I always love hanging out with Kristi Ann Hunter – whether in person or online. She’s super fun and really sweet, not to mention that she’s also a talented author!
You can connect with Kristi Ann Hunter on her website, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter.
Her latest release is the final book in the Hawthorne House series – An Inconvenient Beauty.
Griffith, Duke of Riverton, likes order, logic, and control, and he naturally applies this rational approach to his search for a bride. He’s certain Miss Frederica St. Claire is the perfect wife for him, but while Frederica is strangely elusive, he can’t seem to stop running into her stunningly beautiful cousin, Miss Isabella Breckenridge.
Isabella should be enjoying her society debut, but with her family in difficult circumstances, her uncle will only help them if she’ll use her beauty to assist him in his political aims. Already uncomfortable with this agreement, the more she comes to know Griffith, the more she wishes to be free of her unfortunate obligation.
Will Griffith and Isabella be able to set aside their pride and face their fears in time to find their own happily-ever-after?
Hi Kristi! Welcome back to the blog!
Kristi: I ADORE chatting with you, Carrie. 😉 You have the most…. Interesting questions.
Carrie: <heehee> I’m glad you think so 😉
As you know, I start all of my guests out with a fast four:
Kristi: Lemon poundcake. Or maybe Halo salted caramel ice cream. Dark chocolate? No, no, I’m sticking with the pound cake.
Carrie: Yummm… I need to find me some of that salted caramel ice cream! And I’m always up for lemon pound cake.
Kristi: Tulips!
Carrie: Another excellent answer!
Kristi: Christmas. Hands down. No contest.
Carrie: Yes. Amen & amen.
Kristi: Um…. Um….. This is only slightly better than what’s your favorite book. You realize that, right? I guess right now as in, the last song I played on repeat in the car and sang really loud with, it’s Something Greater by Zach Welliver (New artist! Go check him out.)
Carrie: Haha! I would have the same problem answering this question.
Q: Tell me some good books you’ve read lately.
Kristi: Ok, so this isn’t a fiction book, but I’ve been talking about it everywhere because it’s awesomesauce amazing. Finish by Jon Acuff. The subtitle for the book is Give Yourself the Gift of Done. As someone who struggles SO MUCH with procrastination and perfectionism, this book was incredibly eye-opening. And it’s practical and laugh out loud funny and short.
Carrie: I love Jon Acuff’s sense of humor. Going to have to check this book out!
Q: If I sneaked a peek in your purse right now (which I would never do, I promise!), what would it tell me about you?
Kristi: 1) I am the laziest person on the planet. Is it really that hard to stick the receipt into the wallet instead of shoving it in the bottom of the purse? 2) I have children that I take to church based on the several crumpled guardian pick up tags among the unfiled receipts. 3) I have pen snobbery issues and go nowhere without three Pentel Energel pens. 4) I have great concerns about oral hygiene. And an inability to throw away the empty floss and breath mint containers. 5) All of the shrapnel in my purse makes it easy to lose my keys but instead of cleaning out my purse I put an octopus of ribbon on my keys to make the easier to find.
Carrie: You’re bad for my Amazon cart, Kristi! <adds Pentel Energel Pens>
Q: Characters often find themselves in situations they aren’t sure they can get themselves out of. When was the last time you found yourself in a situation that was hard to get out of and what did you do?
Kristi: Well, the other day I leaned over the edge of the couch to pick up the remote control and I reached too far. My center of balance shifted off the couch and I couldn’t find the leverage to get back up. I was stuck. The only solution was to flop over and roll off the couch like a lazy sea lion dropping off his rock into the ocean. Then, because it’s an L shaped sectional with a chaise lounge, I had to roll across the carpet to get to an area big enough to actually push my way to standing. Then I still had to go back and lean over to pick up the remote. It was a horribly traumatic minute and a half and I’m sure it will inspire the torture of many characters to come.
Carrie: I think too many people downplay the dangers of this kind of situation. I’m so glad you survived. 😉
Q: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever Googled while researching a book?
Kristi: How much alcohol would need to be drunk at what speed in order to make a 250 pound, fit male just a little bit drunk. (By the way the answer, according to the basic scientific drinking formula… is five shots of liquor taken within about five minutes.)
Carrie: does anyone else hear the NBC lead-in for those ‘The More You Know’ segments? Just me? ok then.
Q: Your latest novel, An Inconvenient Beauty, ends your popular Hawthorne House series (wail!). Which Hero/heroine pairing has been your favorite across the books? Which story was the easiest to write? The most difficult? Favorite hero? Heroine most like you? Heroine least like you? (And yes, you must answer ALLLLLL of these ? )
Kristi: ALLLLL of them? Are you sure? Fine.
