Question: Hey! You grew up
in a small Utah town, and I grew up with you! Is this book about me?
Answer: While some things were inspired by the town we grew
up in (note my nod to the cement factory, Pizza Plus breadsticks, and Kent’s doughnuts)
I tried to include things I’ve seen in a variety of small Utah towns. I was
also careful not to base characters or situations on anyone I know…except for
my mom. Her adventures are the inspiration for the catastrophes Kate’s mom
instigates. Though, my mom insists I tell you (in caps) she NEVER hit a
cow…just a Canadian duck—look for that in book 2.
Question: This book is about
a small Utah town where most residents are members of the Mormon Church. I’m
Mormon! Will this book make me want to tell you to go to heck?
Answer: I hope not! I was raised a member of the Mormon Church,
and though I’ve since left the religion, I tried to be sensitive to members and
make light of Utah culture without being offensive. I made sure to have Mormon beta
readers give me feedback, and some of those readers even grew up in small
Mormon towns. So, while you won’t find The
Devil Drinks Coffee sold in a Mormon bookstore, it’s not Book of Mormon the Musical either. That
said, I realize books are subjective, and everyone has a different level of
comfort when it comes to someone making light of something important to them.
So if you’re not comfortable with the content, I totally understand.
Question: I’m not Mormon and don’t know anything about the
culture. Will I still like this book?
Answer: I hope so! I also had beta readers who
were not Mormon and had never been to Utah before, let alone a small Utah town.
They still really enjoyed the book and thought the setting and cultural
descriptions were entertaining.
Question: Are there swear
words in this book?
Answer: Realizing that a lot of my readers will be
crossover fans from my other Young Adult/New Adult titles, I tried to be sensitive to my
readers. There is swearing. It’s not as light as it was in my other books, but
I was careful not to use what most people consider the REALLY BAD words.
Question: What about sex?
Answer: More than anything else, I consider myself a romance
author. Every book I write is going to have sexy bits on some level. This
series is a mystery, but romance figures into it, and the romance will become
heavier as the series goes on. Again, it’s about your comfort level.
Question: Why did you call it The Devil Drinks Coffee?
Answer: Growing up in religious Utah, I often
heard the phrase, “The Devil (does something scandalous, like drink coffee…or
Coke).” I thought it would be funny to
start each book title with “The Devil” and have the thing the devil does be
referenced in the book.
Question: Who the heck is Destiny Ford, and why the heck are
you using her name to write this book instead of Angela Corbett?
Answer: The Devil Drinks Coffee is an adult mystery, a different
genre from my young adult/new adult books. Many authors stick with one genre
and only write in that genre. Authors who write in multiple genres often write
under different names in each genre so it’s easier for readers to know what
type of book they’ll be getting from that author. Some authors keep their pen
names a secret, others are open about it. I decided to be open…mostly because I
have enough people living in my head, I don’t need to pretend to be two people
as well.
Question: Wait a darn minute! Did you just say this book is
ADULT?!?!?!?!
Answer: Yes, but not like you’re thinking. This
is a book, not an adult film. (Side note: Go ahead and breathe again, Mom.) In
books, genres are usually categorized by character age, and who the recommended
audience is. If the main character is 14-18, the book is young adult. If the
character is 19-25, the book is new adult. If the character is 25 or older, the
book is considered adult. My main character, Kate, is 25, and the other main characters
are all 25 or older so this book is considered adult. Don’t worry, you won’t
find it listed with adult titles at the video store…though there is a scene
with ice cream…and I’ll leave it at that. :)
To help you decide if this book is for you or
not, I’m posting an excerpt on my website! I think this will give you a good
idea of the tone, mystery, and some of the characters. Click here to read the chapters!
You can also like my Facebook Author Page to get updates, teasers, and be notified about special giveaways for Devil and all my other books!
