THE WRITER'S DEN

 David Hunter: Exposed

 This was an Interview I did a while back, so I thought I'd post it here at the Den ...

Courtesy of, and Thanks to, Natasha Hollerup for Interviewing me, couldn't have been easy!




Hello and welcome to a new installment of “What’s Your Story?” The subject interviewed in this installment is David Hunter, who is a musician and a writer, as well as a blogger of news and writing advice. So, please give your attention, applause and goodwill to Mr. Hunter.

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Can you tell everyone your name and location?
-I am David Hunter, and I dwell in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Okay, David, here is a set of simple questions to begin with:

When and where were you born?

-I was born in Toronto on October 19th, 1971. Wow, that date is starting to sound ancient! I was raised there as well.

What are your hobbies?

-Photography is a big passion of mine; and playing my guitar (A 1978 Les Paul Gold Top! Got it when I was 16 and I still have it…) And of course reading books, if that qualifies as a hobby.  I’d say writing, but that’s not a hobby, it’s my obsession, my life!

How long have you had these hobbies?
-I think I was born with my hobbies! Although I started playing guitar rather late in life, at age 15, I excelled at it quickly.

What is your favorite part about this hobby?

-That I was good! Within a few weeks I joined a band at school. People look at you different when you can play a guitar! I enjoyed that look.

What kind (s) of music do you like (bands, singers, genres)?

-How much time you got? There are so many; Rock, jazz, folk, you name it. If it sounds good, it is good. I do hold a special place in my heart for the Beatles.  As Jazz goes, Joe Henderson is my favorite. And Vince Guaraldi.  And Dave Brubeck! (See? I need more time…)

Who is your favorite author? Why?
-No one could turn a phrase as well as Edward Abbey, even though the man himself was a bit of a wing-nut.  I picked up a copy of The Monkey Wrench Gang when I was 12 and I never put it down.  I still have that copy! His writing influenced me the most.  He was a curmudgeon and a desert anarchist who burned billboards because they were an affront to the landscape, but boy could he write some beautiful stuff!

What was the most recent book you’ve read?
-Blood Work, by Michael Connelly.

What were your thoughts on it?

-It was good; a page turner.  But the movie was better, I thought.  It’s one of those books that I forget soon after I’ve read it.  How terrible is that?

What are you currently reading for enjoyment?

-I’m currently re-reading an old YA (young adult) book that I’ve had since high school; the Pigman, by Paul Zindel.  It’s one of my all-time favorites.

What place do you/have you want (ed) to visit or live in? Why?

-I think I’d like to bum around Europe. It seems very artsy and writerly; and it always impresses people when you say you’ve been places like Paris or Rome!  Also, I could use some worldliness.  I’m not very worldly.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
-Who wants to grow up?

Here are some more personal questions:

What three people are most important to you?
-Carl Sagan, Chuck Jones, and my mom and my sister.  Not in that particular order, either.

Could you describe them and your relationship to them?
-My mom is the last parent I have, so that’s self explanatory.  She really belongs in the mom Hall of Fame.

Can you describe your most recent mistake or failure?
-I should have taken writing in college instead of art; big mistake.  Here I was with all this writing ability and I was still clinging to my artistic dreams.  It was a hard lesson, learning that you’re not going to be successful at something you love, and I loved to draw, but it wasn’t my real destiny; writing was.  Thank the gods for writing; it saved me.

Can you describe your most recent victory?

-I consider all my new friends on Twitter a victory for me. My dream was to be a part of a creative community and I accomplished that in the past year; they sustain me; they inspire me!

What do you do for a living?

-I work in a Food Container plant; in the mornings I do maintenance, in the afternoons I work in the Graphics department.

Tell me about how you got into your line of work.

-I had experience as a superintendent, so I applied for this job. It’s your standard 9 to 5 job, and it’s very similar to being a super.  I needed money, and my only skills include writing and being creative, things we know are hard to make money at.  The Graphics part came about because I asked them to train me.  I wanted to move up in the company.

Do you like your job?

-It’s a job, that’s all; nothing special.  I guess that means no!

If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?

I would love to be writing for the local media, become a part of the writing culture here in Toronto.  Nothing says success like having your friends read your stuff in the local paper.

What do you hope to accomplish in 2010?
-What does any self-respecting writer want to accomplish? A finished manuscript, a book deal, and to move to California.  Me and California, we are meant for each other!

How do you think you’ll accomplish this/these goal (s)?
-By working my ass off.  I know of no other way.

What genre of writing do you want to write in?

-I love crime fiction, but I also love Sci-fi,  (although my lack of scientific knowledge may prevent this…)  and comedy; but I’m mostly mainstream.  I love many genres, so I hope I don’t get pigeon-holed into only one genre.

Why do you gravitate towards this particular type of writing?

-Under the Mainstream banner I can write anything, and I won’t get trapped in any one genre.  I like to be free in what I write.

Do you have any works in progress?

-I have a story called Rockfish, set in the 1960’s.

Can you give a brief summary about it?

-It’s about a kid named Everett Winsom who is dealing with his messed up family…and the fact that he has a bad leg that makes him limp, makes him the butt of jokes at school.  He has a mentally challenged brother and an alcoholic mother…

When do you plan to become published?
-As soon as humanly possible! But seriously, it’s a long process.  These things take time.  Like any optimistic writer, I plan to get published within the year, which is wishful thinking at best.

If you become a published author, would you quit the job you have now to primarily write?
-A resounding “hell yeah” would be the appropriate response.

What do you like the most about writing? What do you like the least?

-I like the creativity of it; creating my own characters, my own worlds, where I can explore things.  Plus, let’s face it, writers like to write because they can be in charge of these little places in their minds; petty tyrants lording it over imaginary people.  That’s the real reason people write, isn’t it?  What I hate is the doubt; it can be debilitating.

What do you want to be doing in five years?
-Writing for a living; traveling the world; hopefully engaged with love and life.

List five adjectives that describe yourself.

-Stubborn, sensitive, creative, easy-going and hungry (Hungry being a metaphor for motivated)

How would you like to be remembered?

-Through my writing.  I hope students will be reading and discussing my work a hundred years from now, and I hope they say, “He was pretty cool”.

Can you name three to five things you want to do before you die?

-Meet the perfect girl, fall in love, have children, become a published writer, and bowl a 300 game.

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