And our Sue's Clues Mystery Author is

Madeline Hunter has been a little bit of everything - a little bit of all of us. She’s been a grocery clerk and an art dealer. A freelance writer and a telemarketer. An office clerk and a craft importer. Today, Madeline has 4 jobs. She is a writer, teacher, wife and mother.

Madeline lives with her husband and two sons in Pennsylvania. At her website, she will tell you that they have been wonderfully supportive of her writing. She’ll also tell you about her dog, to which she instantly caves into and feeds scraps when he puts on his ‘pitiful looks’. She also has a black cat that seems to run the house and honor the family with her presence.

Madeline has a Ph.D. in Art History, which she teaches at a university. She says that she couldn’t imagine giving up teaching to write exclusively. Her position there not only gives her access to an excellent library for research, but also that ‘the contact with students keeps me fresh and aware and energized, and blunts my tendency to, on occasion, think like an old fogy.’

Madeline began as a freelance writer with non-fiction articles for magazines. She tried her hand at writing fiction after her first son was born. Her first novel, a mystery, was poorly written, but became a great learning experience of how to write. Madeline’s next book was what she describes as a family saga that never really ends. Neither book was ever published, and she put writing fiction upon the shelf.

Then she discovered Historical Romance. After reading book after book, she picked up a pencil and began to write her own story – with no thought of publishing it. A friend read it, told her to finish, and eventually it was published.

I asked Madeline if she would mind answering 1 to 3 questions, and she was kind enough to do so. Here they are along with her answers.

1. What is your favorite time period to write about and why?

Although I write in other periods, and will have four books out next year that are 19th century, the Middle Ages has a special place in my heart. It is very distant, so visiting that culture transports one out of the everyday. Because power was fluid, it lends itself to high-stakes plots in ways that more recent times don't. I enjoy the 19th century too, but the reality is that by then things were much more *civilized* and that can be annoying sometimes <g>.

2. When you write about your heroes or heroines, do you have anyone in mind to model them after? Like Mel Gibson or Nicole Kidman, for example?

I know that many writers do this, but I don't. I have an image in my head, but it is more a composite, I guess. It isn't based on a specific individual as far as I can tell.

3. Do you see yourself always writing historical romance, or do think eventually it may lose its appeal and turn to contemporary?

I never say never when it comes to contemporaries or mainstream. However, at this point in my career I am happy writing historicals.

4. What's your favorite color? ( lol, ok, that's 4, but I'm curious.)

Oddly enough, this has changed over the years. When I was in my 20s, it was black (I think because I thought that made me artistic sounding). Then it was green. Recently, however, I find myself loving yellow--pale, chiffon yellow.

If you would like to learn more about Madeline and her books, you can visit her website at: http://www.madelinehunter.com/index.html

And "Thank You, Madeline!" for allowing us to feature you as a Sue's Clues Mystery Author!