HAVING FAITH

It’s easy to fall in love with Faith Hunter. As a writer. As a soul. When she has a new book out, I buy it. And I usually buy two copies so I can give one away in my newsletter drawing … letting someone else get a taste of Faith’s urban fantasy. I’ll be doing another newsletter next week … and I’ll give away a copy of Faith’s upcoming offering in that–Of Claws and Fangs.

New York Times bestselling author Faith Hunter presents a stunning collection of stories from the world of shape-shifting vampire hunter Jane Yellowrock and beyond.

Collected together for the first time, this volume contains shorter works featuring heroines Jane Yellowrock and Nell Ingram, as well as a host of other characters from the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series. Faith Hunter is “an expert at creating worlds filled with intriguing supernatural elements and exciting scenarios” and her skills are on full display in this collection. From a vampire-filled Halloween evening in New Orleans to the searing tale of how a certain were-leopard first got his spots, this collection has something for everyone, and each story is sure to put the super in supernatural.

With eighteen stories in all, Of Claws and Fangs will enrich and entertain—it’s a must-have for Faith Hunter’s readers and all lovers of fantasy.

Faith likes tea. I’m drinking a mug of Irish Breakfast Tea right now. I like the way tea makes me feel. When summer hits, I’ll cut back … as I like my tea hot. Never been a fan of iced-tea (though I do enjoy Ice-T, the actor on Law & Order). In the summer I go for ice water and Diet Dr. Pepper. Anyway, back to Faith and tea. I check Facebook every morning to see what she’s up to … reports on her writing, her “new shiny,” and if she’s drinking tea. I get the impression that Faith thinks tea makes everything better. I favor the breakfast teas: Irish, Scottish, English … in that order, along with Hot Cinnamon Spice from Haney’s. I’m not much for decaf teas, although every once in a while in the winter I’ll go for that peppermint herbal stuff.

I make sure at least one of the characters in my mystery series drinks tea. That would be my big-city detective Basil Meredith.

I’ve even given away assortments of tea in my newsletter … don’t forget, next newsletter someone will win Faith’s new book.

Faith, by the way, has an excellent newsletter. You can subscribe to it HERE.

Faith was gracious and engaged in a Q&A with me. Check it out:

Jean: I love tea. You love tea. What are your favorite teas? And how do they impact your writing? Where do you like to shop for tea?

Faith: First, the disclaimer: I do NOT receive kickbacks or payments from any company for any statement made in this post.

Okay. Now that that is out of the way – My favorite teas are chai teas. A really good Masala Chai or coconut Chili Lime Green tea. I drink tea while I write, all the time! I modify all my bulk teas, sometimes adding vanilla or peppers. I like my chai teas spicy, as well as hot! For an afternoon snack, I might go for an herbal Blood Orange or an Elderberry Wine tea. Some of my characters like tea as well, though my characters don’t always like the teas I like. For instance, Jane Yellowrock likes a good gunpowder green. I do not! Since the “late unpleasantness of lockdowns,” I usually buy online from Adagio teas because of the good quality and the fact that every bag is the same taste and freshness. https://www.adagio.com/ 

Jean: Construction equipment. You received an impressive and fun-looking piece of machinery.

Faith. I did! The Hubs bought me a Kubota with a backhoe and a front end loader. I named her Booty and she’s a purdy lil thang!

Jean: What do you like about using it?

Faith: We invested in a small piece of mountain property and Booty makes it easier to move earth, remove trash, haul discarded dumped tires, and clean up the property so that one day, in the not too distant future (hopefully), we can put a VERY tiny house on it.

Jean: How does it impact your writing? (I ask ’cause I think everything impacts writing)

Faith: I almost said, “Not much,” but I realized that in my new “Junkyard Cats” Sifi series, my junkyard owner knows all about hydraulics and diesel engines and machinery, so yes, in a background knowledge basis, I use it all the time.

Jean: Short fiction. Harder or easier than writing a novel?

Faith: Way easier. Because I spend a lot less time on it.

Jean: The favorite short story you’ve written is——-?

Faith: I honestly don’t have a favorite. I have a few I hate, but that’s a different question. LOL

Jean: A favorite short story by another author you’ve read——-?

Faith: I read sooo many authors. It’s impossible to answer that! (Lifts my mug) Cheers!

I try to get to know a little about my favorite authors, maybe to figure out what makes them “tick” or what they do beyond the keyboard. Sometimes I learn we have things in common.

I’ve learned from Faith’s posts that she kayaks … something I wouldn’t try, but I have boated; loves being outside … I would be there right now if it was above 50 degrees; that she favors dogs … I have four, so, yeah, I favor dogs, too; and that she adores Home Town from HGTV … I even referenced Home Town in one of my mystery books. Faith got to visit Laurel, Mississippi. That’d be nifty, methinks. I had a character move there.

Mostly, Faith and I have tea in common. And books. She writes books that I like to read.

Thanks for this short story collection, Faith.

Y’all can order the new shiny Faith book HERE.

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