Wednesday, June 01, 2011

THE FINE ART OF INSINCERITY - Angela Hunt - Free Book

Welcome back, Angela. Why do you write the kind of books you do?

LOL!  If you can tell me what “kind” of books I write, then maybe I can tell you why I write them.

Besides when you came to know the Lord, what is the happiest day in your life?

Any day I get to play with a puppy.

How has being published changed your life?

I’ve been a working writer for so long I’m not sure I remember . . . but I do remember the night I learned that I’d sold my first book. I lay in bed, sleepless, thinking and feeling that a heavy weight of responsibility had just been placed on my shoulders because books have the power to change lives. That’s awesome, a bit intimidating, and humbling.

What are you reading right now?

Swamplandia, One True Thing, and books on near death experiences.


What is your current work in progress?

Five Miles South of Peculiar.

What would be your dream vacation?

A week in a mountain cabin.

How do you choose your settings for each book?

Sometimes the setting is dictated by the plot; sometimes it’s simply a place I’d like to visit, so I do. Research, you know.

If you could spend an evening with one person who is currently alive, who would it be and why?

I have several really good friends that I’d love to spend more time with. Any one of them would do. Why? Because that would be a tiny taste of eternity.

What are your hobbies, besides writing and reading?

At the moment—I tend to have obsessions—baking. I’ve become a cake boss aficionado and love baking Buddy Valestro’s recipes.


What is your most difficult writing obstacle, and how do you overcome it?

Plots come naturally to me; character struggles don’t come naturally. I usually depend on other people, directly or indirectly, to give me ideas.


What advice would you give to a beginning author? 

Get thee to a writers’ conference post haste.

Very good advice. Tell us about the featured book. 

The Fine Art of Insincerity springs from my real life—I am the eldest of three sisters and I did have a multi-married grandmother who used to do all the things Grandma Lillian does. But from that starting point, the rest of the story is fiction. Really.

Please give us the first page of the book.

Prologue
Ginger

          “You can’t tell your sisters,” my grandmother once told me, “what I’m about to tell you.”
          I listened, eyes big, heart open wide.
          “Of all my grandchildren—” her hands spread as if to encompass a crowd infinitely larger than myself and my two siblings—“you’re my favorite.”
          Then her arms enfolded me and I breathed in the scents of Shalimar and talcum powder as my face pressed the crepey softness of her cheek.
          My grandmother married seven times, but not until I hit age ten or eleven did I realize that her accomplishment wasn’t necessarily praiseworthy. When Grandmother’s last husband died on her eighty-third birthday, she mentioned the possibility of marrying again, but I put my foot down and told her no more weddings. I suspect my edict suited her fine, because Grandmom always liked flirting better than marrying.
          Later, one of the nurses at the home mentioned that my grandmother exhibited a charming personality quirk—“Perpetual Childhood Disorder,” she called it. PCD, all too common among elderly patients with dementia.
          But Grandmother didn’t have dementia, and she had exhibited symptoms of PCD all her life. Though I didn’t know how to describe it in my younger years, I used to consider it a really fine quality.
          During the summers when Daddy shipped me and my sisters off to Grandmom’s house, she used to wait until Rose and Penny were absorbed in their games, then she would call me into the blue bedroom upstairs. Sometimes she’d let me sort through the glass beaded “earbobs” in her jewelry box. Sometimes she’d sing to me. Sometimes she’d pull her lace-trimmed hanky from her pocketbook, fold it in half twice, and tell me the story of the well-dressed woman who sat on a bench and fell over backward. Then she’d flip her folded hankie and gleefully lift the woman’s skirt and petticoat, exposing two beribboned legs.
          No matter how large her audience, the woman knew how to entertain.
          I perched on the edge of the big iron bed and listened to her songs and stories, her earbobs clipped to the tender lobes of my ears, enduring the painful pinch because Grandmother said a woman had to suffer before she could be beautiful. Before I pulled off the torturous earbobs and left the room, she would draw me close and swear that out of all the girls in the world, I was the one she loved most.
          Not until years later did I learn that she drew my sisters aside in the same way. I suppose she wanted to make sure we motherless girls knew we were treasured. But in those moments, I always felt truly special.
          And for far too long, I believed her.

How can readers find you on the Internet?

www.angelahuntbooks.com   Facebook: Angela Elwell Hunt

Thanks, Angela, for the fun interview.

Readers, here's a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 6 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com

30 comments:

Linda Kish said...

I wish I had had a grandma like that.

California

lkish77123 at gmail dot com

Angela said...

Thank you, Lena, for the kind interview--I love having a chance to interact with readers and to share some of the reasons behind the story. You do a great job on this blog!

Blessings to you!

Angie Hunt (and you don't have to enter me in the drawing. I have a copy or two. :-) )

peachykath said...

