Good morning and today I am so proud to welcome Cissy Hunt. Here is something about her.

My husband and I live in the beautiful Ozark Mountains with our two small dogs and two cats, where we love to fish and work in our yard.
I have been an ordained minister since August of 2007. I am called to minister to hurting women who carry the emotional scars of domestic abuse.
For as long as I can remember I have always loved to write. When I couldn't express myself verbally, one only had to hand me a pen and paper and out would flow my thoughts.
I have written poetry most of my life and now my life-long dream has come true. I have written a book.
My book, A Rose Blooms Among the Thorns, is the story of a woman's journey from domestic abuse, through healing, to forgiveness.

So tell me Cissy. What inspires you to write?

I write because... I love it. It is the way I could always express myself. I have always had a problem being able to put into spoken word what I am feeling or what I need to say without tripping all over the words or getting "tongue-tied" as the old saying goes. Yet when I would pick up a pen and paper, the words would seem to flow out of my mind and heart onto the paper. Writing became my escape. I didn't need to speak what I was feeling I could write it down and so I did over and over again. No matter what I was feeling be it happiness, sadness, love, hate, pain, joy, it all went on paper and was never spoken.
Because of the life I lived most of my earlier writing was full of sadness, pain, and abuse. ( I have thrown most of all of those away). Then it turned to learning how to trust and should I take the chance one more time. I can tell my writing has changed over the years, of course it has matured with age but also it has more joy in it. I still write poetry mainly, because it is my first love. Poetry is the words that are the depth of my soul. Poetry makes me look deep within myself and examine what I find there.


When did you first realize you wanted to write?

I have loved writing since I was very young. Words I could not seem to speak came easy when I picked up a pen and paper

That’s very interesting because children seem to ‘talk’ a lot in their drawings. Can you remember the first thing you wrote story wise.

I called it poetry... I just wrote what I was feeling. I didn't have a great childhood so I wrote. I didn't write stories I wrote from a child's & a young woman's broken heart


It takes me months to write a full book. It just can’t be rushed. Tell me, how long did it take you to write your book?

I started it in Feb. And turned it to the publisher in June or July.


Wow, that is quick. What’s your secret?

I fasted for a month and a half before starting...I wanted to make sure it was right and I knew this book was going to take me on a journey I didn't want to go on, back into my past.

Goodness me, fasting! Kudos to you for doing that! I have so many quirks when it comes to writing, I can’t list them all. What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I don't know if I have one since this is my 1st book. I fasted for a month & a half before starting the book if that is a quirk. I wanted my head clear and wanted to make sure I heard from God. I had to get it right.

Do you mean you ate NOTHING at all?

I consumed only liquids, water, tea, soup broth, etc

Putting your writing aside, what other things do you like to do?

I love to read, sew, work in my yard, but most of all I love to go night fishing with my husband.

I’m not sure I could stay awake all night fishing LOL So what are you reading now?

I just finished Lori Wick's Cassidy

My family NEVER read my books. I’m not sure they even know I write lol Do any of your friends or family comment on your books?

Yes, they all like the book and my writing style and they all want to know when the next book is coming out.

It’s nice when the family gets involved. It makes them see how hard you work. Have any of your friends NOT liked what your writing?

Not that I know of...if they have they haven't told me (LOL)

I’ve learned so much in the 15 years that I’ve been writing. Tell me, what’s one of the most surprising things you’ve learnt in creating your books?

That I could write a book. Up until now I had only written poetry

That’s really interesting. What pushed you to go down such a different avenue?

I had a story that need to be told. There is so much domestic violence in this world today and women believe that they are to blame or they come out of the relationship believing that they are less than "DIRT" that they have no value, because that is how they were treated!

I hear you with that Cissy. People find it hard to fathom why a battered woman stays. Only one who has been in that position really understands I suppose.

I feel a good critique partner is worth their weight in gold. Do you use one?

No, not really unless my best friend helping me edit is one.

I have a blog site and web page where readers can chat to me. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?

They said that I made them cry, made them angry, made them laugh, and most of all - made them think

So you bring out a lot of emotion in people. How does that make you feel?

Good, especially on this subject.

How do you promote your work?

Through my website, on Facebook, with bookmarkers, business cards, word of mouth and I hope soon to have my 1st book signing

Good luck with the book sign. Come back and let us know when and where it will be.
So what do you think makes a compelling story?

Something that touches the heart of the reader all the way through the book. It has to grab their attention from page one and propel them all the way through to the very last page. My book, even though it was in a fictional setting, was based on my life (domestic abuse). Only people that have known me for a long time know that though.

So really you’re now baring your soul to the world. That’s very brave. Does it make you feel empowered?

No, but this is a subject very close to my heart. I know the physical and emotional scars that domestic violence leaves a woman with and how long it can take for her to heal from them.

Here is a small excerpt from A Rose blooms amongst the thorns to finish with.

LaRae's hands trembled as she slowly hung up the phone. She rose from her chair—the caller’s mysterious words still fresh in her thoughts. Gazing out her apartment window she pondered over the conversation. The familiar scenery spread out before her as the autumn colored leaves danced about in the breeze. LaRae watched as a slender woman who appeared to be in her middle twenties carefully took the hand of the young girl standing beside her. Before crossing the street below, she waited for traffic to clear and then headed for the same apartment building LaRae has lived in for the past year and three months. She recognized them as the mother and daughter who occupied the apartment below her. Though she kept her own identity concealed from others, not allowing anyone too close, she made it a point to know as much as she could about the people living around her.
Watching the mother and young child brought back memories—memories of when she first left James. Memories that left her frightened and unmistakably void of all emotions except fear. He had treated her like a small child, making her believe she didn’t even know how to cross the street by herself without written directions. In time James had totally dominated her life to the point of telling her what to do, when to do, what to wear and whom she could speak with. She was allowed no friends and no contact with anyone outside of James.
In the beginning of the marriage he would give little excuses for why she could not visit with her family or friends. At first, her visits would always coincide with important business functions or he would claim he forgot and made dinner reservations, therefore canceling out any plans she may have had. He started demanding she be home when he called or wanted her home when he was home. Each day he took away a little bit more of her freedom until one morning she woke up to find she had no freedom; she was a prisoner in her own home. That’s when she knew she had to escape, no matter the cost she had to get away and find her independence. She had to try and find herself.

Well, that’s all from Cissy. What a great lady she is. You but her book here http://cissyh.webs.com
Here publisher is http://www.publishamerica.net/product87441.html

Please leave a comment for her. She’ll be so happy to hear from you.