Interview with Vivi Anne Hunt, author of TO TRUST AND TO TOUCH

 

I am delighted to feature another author interview on my blog this month! This week's interviewee is a new one to me. I haven't read Vivi Anne Hunt's previous work, so I was thrilled to be able to work with her for the release of their newest book To Trust and To Touch.

If you want to learn more about this book and Vivi Anne Hunt's future in writing make sure to check out the interview. As always, there will be links to Vivi Anne Hunt's social media sites and links to purchase their books at the bottom.      

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When did you first get started with writing?

I started telling stories very early in childhood, it seemed like the logical thing to do when I was playing by myself with my toys. Eventually, I learned that people actually wrote stories - I mean, a kid doesn't think about where books come from - and immediately started trying little things, like poems and zines and whatever.
The moment I truly started writing was when I was in high school, things were really bad for me, so I escaped by writing fan fiction. It was terrible, of course, but I enjoyed reading and writing it, and it taught me a lot.

That's cute. You've also got a point about kids not thinking where books come from. Ooh, I love fanfiction. Wrote a little bit of it myself.
How do you handle receiving negative book reviews? (Excuse me for automatically assuming that you’ve received any. If you haven’t, you can either ignore this question or explain if you have any plans for when/if you do receive any.)

I definitely get negative feedback! A lot of it! I didn't much care about it when it was on fan fiction forums or Wattpad because it's kind of buried, but when it's in a book review, for everyone to see, it's different. And of course, you love your babies so much, it really hurts if someone misunderstood the point you were trying to make.
In any case, I can tell you that when I get respectful and objective negative feedback, I am actually happy and I share it. But when I get the kind of feedback that makes you cry, the mean kind, then I just kind of cry to myself, talk to friends, and try to focus on the positive feedback instead. Eventually, the crushing feeling passes.
I even started to share that feedback on social media recently, just to show that it's OK to get negative feedback, we shouldn't try to hide it, we should try to accept it and move on.

I really like how you cope with it. Sounds like you've set up a good support system to make sure that you don't let the reviews keep you down for too long. I also love you sharing the feedback, normalizing it.
Did you have any certain music that you listened to while writing To Trust and To Touch?

I usually write in silence, although music helps sometimes. I have an MM romance playlist on Youtube I listen to and a special song playlist for this book as well. A lot of the songs are specifically meant for Alex's healing journey, and they make me tear up when I listen.

Ooh, I love a good story playlist. I definitely see Alex when I see those songs. Great picks!
Which came first for To Trust and To Touch: the characters or the plot?

First came the question: If someone can't be touched or doesn't want to be touched, how can there be a romantic relationship? Of course, I know there can be, I just needed to sit down and write it. I didn't know what happened to Alex when I started, and I didn't know much about him, other than he didn't want to be touched. Those things came later.
This is one of those books I wrote in the span of days. It just came out of me, and I didn't have to change much. I feel like those are my favorite stories. Like they come to me from somewhere! Sometimes I'd read something like this and wonder, Did I really write this?

So this story just took a hold of you and basically wrote itself, it seems. That's kind of awesome. Especially with it starting with that question.
Which of the characters from To Trust and To Touch did you relate to the most? If you're comfortable sharing, why?

I had a long period in my life when I hated everything and everyone. So of course, I can relate to how Alex is feeling at the beginning of the book. I can also relate to his suicidal thoughts, which aren't too bad, but still, if you look closely, you'll find them. I think back when I was him, I needed someone like Sigh back then, but instead, I got some friends who, little by little, showed me that life is worth living. Friends or lovers or family, it doesn't matter.
I have gone through so much shit in my life, I am truly happy and grateful to be where I am today. I wanted to portray (a part of) this healing journey as best as I could in a book. I love Alex to bits because he is me, after all.
I hope this book gives someone hope and shows that there are bad people out there, but there are also good people. Life is worth living.

That makes sense. I definitely think this book will get to that audience, at least I really hope so. Thank you for sharing!
Where did you get Sigh's name from? I'm curious how you came up with all of your names, but Sigh's is the one I'm really interested in.

