VBT Pit Stop with HD Hatcher - A Cold Dark Place

Author HD Hatcher is no newcomer on the literary

scene. He is author of In the Heart of the Closet, a

piece nominated for both the 2006 Stonewall Book

Award and the 2005 Lambda Literary Award. He is

an avid supporter of gay and lesbian causes, suicide

prevention programs, as well as Animal Rights.

Hatcher currently resides in the Grand Strand area

of South Carolina, near his hometown of Conway,

with his Life Partner of ten years, Jerry.
 A Cold Dark Place
 One Too Many (a short)
Unloved (Anthology)





Today I am pleased to have my guest author HD Hatcher.  Welcome HD and thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today.
 
BK:  What inspired you to pen your first title?

HD:  Being a gay writer, I am always on the lookout for gay stories. Unfortunately, most of the novels that I have read, concentrate on the sex between two men, the drug habits of this one or that one, and the big party that gay people apparently indulge in on a daily basis (which someone forgot to invite me to). There is a very serious and human side to GLBTI community that deserves attention. I wanted to write a story that showcased the emotional and sometimes tragic side of being gay.

BK:  How long have you been writing?

HD:  I have been writing ever since childhood. I am a lover of poetry and this is where I got my start.

BK:  What was the hardest part about writing this particular novel?

HD:  A Cold Dark Place was too dark for me at times. As cliché as this may sound, I literally had to dig deep and drudge up dark emotions that I do not normally have. I am a very happy-go-lucky kind of person, and I would have to put the pen and paper down and walk away from writing A Cold Dark Place to recuperate emotionally. 

On a chance meeting, (at a mutual friend’s house) Luke finds the love of his life. Andy is what Luke has been longing for all of his adult years: the perfect man. But, this perfect man is not only straight—he is married to a woman who is more devilish than Satan himself.

In a bittersweet journey that will change his life forever, Luke must reach deep inside and find the strength he never knew existed. A Cold Dark Place is the story of a man who must pick up the pieces of his broken heart after a lifetime of heartbreak and betrayal.

BK:  Have any dreams been realized as a result of your writing?

HD:  My dream has always been to have someone read my work, and to like what they have read. So, I would say, yes.

BK:  Is there a message in your novel you want readers to grasp?

HD:  I want readers to grasp that all gay people are not created equal. As with the straight community, love can be sweet and endearing, but it can also be very tragic. Love knows no gender and neither does heartache.

BK:  Where do you hope to take your writing in the future?

HD:  I would love to help in the writing of a screenplay for the movie that someone is making of my book. However, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

BK:  What advice do you have for writer's just starting out?

HD:  Keep writing and always remember that not everyone is going to like your style of writing or even your story. You don’t write for them. You write for those readers that do.
 
BK:  Anything else you would like to share with us today?......

HD:  I had the honor of working with some very talented authors in the writing of an anthology entitled Unloved. Every story deals with either suicide or bullying. All proceeds from Unloved will be donated to suicide prevention and anti-bully education programs. 

Bullying was once considered a harmless rite of passage. Some were either bullied in school or they were the bully. What was once considered an acceptable practice has now been drawn into the limelight by the national attention of highly publicized suicides due to bullying.

Bullying can take on different forms. Bullying is not just a physical act but can also be an emotional, written, or verbal act as well. Bullying can take place in the workplace, school, online, and even while we are traveling in our vehicles on the road. Bullying is a form of abuse that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and civilized nations across the globe.

When bullying goes too far, the end result is sometimes suicide. Suicide should never become an option. One life lost to this senseless way, is one too many!

Seven authors (Jo Davis, HD Hatcher, Omegia Keeys, Autumn Prince, Lisa Rusczyk, KJ Thompson, and Vogue) have joined forces to send one message. That message is, “You are not Unloved!” Unloved is an anthology dedicated to those who have been the victim of bullying, or know someone who has been bullied.

All proceeds from Unloved will go to charities in support of Bully Prevention and/or Suicide Prevention.

HD your books sound great and I cannot wait to read them.  I wish you much success in the future and will be on the look out for new titles from you.  Thank you so much for stopping in and chatting with me today.  It has been such a pleasure :).

HD is currently on Virtual Book Tour and you can view his schedule and follow his tour for your chance to win A Cold Dark Place at The Virtual Book Tour Cafe'.