Reader Exchange and Author Lauren Hunter

We recently had the honor and privilege of hearing from Author Lauren Hunter. We asked her to write a brief “About the Author” for our readers and answer our questionnaire.

Author Name:  Lauren Hunter

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing on and off most of my life. In grade school it was a weekly requirement. When the teacher was always reading my stories out to the class I found myself thinking that if the teacher likes them they must be okay.  So, from my early twenties I was writing poetry, and was asked to submit poems for various publications over the years. I guess I started my first novel in my twenties, worked on it on and off over the years. I did finish it. It’s a family saga that takes place starting around 1900, with all sorts of paranormal happenings, ghosts, visions of a previous life, and at one point he unknowingly steps through a doorway into the past. I did it long hand and have yet to retype it up on the computer. Then a few years ago I wrote my sci-fi in four weeks. Then some time after that I wrote my first regency. Then while editing my regency I stopped in the middle to write a sequel in six weeks. Then when my mom died I sat down and wrote two novels in two months so I wouldn’t think about it. Somewhere in the middle of all that I got halfway into a horror novel and started a fantasy novel as well.

I realize this answer ran off on a tangent. I could have just said: Since I was a kid. Or something like that. But that wouldn’t say much, and I wanted to give some meat and bones to the answer.

How many books have you written and what are their titles?

Five are completed and accepted for publication. One I haven’t offered yet, and two are a work in progress. The five accepted for publication are, The Awakening (sci-fi), The Coffee Shop (paranormal  romance),  From a Distance, Sarah’s Story, and Mine Own Heart (regency trilogy),  the horror novel maybe I’ll call it Jason’s Cabin. Haven’t settled on a name for the fantasy or the saga yet.

What inspired you to write a book?

When my work was so well received in grade school it made me take another look at writing as something I may do as a living. And when my novels started to be accepted for publication I realized this could actually be a reality for me, and I felt encouraged to continue, that I wasn’t living in some dream world and only hoping for what might be. I guess you could say the good reception coupled with my desire to write are what continue to inspire me.

Who were your mentors and icons?

I never had a mentor. My fourth grade teacher, Miss Geortzen, was very encouraging though, as was my six and seventh grade teacher, Mr. Brooks. Icons? Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, William Peter Blatty…

What is your favorite genre?

Oh, now that’s a loaded question. I have so many ideas, in so many different genres, that I can honestly say I don’t have a favorite.

Would you ever write in any other genres?

I think the better question would be what genres wouldn’t you write in? To be honest I don’t know. I’m sure there are probably genres I haven’t even thought of that may not appeal to me at all. I don’t write erotica.  More recently I have considered writing something to do with vampire or werewolf type stories. I am aware it has to be extremely unique to stand out from the crowd these days though, so I’d have to come up with something REALLY different.

Do you plan on writing more in the future?

I’m only getting started. *smiles*

What advice would you give someone who wanted to also write a book but weren’t sure whether or not they should or how to do it?

How to do it? If I start to get into that we’re going to be here a while. That question alone should maybe be for another time, maybe even a blog all by itself, to do it justice. As for what advice? This has been said time and again and although it starts to sound trite it has more importance than you can possibly imagine. Never give up. But here’s some more, and again this has most likely been said more times than not. Every time you get a rejection, if any comments have been made as to why it was rejected take that advice and incorporate it into your writing. Allow it to help improve what you’ve written so the next publisher may be more receptive to what you have to offer. How many times do we hear of people being rejected MANY times, and then to finally be published and for that book to go on to be a huge success, or to win an award? 

Where can my readers find more about you?

I have a number of different types of sites where you can find me, so it would depend on your preference as to which on you would like to visit or frequent. I have a fan page on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Myspace, and a website on Wix. I try to keep them all equally updated but if I am having a giveaway I will hold it on one site and mention it on all.

Blogger: http://laurenhunter-1.blogspot.com/

Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/LaurenHunterFanPage

Where can readers find your books and other work?

So far my Paranormal Romance, The Coffee Shop, is available at Musa Publishing, and is on Amazon, Bookstrand, All Romance Books/Omni lit, and Rainbow Ebooks, it may take a few weeks to be loaded up to Smashwords and Fictionwise.

Musa Publishing: http://www.musapublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=18

Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

I’d just like to thank you for reading my interview, I hope you like my book, The Coffee Shop, and I look forward to hearing what you think of it. Thank you.