Name Laura Hunsaker
Age 33
Where are you from: Las Vegas
A little about your self `ie your education Family life etc
I have degrees in German and English, with a specialty in British Lit and a minor in Spanish

 

 
Fiona: Tell us your latest news?
I’m hoping to finish The Broken Highlander this month, and I’m starting a new project with a friend-author Heather Lire.

 

 

Fiona: When and why did you begin writing?
I’ve been writing since I was a kid, but I really didn’t start writing seriously until 2009

 

 

Fiona: When did you first consider yourself a writer?
When I signed my first contract.

 

 

Fiona: What inspired you to write your first book?
I had a story that I couldn’t stop thinking about and I had to write it down. In fact I handwrote the first 50 pages or so.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have a specific writing style?
I think we all do. Our voice is what makes us unique.

 

 

Fiona: How did you come up with the title?
Actually the original title for Highland Destiny was Out of Time, but right before it was to be published I just knew that wasn’t what I wanted and I sent my publisher the new one.

 

 

Fiona: Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
If a time traveling Highlander wants you to come with him, say yes! LOL

 

 

Fiona: How much of the book is realistic?
Not the time travel, of course, but much of the historical parts are. I had to research when pocket watches were invented and how common they would have been in 1792. I had to make sure mentioning coffee wouldn’t be anachronistic, I had to research Eilean Donan a lot. I took all the virtual tours I could find and even got a chance to use the clan mottos of the Frasers and MacRaes. I had to find out the plaids of the clan, I had to make sure that they were able to use them (they were! About a decade earlier, maybe not, though). My heroine is from Las Vegas, so obviously I know firsthand anything I wrote about Vegas.

 

 

Fiona: Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life?
Other than the parts of Las Vegas I incorporated, no.

 

 

Fiona: What books have most influenced your life most?
I don’t know, that’s a really hard question. I have my favorites. Sarah MacLean’s Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake is one of my all-time favorites, and it’s my go-to for a comfort read.

 

 

Fiona: If you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Oh boy, there are a couple amazing authors who took me under their wings. I’d say Monica McCarty, Cynthia Eden, Jenna MacLaine, Jennifer Ashley and Bonnie Edwards.

 

 

Fiona: What book are you reading now?

Ilona Andrews’ Magic Breaks

 

 

Fiona: Are there any new authors that have grasped your interest?
I don’t know how new she is, but she’s new to me. Jenn Bennett has a series called the Roaring Twenties and it’s fantastic and completely different from most out there.

 

 

Fiona: What are your current projects?
I’m working on The Broken Highlander and Highlander Betrayed. And I have a super cool new project that my friend Heather Lire and I are working on called The Lost Laird. Our pen name is Kenzie MacLir and look for book 1 this fall.

 

 

Fiona: Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
My RWA chapter was always very supportive.

 

 

Fiona: Do you see writing as a career?

Yes absolutely.

 

 

Fiona: If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything in your latest book?

I can’t go down that road, or the book would never be finished!

 

 

Fiona: Do you recall how your interest in writing originated?
As a kid, my friends and I would write stories in class when we were bored, and we’d pass a notebook back and forth where we each wrote one sentence. It was so fun, and I wish I’d kept some of them.

 

 

Fiona: Can you share a little of your current work with us?

 
Excerpt from Highland Eclipse.

