Biography: Deanna Kent-McDonald is a mom, novelist, former English teacher, and currently writes for a really cool (like the COOLEST) 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) – also for a stint in Orange County, CA – but that story is a long one. She tries to hear all the stories around her, loves to look upwards at the stars and downwards for geeky shoes (like the Keens she wears almost 24/7), 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. Also Martinis made with Hendricks. Hemingway style.

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), San Fran

Favorite TV show: House, CSI, Anderson Cooper 360, Criminal Minds, Totally Spies (but I have an admission: I don’t have cable, so I download only about 15 hours a year total)

Favorite Apps: Club Penguin Puffle Launch! Twitter App; Angry Birds, Sally Spa

Treasures: My family, My laptop, My books, A letter Sam wrote to me when he was four, Everything Max draws, Kim & Rob & co., a wonderful 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: Black Keys, U2, Madonna, most 80′s bands, top 40 stuff, Pixies, Imaginary Cities

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), all David Pilkey

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 times with Sherry N. in Vancouver and San Fran); 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.