What is the title of your latest release?
THE SECOND STORY BOOKSHOP
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A woman inherits her grandma’s charming small-town bookshop. But the gift comes with some unexpected problems—including the man who broke her heart years ago.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I wanted to set the story in a quaint southern lake town. While researching, I discovered the town of Davidson, North Carolina on Lake Norman. When my husband and I visited, we fell in love with the touristy little town—and with Main Street Books, the friendly neighborhood bookstore.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
Absolutely! We’d chat books and family over coffee and croissants at my local bakery, and I’d definitely tell her Gray Briggs deserves a second chance.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Steadfast, stoic, swoonworthy
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about the ins and outs of running a bookstore. The manager of Main Street Books was kind enough to sit down with me and answer all my burning questions. I couldn’t have written The Second Story Bookshop without her help!
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit as I go and edit more after the first draft. Altogether I do 6 rounds of rewrites before turning it in to my publisher.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Donuts, ice cream, or anything chocolate.
Describe your writing space/office!
I write at home these days—sometimes at my dining room table and others in my cozy recliner. Our house is a lodge-style home with large windows overlooking the woods. It’s a lovely view, no matter the season.
Who is an author you admire?
There are so many I could mention here. But I’m in awe of Kristan Higgins’s unique flair with humor and her ability to consistently weave heartfelt romance with deeper women’s fiction elements.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I don’t know if there’s one particular novel that’s changed my life. It’s more like the cumulation of all the stories I’ve read have helped make me who I am.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
After writing my first book, I waited 2 years for that call. I was on cloud nine for a week!
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Contemporary romance. Shocker, I know.
What’s your favorite movie?
You’ve Got Mail
What is your favorite season?
Autumn. I love the beautiful fall colors, the crisp air, hot cocoa, and college football.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
With my family. We usually go out to eat to celebrate each others’ birthdays. Just spending time together is the best.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I’ve recently become a fan of everything Anabel Monoghan writes.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Mexican. I could eat it every day.
What do you do when you have free time?
Read a book or binge a series.
What can readers expect from you next?
MORE THAN FRIENDS releases April 14. It’s about Jenna who, fresh off a long-term relationship, returns to her island home to check out her mother’s suspicious new love interest. There she enlists her best friend Tyson’s help with the investigation—and soon the two begin seeing one another in a whole new light.
THE SECOND STORY BOOKSHOP by Denise Hunter
A Novel
She inherits the bookshop of her dreams . . . But she has to run it with the ex she vowed never to speak with again.
Shelby Thatcher adores working in the charming small-town bookshop her grandmother opened years ago. Since high school she’s helped Gram turn the shop into a community hub for book lovers in the lakeside town of Granville, NC. When her beloved grandma passes away, Shelby inherits the bookstore. But to her shock, Gram leaves half ownership to Gray Briggs, the man who broke Shelby’s heart years ago.
Granville residents have been vilifying Gray as long as he can remember. After graduating high school he couldn’t skip town fast enough, even though it meant leaving the girl he’d fallen deeply in love with and alienating her family once and for all. Now he’s back, the beneficiary of his elderly friend’s will. Facing the town’s animosity is difficult, but seeing Shelby again is sheer torture. No one could ever stir his heart the way she did.
As the adversaries are forced to work together, Gram’s beyond-the-grave scheme is working—Shelby’s old feelings for Gray begin to resurface. But the problems that destroyed their relationship before still remain, and a new one surfaces—one that threatens Gram’s beloved bookshop. Is their love doomed to fail again, or will they find a way to make it work this time around?
Audiobook Narrator- Kim Churchill
Christian | Romance Contemporary [ Thomas Nelson, On Sale: October 7, 2025, Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781400348695 / eISBN: 9781400348718 ]
Buy THE SECOND STORY BOOKSHOP: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Libro.fm | Audible | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Denise Hunter
Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 40 novels, three of which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on The 700 Club and been featured in Woman’s Day and Southern Living.
Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories, peopled with layered characters who struggle with real-life issues. Her readers enjoy the experience of falling in love vicariously through her characters and can expect a happily-ever-after sigh as they close the pages of her books.
In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband are currently enjoying an empty nest.
No Comments
Comments are closed.