CLP Blog Tours Interview and Excerpt: The Hunting by Kerry Peresta
**Interview**
When did you know writing was for you?
In high school, I consistently excelled in English and composition; anything literary. I even made straight A’s on grammar and identifying parts of the sentence! It was so easy for me. The sad thing is I didn’t even think about majoring in it in college – I still can’t figure that out. I was an art major.
After a crazy, bizarre journey through ill-fated marriages, raising four kids, and keeping my head above water until they were grown, I finally had time to breathe. I wrote a letter to the editor. He liked it. I got a call. “Do you want to do a humor column?” YES! Do I get paid, I asked? “Of course not!” I did it anyway, and to my delight, people liked it. I had a following. I got recognized in grocery stores! (Okay, so the town was really, really small, but whatever). I got hate mail! That’s when I knew I’d arrived. I was hooked. That was in 2009. I started writing “THE HUNTING” in 2011.
How would you describe your books?
Fast-paced. Engaging. Funny. Realistic. Probing. Tear-jerking. Clean. Elements of suspense. Elements of romance. Uplifting. Hopeful.
I typically write about women who have major issues, but are blind to them and thus begin a journey of consequences and self-discovery. (Somewhat like – cough,cough – me.) They may fall into a huge pit they’ve dug for themselves and someone else must pull them out; or they clamber out of the darn pit by themselves. My first book was written almost on auto-pilot as the words came pouring out in a torrent. My second book is moving more slowly because I’ve tackled a subject I haven’t exactly lived, but know many women who have. So I’m doing more research for backstory. Since I’m a debut novelist, I’m not exactly sure where my keyboard-pounding fingers will take me, but I’m pretty sure it will have to do with flawed female protagonists that wrestle with life. Or their kids, or their men. Either way, they have serious wrestling issues.
Why was The Hunting a book you wanted to write?
I wrote the book because I wanted to write something edgy, snarky and real that had no gratuitous, steamy, moist sex scenes and very little profanity. My experience with women’s fiction has been that they are Danielle Steele-esque, or Nora Roberts-esque. Both are wonderful writers. However, I wanted to write something in between these voices.
My character, Isabelle Lewis, (Izzy) has been divorced a couple times and is clueless why she cannot seem to pick a man that is undamaged and therefore able to be responsible, dependable, and forthright. So she simply compartmentalizes her crippled emotions, and continues mothering, making a living, doing what she has to do. She doesn’t realize her interactions with men are attracting the wrong kind of attention, but it feels so good she cannot resist it! So she dives into online dating with both hands, both feet, and her entire heart. Which, not surprisingly, causes major fallout. This is a very real issue worthy of discussion. But it also had a zillion opportunities for humor. Which is quite often how we survive the tough stuff, right ladies?
What is the hardest part of the writing process for you?
Organization and structure. I’ve had enough writing instruction to know that there are major plot points and scenes that attach to each point and character arcs to consider. I’ve even scribbled the illustrative diagrams in my notebook. I know that the protagonist must fall into major despair and then be pulled out only to be pushed back again and almost killed, metaphorically or physically, before final resolution of the story. I know all this. I do.
But I struggle with making sure it’s all included, so my initial outline is kind of a scrawled, haphazard work in progress. I am much more organic in how I write, but I do visit the outline now and again.
What are your favorite genres to read?
Interestingly, I love murder mysteries and stories about the criminal mind. (Yes, I love the show Crinminal Mind too!) I’m a sucker for all those cop shows. But since I’m clearly devoid of the inner workings of police or detective work, I just cannot bring myself to write in that genre. All my stories, however, have cliffhanger, suspense stuff going on.
