Interview With A Hero

Today's guest is Brendan Hunter, hero of my June release, OUT OF THE BLUE. Please help me welcome him.


CC: Brendan, thank you for joining us today. First, let’s start with your name. Brendan is an unusual name for a hero.

BH: Hmm, have you heard of Brenda Fraser? Saint Brendan, patron saint of sailors?  Nevermind, I was named after my father and am actually Brendan Hunter IV. My dad was called Trey, but I’ve always used my full name. The Brendan came because our Hunter family once lived in Galway, which is where Saint Brendan founded his monastery.

CC: I beg your pardon, I meant no offense. It’s a very nice name. I believe you grew up on a cooperative farm.

BH: You can call it whatever you wish, it was a hippie commune that evolved with the times. You don’t find people named Moonshadow or Prairie Flower on your average farm. For that matter, my own mom is named Blossom. I left there when I was a kid.

CC: What precipitated the change and where did you go?

BH: When I was ten, my dad was shot while trying to rob a convenience store. I have a lot of baggage from that event and I don't want to get into it here. Dad's parents—my grandparents—had never spoken to me until that time. They swooped in and told me I was the last of the Hunter line and it was my duty to excel and make the most of myself. They convinced me my mom would be better off without me.

CC: How tragic for you and for your mom.

BH: Better believe it. That was a rough time. At the same time they told me my mom would be better off with me living with them, they told my mom they could help me more than she ever could. My grandparents told me they’d find Mom a job in a health food store, which was what she’d always wanted. The catch was that I had to come with them or they wouldn’t help my mom.

CC: They wanted you pretty badly, didn’t they?

BH: Not me really, just the product of their genes. After the first few days I understood why my dad had run away and joined the commune, um, I mean the cooperative farm. They were rigid people with narrow minds. They had a great home filled with wonderful art and antiques, but there was no joy in them or their home—only rules. But, to make sure my mom had what she wanted, I agreed to their terms.

CC: What were those terms?

BH: I had to go to the so-called “best” schools. There was no chance to take the classes that interested me. My grandparents decided everything. Before then, my mom had home schooled me and had done a tremendous job. I was ahead of the class my age when I started prep school. Then I went to Yale. When I finished Yale with my master’s in business, I believed I’d fulfilled my obligation.

CC: What did you do to let your grandparents know your feelings?

BH: (Laughs) I told them I was entering the Dallas Police Academy. They were livid, of course. Threatened to cut me out of their will—as if I cared.

CC: Did they retaliate toward your mom?

BH: Oh, yes, did they ever! She lost her job, but she soon found another near me. We were reunited and loved it. Soon my grandparents were in a fatal car crash. They hadn’t had time to change their will, or else that was just a threat, because I inherited their entire estate. Man, they had more than I’d ever dreamed, but they were so selfish they didn’t even leave a legacy to servants who’d worked for them for thirty years. I took care of that, as well as some charities and such.

CC: I guess the business degree came in handy with the estate to manage.

BH: Yes, but I found a friend who helps me with it, a lawyer I went to school with. Between us, the amount has grown even though I’ve given a lot away. The first thing I did was buy my mom her own health food store in Radford Springs. That’s where I found a job in the police force. Great place to live. Then I bought Mom a home on the shores of Possum Kingdom Lake. She’d always wanted to live overlooking a lake. When we saw that house, we knew it was The One.

CC: Possum Kingdom Lake is a lovely place. You were very generous to your mom.

BH: Hey, a guy has to take care of his mom. But I bought myself a nice condo in Radford Springs, only a few blocks from the police station. Very conventient.

CC: You like police work better than being a financier?

BH: You bet. I like making a difference in the world. I'm a detective now and have risen pretty fast. Some guys think my money made a difference. I don't think so. I've worked hard and take pride in my job. The worst part of it was losing my partner, Larry Farris, in a drive-by shooting that left me too wounded to attend his funeral. That was tough.

CC: Brendan, I'm so sorry. Please accept my condolences. What about your heroine, Deirdre Dougherty?

BH: Ah, now that's a pleasant question. At first I thought Deirdre was crazy. She soon proved me wrong.

CC: Sounds intriguing, Brendan. Thanks for stopping by today. Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers?

BH: Only that if they want to read more about Deirdre and me, they should buy OUT OF THE BLUE from The Wild Rose Press.

http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Also available at http://www.amazon.com/