There I was, a sulky, introverted teenager, nursing
my frostbite injuries, stuck without enough books as the Blizzard of ’78 raged
outside. I nursed my dreams of literary stardom and swore that as soon as I
turned eighteen, I’d move somewhere, far, far south. Preferably a place that
could be described with words such as “island”, and “Caribbean”.
Fast forward forty years.
Here in Indiana, every time winter gets to be too
much, something miraculous happens. You’d call it Spring. I call it wonderful.
So here I’ve been ever since, hating winter, but loving every single other part
of living in Indiana.
As for literary stardom, I’m fairly sure the Hoosier
State has nothing to do with that.
Although unplanned, most of my eleven published books
are love letters to Indiana. Storm Chaser didn’t exactly make our
weather look good, but it was set partially at Chain O’ Lakes State Park, which
was voted into the top ten of the many state parks in the Hoosier State. (I’ve
been to all but two of the top ten—time to plan a new camping trip!)
Its sequels, Storm Chaser Shorts and The
Notorious Ian Grant, were naturally also set in northeast Indiana. Although
some characters from those books appeared in my young adult novel, The
No-Campfire Girls, I mixed it up a little and set that story in southern
Indiana. That was after my wife and I got a chance to travel down there, and
discovered that just as northern Indiana is full of lakes, the southern part of
the state is loaded with thick forests and rugged areas the flyover people
would never suspect.
The middle of the state, of course, is loaded with
Indianapolis. (Well, not all of it! If you want really rugged, try Turkey Run
State Park.) We toured the big city too, while we were writing a humor book
about Indiana history and trivia titled Hoosier Hysterical. While I’m
not a big city kind of guy, the monuments, parks, museums, and historical sites
can be awe inspiring.
My wife and I worked on two more local books: a
history of the Albion Fire Department, where I volunteer, and a photo history
of my home county of Noble, part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America
series. That made my next novel, Radio Red, an odd man out—it’s set in
Michigan. But I came right back with my latest romantic comedy, Coming
Attractions, which revolves around a battle to preserve an Indiana drive-in
movie theater.
What did I miss? Oh, yeah: I’ve come out with my second
collection of humor pieces, More Slightly Off the Mark: Why I Hate Cats, and
Other lies. It’s a sequel to, well, Slightly Off the Mark. And how
are they Indiana related? They’re based on humor columns I wrote over a twenty-five-year
period for three weekly newspapers … Indiana newspapers, of course.
It’s the fact that most of those books involved humor in some
way that made me realize Indiana isn’t just a home; it’s a place I love, good
and bad, even if I complain during winter. I mean, surely you complain about
things you love, right? Especially if you’re parents.
Let me know what you think! A random commenter will get a
free copy of one of our two newest books, since they’re very different from
each other: The romantic comedy Coming Attractions, or the humor
collection More Slightly Off the Mark: Why I Hate Cats, and Other lies.
All of their books, and a link to Mark’s blog, can be found on his website
at www.markrhunter.com, and he has an
Amazon Author Page at www.amazon.com/Mark-R-Hunter/e/B0058CL6OO.
Mark can also be found on social
media, including: Blogger: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter
Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for Mark Hunter's great prize! Leave a form of contact, or click on the Contact Tab at the top of the blog and drop me an email with your contact info so I can find you if you're the lucky winner! Also, all people who comment are eligible for the End-of-the-Month Grand Prize!
(ALL INFO PROVIDED AND RELEASED BY AUTHOR)
You seem to have filled your life and times well and, for the most part, can stay mostly indoors when the cold weather lingers. You make Indiana sound exciting, except you can keep Lucius. Snakes cause me to panic. Your state didn't come up in conversation much throughout my life, which made it seem mysterious. The fact you set your stories in your state, I'd love to win, but I would prefer an eBook if that were the case. I wish you well with your writing and other endeavors.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary! Yes, snakes aren't a thing for everyone--or they are a thing, but a thing to be avoided. I feel the same way about spiders.
DeleteHopefully enough people will read Hoosier written books to make the state a little less mysterious!
Some snakes are really necessary; others I can do without. Yes, it is obvious you love Indiana or you wouldn't endure those winters. Enjoy your spring.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm stuck on the couch with an ice pack and a bottle of ibuprofen ... however, by the looks of the forecast, by the end of the week I wouldn't want to go out, anyway.
DeleteWith Indiana being about a third of the size of England you must have plenty of places to go. Not that either of us can actually enjoy it at the moment.
ReplyDeleteDon't tell, but my life hasn't changed all that much; I still have to go to work, and otherwise I'm enjoying just staying home. That'll change when the weather is better!
DeleteSomehow I didn't realize that Stormchaser was set in IN. Love the pictures you shared here.
ReplyDeleteAll my fiction (and most of my non-fiction) is set in Indiana except for Radio Red, which is set in Michigan. I guess it's Ohio's turn next?
DeleteI put everyone's name on a slip of paper, shook them up in a hat, dumped them on the floor, and the first name the dog sniffed to see if it was food was: Mary Deal! Mary, throw me an e-mail to let me know which book you want and where you want it sent to (since you said you preferred e-book, I guess I need to know where to send *that*.) I'm at markrichardhunter @ gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, afterward I gave poor Beowulf a real treat.