I love and adore all of my couples – I couldn’t write them if I didn’t – but there is a special place in my heart for Colin and Georgina. I just loved how they guided each other’s growth while still being their own person.
In some ways A Noble Masquerade was easier to write because there were no expectations on it and no deadlines. The actual writing, though, was easier for An Inconvenient Beauty. Because I had it set against a real historical timeline, certain key points in the story were already determined for me.
The most difficult was, hand’s down, An Uncommon Courtship. It was the first one written entirely on a deadline, it is considerably more character driven than the others (really, there isn’t a whole lot of subplot driving the action), and the story was so intimate and personal that I was terrified I’d get it wrong.
Carrie: you got it right 🙂
Kristi: My favorite hero is…. My Hubs. 😉 There’s a little bit of him in every hero I write. He’s got Griffith’s logic, Trent’s playfulness, Ryland’s annoying ability to see everything even when he doesn’t comment on it, Anthony’s practicality, and I have a little version of him living in my head. And yes, sometimes I stab him with a fork. And yes, I also realize this is a cop-out answer. Deal with it.
Carrie: Total cop-out answer 😉 but it’s a good one!! Maybe we should talk about the whole stabbing him with the fork thing though lol.
Kristi: The heroine that’s most like me is probably Miranda. Emotional. Impulsive. Seething cauldron of boiling reaction just waiting for the right moment (ie – wrong moment) to explode. Yep. That’d be me. The heroine I’m least like, though, would have to be Isabella. I can’t even manage to pull off a surprise birthday party much less be sneaky enough to take down the aristocracy of London.
Carrie: hahaha!
Q: Did you have Griffith’s story planned all along or did it grow on you gradually as the series progressed?
Kristi: The basic idea of Griffith’s story has been there all along. I knew I wanted him to be swept off his feet by someone he thought wasn’t a good fit. The only key thing that wasn’t decided early on was the dancing. Fortunately, when I wanted to make that a characteristic I went back through and realized it worked just fine with the already established books.
Carrie: yay!!
Q: I’ve heard rumors that you have a playlist for An Inconvenient Beauty – care to share? 😀
Kristi: Absolutely! I was obviously in a bit of an old school country mood when I was plotting, but hey, whatever works!
Song List: Must Have Done Something Right ~ Relient K, I Don’t Dance ~ Lee Brice, Heart Don’t Fall Now ~ Sawyer Brown, Haven’t Even Kissed ~ Moriah Peters, Remind Me Who I Am ~ Jason Gray, Forever ~ Third Day, Get Back Up ~ tobymac, You’re Beginning to Get to Me ~ Clay Walker
(Listen to Kristi’s playlist on SPOTIFY or YOUTUBE)
Carrie: ahhhh! ‘I Don’t Dance’ is one of my very favorite songs!!
Q: What do you most want readers to take away from An Inconvenient Beauty?
Kristi: Never hold life so tightly that God can’t reach through your fingers. Both Griffith and Isabella forgot to leave room for God in their plans. We forget all too often that He isn’t bound by human logic and capabilities. He can do the impossible. But He won’t snatch the choice away from us. We have to offer it to Him with open hands.
Carrie: That’s so true. And sometimes we think we’ve left room for God when really we’ve just told Him what we’re going to do and hope He’s on board :-/
Thank you so much for taking time to answer my … ‘interesting’ questions! 😉 Before we say goodbye for today, tell us what‘s coming up next for you.
Kristi: Next year I have a brand new series starting. The name of the series is Haven Manor and I am very excited about it. We’ll be leaving London for a bit and exploring a “what if” sort of idea together. Jess, Ryland’s parlor maid, will be a major player in the series. Eventually she’ll even get her own book. There will be an opening novella for the series coming out next Spring.
Carrie: Eeeee!!!! I CANNOT WAIT!!! I may or may not be fangirl clapping right now. (totally am)
IT’S ALMOST KRISTI’S BIRTHDAY…
…and she wants to celebrate with you!
Kristi is graciously offering a copy of An Inconvenient Beauty to one of my readers! (International winner will receive an ebook. US winner will receive a paperback. Void where prohibited by law) This giveaway is subject to Reading Is My SuperPower’s giveaway policies which can be found here. Enter via the Rafflecopter form below.
What about you? Ask Kristi a question or comment on your favorite of her answers in this Q&A!
I like the favorite dessert, Lemon pound cake. Sounds delicious. This book sounds like a great read.
Marilyn
I love our lemon poundcake… in fact, I’m now wondering if we have all the ingredients to make some…
I got a kick out of researching how much alcohol it would take for a 250 lb man to get drunk. Thank you for the fun interview and the chance to win!
Honestly not something I ever thought I’d need to know, but books take us funny places.
