AN INTERVIEW WITH DIANN HUNT

I have author Diann Hunt with me in our little cyber café, and she’s ready to give us a glimpse into her life as a writer. So, pull up a chair and have a cup of French roast with us…

Diann, tell me about your most recent book release.

My latest release, Hot Flashes & Cold Cream, is published by WestBow Press, and it just hit the shelves!  The main character, Maggie Hayden, gives an insightful look at midlife with all its emotional and physical upheavals.  Hey, they say to write what you know, and well, it’s what I know. ;-)

I absolutely love your Web site. It’s light and fun and inviting. Did you have a lot of input in its design? (By the way, Diann’s Web site address is www.diannhunt.com if you want to check it out.)

Thanks! Tiffany Stockton, my web designer (with Eagle Designs), is a genius! I told her I wanted something fun and I wanted colors to go along with the cover of Hot Flashes & Cold Cream.  I provided the text and she came up with the rest.

I noticed your powder blue Web site is also peppered with purple and red. Are you a red hat lady?

Not yet, but soon will be! :) I’m talking to a couple of groups here in town, narrowing down the one that best fits with my schedule.  Can’t wait! :)

The cover on your book, hot flashes and cold cream, is irresistible. And the title is equally enticing. How did you come up with the title?

WestBow did an AWESOME job on the cover!  I love it! 

As for the title, my husband and I were both brainstorming a title. We kept mulling over different words, then he went to work.  I wrote down some titles, one of which was Hot Flashes & Cold Cream.  He called me and named off some titles he came up with, and that was one he had, too.  So we submitted it and WestBow kept it. :)

Humor is a part of what you write. How did that happen? Have you always been funny?

I don’t consider myself funny, but I guess I’ve always had a little ornery sarcasm in me—which, by the way, my daughter says is far more noticeable now that I’m in the peri-menopausal stage of life.

Your brand—turning wrinkles into laugh lines—is catchy. Is there a story behind that line?

My husband, daughter and I were brainstorming tag lines for the longest time and couldn’t come up with anything that clicked. One day my daughter and I were talking on the phone about the style of my writing and she says off the cuff, “Yeah, you just sort of turn wrinkles into laugh lines,” then she goes on talking and I scream, “That’s it!”  She’s like, “What?”  “That’s my tag line, my brand, “Turning Wrinkles into Laugh Lines.”  WestBow loved it, so we went with it.

I noticed you write about your empty nest on your Web site. Has writing helped you battle this potentially emotional season of life?

Definitely. My husband is a school principal and many times has PTO and other type meetings in the evenings. Our house used to blare with noise and commotion and all of a sudden it grew quiet. I didn’t like that, but once I started writing, it helped me to keep my mind off of how much I missed the kids, the void they left behind—all that, and I was able to keep positive and start enjoying the journey.

How many years did you write before you were published?

I’ve always enjoyed writing, whether it was making up stories or writing in a journal.  But in 1998 I wrote an article for Victoria Magazine’s Reader-to-Reader newsletter and they published it.  I published another article with them in 1999.  Then I took a fiction writing class after that and in 2000 submitted a novella proposal, which was rejected.  Near the end of the year, I submitted another novella proposal which was accepted and published in 2001.  I still have to pinch myself.

What did you do the moment you found out about your first book sale? Scream? Sing the doxology? Eat chocolate?

Ha!  I got an email from Becky Germany notifying me that they wanted to publish my novella, Healing Voyage, in their Love Afloat anthology.  I had to read the mail twice before I believed what I was reading.  Then I screamed!  My husband nearly keeled over, our dog was barking and bouncing off the walls, the kids ran into the bedroom, phone in hand, no doubt ready to have me committed. It was hilarious. 

What author influenced you the most in your writing?

Rosey Dow got me started on the road to writing. She walked me through the different aspects, such as, POV, turning points, black moment, all that. Rosey later moved and we lost touch with each other. Then I met Colleen Coble, and she is a writer/teacher/mentor extraordinaire.  I’ve told her a million times I owe her my firstborn.  She wants one of my granddaughters, but I’m not willing to go there yet. J

What are your top five favorite books? (written by other authors).

When I was twenty, I read a series of Mama/Papa books by an author whose name I can’t remember, but I think her last name was B’journ.  I loved those books!

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Lori Copeland’s Bride series

Of course I love all of my brainstorming buddies’ books, Colleen Coble, Kristin Billerbeck and Denise Hunter.

One of my favorite non-fiction books is “Rees Howells, Intercessor to Prayer”

Do you enhance your creativity at the computer with special music, scents, snack foods, or favorite beverages?

Definitely.  I always have light classical music and scented candles.  Okay, and sometimes chocolate.

How do you organize your time as a writer? Do you multitask?

I’m always multi-tasking.  Hey, I can switch back and forth between my work in progress, eating chocolate and reading my email. J

Normally, though, my work day consists of writing in the mornings, and doing the less creative things, such as, filing and that type of thing, in the afternoon.  I’m a total slug in the afternoon.  Not a creative thought in my head after lunch.

Do you still experience rejections? What do you do about them?

Oh sure.  Rejections are as much a part of this business as chocolate—though a lot less fun.

Is there a bit of you hiding in all your characters or are they compilations of people you meet?

Yes, there are parts of me in all my characters, but please don’t ask me which parts. J  I don’t always recognize something of myself in a character until a friend or family member points it out. It’s funny how that happens.

What is your best piece of advice to new writers?

When I started writing, I got up from 4:00 to 6:00 every morning before my day job just so I could write.  I am NOT a morning person, but if you want something badly enough, you’ll do what it takes.  So my advice is this. If it’s your passion, give it your best and never give up.  Read books on writing, take classes and attend writing conferences. Study people, absorb the world around you, then sit down and just do it. WRITE.

What is one of your long-term goals as a writer?

My goal is to improve, stay teachable, and keep writing the stories God places on my heart.

Is there anything you wanted to add?

This has been great fun, Anita!  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my journey.  And if you know anyone who is struggling with Hot Flashes, tell them I have just the book . . . . ;-)

Thanks for taking the time to chat with me, Diann. It’s been a hoot!