This sounds very interesting. Please enter me in the drawing. Thank you.

peachykath79[at]yahoo[dot]com

Katherine from Northern California

Jo said...

I enjoyed reading the interview. What a grandma to make each of the children feel so special like that.
Please enter me!

Blessings,
Jo
ladijo40(at)aol(dot)com

Unknown said...

i love Angela Hunt's novels and would love to win this book. Thankyou for the great posts and chances to win, Lena. mitzi_wanham[at]yahoo[dot]com from Peace River Country

Anonymous said...

Love your name. Would be blessed to win a copy of this book.
ANGELA FROM KY

Pam K. said...

Thanks for featuring Angela and her new book. Angela is such a multidimensional author. I've read books of hers that were suspenseful but others had bits of humor. I think all of them had a layer of faith woven throughout. If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be the Fairlawn series, though I liked them all. I would love to win and read "The Fine Art of Insincerity"--what a great title!

pmk56[at]sbcglobal[dot]net
Kansas

Holly Magnuson said...

I've read a few of Angela Hunt's books and enjoyed them. This sounds like a fun book. I would love the chance to win it.
Blessings
Hollymag(at)gmail(dot)com from SoCal!

apple blossom said...

Thanks for the giveaway I'd love to be entered. I live in ND

ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com

Patsy said...

My favorite vacation would be in a mountain cabin too! I love the mountains - so quiet and peaceful.

Your book sounds great! Would love to read it.

From the Bible Belt

scottsgal said...

I agree a great day is playing with puppies!
Cheryl in IL
msboatgal at aol.com

Unknown said...

Haven't read anything by Angela, but would love to win a copy of this book! It looks so good!
Thank you!!!
Kari in Oregon

Abigail Mitchell said...

I love your books, Thanks for the chance to win.
Abigail Richmond
Blanch, N.C.

kylady717 said...

This sounds like a heartwarming story...would love to win it. Thanks..

M. Greer /Ohio

Jackie S. said...

Would love to read Angela's book...please enter me in the drawing. Thanks ... from NE GA

Judy Cooper said...

I enjoy Angel's books and would like to be included in the drawing. Thank you. Judy C. in Louisiana.

karenk said...

i love angela hunt novels...thanks for the opportunity to read your latest novel :)

karenk...from PA
kmkuka at yahoo dot com

rbooth43 said...

You can’t tell your sisters,” my grandmother once told me, “what I’m about to tell you.” This first sentence has me hooked, I love a mystery and grandmothers are special.
Thanks!
Rebecca in NC
rbooth43(at)yahoo(com)

holdenj said...

Thanks for the info, it looks like a great book. I like the title of her work in progress as well!
Julie in MN

Krista said...

This sounds like a good book. Please enter me.

Krista from Gresham, OR

Faith's Mom said...

My daughter has a grandma like that....could I win this book please...Thanks

faithsmom1030@hotmail.com

Bakersdozen said...

I love Angela's books. It was "A Time To Mend" that got me back into reading and I shared that book with my daughters. That led to us wanting to read more Christian fiction and now we are hooked. I live in S. CA. vidomich(at)yahoo(dot)com

misskallie2000 said...

Boy, The Fine Art of Insincerity sounds like a very interesting book to read. My Grannie sounds a lot like this grandmama. I would spend 2 wks every summer with her and we would ride the bus downtown to the movies and to go shopping. She always had time for me and I still miss her after 40 yrs.
Thanks for stopping by to chat and share with us Angela.

misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

I am a very Hot Georgia Peach..101 is to hot...

Miss Shirley 1018 said...

I try to be this grandma to my grandkids also. Would love to win this book. Thanks

S.T./IL.

Ann Lee Miller said...

Thanks so much for the chance to win this book. I am so looking forward to reading it!

Ann Lee Miller
Gilbert AZ

dancealertreads.blogspot.com said...

I have a wonderful Grandma that everyone wishes they could be more like, she is so special!
I'm Brenda from Michigan and I would love to be entered for the book.

I posted this on my blog:
http://dancealertreads.blogspot.com/2011/06/christian-writers-world-characters-who_06.html

dancealert at aol dot com

Rebecca said...

Thank you so much for the chance to win this. This looks like an amazing read. I would love to read this book. Thanks again.

I am from Oklahoma.

agent_beckster (at) yahoo (dot) com

Kristie said...

I have three sisters so I would like to read a story about the relationship between sisters. I'm from Ohio. kristiedonelson(at)gmail(dot)com. Thank you.

Merry said...

What a unique grandma, what interesting stories she must have. Please include me for The Fine Art of Insincerity.
Merry in TX

Melissa M. said...

I love Angela Hunt's writing, and would like to win this!
-Melissa from TX
hismercysurrounding(at)yahoo(dot)com