Carrie, I’m wailing with you on the completion of this series. Absolutely loved every book and please, Kristi, tell me there is a long lost Riverton brother that we don’t know about. I’m truly going to miss these characters.
Aw… you’re sweet. But never fear. Just because we’ve moved on does not mean they’re dead. You never know where one or more of them might pop up again…
I like the sound of that!
And we agree! As much as I loved everyone of these books, Colin and Georgina neatly bypassed my head and burrowed deep into my heart. Their conversations are some of my very favorites.
Can’t wait for more stories from this talented author.
They were a blast to write. Even though I wrote the words I found myself wishing I could be even half as witty in real life.
Lol!
I love that you looked up how much alcohol a fit man would need to drink to be tipsy! ?I love the crazy random things like that that are put into books to make them more real.
Finish sounds like a book i need to read!
It’s an awesome book. I highly recommend it.
Do you have a recipe for that cake????
I do, but it’s a low carb cake. (So, almond flour, cream cheese, xythritol…) Still interested?
Great interview! I got a kick out of the receipts in the bottom of the purse! That’s how I fill my purse out to make it look like I may actually be carrying something important! Looking forward to reading the book!
Until you need to actually find something and you need to hire an excavator to do it.
Lol!
I stick my receipts in my purse, too, but then I try to remember to take them out when I get home and file them. I have 12 files with the months on them. I stick all the receipts in the file for the month, then I take the coming month’s receipts and shred them. That way, I have all the receipts for a year, in case I need one. It sounds way more organized than I normally am, so don’t get too impressed! 😀
oh that’s brilliant!!
Thanks, Carrie! I don’t think I’ve had any of my ideas called “brilliant” before, but it has worked well for me, and it’s easy to do–which is a plus!
LOL
I absolutely love every book you have written and am ( im) patiently waiting for Inconvenient Beauty to get to my mailbox! I loved the interview both the questions and the answers! I’d like to know more about the siblings Mamma! Story please! Maybe a novella? I’m sure going to be re- reading these books!
If my schedule allows, I’m going to try to do a short story about the mother for Christmas, but I’m not making any promises. 😉
Yay!!
Had a lot of fun reading these questions and answers. I was especially amused by the “How much alcohol would need to be drunk at what speed in order to make a 250 pound, fit male just a little bit drunk” research. As someone who doesn’t drink and, thus, has never been drunk (at least on alcohol), I did wonder how much realism was in that scene. Now I’ll never be able to read it without a big smile (and confidence that it was, of course, TOTALLY realistic). 🙂
Well… it’s a lot of secondhand and “according to science” because I’ve never been drunk either. 😉
What a great interview Carrie, And what a great series Kristi. I love the Hawthorne family. I don’t have a favorite as they were all wonderful, I’m really looking forward to this last book. But then I will miss this family very much. I’m glad that you are bringing Jess back in your new series.
Thank you for bringing these people into my life.
I’m so glad you all love them as much as I do. Thanks for reading!
EEK!!KRISTI’s answers are ALL cop-out! =P I love them all.. I guess mine are too! *wink wink
They aren’t ALL cop-out. I gave legit answers to some of those questions! 😉
Haha!!
I love lemon pound cake. It is my favorite.
Yum! Me too!
I’m looking forward to reading Kristi’s Books. Thank you
Kristi, your remote/couch/rolling experience sounds like something I’d do! I do hope you’re over the trauma of it! 😀 Things like that are a lot funnier when they’re firmly in the past than when they’re actually happening. I always think, “You’ll laugh about this in a few days/weeks/years”.
I gotta admit, I was laughing pretty hard at the time. It didn’t help the situation.
Haha!
What a fun interview! 🙂
I am totally with you on the fave flower–tulips are mine as well! 🙂 I love them, and can’t wait to see them in the spring…I keep adding them to my flower beds!
So excited to hear about the new Haven Manor series!
I’m excited to share it! It’s fun and exciting to be delving into something new.
Now you have my mouth watering for a piece of lemon pound cake!!! Based on your interview, you sound like a fun person, so I’m sure your books would be fun reads. ? I have never read any of them and would love to win one.
These definitely need to be on your TBR list, Evangeline!
Loved the interview, my question is do you play the lottery and have you ever won?
Nope. Never been a lottery player.
I, too, seem to have problems with procrastination and perfectionism. I will definitely have to be looking into Finish by Jon Acuff since it sounds like not only one I need to read but one that I would enjoy as well.
I absolutely loved this series. It is bittersweet that it has come to an end. It is a series I would love to read again…and again. Thank you for sharing the talent God gave you with the rest of us. Just a sidenote – my birthday is also Sept. 22nd. 🙂
Yeah! Birthday twins!
