Margot Hunt Interview - The Last Affair

Photo Credit: Robert Holland

Margot Hunt is a USA TODAY best selling author of BEST FRIENDS FOREVER and FOR BETTER AND WORSE. Her new book, THE LAST AFFAIR, will be released on November 26, 2019 by MIRA.

Margot has also written eight previous books as Whitney Gaskell, and the Young Adult series GEEK HIGH under the pen name Piper Banks.

        

  

What inspired you to pen your first novel?
I started my career writing romantic comedies because I loved reading them. My first novel was PUSHING 30 written under my real name, Whitney Gaskell. It was about Ellie Winters, a twenty-nine-year-old woman who falls in love with a much older man. As with many first books, there were autobiographical elements to it. Much like Ellie, I was at that time an unhappy attorney who hated conflict and I had a very demanding pug. I was not in a relationship with an older man, but I thought it would be a fun twist on the typical girl-meets-boy story.

Tell us your latest news.
The big news is that my third Margot Hunt book, THE LAST AFFAIR, will be released this month! It will be out on November 26th, just in time to for Thanksgiving. A nice juicy murder mystery is a great way to take a break from your more annoying relatives and figuring out what to do with all of those leftovers.

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
The biggest influence on my writing is my love of reading. I truly believe that in order to be a successful writer, you must first be a dedicated reader. It’s how you learn story structure, plotting, character development. If I love a book, I try to figure out why – was it the style of the writing, the flow of the story or a certain character who I connected with? And if I don’t enjoy what I’m reading, I try to unravel that too, and figure out what about it didn’t work for me.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
The single most exciting moment was seeing my first book for sale in a bookstore. But I also love it whenever readers reach out to tell me they enjoyed one of my books. Writing is a very solitary occupation, so it always makes my day when someone takes the time to connect with me.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
My favorite reaction to a book ever was via a tweet . . . “Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm
@HuntAuthor just blew my mind, you guys. #ForBetterandWorse #Imkindofscaredofher
Blowing minds and scaring readers? What could be better than that?

In your new book; THE LAST AFFAIR, can you tell my Book Nerd community a little about it
THE LAST AFFAIR is about two people, Nora and Josh, who have always been decent, moral people . . . and yet end up having an extra-marital affair with one another. Their illicit relationship has terrible and unexpected consequences . . . including the death of Josh’s wife, Gwen. But at its heart, THE LAST AFFAIR examines the dark side of what happens when people are so consumed with the object of their obsession, they don’t see how destructive a force it is until it’s far too late.

What part of Nora and Josh did you enjoy writing the most?
As I mentioned earlier, I began my career writing romantic comedies, a genre where your characters can and should have flaws . . . but they must always be relatable and cute. The fun thing about thrillers, is that now I can write characters who behave badly. Very badly at times.

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating your characters?
What’s always surprised me is how real the characters are to me as I write them. I can picture them clearly – their speech, mannerisms, quirks. They quite literally live inside my head.

If you could introduce one of your characters to any character from another book, who would it be and why?
I think Alice Campbell from BEST FRIENDS FOREVER and Natalie Clarke from FOR BETTER AND WORSE would make for an interesting meet-up. Both women are quite formidable and calculating. It’s a little scary to think what they might get up to together.

What is your favorite restaurant in town and why?
Little Moir’s Food Shack in Jupiter, Florida. They’re the best game in town, consistently putting out good, interesting food.

What is one unique thing are you afraid of?
I am absolutely terrified of cockroaches. I don’t know how unique that is, because I can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t be terrified of them. They’re disgusting, and aggressive, and I read somewhere that they can survive a nuclear attack!? Oh, and even worse? They can FLY!

First concert?
I am truly dating myself . . . but The Police on their Synchronicity Tour. I wish I still had the t-shirt from that concert. I loved that shirt.

What is your happiest childhood memory?
Curled up on our screened-in porch on a beautiful summer day reading ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.

What is something you think everyone should do at least once in their lives?
Am I supposed to say something like scale a mountain or jump out of an airplane? I’m not that adventurous! I think if I had to choose one thing, it would be to cook a delicious meal for someone you love.

What decade during the last century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
I was a teenager in the 1980’s, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It was the best – the clothes, the music, the movies. My son is obsessed with the Netflix series STRANGER THINGS, which is set in the 80’s, and I’ve really enjoyed watching it with him and reliving my youth.

Love may be blind, but obsession’s a real killer.

Nora Holliday is not that kind of woman. Not the kind who has an illicit affair with a married man. But Josh Landon is everything Nora’s alcoholic husband isn’t. And now she and Josh are so infatuated, they can’t stay away from one another.

Abby Landon, Josh’s daughter, is home from college nursing a broken heart. She’s seeking solace, not more scandal, so when she catches her dad kissing Nora, she vows to take the homewrecker down.

And as for Abby’s mother and Josh’s wife, Gwen? To anyone on the outside looking in, the mother of two appears to be living the ideal suburban life.

Until she winds up dead.

The serene seaside town of Shoreham has always been the perfect place to raise a family—not somewhere housewives are brutally murdered. So who killed Gwen Landon, and how many twisted secrets will be exposed as the vindictive plot comes undone?

You can purchase The Last Affair at the following Retailers:

        

And now, The Giveaways.

Thank you MARGOT HUNT for making this giveaway possible.

1 Winner will receive a Copy of The Last Affair by Margot Hunt.

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