Interview with novelist Cait Lavender

Today's guest is novelist Cait Lavender. She's going to talk a bit about Hunter Moon, cowgirls, writing, and more.

Bio:

Cait Lavender is a twenty-five year old wife and stay-at-home mother of one in Central California. Living on a cattle ranch and raising her daughter doesn’t afford her much leisure time, but when she has a spare minute or two she loves riding horses, baking, and reading everything she can get her hands on. She grew up loving the written word and creative writing and finally decided to work on her dream of becoming a published author.

Welcome to Reviews and Interviews, Cait. Please tell us about your current release.

Hunter Moon is about a feisty cowgirl named Shelby Flint. She inherited a large cattle ranch and is doing everything she can to protect it from greedy cousins trying to steal it and a murderous drug grower who tries to sabotage her land. In the midst of all this is a devastatingly handsome game warden, Cash Newcomb, who drives her absolutely crazy in every sense of the word and is more than he seems.

 

What inspired you to write this book?

I have always wanted to write. Even as a child I embellished my autobiography assignment to make it more interesting! I have always heard, “write what you know.” And I’ve always loved the area where I grew up, Central California, and the cowboy lifestyle. Pairing that with my obsession with all things paranormal seemed like a natural thing to do.

What exciting story are you working on next? 

I am writing the first book in another series based in the same ‘world’ as the Lupine Moon series. It’s focused more on the darker aspects of that world; evil murderous witches, bloodthirsty demonic vampires. The main character is Elijah Payen, a direct descendant of an original Knight Templar, charged with the protection of mankind from the forces of evil. He meets Bree Winters, an unsuspecting college student in Portland, Oregon who gets swept into the nasty underworld by her best friend.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Honestly? It wasn’t until my first short story was published that I truly considered myself a writer. Before that I always considered myself “an aspiring writer”. It seems silly now though. You either aspire to write, or you do. There’s no in between. So all of you out there that haven’t been published but have a quarter or a half of a novel written, YOU’RE A WRITER!

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like?  If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

Writing full-time? That is the dream! However, I’m a stay-at-home mother of one very busy toddler so when I’m not chasing her frantically around the house I’m doing dishes or washing mountains of laundry. Most of my writing is done late at night after the munchkin has gone to bed. It’s not always easy to write consistently that way but it’s the only way I can get a good balance of wife and mother and writer.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

Hmm...that’s a hard one. I would have to say that even in my own writing I don’t take myself too seriously. There’s always a snarky or sarcastic thread running through my stories, poking fun at myself, my characters, or the world. Close friends and family that have read my book even say that they can hear my droll tone of voice as they read. I figure as I continue to write I might be able to hide that and get serious. Maybe. Probably not.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I bounced around from nurse, jet pilot, volleyball coach, writer, teacher but most of all I wanted to be a mother. I really respected my mother, who stayed at home and raise my brother, sister and I and worked harder at it than anyone I knew. Now as a stay-at-home mother myself I really realize how hard it is, keeping up with all the balls you have in the air and not going crazy after folding the same pair of underwear for the millionth time.

 

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I really just want to thank all of you from the very bottom of my heart. I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am for your support and kind words. Every time I read a good review on Amazon or Goodreads I have to fight hard against tearing up! It means so much to me that you’ve read my books, enjoyed them and maybe even had a laugh. My goal has always been to create a world you can escape to that will make your day brighter and I hope I have achieved that for you. 

It's been a pleasure getting to know a bit about you and your writing, Cait. Happy (writing) trails!

Readers, Cait is giving away a copy of her e-book at every tour stop - so comment here and at any/all of her other stops for a chance to win!