I’ve tried – but failed – to immerse myself in historical fiction or literary fiction. The writing is often beautiful, but for me, it simply takes too much concentration and I bog down. I like fast-paced, first-person, edgy, irreverent writing. Not in the religious sense, but in the ‘let’s make fun of life’ sense. I love the Jack Reacher books. He’s a ‘make fun of life’ guy if I ever saw one. I’d attack him on the street. I love Dean Koontz books, although I won’t read his flat-out horror, I enjoy his science fiction and third dimension-ish stories. Dean Koontz’ writing leaves me Breathless. (Get it, Dean Koontz fans? Breathless…one of his book titles?) I do love a good Chick Lit read, of course! The beachy stuff gets me every time. Dorothea Benton Frank? Oh my goodness. What fun!
What do you want readers to take away from your story?
That there is always HOPE no matter how dark the night. That we are never alone, not really. A dark, long tunnel is just that – a long tunnel. There is always light at the end of it.
Additionally, laughing at ourselves and realizing everyone has issues and problems keeps us grounded. That our wrestling matches with life keep us humble, teach us a lot, and are temporary. Not only do they make life interesting, but our personal success stories are beneficial to others about to go down the same road.
How important do you think social media is for authors these days?
Oh so VERY impossibly important. I was overwhelmed at one point, had a long talk with myself and decided I would choose four, major on those, then go from there. Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. Goodreads. Plus, an author website is important and it should contain a blog. One that has relatively recent posts that are interesting to the author’s genre. I found my publisher on Twitter through relationships I’d developed there, and my website designer through LinkedIn. LinkedIn has incredible writer groups that provide excellent information. It is imperative that authors have a basic understanding and relationship with social media. I’ve barely scratched the surface.
What would be your advice to aspiring writers?
1) Find a local critique group. They are invaluable! Plus, other writers you meet within these groups have connections you may need.
2) Attend book fairs and writer’s conferences. Such a depth of information! The conference speakers teach on everything from character development to legal issues to how to write a query letter. You’ll meet authors hawking their books that will share first-hand information and also agents that sometimes will ask to see a sample of your work. Don’t be shy, ask!
3) Look for opportunities to improve your craft. Local community colleges offer many types of writing courses at reasonable rates. Many are at night, if working hours are a problem. Online courses are an option, but for me, the community is important as well as the skill. Seek to improve your writing via any route you can find.
4) If you’ve finished your masterpiece, ask your writing buddies for the name of a good editor. A good editor is important. LinkedIn has thousands. I would suggest hiring an editor before submitting your manuscript to publishers or agents.
5) Persevere. Your success may be right around the corner!
**Excerpt**
PROLOGUE
There is just one man at the bar, sitting in the darkest, most lonely corner of it, nursing a drink. I gaze around the room, looking for the mystery man I’d arranged to meet. I order a glass of wine as I wait and move toward the empty stools. The bartender works his way over, stops in front of me and smiles.
“What’ll it be tonight, Izzy?”
“A pinot, I think. Do you have Bearboat?”
“Yep.” He plucks a bottle from the shelves behind the bar, deftly uncorks, and pours. “Give it a sec, Izzy.” I nod, wait impatiently for the wine to breathe. Turning the stool around, I scan the bar in case the man appears. After a few minutes, I swirl and sniff, then sip. Heaven in a glass.
The man who had been sitting alone at the far end of the bar pushes off his stool and walks toward me. My eyes lock on his face as he emerges from the dark. The scene unfolds eerily, like something from an old Hitchcock movie. I clutch the stem of the wine glass like a security blanket and lift it to my mouth. The disgust I feel spikes as he pulls out a stool and sits beside me. The stench of cheap cologne curls up my nose. He must have freshened it since our meeting at the office. I still feel the sting of his words.
“Understandable that you are upset, Izzy. We need to clear the air, I think.” I turn my head toward him, my lips a firm line.
“I agree,” I spit out. “But this is not the time. I’m meeting someone in a few minutes. So can we talk about this at the office tomorrow?” Twin rows of perfectly straight, white teeth blaze through the dim lighting.
“Nope. We’re gonna talk about it right now. Who you waiting for, by the way?”
