Author Interview: CRISTA MCHUGH

Welcome back, booklovers! Today as a Friday treat we are joined by paranormal romance author Crista McHugh! She's chatting a bit out her heroes and heroines of choice and giving us a peek into what's coming next in the world of Heart of the Huntress. Vampires! Shapeshifters! Sin City! Now, without further ado (although I do love my ado), Crista McHugh! Welcome, Crista! (Applause!)

If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?

In real life, I’m a doctor, but one of my screen names on loops/forums is “Disenchanted Doc”, so there are days when I come home completely drained from the day job. My dream job would be to get paid to travel around the world and see strange locales, immerse myself in different cultures, and share my experiences with others. I guess you can say I want Rick Steves’ job.

What three things do you absolutely need in order to write?

No distractions, coffee, and a comfortable chair. Seriously. Before my husband and I moved into our tiny little apartment, I had my own office where I could go, close the door from the TV and the dog, and write. Now, I flee to a local café when I need to type out the wordage. And never underestimate the power of a good chair. You can’t get your butt in the chair to write if you’re in pain the whole time.

What do you find attractive in a hero?

Confidence, a sense of humor, the ability to acknowledge his fears and face them head-on, his desire to make sure the heroine’s needs are taken care (both in and out of the bedroom… hehe). I like hero to be a real person – someone with real flaws that add to the tension in the relationship, but nothing so over the top that I want to roll my eyes.

What do you look for in a heroine?

A lot of the same things I look for in a hero. One of the things that absolutely drives me bonkers is the “too stupid to live” heroine. You know what I’m talking about – the stiletto-wearing dig-bat that charges into the dark, abandoned building where the bad guys are known to be hiding and then gives the hero a hard time after he rescues her because she “had it under control”. On the same token, I tend to like an assertive, independent heroine. Notice, I didn’t say shrill harpy. I like a heroine that can live without the hero if she needs to, but chooses to be with the hero because she sees the basis for a strong relationship.

Who was the last author whose writing wowed you?

I admit to having a “to be read” bookshelf that’s 2-3 books deep, so I haven’t been as diligent on my reading as I would like. The last book that really wowed me was Three Days to Dead by Kelly Meding. It’s an awesome Urban Fantasy book that totally sucked me in from the first line. There are a few more books I’m really wanting to get to, but it’s all time permitting due to real life stuff.

What’s next for you/what are you working on now?

My next release is the second novella in my Kavanaugh Foundation series that involves an OCD demon hunter, a fallen angel with voyeuristic tendencies, and demons that wear human skin like wet suits. It’s coming out from Samhain in July. My current work in progress is a steamy Regency about a young women determined to be “ruined” so she can escape an arranged marriage.

Thank you, Crista, for giving us the inside scoop! Today one lucky commenter will win an ebook download from Crista's backlist!