Q&A with Chris Hauty
Please welcome guest columnist Chris Hauty to our Featured Q&A series at Writer’s Fun Zone. Enjoy!
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About Chris Hauty
Chris Hauty is a screenwriter who has worked at all the major movie studios, in nearly every genre of film. He currently lives in Venice, California, in the company of a classic Triumph motorcycle and a feral cat. DEEP STATE is his first novel.
On to our interview!
Q: Tell us who you are and what inspires you to write.
A: I’m Chris Hauty. I live in Venice, CA. I’ve been a working screenwriter for more than 30 years, working for just about every major studio and in almost all genres. I’m inspired to write and tell stories that entertain, inspire, and engage my audience.
Q: How did you get to this place in your life? Share your story!
A: You may have noticed that the movies being made today are quite different than those distributed only ten years ago. I decided to try my hand at writing fiction because the stories I wanted to tell no longer had a place in the studio film world. I also desired more freedom in how I told those stories. Writing my first novel (and having success with it) was a liberating experience! While I still intend to keep a toe or two in the film and tv world, I consider myself a novelist first.
Q: What are you most passionate about?
A: My two sons. Travel. Motorcycles. Making new friends and acquaintances. Living every day to the fullest. I’m also passionate about doing whatever I can to leave this place (Earth!) better off than when I got here.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing process, routine, and/or rituals around your writing?
A: I’m a creature of routine. I’m at my desk by 9am every weekday and work until 5 or 6p. Three decades in Hollywood made me a dedicated outliner, the part of the process that I find most arduous. Once I have a solid outline to work from, however, I crank up the music and write quite joyfully. The first draft is my FAVORITE part of the writing process. Rewriting and polishing is okay. Working off my editor’s notes is fun because that’s often times more problem solving. I’m very prolific and efficient. Since May of 2018, I’ve completed 3 books.
Q: What are a few challenges you faced in creating, marketing, or publishing your creative work? And your solutions to them.
A: Social media requires a lot of time that I am still learning to organize for more efficiency. But I’ve been fortunate to have a ton of support from my publisher so I really have zero to complain about.
Q: What do you wish you had known before you started writing fiction?
A: How much fun it would be! I wish I’d known how collegial the community of authors and the outstanding enthusiasm of the fans. If I’d known about any of these things, I would’ve jumped in a lot sooner!
Q: What’s next for you in your creative work?
A: I hope to continue the series which I’ve started with DEEP STATE. I have another rough draft manuscript that I hope to get into the marketplace soon that could serve as a second series, in this case a criminal thriller. DEEP STATE has been optioned by a major tv studio and I am slated to serve as creator of that television series.
Q: Is there anything else you wished I’d asked? Please share!
A: I think that’s got it!
Q: Writers are always curious about other writers’ processes. How long did it take for you to write the first draft of Deep State?
A: As I mentioned, I’m a pretty efficient writer. I think I wrote the first draft in about ten weeks.
Q: Lastly, how long did you spend on planning and outlining Deep State?
A: Almost as long as the actual writing process! About two months.
Deep State
by Chris Hauty
Recently elected President Richard Monroe—populist, controversial, and divisive—is at the center of an increasingly polarized Washington, DC.
Never has the partisan drama been so tense or the paranoia so rampant. In the midst of contentious political turf wars, the White House chief of staff is found dead in his house.
A tenacious intern discovers a single, ominous clue that suggests he died from something other than natural causes, and that a wide-ranging conspiracy is running beneath the surface of everyday events: powerful government figures are scheming to undermine the rule of law—and democracy itself. Allies are exposed as enemies, once-dependable authorities fall under suspicion, and no one seems to be who they say they are.
The unthinkable is happening. The Deep State is real.
Find Deep State online: https://books2read.com/deepstate
To Connect with Chris Hauty
Website: http://chrishauty.com
Twitter: @chrishauty
Facebook: Hautywriter
Instagram: @chrishauty
