Interview with DeAnna Kinney

DeAnna Marie Kinney is a busy wife and Homeshool mother of three. That's why, when she felt an undeniable pull to write a book, she seriously questioned her sanity. Now, 4 years and 3 books later, Charity Moon has finally made it's debut.

Please welcome DeAnna Kinney to A Dash of YA!


What inspired you to write Charity Moon?
I was having a conversation with my teenage son, actually. One day and he said, "Mom, you should write a book about a girl who falls for a werewolf. And not the wimpy kind, but the awesome, massive kind that has to have a lot of self-control." And that is where the thought was born. I sat down to write my thoughts and before I even knew where the story was going, it took on a life of it's own. I never had a clear thought about what the story was to be about, only that I wanted my heroine to be tough and cheeky. At the end of every day, after reading what I had written, I would actually say, "Hmm, that's not too bad, DeAnna. Somebody might actually want to read this someday." Haha, and yes I do talk to myself sometimes.

Do you have a secret obsession with raspberry flavored lip balm?
I didn't start obsessing over lip balm until after I finished writing the book. I wanted to add more quirkiness to Charity's character and so I made her have an obsession with a particular Raspberry Ice lip balm. I loved this quirk in her. I had fun with it. Actually, a company has recently started making Charity's raspberry ice lip balm in honor of the books. There is a link in the back of Book 2.

Will there be more Charity books after Charity Rising?
I know for sure there will be a Book 3. I'm almost halfway through it now, but after that I'm not totally sure. I feel like Windrake Mountain has quite a few stories yet to tell, so we'll see.

Who is your cover artist?

My cover artist is an amazingly talented woman named Laura Hudson. She has made all 3 of my
book covers to date, and I hope to have her do all of them in the future. She's sort of my idol, lol.

Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book?
I actually have a few authors I like and most are Indie authors, but my favorite author for the moment would have to be Becca Fitzpatrick. I really like her style of writing, and I like the way she develops her characters and their relationships with each other. Of course, then that would probably make my favorite book Hush, Hush. I also really like this book called Warm Bodies, it's about a Zombie and a girl. I know, creepy, huh?

What is your writing routine like?
My writing routine is really boring. Because of all the chaos in my home, what with all the crazy kids running around, and the music and dancing and fighting, etc., I find it rather hard to write during the daytime hours. Most of my writing is done at night, after bedtime. That's when I can seem to concentrate the most.(If I can stay awake long enough to get anything done.)

Do you have any upcoming projects?
My upcoming projects include: Charity Series Book 3(I don't have a title yet). And maybe something about Zombies, Bullying, Vampires, and something about the end of the world. Although not necessarily in that order

Thank you DeAnna! You can check out DeAnna Kinney's facebook page for more information about her Charity Series!