Biography: Deanna Kent-McDonald is a mom, a novelist, former English teacher, and currently writes for a really cool MMO for kids. She attempts to balance her roles with loads of passion and large amounts of caffeinated beverages.  She believes that every single person whose life has brushed against hers has changed her. She has lived in many western Canadian cities (Calgary, Kelowna, St. Albert, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie). She is always listening to the stories around her, loves to look upwards at the stars and downwards for excellent shoes, and can usually be found standing in line at Starbucks.

Chinese Animal: Metal Pig

Horoscope Sign: Libra

Favorite Color to Wear: Black

Favorite Color to Decorate With: A neutral background with room to change things for every season (currently lovin’ the simple: steel grey, with multicolored accents like my glass lanterns).

Favorite jewelery: Silver hoop earrings.

Starbucks Order: Lattes.  On diet days: Americano Misto (non-fat milk) extra-hot. Always decaf after three o’clock.

Favorite dinner items: Lobster, shrimp, rich sauces of any sort, asparagus

Things I don’t like: Mean people, peas, litter

Favorite snack: Anything (everything) I shouldn’t be eating

Most Read Magazines: Vanity Fair. Vogue. Maxim (seriously… the writing is great!).

Favorite vacation destination: Vancouver BC, Las Vegas NV, and Kihei (Maui)

Favorite TV show: House, CSI, Anderson Cooper 360, Criminal Minds, Totally Spies (but I have an admission: I watch approximately 15 hours a year total)

Treasures: My family, My laptop, My books, A letter Sam wrote to me when he was four, Everything Max draws, Kim & Rob & co., a man who named his guitar after me

Time Travel Dream Destination: Haight - Ashbury during the sixties.

Favorite movies: Wild at Heart, Heat, Any Sean Connery James Bond, The Thomas Crown Affair, Crash, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

Good Music: U2, Coldplay, Oasis, Madonna, most 80’s bands, all the radio top 40, The Killers

If I Could Be A Fly On The Wall: Everywhere. Everyone. At all times. I adore people’s stories.

Great books: The Merchant of Marvels and the Peddler of Dreams (Frederic Clement), The Prophet (Kahlil Gibran), Anything by Meg Cabot, Completed Field Notes (Robert Kroestch), Go Ask Alice (Anonymous), Alice, I Think (Susan Juby), The Sisterhood Series by Anne Brashares, Lemony Snicket’s: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Anything by Tess Gerritson and Patricia Cornwell, Tenderness by Robert Cormier, I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt (Cyd Moore, illustrator)

Favorite Writers: Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Tennessee Williams, Sue Monk Kidd, T. S. Elliot, Meg Cabot, Douglas Coupland, Charles Bukowski, Judy Blume

Best adventures: Having my children; Taking off to California and living in a shed in a really nice guy’s back yard; My first book tour (especially the time with Sherry N. in Vancouver); Digging up “gooey ducks” in Whiterock, the ones I have with my kids, work - every single day

Biggest fears: Being too normal, being too weird, dying without trying botox, not consuming enough chocolate, coffee shortages.

Greatest loves: so many good people to love

Things I wish I were better at: Cleaning my house, baking, laughing out loud, technical stuff.

If I could change anything about myself: Other than adding a few inches (vertical, not horizontal), not much…

If I could have unlimited access to any store: MAC. Their lipsticks rock.