I think it was from a movie I watched once where the main character had an imaginary boyfriend named Sigh! His full name, though, I have no idea where it came from. All the names for this book just came to me and I didn't change any of them. Like I said, this book was ready the moment I said `The End'. It rarely happens, but I love it when it does.

Alright then! I like that this book just got itself ready for you.
How did you get the idea for this book?

I think I was looking for a challenge you know? I'd just written a heavy book - Kai's Healing Smiles - where the main subject was losing your soulmate and what happens after that. I just really wanted to show that one person can have more than one `soulmates'.
I feel like I was trying to push myself at that time, to explore different situations where the romance would be difficult. At the end of the day, I am an empath and a psychologist at heart, so I love studying human psyches and reaching into my own to come up with realistic people.
For this book, I wanted to challenge myself with - What if the main character couldn't touch? How would the romance progress then? The answer is this book.

That makes a lot of sense, you wanting to explore those different situations.
How long did this book take you to write?

It took me about 3 days maybe? When I am `possessed' by a story, I sit down and write it without stopping. Usually, I have a writing season, about a month or so, where all I do is write - from morning till night, and I only break for toilet and food!
Sometimes I end up with a lot of beginnings and some unfinished stories, but when I'm lucky and the writing flows, I come out with amazing stories like Alex's. Truth be told, I am an extreme pantser who doesn't know anything about the story as she writes it and if I do, I get bored, so I try to write it as fast as I can. In this case, I was lucky, and it came out of me like magic.
And by the way, not that you asked, but the biggest and most delightful surprise was Sigh's charity for abandoned queer kids. I loved writing those parts of the book.

Oh, wow! That is incredibly impressive! I couldn't imagine writing a book in about 3 days. You did a great job! Also, I really love Sigh's charity.
Emma is such a sweet child. Was she hard to write? Her dialogue, mannerisms, or anything like that.

Yes! I mean, I have babysat some kids, but I don't have one, so those parts were difficult for me. If you read the first iteration of the book, you'd notice she doesn't sound authentic, but I did my best to fix that. Also, writing her was both a joy and heart-breaking at times, especially when she asked the question `Is everyone always gonna leave?' I cried when she asked that.
I love it when I'm writing and something so shattering happens. I have to stop and get my emotions out and cry or laugh or scream. My books are very emotional because a) I am very emotional and b) I experience the same emotions as I write as the readers do as they read.
Writing my books is the funnest process. I wouldn't change it for the world.

Yeah, that line from Emma was really heartbreaking. She sounded a lot like an actual kid and I'm very impressed with how you wrote her.
Have you ever been given or found any valuable piece of writing advice that you'd like to share?

Honestly, I don't know if anyone ever said this to me, but I'm going to say it to anyone reading this interview - find a way to write that is YOURS. For years, I couldn't finish a single story because I was planning every part of the story, and I thought that it was the `correct' way to write. I didn't know that I was a pantser, nobody ever talked about it!
Fast-forward a few years, I finally found the writing process that works for me, and I can finish stories pretty easily. I love writing like myself and I hope you find your way, too.

YES! That is such an amazing piece of advice. Finding what your writing style is.
What does your writing future look like? Any books in the work?

Yes! I have already shared a couple of teasers with my Youtube followers! Basically, next year I am going to be publishing 2 books - one about two men who form a musical connection and the other one about an assassin and a homeless guy. Both are gay romances.
They're being edited as we speak and I can't wait to share them with the world!
Since I write a lot, I already have some books written. All I have to do is edit them, which makes it easier on me. I aim to publish at least 2 books every year in the future.
Honestly, I don't care about fame or fortune, I just dream of being able to write and share my stories for the rest of my life. That would make me so happy!

That is amazing!! I am super excited to see those books come out!! I am truly impressed by how quickly you write and get these books ready. I wish you all the best and I'm definitely gonna try to pick up some of your other books in the future.

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You can find Vivi Anne Hunt on their website, Instagram, Twitter.

You can buy Vivi Anne Hunt's books from Amazon.

If you can't buy their books but you still want to read them, consider requesting them to your local library or suggesting them on Overdrive!