Hunter Howe Cates

Hunter Howe Cates is the author of Oklahoma's Atticus, the true story of how his grandfather defended a Cherokee man falsely accused of murder in Tulsa, 1953. Cates is an advertising copywriter, and is the principal and writer for Cates Creates, LLC. a copy and content marketing firm. He has written ad copy for national and international brands during his career. He is a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Twitter and Instagram: @hhcates

Are there particular films that have influenced your writing?

Books are books, but writers can learn so much from movies. I try to write cinematically even with non-fiction, keeping the story moving and ending every chapter on a "cliff-hanger." I don't know if any movie has influenced me directly, but the best percolate in the back of my brain like a stew and inevitably influence my words, flowing from my fingers in ways even I can't predict. I admire Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan, Akira Kurosawa and Alfred Hitchcock because their objective is not on their art or personal expression per se, but on serving the audience. Note, I didn't say catering to the audience, but serving them. People from all walks of life need a good story well told, and it's an honor and privilege to provide that. You learn that lesson from the great directors.  

Is there a genre of music that influences your writing? Do you listen to music while you write?

Film scores. I get inspiration from film scores because their purpose is to create emotion in the form of sound. If I try to intellectualize my project, to explain its meaning or purpose, I lose focus and spin my wheels. But when I find the right piece of music — the right emotion — it lights my path. Elmer Bernstein's To Kill A Mockingbird suite naturally inspired Oklahoma's Atticus. It can be unexpected. James Horner's score for the 1995 movie Casper inspired a short play I wrote about death. However, I can't listen to music with lyrics while writing. It's like someone is talking to you. When you write, the only people you should be talking to are your characters. To carry on two separate conversations would be rude!

Is there another profession you'd like to try?

All of them, which makes being a writer so special. You get to dip your toe into any profession, while skipping all of the boring stuff. That said, I would love it if I could create music. I'm not sure any art form moves me so much as a good piece of music, whether it's a rousing film score or a touching Paul McCartney melody. Barring that, being Indiana Jones would be a cool job.

If you could create a museum exhibition, what would be the theme?

Studying evolutionary biology and evolutionary anthropology is a hobby of mine. Same as everyone, right? But an exhibit that tells the story of our shared human and animal ancestry would be thrilling. For instance, every vertebrate’s upper limb (whether it's an arm, wing or fin) has one long bone, connected to two shorter bones, connected to several smaller bones/digits. Isn't that incredible? God is quite clever.

Favorite non-reading activity?

Not just favorite "non-reading," but my favorite activity in general is road-tripping. You feel like you're accomplishing something while doing nothing at the same time. Everyone needs a chance to do nothing and a chance to accomplish something, though usually they're separate activities. Driving long distances lets you do both. Perhaps I should have been a truck driver! However, if you can listen to an audio book while road tripping. Ah, that's heaven.