Hunter, Denise 1968-

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Hunter, Denise 1968-

PERSONAL:

Born 1968; married; husband's name Kevin; children: three sons. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Fort Wayne, IN. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE FICTION

Never a Bride, Heartsong Presents (Uhrichsville, OH), 2000.

Bittersweet Bride, Heartsong Presents (Uhrichsville, OH), 2002.

(With others) Aloha: Four Romances at a Hawaiian Hideaway, Barbour Books (Uhrichsville, OH), 2002.

(With others) Blind Dates: Four Stories of Hearts United with a Little Help from Grandma, Barbour (Uhrichsville, OH), 2003.

His Brother's Bride, Heartsong Presents (Uhrichsville, OH), 2003.

"NEW HEIGHTS" SERIES; NOVELS

Mending Places, Howard Publishing (West Monroe, LA), 2004.

Saving Grace, Howard Publishing (West Monroe, LA), 2005.

Finding Faith, Howard Fiction (West Monroe, LA), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

"I want to write books that show how someone can relate personally to God and that God can be an integral part in our lives," Denise Hunter told an interviewer for Focus on Fiction. "I suppose I chose fiction as the medium of that message because I'm passionate about novels, and I'm particularly passionate about Christian novels." Explaining that she had once loved romance novels but had grown disappointed with their lack of spiritual content, she added that "when I started writing, there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to write novels that edified and encouraged."

Hunter's "New Heights Series" begins with Mending Places, a story of romantic love, pain, and Christian forgiveness. Hanna Landin, who operates a vacation lodge in the Grand Teton Mountains of Wyoming, finds herself attracted to Micah Gallagher, the inn's new mountain guide. But their love is threatened by terrible secrets from the past that must be confronted before true absolution can be found. The second novel in the series, Saving Grace, focuses on Hanna's sister, Natalie, who works at a Crisis Pregnancy Center. When she meets a handsome stranger who offers her a disturbing proposal, Natalie must draw on her faith to make the right decision. Paula, the third sister, is the protagonist of the third installment, Finding Faith. An ambitious reporter, Paula has just been offered the perfect job at a Chicago television station. Missing the man she left behind, she soon finds herself embroiled in a mystery about babies switched at birth. Reviewers appreciated the book's suspenseful plot and engaging characters. Jamie Driggers, writing in Armchair Interviews, called it a "gripping read from start to finish," and Novel Reviews contributor Ane Mulligan praised it as "a haunting story."