{"id":22539,"date":"2017-11-05T06:57:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-05T11:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=22539"},"modified":"2017-10-31T18:01:58","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T23:01:58","slug":"interview-with-denise-hunter-blue-ridge-sunrise-launch-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=22539","title":{"rendered":"Interview With Denise Hunter | Blue Ridge Sunrise Launch Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22370\" src=\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blue-Ridge-Sunrise.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"901\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blue-Ridge-Sunrise.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blue-Ridge-Sunrise-100x150.jpg 100w, https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Blue-Ridge-Sunrise-150x225.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Purchase a copy of &#8220;Blue Ridge Sunrise&#8221; on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0718090500\/\">Amazon<\/a> or at your favorite Christian retailer.<\/p>\n<p>Denise Hunter&#8217;s latest novel &#8220;Blue Ridge Sunrise&#8221; releases on Tuesday, November 7. To help celebrate its release I am featuring an interview with the author about her work. I actually reviewed &#8220;Blue Ridge Sunrise&#8221; in September. You can read that review and a description of the book <a href=\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=22368\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So now on to the interview&#8230;<\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124636\"><strong><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124634\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124633\">1. If someone has never read your books before, what would be the one thing you\u2019d hope they take away from your novels?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124593\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124632\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124631\">My primary job when writing a novel is to make the reader feel something. Specifically, I want the reader to experience the vicarious thrill of falling in love, feel each crushing heartache, and ultimately enjoy a satisfying sigh as the couple\u00a0achieves their happily-ever-after. I hope to make the reader laugh and cry, because when we\u2019re fully engaged in a story that way, we feel empathy, and we learn right along side the protagonist. Story can be a very powerful tool.<br clear=\"none\" \/> <br clear=\"none\" \/> <\/span><\/span><strong>2. It\u2019s so exciting that you\u2019ve had two of your books, The Convenient Groom and A December Bride adapted\u00a0into original Hallmark movies.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Hallmark\u00a0<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124647\">movies almost always revolve around romantic love, so contemporary romance novels that have lots of good \u201cfeels\u201d fall right into their sweet spot. They also keep their content clean so it makes sense that they\u2019d actively seek wholesome novels like mine. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>3.\u00a0Without giving away spoilers,\u00a0what was your hardest scene to write in Blue Ridge Sunrise?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The most challenging scene for me is usually the last scene and epilogue of the book. I really labor over those last couple of chapters, making sure they strike just the right note. I\u2019m not just a writer\u2014I\u2019m a reader too\u2014and I know how frustrating it is when the ending of a book let\u2019s me down. I try my hardest to make the ending of every book I write gratifying for the reader.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. How do you select the names of your characters?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I keep a\u00a0\u201cBaby Names\u201d\u00a0book on hand for that. I always make sure I put it\u00a0away\u00a0before we have company over lest they make an\u00a0erroneous\u00a0assumption!<\/p>\n<p><strong>5.\u00a0Is it harder for you to write from the male or female character point of view? Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124650\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124649\">I actually feel comfortable writing both points of view. Of course, being a woman, I have no trouble getting into a female protagonist&#8217;s head. But I also have a husband and\u00a0three sons, so I think I\u2019ve been adequately\u00a0exposed to the male perspective also! <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>6.\u00a0Romances have a way of making us both laugh and cry. What is the first romance that made you laugh? First that made you cry?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When I was in the seventh grade my sister introduce me to Jane Eyre by\u00a0Charlotte\u00a0Bront\u00eb. That story met both of those requirements and then some!<\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124655\"><em><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124653\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124652\">\u201cNo sight so sad as that of a naughty child,&#8221; he began, &#8220;especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?&#8221;<\/span><\/span><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124657\"><br clear=\"none\" \/> &#8220;They go to hell,&#8221; was my ready and orthodox answer.<br clear=\"none\" \/> &#8220;And what is hell? Can you tell me that?&#8221;<br clear=\"none\" \/> &#8220;A pit full of fire.&#8221;<br clear=\"none\" \/> &#8220;And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?&#8221;<br clear=\"none\" \/> &#8220;No, sir.&#8221;<br clear=\"none\" \/> <span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124656\">&#8220;What must you do to avoid it?&#8221;<\/span><br clear=\"none\" \/> <span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124682\">I deliberated a moment: my answer, when it did come was objectionable: &#8220;I must keep in good health and not die.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124681\"><em> \u00a0<span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124662\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124661\">\u201cDo you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! &#8211; I have as much soul as you, &#8211; and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1509063551063_124663\"><strong> \u00a07. Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with bad or good ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I think I\u2019m in the minority here, but yes, I do read reviews. The good ones encourage me, and the bad ones help me become a better writer. That\u2019s not to say they\u2019re always easy to read; a writer\u2019s work is very personal. But the skin does get thicker with time, and I find that the potential for growth outweighs the momentary sting of criticism.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Former free spirit Zoe Collins swore she\u2019d never again set foot in Copper Creek or speak to the man who broke her heart. But return she must when her beloved Granny dies, leaving the family legacy to Zoe\u2013a peach orchard nestled at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains.<\/p>\n<p>When Zoe returns home with her daughter and boyfriend Kyle, she finds that she\u2019s the only person in town who doesn\u2019t expect her to give up the life she\u2019s established far away from Copper Creek. Everyone believes she was born to run the orchard, but how can she make it her home after so many years?<\/p>\n<p>Cruz Huntley never quite got over his first love Zoe Collins, the little sister of his best friend Brady. Not when she cheated on him during their \u201cbreak,\u201d not when she took off to parts unknown with good-for-nothing Kyle Jenkins, and not even now\u2014five years later.<\/p>\n<p>As life-changing decisions and a history with Cruz hang over Zoe\u2019s head, tensions rise between her and Kyle. Even as she comes to terms with the shifting relationships in her life, Zoe still isn\u2019t sure if she can remain in Copper Creek with her new responsibilities . . . and her first love.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-22184\" src=\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Denise-Hunter.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 149px) 100vw, 149px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Denise-Hunter.jpg 149w, http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Denise-Hunter-112x150.jpg 112w\" alt=\"\" width=\"149\" height=\"200\" \/>Denise Hunter<\/strong> is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 25 books, including \u201cThe Convenient Groom\u201d and \u201cA December Bride\u201d which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader\u2019s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.<\/p>\n<p>Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.<\/p>\n<p>In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she\u2019s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!<\/p>\n<p>When Denise isn\u2019t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband have three boys and are rapidly approaching an empty nest.<\/p>\n<p>You can learn more about Denise through her website <a href=\"http:\/\/www.DeniseHunterBooks.com\">www.DeniseHunterBooks.com<\/a> or by visiting her FaceBook page at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/authordenisehunter\">https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/authordenisehunter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Purchase a copy of &#8220;Blue Ridge Sunrise&#8221; on Amazon or at your favorite Christian retailer. Denise Hunter&#8217;s latest novel &#8220;Blue Ridge Sunrise&#8221; releases on Tuesday, November 7. To help celebrate its release I am featuring an interview with the author about her work. I actually reviewed &#8220;Blue Ridge Sunrise&#8221; in September. You can read that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[233,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-interview","category-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22539"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22542,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22539\/revisions\/22542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}