C.C. Hunter's Blog, page 46
February 20, 2012
Welcome to My Office
Come on in, and see where the magic happens. See the place where Kylie and her all her Shadow Falls friends come to life.
As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time in my office. Most [image error]writers do. A writer's office may not always be a room with a desk in a house. Some writers find inspiration at a local coffee shop or perhaps a cozy chair in their 
family room, but my office is pretty traditional. I have a room in my house with a wall of book cases and a big desk with my computer. Since I spend so much time there, I have made it as comfortable and inviting as possible. Which is why my cats (that's Bob on the right) and my dog, Lady, think my office is the perfect place to hang out.
My bookshelves hold loads of books, some I've read, some are in my to-be read file, but they also hold mementos and a few collections I have amassed over the years. Like my collection of Willow Tree figurines or the Fairy Godmother a friend gave me to remind me that magic is real.
Then there are the crazy little things that people have given me throughout my career. Things that somehow remind me to let my mind go and imagine anything and everything. Imagine vampires exist, imagine that werewolves walk quietly among us. Imagine a shape-shifter falling in love with a witch.
[image error]Yes, my office is my personal space, and as I look around it, I find 
inspiration. I never know when something my eyes land on may sparks a scene. Like the crazy dragon figurine that provoked the scene in Taken at Dusk when Perry morphed into dragon in the dining hall and smoked the rafters. Of course, he did it to protect Miranda. (Ahh, just wait until you read that scene.)
So, tell me, what do you surround yourself with? What does your personal space hold? Do you write or do homework in your room, at a desk, or maybe you sit at the local coffee shop. Do you collect anything?
February 13, 2012
Chocolate or Vanilla?
Happy Valentine's Day! And do you know what that means? Roses? Cards? Well, yes, but to me, it means chocolate. Today is probably the biggest day of the year for the gifting of chocolate. In fact, more than 58 million pounds of chocolate will be sold for V. Day. Wow, that's a lot of chocolate. And a lot of happy Valentine sweethearts. Americans eat between 10-12lbs. of chocolate per year. But we are way behind the Swiss, who consume the most in a year—22-24lbs.! (All that skiing must keep them thin.) However, chocolate consumption tends to be much lower in African and Asian countries. The Chinese, for example, eat one chocolate bar for every 1,000 bars eaten by the British.
Here are a few quick facts about this sweet, delicious food of the Gods we call chocolate:
• Chocolate is North America's favorite flavor: 52% of adults surveyed like chocolate best with vanilla and fruit flavored coming a distant second at 12%.
• Several medical studies show that eating chocolate in moderation can actually prolong your life by reducing risk of blood clots and fighting bad cholesterol. (YES!)
• In general, the shelf life for chocolate is a year. (OK, show me a house where chocolate sits around for a year. Seriously, I barely get mine from the car to the house.)
• U.S. chocolate manufacturers use 3.5 million pounds of whole milk every day to make chocolate.
• The largest chocolate bar ever made weighed over 5,000 pounds and was made in Italy in 2000. (And I bet even that one didn't last more than a week before it was gone.)
• Eating chocolate stimulates the brain's opioid production. Opioids are chemicals responsible for diminishing pain sensations, enhancing pleasurable ones, and creating a sense of overall well-being. (And guess what, those are the same things that happen when we fall in love. Oh…my, no wonder boys and chocolate go together.)
Honestly, chocolate always makes me feel better. How about you? I can remember reaching for Three Musketeers bar to get over a break up. And it did help, I swear. In fact, did you know that in the late 1800s, physicians sometime even prescribed chocolate as medicine? They claimed that eating chocolate could cure one's "love-inflicted pining." So, maybe those old time doctors knew their stuff.
So, how about it? Are you a fan of chocolate? Or are you in the 12% with those who prefer vanilla? What about dark chocolate versus milk chocolate? And where does white chocolate fit in to all this?
Whatever you prefer, I hope your honey gives you your favorite for Valentine's Day.
Shadow Falls T-Shirt Winners!
Congratulations to the ten lucky winners! Please email me at cc(at)cchunterbooks(dot) com with your snail mail address. Remember, you must live in the US or Canada.
Serenity Sheild
Jessica May
Katie Spenser
Jocelyn Mariscal
Ariel Boeger
Caroline Silwonuk
Sharon Bayantemur
Aubrey
Sally Beeck
Jessica Cochran
February 6, 2012
Happy Heart Day!
[image error]Ah, Valentine's Day. It's only a week away! Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays because it has to be the most romantic. And in case you haven't figured it out by now—I am a romantic.
Every year people plan for the day. They buy cards, send flowers, some even propose. I've never gotten a Valentine proposal. But I think Valentine's Day years ago was my first step to falling in love with a real hero. You see, I didn't get lucky in love the first go-around. I had just divorced, and had a shy, five-year-old little girl. We had just moved from Alabama to California—and we were both really afraid of starting all over. We met Steve Craig on Feb 2nd, the first night at my mom's apartment in California. He was a friend of my youngest uncle. When I first met him, our gazes seemed to lock, the attraction was there, but I didn't think I was ready to start dating. He assured me, we could just be friends. He said I was worth waiting for. And he did wait—for several months. But he never strayed too far. He told me later, that he was afraid some other guy would steal me away. And while we didn't actually start going out for a while, on the 14th, this friend not only sent me flowers, yellow roses, he sent my young daughter, a bouquet as well. I know she fell in love with him that day. And well, I pretty much did, too. What a guy. No wonder I married him.
Anyway, all these thoughts of romance got me wondering. Where did we get this whole idea for Valentine's Day? Where did it come from?
So after a little research, I discovered that originally it was called St. Valentine's Day, but somewhere along the way, we dropped the "saint." Perhaps because although there was an early Christian saint named Valentine, he was never associated with romantic love. No, that came much later with medieval courtly love in Europe. In fact, the earliest surviving valentine was written in the 15th century by Charles, The Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was being held in the Tower of London after his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. That sounds pretty romantic. So for centuries, people composed their own versus to give to their loved ones. But not everyone is a poet, including me. So in 1797, a book was published in England with suggested verses for those who couldn't think of their own. By the 19th century, mass produced paper valentines were being produced in England, which then spread to the U.S. Today, Valentine's Day is celebrated in many different countries all over the world, often with their own unusual twist. However, tradition in the U.S. means cards, flowers, and chocolates.
So, in celebration of Valentine's Day, I am premiering the book trailer for Taken at Dusk. I am so excited about it, as it is really cool. Check it out. Doesn't it make you want the book right now? I know…I know, I'm teasing you. But seriously, I can't wait for you guys to read Taken at Dusk. There's so much happening in this book.
Also to celebrate, I am giving away ten fabulous Shadow Falls t-shirts. I wanted this contest to be for my readers/fans who have already read book one and book two. So to win, all you have to do is send me the answers to the following questions: (DO NOT POST THE ANSWERS ON THE BLOG!)
1. Who is the ghost Kylie sees in Born at Midnight?
2. Who did Kylie catch showering (naked!) in Awake at Dawn?
Remember, PLEASE DO NOT answer the questions in the comment section of this blog! To enter, you must send your answers to my email at cc(at)cchunterbooks(dot)com. I will randomly select ten winners from those with the correct answers. Unfortunately, I have to limit the entrants to those residents of the U.S. and Canada. Sorry! Good luck!
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