Elkin High grad introduces readers to Georgeous Georgia with latest book

Staff Reporter

jbank@elkintribune.com

The author of seven books says her former Elkin High School English teacher helped inspire her to be a writer.

Former Elkin resident Hunter Darden published another children's book in December "Gorgeous Georgia," which features a giraffe with some superficial tendencies.

She was in town recently to talk about it.

"Georgia really has too much self-esteem," Hunter said. "I wrote the book after a parent responded to some of my earlier work. 'Pete's Angel' was a book that encouraged a strong sense of self, and they told me their children had too much self esteem!"

Darden's lessons warning against superficiality aren't the only themes. She also addresses the idea of "not prejudging a person until you understand their circumstances."

Darden prefers selling books through privately owned bookstores like Diana's in Elkin. It was there that she ran into her high school English teacher, Judy Nance.

"Judy inspired me," Darden said. "I wrote a column for our school newspaper the Elk Antler, and she said she wanted to send it out to a publisher. That meant a lot to me at that age."

Nance remembers, too. "I knew she was a good writer, but I didn't know she would go on to publish this many books. You never really know."

Darden was in Nance's newspaper class, and still remembers the time that Rebel Good, former Tribune publisher, came to speak to her class. "He gave us all article assignments to write while he was there, and then he would go through reading them and comment on mistakes. When he got to mine he said, "Actually this one's pretty good."

"Gorgeous Georgia" is Darden's seventh book. Much of her writing was an outlet to cope with several deaths in her family. "Writing was cathartic for me. I could weave pieces of fiction and truth together," she said.

Now her books dealing with inevitability of the life cycle are being used by area Hospice centers in grief concealing packages.

Darden also wrote humor and inspirational articles for the Iredell Neighbors section of the Charlotte Observer. She lives in Statesville now but visits her mother in Elkin regularly with her two sons.

She will be doing a book signing for Gorgeous Georgia at Diana's bookstore on Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Copies are also available on line at www.booksbyhunter.net.