? Do you have one of those gremlin living inside your head telling you that you might fail?

Update:  I heard from my editor and she likes Reborn.  Revisions are light.  So take that you negative gremlin!!!

Howdy Guys!!!!

This Thursday I’m doing something really fun.  I’m coming together with a bunch of writers to raise money for the Literacy Volunteers of Montgomery County.  I don’t know about you, but as a reader, the idea of not being able to read and to lose myself in book, in someone else’s world, would be catastrophic.  So I love donating to literacy organizations who help others learn to read so they can discover this amazing past time.  And I have to admit, I also love getting together with other writers.  These gals are friends that I’ve known a long time, but because most of us live on opposite sides of this huge place referred to as Houston, we don’t get to visit very much.  So it will be special to spend some girl-time with them.

And you all know how important I think girl-time is.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with the man in my life, but there are things that the opposite sex just doesn’t get.  We need our girlfriends.  Just like Della, Kylie and Miranda need each other.  Like how they get together and have their diet coke round table meetings and share their problems and then share a lot of laughter.  So this Thursday, I’ll be sharing some time with my friends, signing a few books, meeting some fans and helping literacy.  It’s gonna be a great evening.  If you are in town, I hope you can make it.  They are even raffling off basket of goodies, and I’m donating a special basket filled with some wonderful items.

Happy New Year!!

Vote For Your Favorite

Yes, I’ve finished writing Reborn. So what’s the next step for me? Make the book trailer, of course! But what kind of video? Well, to help me figure that out, I went back and looked at all my previous ones. And I had so much fun, I thought I’d share them all with you.

Born at Midnight

Awake at Dawn

Taken at Dusk

Whispers at Moonrise

Chosen at Nightfall

Now, to help me out with the Reborn video, I’d like to hear from you.  Which video is your favorite?

Winner!

Last week’s winner of a cool Shadow Falls: After Dark promo packet is Misty Blankenship. Misty, please email your mailing address to cc@cchunterbooks.com. Congratulations!

 

 

Good News/Bad News

Has anyone ever come up to you and said, “I have good news and I have bad news.  Which one do you want to hear first?”  Well, I’m saying it to you now.  But for the record, I always ask people for the good news first, so let’s start with that.

My good news is actually an answer to Gabriella’s question on the blog I posted earlier.  Will the new series have Derek in it?  And the answer is a big YES!  In Reborn you will get a peek into the romance between Derek and Jenny.  Ahh, but there’s even more.  I wrote several scenes, from Derek’s point of view.  Some of them are scenes that actually happened in Chosen at Nightfall and some are scenes that happened off screen.  But these scenes are about Derek’s feelings toward Jenny.  And…my publisher is going to use these scenes to help promote Reborn.  So for all you Derek fans out there, you have a treat coming soon.

Another question by Hannah Rose (Yes, I’m postponing giving you the bad news): Does Della ever tell her family what she is?  That’s a really good question and one I’m considering as I write Eternal.  I’m thinking the answer might be yes, but it probably won’t happen soon.

Okay, are you ready for the bad news?  Don’t hate me! Please don’t buy a voodoo doll that looks like me and start poking it with pins. As I told you recently, I finally finished Reborn. And I really did, it’s done and my publisher now has it. However, I was a little late. As a result, the release date had to be changed from April 15, 2014 to May 20, 2014.

I know, that’s a whole month later, and some of you are already dying to get your hands on it, but I promise it will be worth the wait.  And I blame it all on Della.  That girl can be pretty stubborn and uncooperative. She didn’t always want to do what I wanted her to do. And I usually lost most of the arguments I had with her. But on the bright side, I think she was usually right. I’m really happy with the way it all turned out, and I hope you will be, too. You’re just going to have to wait a teeny, tiny bit longer to find out for yourself.

In the meantime, I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year! Do you have any special New Year’s Eve plans?  Maybe with a special someone?  Do you have any New Year resolutions?  This last year I lost almost 40 pounds and I still need to lose another 20.  So I’m going to be working hard on that.  I was going to a gym, but since I’ve moved I haven’t joined one around my new house.  So that is on my to-do list as well.

Giveaway!

Today, tell me what’s on your New Year to-do list and I’ll give away a promotional pack to one person. (Unfortunately, I have to limit this giveaway to US residents. If you are reading this on Goodreads, you have to leave your comment on my website blog for a chance to win.)