Charity Moon Book Trailer

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!

Review: Charity Moon by DeAnna Kinney

Charity Moon

Author: DeAnna Kinney
Genre: YA Paranormal, romance
Publisher: UR Published. Inc.
Released: April 12 2012
 
Summary from Goodreads:

Charity Bell is eighteen, beautiful, and has an unyielding chip on her shoulder. The loss of her father and betrayal of her stepfather have left her angry and confident that no man will ever win her trust, or possess her heart. She wears that declaration proudly--on her countenance, as well as her sharp tongue.

That's all tested when the enchanting Levi Drake transfers from her rival school across town. In a town divided by intense rivalry this should mean trouble, and yet the school is quickly won over by his alluring charm. When a strange encounter with the mysterious young man leaves Charity bewildered, she's convinced he's hiding something and sets out on a dangerous plot to discover his secret. What she uncovers, however, will leave her both grasping for reality and hanging onto the tattered shreds of what's left of her declaration. As she faces the demons of her past, and present, she must decide if she can live, or die, with his.

My thoughts:

Holy cow so much happened to Charity in this book that I kept asking myself when she was going to catch a break.  She starts off as a huge smart-alec who is tough as nails. She has an obsession with raspberry flavored lip balm and a habit of substituting random words for cuss words (though I am not sure why she considered “crap” a cuss word….if it is, I cuss all.the.time—whoops!). But after everything that happens to her (and believe me, it’s a bit overwhelming) she finds herself an emotional train wreck and I didn’t blame her for it one bit.

The love story between Levi and Charity was sweet though he wasn’t nearly alpha enough for my taste, but for those of you who prefer the sweet, poetry-writing guys who can still kick anybody's butt, Levi will be right up your alley.

The plot is interesting and constantly kept me on my toes and I stayed up late reading it because I wanted to know what happened next. I found myself laughing and wincing in equal measure.  Overall, it was a good read that kept me entertained from beginning to end.

Favorite quote:  “If he were really eye-candy he’d be Godiva chocolate truffle, drizzled in caramel with whipped cream, topped with a green M&M. Then multiply that times ten.”

CHARITY MOON does have a strong Christian theme intertwined with the obvious paranormal elements that I believe would especially appeal to Christian YA readers, though anyone who loves a good Shifter book would enjoy this easy and fast-paced read.