Love the description of your husband as your favorite hero, and how each of the book heroes has one of his traits. And the stabbing him with a fork in your imagination ?
He’s a keeper. 😉
Lemon pound cake sounds yummy!
I know! Now I want some 😀
I’m going to have to go check out your playlist. That’s an interesting list. I read book one (and the prequel) and have books 2 and 3 waiting till I acquire this book. Then I’m going to have a Hawthorne House reading marathon. Thanks for the chance to win An Inconvenient Beauty.
A Hawthorne House reading marathon sounds like a delightful idea!
I’ve loved your Hawthorne series so far, Kristi! I look forward to this next installment!
I am SO behind on this series! I read A Noble Masquerade and absolutely loved it, and now I need to play catch-up! Oh, and now I’m craving lemon pound cake, especially the lemon glaze part! Lol
Mmmm me too!
I am sooo excited to hear about your upcoming series, Haven Manor! Keep ’em coming, Kristi! We LOVE your books!!!
Agreed!
I’m really excited for your next series! I can’t wait to read An Inconvienant Beauty.
Savored every second of this interview. You two make a great combo.
aww yay! 😀 Thanks, Cara!
I have so enjoyed this series, still have to read the last book but don’t want the stories to end. A series featuring Jess – I bet that will be fun to write (and awesome to read!)
great interview. Funny about the alcohol. I find it fascinating the research that goes into writing a good book
I’m so sad this is the end of the series! Can’t wait to read the book!! Also, your purse situation sounds a lot like mine!
Looking forward to future books being written by Kristi. I like to read historical fiction and would like to read An Inconvenient Beauty.
Two of my favorite writer reader people in one place. Almost as good as lemon pound cake. Which I should make and bring to ACFW next week to celebrate mine and Kristi’s book birthdays. I just read A Noble Masquerade and was blown away–especially since Regency isn’t usually an era I read. Love hearing Jess is getting her own story; she was one of my favorites.
“Almost as good as lemon pound cake.” – high praise indeed!! 😉
Historical fiction is my favorite. Tulips are my favorite flower.
They’re such a happy flower 🙂
I’ve pretty much repeated that couch scene at work with the exercise ball I sit on. That was awkward with witnesses. LOL. And your playlist rocks!
hahaha!!
Oh my goodness, I’m laughing so hard over the visual image of Kristi stuck on the couch!
right?? lol
I love that your husband made his way into the personalities of your characters. My husband is my hero and it’s a funny thing how he sneaks his way into my writing as well. 🙂 Thanks for the interview and the giveaway!
I can’t wait for the new series! I love Jess and would love to see her story!
First off, the epic remote control/couch scene was too relatable! Also, I am so excited about your new series. Picking up your first book in a store because of the cover and buying it based off the description on the back is something I am so glad I did. I am sad to see this series end, but have truly enjoyed reading them so far. I can’t wait to read this final one!
KRISTI, I love your statement – Never hold life so tightly that God can’t reach through your fingers. I’m learning to live with an “open” hand.
Thank you for the fun interview and giveaway!
I’m sure you’ve had to look up some crazy things for your books, all in the name of research of course! :)I love researching and learning new things! Haven’t read any of your books but I sure look forward to it!
The couch story cracked me up and reminded me of something that would happen to me. And my purse is very similar to yours. I’ve read two of your books and am looking forward to reading this one!
Since you write historical fiction, how do research the time period of your book? I like reading historical fiction and I’m looking forward to reading your book.
Love your answer about your purse!
Tulips are a lovely flower; mine is carnations. Thanks for the chance 🙂
Pound cake is one of my favorite desserts although I don’t care for lemon. I would love the caramel ice cream though! Tulips are some of my favorite flowers in the Spring. I really enjoyed reading this interview.
Yummmm I want caramel ice cream now
Fun interview ladies!
My husband and I got to see the tulips blooming at the Biltmore House this spring, lovely!
Such a pretty place!
First, can I just say how much fun this interview is? Found myself smiling so many times. My Amazon wishlist just grew, I will be listening to the playlist for An Inconvenient Beauty ASAP. I have requested the book on NetGalley, and I hope it’s approved soon! This series has me by the heartstrings. Can’t wait for more from Kristi!
Kristi is just awesome! 😀
I love the cover on this book! My fav answer is the dessert! The lemon pound cake sounds yummy. I tried baking one a couple of weeks ago but I wasn’t crazy about the recipe I used.
I hope to get a chance to read this one!
I love Lemon Pound Cake, but I want to share a great cake recipe with you. Take any cake mix and make it as directed but add one cup of fruit yogurt, and bake it in a loaf pan for a wonderful light pound cake.
oh yum! thanks, Bobbie!