Paulla Hunter lives what she calls the “Just–Wild–Enough-For-Me-West.” She sets her romantic suspense mysteries in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where murder is uncommon – no more cowboy shootouts in the street except for the tourists. “Rough Ride” is the first book in the Darcy Moreland series and is set during the time of the annual rodeo.

SunLit: Tell us this book’s backstory. What inspired you to write it? Where did the  story/theme originate? 

Paulla Hunter: My husband was an active volunteer in Cheyenne Frontier Days, the largest outdoor rodeo in the world. When he came through the ranks and became contestants chairman, I was required to be involved. I learned a lot. 

I always enjoy going to the rodeo and the carnival, but being a chairman’s wife allowed me to see things and do things the regular tourist doesn’t get to. My  husband’s job was to take care of the cowboys and the contract acts, and basically run the rodeo. 

SunLit: Place this excerpt in context. How does it fit into the book as a whole? Why did you  select it? 

Hunter: This excerpt begins close to the beginning and sets the tone with the murder at the end of the excerpt. TV reporter Darcy Moreland and her cameraman, Bill Netters, need to get along, and Darcy has already  ticked him off. This excerpt is meant to show how they work together and some technical issues about filming live. I picked this excerpt because it gives insight into the characters of Darcy and Netters and shows the first murder. 

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SunLit: Tell us about creating this book. What influences and/or experiences informed the project before you sat down to write? 

Hunter: Obviously, being involved in Cheyenne Frontier Days had a lot to do with it. “Rough Ride” is meant to refer to the murders as well as references how cowboys talk to each other. If they’ve drawn a difficult ride, they will  get an empathetic pat on the back. 

SunLit: What did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding  of your craft and/or the subject matter? 

Hunter: I had an incredible critique group who thoroughly vetted this novel before I even sent it to Epicenter. I learned to be aware of point of view, punctuation, and building suspense.  

SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing this book? 

Hunter: Time was my biggest challenge. In my real world, I was a high school English teacher. That took much of my time. I wrote in little bits and pieces and hoped when I got ready to put it  together it would look like a fine quilt. It didn’t exactly work that way. 

I had a great critique group, incredibly knowledgeable. I also had a few friends who are beta  readers who would give me an honest opinion about what they thought worked and what they thought didn’t work. It was a challenge when any of those people I trusted said I needed to kill something that I really loved, but I did it and they were right. 

SunLit: If you could pick just one thing — a theme, lesson, emotion or realization — that  readers would take from this book, what would that be? 

Hunter: One bad choice can ruin your  life.  

SunLit: In a highly politicized atmosphere where books, and people’s access to them, has  become increasingly contentious, what would you add to the conversation about books, libraries and generally the availability of literature in the public sphere? 

Hunter: I am never in favor of banning books. I do think that some books are not universally age appropriate and should not be readily available to students who are too young to  understand the issues. If their parents should take them to a local library and if they’re looking for a book that is not written for their age group, I would hope parents would intervene. 

Books with questionable themes like explicit sexual acts should never be part of the school curriculum nor a school library. “Huckleberry Finn” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” (to use two books that are trotted out as examples of books to be banned) should not usually be taught to anybody below the high school level. The  themes in these two books are multilayered and difficult for young minds to grasp.  

I believe that you must never ban a book you have not personally read. You must never ban a book just because it disagrees with your point of view. However, explicitly sexual books should not be available in a school library. There is enough of that on the internet if a parent is insisting that they want their student to be exposed to it. Reading is an incredible gift that can enrich everyone’s life. I would hate to see a child afraid to pick up a book. We need to be the adults in the room. 

SunLit: Walk us through your writing process: Where and how do you write? 

Hunter: I am very lucky to have a bespoke office in my home. I wanted a basement office with one window because I can be distracted easily. My process always begins with an idea. It can be from a newspaper article, a story someone tells me or something I experienced. Once I have the idea, I conjure details to build around the idea, rather like making a rubber band-ball out of who, what, how and why. 

“Rough Ride”

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I have never been a plotter, though at times I wish I was. I am a pantser, one who writes from the seat of their pants. A pantser begins with a new idea and follows the story through. The advantage of this type of  writing is that it leaves room to be surprised or to guide a story in any direction. 

The  disadvantage is you always face the dreaded blank screen with no clear direction. I  read somewhere that Hemingway never stopped writing for the day without a clear idea where to start from on the next day. I try to follow that dictum. The other  disadvantage is that you risk having to do major edits when the story is in the first draft.

SunLit: With regard to the excerpt from your book, why would someone kill a beautiful 16-year-old girl by throwing her off the top of the Ferris wheel? 

Hunter: Because she didn’t take you seriously. Because she was pregnant. Because she was drugged. All are possibilities. That’s why it’s called a mystery. 

SunLit: Tell us about your next project.

Hunter: I am working on the fourth book in the Darcy Moreland Mystery series. It takes place in the spring. “Rough Ride” was summer, “Brittle Bones” was fall, and “Lucky Lady” was winter. The fun of writing a series is that the characters grow and change but are still as comfortable as a pair of slippers.  

A few more quick questions  

SunLit: Which do you enjoy more as you work on a book – writing or editing?

Hunter: Writing, absolutely.  

SunLit: What’s the first piece of writing – at any age – that you remember being proud  of?

Hunter: I was a freshman at the University of The Seven Seas, a ship that goes around the world and incorporates college classes on board. I think there was a total of 245 students on board. I volunteered for the newspaper and my editor assigned  me to do a story about Alex Marx, son of the late Harpo Marx. 

After I talked Alex into cooperating, he sat with me for a long interview. I saw him across the  student lounge on the day the newspaper came out and he gave me a thumbs up. One of my fondest memories.  

SunLit: What three writers, from any era, would you invite over for a great discussion  about literature and writing? 

Hunter: Harper Lee, Dorothy Parker, John Milton.  

SunLit: Do you have a favorite quote about writing? 

Hunter: “There are three things you need to know about writing. Unfortunately, nobody knows what they are,” Somerset Maugham.  

SunLit: What does the current collection of books on your home shelves tell visitors about you? 

Hunter: I am an eclectic reader. I filled my house with books in every room. Unfortunately, they are not sorted in any meaningful way.  

SunLit: Soundtrack or silence? What’s the audio background that helps you write?

Hunter: Silence. I tried to use background music, but I couldn’t focus.  

SunLit: What music do you listen to for sheer enjoyment? 

Hunter: Country, classical, Irish.  

SunLit: What event, and at what age, convinced you that you wanted to be a writer? 

Hunter: I don’t recall a special moment. I did start to think about it when my writing seminar professor said I should look into publishing my work. I was on track to be a teacher and I had a teaching contract in my hand before I went student teaching. It almost never happens that way. I went on to teach for 36 years.  

SunLit: As a writer, what do you fear most? 

Hunter: That I won’t have an idea that is worth exploring.  

SunLit: Also, as a writer, what brings you the greatest satisfaction? 

Hunter: First, finishing a book, and second, holding that book in its published form in my hands. 

This byline is used for articles and guides written collaboratively by The Colorado Sun reporters, editors and producers.