Interview with Christyna Hunter Reader Views welcomes Christyna Hunter, author of the new romance novel, “The Butterfly’s Dance.” Christyna is being interviewed by Juanita Watson, Assistant Editor of Reader Views. Juanita: Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us today Christyna. Would you please tell us about the storyline in your new novel “The Butterfly’s Dance”?
Juanita: Christyna, this is your first novel. What inspired you to write this story? Christyna: I wish I knew! I didn't go into writing this story with a vision per say. I think I had a lot of different emotions about my life as a disabled person and they all just accumulated over the years, I think. I look back at it now and see that I was inspired to write the book based on events in my younger life. Juanita: Your lead character, Kayla Jennings, is wheelchair bound and has given up on the possibility of having love and romance in her life. Would you tell us more about Kayla, and what is the significance of her journey in “The Butterfly’s Dance”? Christyna: It is definitely an emotional growth journey for Kayla. As a child, she had a dream of becoming a dancer. But that dream is snatched from her. She now has a spinal cord injury and the loss of the use of her legs. Years later we are introduced to Kayla as a young woman who is living on her own and has a successful career. Her emotional journey then begins when love and romance is introduced to her. She must learn to accept that love and in return accept herself. She must form a new dream after losing her first one. Juanita: Who is Kayla’s love interest and can you tell us more about him? How does he figure in to the story, and what is his particular experience in the story? Christyna: Jordan Michaels is a plant nursery owner. He is responsible for his nephew, James (Jim), who has multiple sclerosis. A relationship he had with a woman while in college turned sour and tends to still haunt him. Also, there was a time when Jordan had dreams of traveling the world. But he had to give that up for family responsibilities. He's now adjusted to his life as business owner and surrogate father. Jordan is a unique man in the sense that he’s had to learn about disabled people and how people react to disabilities due to his care of Jim. So he understands Kayla and her struggles more than some men would. That makes him especially appealing to Kayla. Juanita: Christyna, why did you decide to write your first fiction novel within the context of disability? Christyna: I am a disabled woman. I was born with a mild form of cerebral palsy. So one aspect of my identity is disability. And although it is one of many aspects of my identity, it is an important and influential part of me. The life experiences I had as a child and teenager with a disability shaped who I am today. I wanted to explore that element of my identity. Also, I am a huge fan of romance fiction. But at the time that I wrote The Butterfly's Dance (around 1998), I found very few romance novels that involved a disabled hero or heroine. That was very frustrating for me. Juanita: Kayla is given the opportunity to get rid of her wheelchair. Would you elaborate on the inner struggle that she goes through? Christyna: We live in a very technically and medically advanced society. Many people benefit from this technology, which is wonderful. But in the process I believe we depend on it a little too much. Our identities are wrapped up in being perfect. Perfect bodies, perfect jobs, perfect relationships. Are we really better for having certain "advances?" What are we losing while advancing? Are we really better as people, as individuals, as a result of these advancements? I think the struggles that Kayla goes through are a microcosm of these unending questions. Juanita: Christyna, your writing style is incredibly realistic and the insights you have towards your characters are remarkable. Would you comment on the “straight to the heart” nature of “The Butterfly’s Dance”? Christyna: Thanks for the compliment! I would say in this story I try to be honest. Sometimes we don’t think realism has a place in fiction. Particularly romantic fiction. I think that’s what can make a story identifiable for a reader. I can’t say that I planned to go “straight to the heart” as I was writing this novel. But I wanted to be real. Juanita: What statements does “The Butterfly’s Dance” make towards love and romance? Christyna: Well, the ultimate statements would have to come from the reader. It's always up to their interpretations of the story. For myself, I think there are a few statements to be made. One is that romance and love is an individual thing. I think it is a mistake when people blatantly label romance and romance novels as just a broad entity. Flowers, chocolates, wine, candlelight. Romance and love are very individual and personal. No two loves or romances are alike in reality. Another statement is that love and romance is available to everyone. One thing in this world is available to us no matter our societal position, identity, career, etc.: love. I think we all tend to forget that. Juanita: There is also the theme of overcoming obstacles in one’s life. Would you comment on this and the other themes you’ve alluded to in “The Butterfly’s Dance”? Christyna: Throughout my life, “obstacles” often have been my middle name. I’ve gone around them, above them, through them, away from them. But they are always there. So in this story I wanted to evaluate that process of going around, through, above, and away from challenges. I also think self acceptance is another theme. Not to the point of ego or selfishness, but rather to the point of feeling comfortable in your own skin. That can make a huge difference in how you end up leading your life and accepting the gifts life can give. Juanita: I understand you’ve been writing for many years, with this being your first full-length fiction novel. Would you tell us more about your writing career, and your plans for future books? Christyna: The last college paper I wrote turned out to be my first published article. "To Disclose or Not to Disclose— That Is the Question," was published in Careers & the disABLED in 1999. Since then I have had my writing published in Animal Sheltering, Parks & Recreation, The Official Nora Roberts Companion, and Chicken Soup for the Recovering Soul. I volunteer at a nature preserve and was their newsletter editor for awhile and I wrote some articles about the preserve for outside sources. I hope to write more freelance articles in the future. As for more books, I have written a few rough drafts of books but do not have anything completed as yet. Hope to do so sometime soon! Juanita: Do you feel that there is a lack of books on the shelves these days depicting the realities of living with a disability? Christyna: That's an interesting question. I think there's more literature out now on this topic than there has been in a long time. Nancy Mairs and Lucy Grealy are just some of the authors who have written some outstanding books and essays about living with a disability. I was thrilled to read A Man Like Mac, a romance novel written by Fay Robinson, because it had a very real, very handsome, disabled hero. I think, though, there's still plenty more aspects of fully living with a disability that can and should be explored through literature. Juanita: Christyna, who would enjoy reading “The Butterfly’s Dance”? Who is your reading audience? Christyna: I would hate to limit my audience. I think lots of people could get a variety of things from the book. I think it would especially appeal to anyone who feels different, isolated from the majority. Juanita: Christyna, what are you ultimately trying to convey to readers through your book “The Butterfly’s Dance”? Christyna: First and foremost, this is a love story. Love of self as well as love of another. Also, I think this book is about the need to form your own self-identity without input from others. Kayla learns about love and the importance of forming her own identity after many years of allowing others to define her. Juanita: How can readers find out more about you and “The Butterfly’s Dance”? Christyna: The Butterfly's Dance is available from www.amazon.com and www.wastelandpress.net. Juanita: Christyna, thanks so much for talking with us today. Your book “The Butterfly’s Dance” is a fantastic romantic fiction that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to add? Christyna: Yes. Here’s a bit of food for thought, a quote from Richard Bach’s Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah: What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, |
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Christyna: Kayla Jennings lost the use of her legs, as well as her belief in dreams, when she was in an auto accident at the age of 12. Jordan Michaels had plans to explore the world until family duties required him to stay home. Eighteen years later, Jordan and Kayla meet when he brings his ill nephew to her for help. And together they help to heal the pain from each other's pasts. But Kayla learns there may be a way for her to get back the use of her legs. The only cost would be giving up the love she thought she'd never find.
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