Darynda Jones has a secret. On paper, her alter ego Charley Davidson is snarky, sex-mad, able to kick paranormal foes 
in their paranormal behinds. In real life, Darynda is probably one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. She has a humble, self-deprecating humor, she’ll tell you all her writing secrets as if they don’t amount to much, and she’s more likely to talk about her kids than her books.
Is it no wonder I love this gal?
You’ll love her even more because Darynda is giving one reader who leaves a comment below, here or at KissAndThrill.com, an ARC — yes that’s right — an ADVANCE READER’s COPY of her book number 8!
Eighth Grave After Dark isn’t out until May, and though you might have to wait a bit to get the ARC, you’ll be in the know with reviewers across the country who get the book months in advance! So leave us your best bit of snark, or tell us why you love Darynda, or why you want to read her book, and we’ll let you know who won next week.
Here are some things you might not know about her:
*Awards: Darynda has won 11 awards, including the Daphne du Maurier, the RITA, the Bookie Award (three times!), 2 HOLT Medallions, the Golden Heart, the GOTCHA, The PASIC, and the Rebeca (LERA).
*Genre: Darynda has written in a ton of genres, even though they’re not all published, including historical!
*Education: She’s a Summa cum Laude graduate and has a BA in Sign Language Interpreting.
*Eighth Grave After Dark will be out on May 19th and Darynda will also be in an anthology, Dark Screams, Volume 3 which will be out on May 12th. Steven King was in Volume 1 and there will be a collector’s edition available, too, with all 25 authors signatures. Our gal is now in the same league as Steven King — but we all knew that already, right?
I sat down with Darynda to discuss her Grim Reaper Charley Davidson series that launched with the mega-best seller First Grave on the Right. She also speaks about how she writes humor and bubbles snark on the page and gives up secrets about her newest series.
Enjoy!
(If the video doesn’t play properly, please update your Adobe.)
Darynda’s latest books are Sixth Grave on the Edge, and Seventh Grave and No Body, I know you’ll love them!
Don’t forget to leave your comment below or at KissAndThrill.com to be eligible for the drawing for an Advance Reader’s Copy of Eighth Grave After Dark! A comment left on both websites will be counted twice, and if you follow either blog, you qualify for up to two more entries! So commenting in both places and following both blogs gives you four chances to win. (If you already follow, you’re already entered one time.)
( UPDATE: The contest is now closed)
Categories: Author Interview
I LOVE Darynda Jones’ books! Seriously can’t wAit for Eighth grave!!
8th Grave ARC would be an awesome highlight to 2015.
I love Darynda – she tells awesome stories! This was the first book that I read and started laughing out loud, causing my autistic son to look at me and say “what so funny?”.
This is my absolutely favorite series & Darynda Jones I’d my favorite author. To win a copy would make my year!
I can’t wait for number 8 😉
kk
Thanks for the good interview. Looking forward to the next book and am so glad she writes and publishes so fast! 🙂 It’s so nice not to have to wait a year for the next one.
Absolutely adore this series and Darynda! Great interview!
Darynda is AMAZING! I haven’t been able to find an author who quite compairs to her.
I really hope I win that book… love the series!!!
Can’t wait for Eighth Grave!! Love you Darynda,,, thanks for sharing Charlie with us!!
This totally rocked!! Thanks!!
My co-worker reads books after I am finished with them. I would love to tease her endlessly with my reading the book months ahead. She’s the read the last chapter first kind of girl. Please pick me so I can torment her.
I’m not sure what to say, except every time I’m done reading each book I feel a loss until the next book comes out. I know someday the series will end but for now I can only sit and wait for each new book. Love, love. love the series.
I absolutely love Darynda, as well as her whole Charley Davidson series!
I was at the library one night looking around for a book to read. I didn’t want just any book, I was being very very picky that night. I had no idea exactly what I wanted, I just knew I’d know it if I saw it.
I was about the leave because I couldn’t get in the mood for anything I came across (most of them were books in a series and the first book wasn’t available at the time), and right before I headed out I came across First Grave On The Right. The cover caught my attention so I read the summary and fell in love. I knew I found my next read, and I was so excited to see it was the beginning of a series.
Needless to say I went through the books like water. Just one after the other after the other.
I LOVE Darynda’s writing. Charley is hilarious and Reyes is so very yummy.
