Author Christie Craig Uses Fear As a Motivator

I'm honored to present award-winning author Christie Craig aka C.C. Hunger, one of my personal favorite wordsmith, today. Her contemporary romances are laught-out-loud funny and I always re-read one of them when I need a pick-me-up. She recently forayed into YA & Paranormal...Oooh delish!

Christie has triumphed over dyslexia and rejection to keep writing the stories of her heart and is an amazing & inspiring person, but when I asked her what inspired her...I was totally suprised by her answer. I'll let you read her words for yourself:



What Inspires me?

I love sunsets and I can sit and stare at one for as long it lingers—until that last little glimmer of color fades from the sky.  I love to spend time on a beach.  I love the soothing sound of the waves washing up over the sand.  And if I have a glass of red wine and a book in my hand, and some friend or family member close by, I’m a happy camper.  But if there is one thing that has encouraged and driven me to accomplish more in my life, it’s not a sunset, the beach or a glass of wine.   And as much as I love my family and friends, it’s not even them.  It’s fear. 

I know that’s strange, but let me explain.  I’ve always been a bit of a scaredy cat, a play-it-safe kind of gal.  Even as a kid, I didn’t push the envelope. Mom said, “Hold my hand and look both ways before you cross the street,” and I did.  And as an adult, my need for security, a sense of safety and certainty, still lingers.  If mom lived here, I’d probably still be holding her hand as I cross a street.  And it’s the biggest thing that I don’t like about myself.  

Not because I want to break rules, live on the edge, or that I have a need to live some dangerous lifestyle.  Heck, I don’t believe there’s a good reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I’ve met very few roller coasters I liked, and when the mad cow disease was out, chicken became my best friend.  I simply don’t like risks.

(of course, then she writes Don't Mess With Texas & stirs up all kinds of trouble *grin*)

So you see, it’s not that I want to embrace fear.  It’s my unwillingness to let fear stand in my way that has driven me to take chances, and forced me to step out of my comfort zone.   Whenever I’m faced with a new opportunity, if I feel that tribulation in my gut, that wiggle in my stomach—and if I didn’t have broccoli the night before—I always have a come to Jesus talk with myself.  So I guess you could say, it’s not so much fear that inspires me, but my apprehension of letting fear hold me back.

For example, when my agent told me it was time to shop around a proposal to other houses, and oh lordy, when she phoned me and said that an editor from St. Martin’s Press had called her and asked if I would write a young adult series for them, the fear kicked in big time.  Both of those instances gave me a major case of stomach flutters and I’d had no broccoli the night before.  I’d worked hard to finally be in a good place with one publisher, I liked my editor and he liked me.  I was in a place where I kind of knew how to write a humorous romantic suspense.  I’d built a nice little comfort zone, thank you very much.  But I didn’t know Jack about working with other publishing companies or about writing young adult books. 

 (The first book of her new YA paranormal series, Shadow Falls)

What if I tried to write YA and failed?   What if my new publisher didn’t think I was funny?  That wiggle in my stomach, that uneasiness I felt at putting my big toe outside the comfort zone, had me breaking out in hives and hyperventilating.  But ultimately, that fear forced me to say yes to both things.  The venture into YA turned out to be one of the best career moves I’ve ever made.  Not only has it opened up a new avenue for my work, but I’ve grown as a writer all around.   And working with a new publisher is opening new doors in my career as a romance novelist.

 (Here's book 2 of her Shadow Fall series, already out!)

As writers I think we are constantly being faced with challenges, be it the choices of self-publishing or not self publishing, of writing in a new genre, sending out queries, or handing our work to a new critique partner.  Considering my experiences, I encourage everyone to look both ways before you cross a street, don’t jump out of airplanes, be leery of roller coasters, and eat more chicken. (Broccoli is questionable.) But don’t hesitate to step out of your comfort zone.  And if fear tries to hold you back, grab it by the throat and knock it out of your way.  Never let it stop you from growing as a writer or as a person.

Christie Craig AKA C.C. Hunter

Woot! Thanks Christie for sharing a part of your journey & for your sage insight. I will definitely NOT jump out of airplanes...and keep your words in mind when dealing with fear. :)

If you want to know more about Christie, check out:

If you have any questions for Christie, post in the comments. She has graciously agreed to visit from time to time today. :) Happy reading & writing!

24 comments:

  1. Thanks Christie! I'm so thrilled to have you guest blogging :)

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  2. What a great interview! I can't wait to meet Christie at the Southern Magic Readers Luncheon next weekend!

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  3. That certainly give hope to us all. Thanks, Mina and Christie.

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  4. This article spoke to me big time. It was just the kick in the rear I needed. Thanks, Christie!