“My business. We’ve had this discussion.” His grin does not diminish by a single kilowatt.
“Yeah. We have. However, the discussion is ongoing.” A beat of silence. “Dreamsicle.”
The dread starts at my toes and slithers the entire vertical length of my body. My brain, a hiccup or two behind the dread, snags the realization I’ve been had. An impromptu prayer pops into my head before I can argue with myself that it never works.
I turn to him, my tongue finally loosed, mad as hell. “You? You! What are you thinking? This breaks every privacy law ever legislated, for Pete’s sake! This is . . . this is . . . unspeakable!”
The smile falters, then disappears. His eyes, in the murky light, are unblinking. Reptilian.
“Izzy, you and I have some business to process together.” His lips press close to my ear and he whispers, “For Chrissakes, you treat me like a leper. It’s going to stop. Now.”
My hand reaches instinctively to cover my ear and he backs away. The moistness of the whispered words lingers. I rub my ear and put my hand back in my lap. My hand still clenches the stem of the wine glass. I am afraid I will break it, so I unwrap my fingers, nestle the globe instead, and drink. The glass makes a soft clink when I set it down. I focus my eyes behind the bar. My mind spins furiously. Doesn’t this fall under the realm of predatory? How does one go about proving it?
CHAPTER 1
Izzy
I tell myself the late night had been worth it. The date had turned out to be a disaster, I’d missed my alarm this morning and my kids had been upset and snarky before they’d left for school, but let’s look at the bright side. I can cross one more guy off the list. Dabbing concealer on the dark half-moons under my eyes in morning rush hour traffic, I strive, but fail, to keep my Honda in the lane. I ignore the angry honks of startled motorists, and correct my course with one knee. I screech into the Sentinel’s parking lot a few minutes late, swipe on tinted lip gloss as a final nod to looking presentable, grab my purse and speed-walk into the building, hoping my hair is not sticking out in all directions.
The ancient elevator in the lobby, a dubious attempt at historic preservation in the heart of downtown Chatbrook Springs, creaks from the third floor to the first when I push the button. The doors take a full four seconds to open. I wonder, as I step in, why I don’t just run up the stairs to save time. Leaping out of the elevator before the doors fully open, I toss my purse on my desk conveniently located exactly two steps away, and thread my way through the maze of cubicles to the corner conference room.
“Hey, Iz!” My assistant yells at me across twenty thousand square feet of industrial carpeting divided into two workspaces by a wide strip of ugly linoleum. I spin around on one foot. He lifts a fresh ad proof he has retrieved from the production department, unfurls, and points to it. I squint at it, and him, nod vigorously, then lift my hand in the classic thumb-and-forefinger circle, which translates as Go ahead and clear it.
The other assistants sprinkled throughout the room smile at the exchange, glancing at each other and the moon-faced clock on the wall. I huff an exasperated sigh. Single parents have a little more to do in the mornings than some people. A recently hired young assistant with a shocking splash of orange in her hair approaches, her hand motioning me closer.
**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of The Hunting before January 6 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**
Author Bio:
Kerry Peresta’s publishing credits include a popular newspaper and e-zine humor column, “The Lighter Side,” short stories in the published anthology, “That One Left Shoe,” and her debut novel, recently released by Pen-L Publishing, “The Hunting,” contemporary women’s fiction. She spent twenty-five years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, and copywriter before deciding to devote more of her time to writing. She is currently working on her second novel, participating in writing conferences, and serving on the leadership team of the Maryland Writers’ Association. Kerry was a single mother for many years to four great kids, all grown and successfully carving out their own unique paths. She and her husband live in the Baltimore metro area. Learn more about Kerry atwww.kerryperesta.com.
Buy the Book!
http://amzn.com/B00H25O958 - eBook
http://amzn.to/1helhh8 - paperback
http://kerryperesta.com/about-the-hunting/
