Cemeteries by Moonlight (States of Love) by Hunter Frost
Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: AngstyG
Available for Pre-order Links:
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Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words is happy to host Hunter Frost here today. Welcome, Hunter. Please tell us about yourself, and your latest release, Cemeteries by Moonlight:
Many thanks to Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words for giving me the floor today. I’m thrilled to answer a few questions in hopes that you’ll get to know me and my work a little better. Also, I’m excited to promote my newest release – Cemeteries by Moonlight – that drops on January 18th. This book will be my first from Dreamspinner Press and part of the States of Love series. I was incredibly fortunate to claim Louisiana and craft my story around the ever-intriguing French Quarter. Cemeteries by Moonlight is a murder mystery with a cast of quirky characters anchored by the romance of a crime fiction writer and a cemetery tour guide. I consider it delightfully noir with a paranormal edge, and I loved writing it.
Where do you normally draw your inspiration for a book from? A memory, a myth, a place or journey, or something far more personal?
From everywhere and everything. Inspiration is such an interesting creature. I am inspired every day by any number of objects (like art, furniture, landscapes, slot machines), experiences (like walking in the park, driving, shopping, flying, hiking, eating at a buffet), or media (movies, music, books, or Twitter)… I could go on. It’s the spark that ignites when I say to myself, what if…And voila, a story is born!
For my most current release, Cemeteries by Moonlight, I was inspired by my many trips to New Orleans. I’ve been there with friends, boyfriends, and even met a guy there I’d only previously talked to on the internet (who ended up having a glass eye and working as a car salesman – but I digress). I have walked the streets of the French Quarter at both ten at night and five in the morning. I’ve eaten beignets at Café Du Monde. I’ve been propositioned by prostitutes and given a lap dance by a man in drag. I’ve also felt the bitter cold in St. Louis Cemetery in February. The place can be magical and yet painfully real at the same time and I knew I’d have to use it one day as the setting of a story.
Are you a planner or a pantzer when writing a story? And why?
I’m a hardcore planner all the way. I could plan for years if I let myself. Thankfully, I’ve cut back on that ☺ I think my planning obsession stems from feeling like I have some sort of control when the characters are speaking to me in such a cacophony of voices. That said, keeping a thorough outline doesn’t mean I don’t allow for change. Quite the contrary, for with that outline down I can be pulled several different directions and follow those unlikely paths, if I so desire. Because I know that down the road if something breaks or falls flat, I can always come back to the original plan. Planning functions as a safety net. I don’t mind taking the leap, if I know I won’t die a horrible death miscalculating the jump.
Contemporary, supernatural, fantasy, or science fiction narratives or something else? Does any genre draw you more than another when writing it or reading it and why does it do so?
Obviously I’m drawn to mystery and paranormal as evidenced by my newest book. Something about danger and suspense gets me going. Fear is a crazy sexy thing at times and it’s fun to play with in novels. I also love contemporary because it’s natural and comfortable when it comes to reading and writing. But I really do adore historicals. I’m a history geek with an MA in British history and regularly read Victorian and Regency era romance. The language, the fashion, and the culture are all so achingly beautiful. One day I have plans to write a couple historicals, but I know I would anguish over minute details that most wouldn’t care about. If I can manage to let the little things go, I might be able to get them published by 2050 😉
Were you an early reader or were you read to and what childhood books had an impact on you as a child that you remember to this day and why?
My parents read to me from very early on and I soon grew to read voraciously on my own. In my formative pre-teen years I was in love with suspense novels like those of R.L. Stine. But I’m not talking Goosebumps. The books I read were from the late eighties and geared toward a slightly older teen. Point was the publisher and my favorite author was Richie Tankersley Cusick. Her stories always had murder, mystery, romance, and chill-inducing suspense. I read them on the edge of my seat and I could never guess who was the killer. To this day, I’ll pick one of her books up to study how she managed to keep me hooked from the first page to the last.
I’m still learning, but I do believe practice makes perfect. So expect more mystery, suspense, and always romance from me in the future.
Cemeteries by Moonlight
By Hunter Frost
When a serious bout of writer’s block threatens to delay mystery author Drew Daniels’s newest book, his aunt offers her New Orleans apartment in the heart of the French Quarter as a writing retreat. She neglects to mention that it’s occupied by the enigmatic and sexy Finn Murphy, a cemetery tour guide with a penchant for Victorian attire and a Cajun accent.
A body discovered in an open crypt forces reclusive Drew to deal with Finn’s eccentric group of friends and his underlying attraction to the hot Cajun—despite warnings about Finn’s violent past. Drew might write this stuff, but he’s never had to solve a real-life murder. With a deadline looming and a killer on the loose, this retreat is proving to be anything but helpful for Drew’s novel. Drew can only hope he won’t end up a tragic tale for the Ghostly Legends & Lore, Inc. haunted tour.
States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.
Release Date: January 18, 2017
About the Author
Hunter’s early addiction to the smell of printed books led her to spend most of her childhood in libraries and bookstores. There she fell in love with stories featuring medieval castles, ghosts, and handsome heroes. Though writing has always been a part of her life, after college she went on to explore careers in graphic design, the culinary arts, and dog grooming before returning to graduate school to get her MA in British history. To pay the bills she spends her days working for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, but to appease her overactive muse, she writes the kind of fiction that keeps her sane. She adores romance in all forms, but prefers her stories with two heroes that find their happily-ever-after with each other.
Hunter would rather watch Spaceballs (or any Mel Brooks movies really), despite being born in the same year as Star Wars. She loves Monty Python, MST3K, and cheesy rom-coms from the ’80s and ’90s. Her wacky sense of humor is only paralleled by her hopeless romanticism. She’s a goth at heart and a sucker for men with long hair. She adores everything British, but insists tea be drunk without milk. She’s a pescetarian with vegan tendencies and has two fat little cats named after her favorite beverage – Latte and Java. She dreams of coastal living, marshmallows, and Matt Bomer.
Feel free to connect with her through any of her social media accounts, or send her an email. She welcomes messages from readers and/or Brits looking to adopt.
E-mail: hunter@hunterfrost.net
Website: www.hunterfrost.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hunterfrostMM
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HunterFrostMM
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hunterfrost75/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunterfrostmm/
After a devastating breakup with the man he thought he’d spend his life with, Flynn Webb takes a vacation to a South Dakota dude ranch. It’s something completely different from anything he’s done before, and it helps that it’s as far away from his ex as possible. Trapped in his own depressive thoughts, Flynn is surprised to meet Grayson Harland. Not only is Grayson a sexy cowboy—one fifteen years younger—but he’s the most charming man Flynn has ever met.
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 