”
Travelling through time was a bitch. If he had to do it again today, his head might split open. Declan Wallace worked for the Department of Homeland Security, but he worked for a non-existent sector. His job? Time Ops. They called themselves the Eclipse Team. The first time anyone had time jumped had been during an eclipse, so the name stuck.
Working undercover was always exciting, with each job bringing its own risks. Normally he didn’t mind the constant work, but this time, he was ready for a break.
His Commanding Officer Captain Jackson Tremaine stopped him.
“We need you to go to Scotland ASAP. I know you’ve just returned from assignment, but our contact is requesting you.” Jackson’s British accent softened the words, but it was still hard to hear.
Mentally exhausted, Declan nodded, figuring he’d pop a couple of aspirin and head back out into the field. Besides, he was intrigued by who the contact could be. There were very few who knew about them; it was dangerous to let natives know what Time Ops was.
“Which contact do we have in Scotland?”
“MacRae.”
Declan nearly growled. He should have guessed. The damn MacRae men had been poaching women from the twenty-first century, and if he had to go clean up one more of their messes, he might not be as professional as he ought to.
Sometimes fate stepped in and through magical means people were dragged back in time. Declan’s job was to intervene making sure those who were meant to remain in the past stayed there. Every now and then though, someone would cross time who wasn’t meant to be there. That was another part of Declan’s job. The hunt. He’d track them and drag them back where they belonged. And if an agent went rogue? Well, no one could hide from Declan. No one. There’s a reason he was the best. For this assignment he would use his skills for recon only. Piece of cake. Not one to complain, he rolled his shoulders and held his hand out for the flash drive his CO held.
“Everything you need is in that file. You can key in the coordinates yourself. Don’t forget to change. You know the drill.” With that, Jackson turned and walked away.
Yeah, he knew the drill.
Declan had just returned from 1942 and was dressed as a soldier. He’d see Ginny in wardrobe for his new clothes later. Figuring he’d shower in his office, he marched down the hall. Hell he spent more time there than he did in his apartment, that everything he needed was already here. He hoped his fish hadn’t died this time. Maybe it was time to admit that he didn’t even have time in his life for fish? Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. It was longer than anyone else’s in the Time Ops department, but he went undercover the most. Hard to blend in when you had a high and tight cut.
After his shower, Declan walked into his office to see that Ginny had already stopped by. His latest costume hung from the doorframe. Yeah he called it a costume, because nothing beat a pair of jeans and a shirt, yet all of his jobs involved pantaloons, breeches, knee-high socks and high heels, or in his case today, a kilt and shirt.
Declan was one of the Time Ops’ best agents. He was a chameleon and could blend in anywhere, any time. And that was what made him so good.
Originally from Scotland, he was the best agent for this job. Not to mention he’d dealt with the MacRaes before. Booting up his computer, Declan plugged in the flash drive and prepared for his next mission.”

 

 

 

 

Fiona: Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Sometimes you can get caught up in research, and next thing you know, you’ve spent hours researching not only how arrows are made, but how they would have healed an arrow wound in the late 1700s.

 

 

Fiona: Who is your favorite author and what is it that really strikes you about their work? I love Ilona Andrews, their stories are so compelling and the world-building is amazing.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have to travel much concerning your book(s)?

No but I’d love to! There are conferences I’d love to go to, and I’d love a research trip to Scotland!

 

 

Fiona: Who designed the covers?
Three were designed through my publisher New Concepts Publishing, and the two self-published ones were designed by LFD Designs.

 

 

Fiona: What was the hardest part of writing your book?
When you’re writing you think the hardest part is finishing it, but actually the hardest part was realizing that it’s never finished. You’re constantly learning and honing your craft.

 

 

Fiona: Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
Yes, it was easier to write when the kids took naps. Now they’re older and it’s impossible to find five minutes to myself!

 

 

Fiona: Do you have any advice for other writers?
Yes. Write. Even if it’s crap, or you don’t know if it’ll work, write. It’s easier to edit if there are words on the page, than if you have blank pages.

 

 

Fiona: Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?
Thank YOU!! A big giant Thank You to my readers, whether they liked the books or not, thank you.

 
Fiona: Do you remember the first book you read?
No, but I remember the first romance that stuck with me (and that I stole from my mom!) Laurel O’Donnell’s The Angel and the Prince.

 

 
Fiona: Other than writing do you have any hobbies ?
I crochet (badly), and I used to ride horses, but haven’t done that since before I got pregnant last year. Now any hobby time is used up by grabbing a shower, or playing with the baby.

 

 
Fiona: What TV shows/films do you enjoy watching?
I don’t get to watch a lot of grown-up TV since my kids are still young, but when I get the chance, I love NCIS, and I will Netflix binge-watch Dr, Who any chance I get.

 

 
Fiona: Favorite foods / Colors/ Music
My favorite foods are coffee and chocolate, and cheese, to be honest. I don’t think I could live without those foods. I love the color orange, and I listen to mostly rock music.

 

 
Fiona: If you were not a writer what else would you like to have done?
I taught for a few years, so I would probably still be teaching.

 

Fiona: Do you have a blog/website? If so what is it?
My website is http://www.laurahunsaker.com and my author blog is there, but I also have a review blog called Got Fiction? http://www.gotfiction.com