If there is anyone that deserves an ARC, I definitely believe it should be me! One of her biggest fans right here 🙂
I love these books! Charley and company’s escapades got me through hospitalization and recovery last year, too – even it did hurt to laugh!
“I have the perfect body. It’s in the trunk” Hehehehe Love the chapter headings as much as I love this series…have read them all and shared my books with like minded friends, all of whom concur with my opinion! Great reads, great fun, great action…maybe “Eighth” will tell us about the man in the corner.
Awesome interview! I love Darynda!
This would be so AWESOME! I’d love to win. I already have an autographed copy of 6th Grave. An advance copy of 8th would be AMAZEBALLS!
Very rarely does an author make me laugh out loud while reading his or her books. Darynda does and for that I thank her. Can never have too much laughter in my life.
I love this series and get every one of them on audible so that I can listen to them while i drive (and i drive a lot). I also buy the books so that I have them in my collection. Great series and i hope it doesn’t end anytime soon.
So exciting! Thank you for the giveaway!
Ms Jones is, well, one heck of a story teller! Waiting, not so patiently for 8. My YARNERS and I take this waiting as a necessary evil! It isn’t often that you find an author that appeals to a group of people across the spectrum of life. The one that tickles me the most are the engineers, it’s out of their logical thought process, but the light came on and they can’t get enough! The snarkier the better, we are READY!
I had the pleasure of talking to Darynda at Barnes and Noble during one of her signings! Lovely lady who is just as smart, witty and funny as her characters! She’s down to earth and has some great stories! Can’t wait to see what’s to come from her!
Thank you for the giveaway! I am so excited for book #8!
Awesome interview! I love Darynda, she so great! I am DYING for the next book.
Thanks for the chance!:)
I love this series! Thank you for the opportunity to win an ARC!
I just love Charlie and Cookie always looking forward to seeing what they are up to next! Thank for giving us a chance to find our ahead of the rest!
I love these books. They are my go to books for when I am having a bad day and just need something to take me away from it all for a while.
Can’t wait for book 8!!
I would love an ARC. I love this series.
I love these books. I am so happy my friend introduced me to them.
I love these books so much! I have the first five and have read all 7! Charley is the coolest character ever! Winning the arc would be so awesome!
Great interview. Really, love a Charley and Reyes and of course Darynda. Is my favorite serie and can’t wait for the Eight grave. I hope can win the arc. And hope that we will have so much more of Charley and all her story. Thanks a Diana for the interview and Darynda for her books.
Omg, I would love to win this book. I count down the days to the release of the next book in the series. I just finished seventh grave and can’t wait for eight. Love you Darynda, keep them coming!
Love this! Darynda is just fabulous. 🙂
I have read all of the of the Grave series and they just keep getting better with each book. Very much looking forward to the next installment
woot! Book 8!!!
I’m happy to hear you are such a fast writer and I don’t have to wait too long for the next installment of Charlie. Your quick writing certainly doesn’t have a detrimental affect on the quality of your work – excellent ideas, dialogues (internal and spoken), and plot twists.
My favorite thing is that you’re younger than me. Odds are I can keep reading your wonderful books until I die.
I am absolutely in love with these characters! This series is witty and funny and addictive! I am constantly dying to read the next book! I can not wait for this next adventure!
This series is truly addictive.
I would so live a sneak peek at Eighth Grave!! I am addicted to Darynda and Charlie!!!
Greay interview. would love to be the one to win this.
Heres hoping 😊
Love this! Darynda is awesome of course. Thrilled for the next one! I NEED more Charley. ♡♡♡
How exciting. I love the place I go to when I read these books!!!
love Charley, she says all the things I wish I could
I absolutely love Charley’s world and it’s fun to share the last name LOL. Wishing you the best Darynda Jones!
I absolutely adore this series and Charley!! I can’t wait for the eighth book!
I just got my husband started reading these! He’s already in love with Charlie and can’t get through them fast enough.
I 💜 me some Darynda Jones!! She writes amazing, and I only need to know one thing? Who do I hafta kill to get that ARC of Eighth Grave!!! (slang intentional)
PLEASE!!!!
I work in a library and have been reading this serious from the beginning. I have been able to build up a following with the library patrons and would LOVE to get my hands on an ARC! 🙂