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  5. Wonderful post! I felt like you just ripped my feelings about writing right out of my body and laid them bare. That helped a lot!
    Thanks,
    Larissa

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  6. You've always been one of my favorite authors, Christie. Loved listening to you speak at RWA, and I'm looking forward to discovering you as CC Hunter. Thanks for the great post.

    L. j.

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  7. Great post ladies! And words of encourgement for all of us to stretch and try new things.

    I'm a born coward too. I had a boss ask me and three men if he gave us $5K and a parachute would we jump out of the small jet we were flying in. Two said yes, one said no way, and I told him there weren't enough men on that plane to thow me out. Don't know if that was the answer he wanted, but at least I was honest!

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  8. Wow, thanks y'all for visiting & commenting! I'm so glad I'm able to share Christie Craig with you.

    And believe me if you have the opportunity to hear her speak...go for it. Wonderful experience :)

    P.S. She's a guest at Southern Magic's upcoming luncheon Nov. 5!

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  9. I'm one of the fortunate people on here, I have the joy of hearing Christie quite often. She's in my RWA chapter, and one of the main reasons I joined after hearing her speak:)
    Her humor runs a tight foot-race with her romantic suspense works, but my new-found passion and love are her YA paranormals.
    I'd read Stephenie Meyers' works, so when Christie produced her first novel as CC Hunter,I was delighted when I won a copy of her ARC.
    I read it within a couple of days,and loved every minute of it:)
    If you're a fan of paranormal, love chills and thrills, you won't be disappointed:)
    Lo

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  10. Hi Mini,

    I'm so thrilled to be here. Thanks so much for inviting me. I'm big on inspiration. It's so important to stay inspired in this business.

    Sorry I'm late, I've had out to town company I had to get to the airport.

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  11. Hi Heather,

    Wow, so you are going to the luncheon. Great. I can't wait to meet you. It's going to be so much fun. I'm getting my basket that I'm donating together. Yikes, I probably should be thinking about packing, too.

    CC

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  12. Hi Carla!

    I can't wait to see everyone this next weekend. Mina, who knew I'd see so many familiars names on your blog. LOL.

    CC

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  13. Donnell,

    We all need regular kicks in the rear to keep us going. LOL. It's part of what keeps us going. Passion and a good butt kick.

    Thanks for stopping in.

    CC

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  14. Larissa,

    Thanks so much for stopping in. I think a lot of writers are afraid, and many of us are afraid to admit we're afraid. But I think facing it is the first step to kicking fear's butt.

    Have a great weekend.

    CC

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  15. Hi L.J. Charles,

    Thanks so much. I love writing my zany books that makes people laugh and remember that love is supposed to be fun. And I love talking about writing almost as much as I love writing.

    It's hard to believe, but there was a time that I would have laughed my butt off if someone told me that I would be doing talks in front of huge crowds. And I still get that nervous feeling in my stomach for a few seconds when I first stand up, but as soon as I can make the crowd laugh, I can relax.

    Thanks again.

    CC

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  16. Jerrie Alexander,

    I'm with you, girl. I can't understand what provokes people to jump out of good airplanes. And honesty wins you points as far as I'm concerned. LOL.

    Thanks for stopping in.

    CC

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  17. Loretta,

    Hi, Girl!!! It's so good to see you here!!! And thank you so much for the praise on the YA series. I love writing it.


    Have a great weekend!

    CC

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  18. Terrific post, Christie! Confession time - fear propelled me into losing over 50 pounds last year, and fear is helping keep it off. Fear exists for a reason. We need to embrace it and boldly go forward. Thanks for your wonderful words, and enjoy the possibly snowy weekend.

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  19. Hi Debra,

    Congrats on your weight loss!!! Snowy? Oh, goodness. It's chilly here in Texas, but no snow.

    Have a great day and thanks for stopping in.

    CC

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  20. Great editorial, Mina! (The line about Don't Mess w/TX--that was exactly what was in my head.)

    Christie, those are beautiful covers they gave you for your YA books. Did you have any input? I've been noticing tons of Twilight-inspired covers in the bookstore lately. These are different.

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  21. Thanks for visiting Anon, so glad you liked my editorial :)

    And yes, the covers are gorgeous...love the colors.

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  22. Great topic, Mina! Christie, I can so relate to this. Whenever something scares me--in a nervous way, not a bodily-harm kind of way--I know it means I should do it.

    Congrats on stepping out of your comfort zone and finding so much success there. Thanks for sharing!

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  23. Wonderful post. I so identify with the "fear" issues. I've always been a bit of a scaredy cat, too, but then I would push myself into strange territory that made my family's eyebrows raise. I can't explain why I do it, but I'm glad I did or I wouldn't be published now. Thanks for sharing your journey.

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  24. Thanks for visiting Gwen & Anita!

    Here's to always daring to do more :)

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