Welcome Denise Hunter

Welcome, Denise. It’s great to have you here. I only recently came across your books and have read quite a few of them since then. Can you give me a snapshot of you and your typical day?

I’m so glad you’re enjoying my books, Jodie. My typical day starts around 7:30. I spend time with my hubby until he leaves for work, then I get ready for the day, do a little devotion, and get to writing. I put out 2 books a year, so I have a 6-page goal each day. Some days that takes me a few hours, sometimes much longer. I break for lunch and get back to writing. Afternoons are spent on reader correspondence, social media, communicating with my publishing team and personal appointments. I cook dinner and eat with my hubby when he returns home and we chill out in the living room the rest of the night. Sometimes there’s a neighborhood walk and ice cream run involved. 🙂

I think six pages a day is manageable. Your current series is set along the Appalachian Trail. In your first book, Riverbend Gap, you mentioned a blind man who hiked along the trail. Years ago, my husband met this man while hiking the trail in Virginia. Did you come across any other interesting details when researching the trail?

How fascinating. I only hiked a few hours of the trail, and I can’t imagine tackling that while blind. Doing research about the trail was so interesting! Each year 3 million people hike the Appalachian Trail. More than 3,000 of those are thru-hikers (hiking the whole 2,000+ mile trail). This endeavor takes 5-7 months on average. Some of these hikers are seeking an adventurous challenge or are looking to escape the stress of city life. Others want to go off the grid or are looking to heal a broken heart. Only about ¼ of the people attempting a thru-hike actually manage to complete the trail.

I’ve only hiked a short distance too. How did you come up with this series and what are your favorite things about Mulberry Hollow?

I first envisioned this series when I was in Georgia, researching my Blue Ridge series. Quite by accident I found out that the Appalachian Trail started in a nearby town, so I decided to check it out. From there I became more curious about the trail. My favorite thing about Mulberry Hollow is the slow-burn romance between Wes and Avery. Neither of them are seeking love—in fact, they’re quite opposed to the idea—so a friendship between them develops naturally. Falling in love is inconvenient for both of them!

It’s such a fun read. Can you share a little bit about your upcoming book three, Harvest Moon? When will it be releasing?

Harvest Moon releases September 6. The story is about a divorced couple who, because of a tragedy, ends up with guardianship of their friends’ little girl. The two of them must put aside their complicated past for the sake of the child. I love reconciliation stories because the past they share offers a treasure trove of emotion that just pours into the present-day story.

I can’t wait. I imagine you have something new you’re writing right now. What are you working on next?

I’m always working on something! I’m currently finishing up a beach book that releases in March 2023. It’s about a western writer who’s trying to salvage her fledgling career as an author, In order to do so, she must write a marketable romance novel. There’s only one problem . . . she’s never been in love!

Ooh, that sounds like fun. 🙂 I think I’ve read in your acknowledgements a thank you to Colleen Coble. How did that relationship develop?

Colleen is the best! We’ve been friends and critique partners for almost 25 years. When we met, we were just starting out and were writing for the same publisher. We connected on an email loop and discovered we only lived 45 minutes from one another. We’ve been attending conferences, brainstorming, and sharing our lives ever since.  

What a sweet photo and story. I’m always looking for ways I can improve as a writer. Do you have any advice about writing or finding a writing mentor?

Conferences, either local or national, are great for connecting with other writers. Some of my favorite writing resources are Stein on Writing and Writing the Breakout Novel. I learned so much from those books.

That’s great. With balancing writing and life, what has been one of your most difficult writing challenges?

The biggest challenge was when I was raising my kids. When I started writing, I wrote during their naptimes. Talk about slow going! But even at one page a day, you’ll have book by the end of the year. It got easier when they were in school, but summers were still a challenge. I wrote many chapters in the car while chauffeuring kids to and from practices.

Thank you for sharing. For me, prayer is an integral part of my writing process. With that in mind, how can we pray for you and your writing?

It’s always my goal to write the story God wants me to write. I don’t want to waste six months of my life writing something that doesn’t matter. I want to write the story He lays on my heart.

So true. How can readers keep in contact with you?

You can find more information about my books and sign up for my newsletter at www.denisehunterbooks.com I love connecting with readers on social media! You can find me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter) Twitter (https://twitter.com/DeniseAHunter) or Instagram (www.Twitter.com/deniseahunter).