Reviews

Book Review & Interview – Keira’s Alpha by D.A. Hinkley

Book Review

Keira’s Alpha

by D.A. Hinkley

Publisher: Self-Published

310 Pages

Release Date: September 1, 2023

 

 

 

 

Bright Blessings,

I had the pleasure of meeting D.A. Hinkley several years back when I was a shop witch at a glorious place called The Parlor in Uptown Westerville. She came in for an event, and we became friends. She gets along with everybody because of her personality, but deep down to a soul level, we connected, and I am so thankful for that. I admire her greatly. Her independence and ability to do whatever she sets her mind to makes her a role model for everybody, especially girls and women in this world that tells us we can’t do anything.

I’m going to say it. She is not 20 anymore. A lot of people stop doing new things in life after age 35. D.A. does whatever the hell she wants. She got a professional degree, moved cross country, and published her first book all in the past five years, and she is not slowing down. Some people think their lives stop when they get out of college or migrate to their 30s and start working for a living. D.A. knows different.

I will say this. Not only did she write her book while working her ass off doing everything else, but she self-published. She did not rely on somebody to coach her, edit her, or set deadlines and have meetings with her. She wanted to do it, and she did. She shows how to get it done.

I’m not saying that ANYBODY can write and publish books because some people can’t write to save their lives. What I want all those reading this to take away from this review and interview is that if you really want to do something – GO FOR IT! I am going to provide a few samples of the work, and then share the interview. She did this interview across the miles with me, as she is now in the beautiful South, and I am in the Midwest. Her move away broke my heart, but we are still connected by the heart.

I will say this book is well written. D.A. has a great, clear voice. She shares the story well, and it is interesting. Anybody who likes supernatural romantic fiction will fall in love with this book. She has also gone out of her way to make this affordable. She has one set for free on Kindle, and a hard copy can be yours for $15.99 with free delivery. She’s not out to make a buck. She just wants to share her creativity with people who love to read. Amazon.com: Keira’s Alpha: 9798859839445: Hinckley, D. A.: Books

The book is all about Keira, an independent woman who is living her life on her terms, when one day she is kidnapped. At first, she fights her captors, but it slowly becomes apparent the captors are her friends, and they needed to take her with them because massive changes are about to take place in her life. These changes will actually bring out who Keira truly is, and these so-called kidnappers are the only people who can help her. I won’t spoil the ending for you, but let me just say, everybody is happy at the end of the book. This book teaches a powerful lesson. We are who we are, and sometimes, we can’t understand that all on our own. We need mentors and friends who know us better than we know ourselves.

In the beginning of the book, D.A. shares a message that made me cry tears of joy: “To my brother Drew who convinced me and kept encouraging me to publish this. To my best friend April who always has supported me and finally to my cousin Trish who actually want to read it. This book is as much yours as it is mine.” This sets the stage for Keira’s journey actually- because like Keira, D.A. is a powerful, capable woman, but we all need people on our side who root for us.

The book is broken up into 13 chapters and a very satisfying epilogue. Chapter one begins with Kira and her brother Drew settling in for dinner when a stranger interrupts. She writes:

Drew’s chair scraped loudly against the floor tiles as he plopped down into it – or so she thought. Instead, when Kira looked up, she found herself facing a colossal wall of a man. His arms resembled tree trunks, a testament to the sheer muscle and solidity that defined his presence. Astonishment washed over her as she spoke, unable to comprehend the audacity of his uninvited seating. “Can I help you?” she asked, her voice tinged with surprise.

A smug grin formed on his rugged face as he replied, his tone unabashedly confident. “Yeah, you can tell me your name.” He punctuated his words with a wink, an action that only added to the surreal encounter.

Perplexed and somewhat taken aback, she furrowed her brow. “I’m sorry, but who are you?” His grin widened, revealing a hint of mischief. “I’m your next mistake, beautiful.”

Her head tilted instinctively as she assessed him, attempting to gauge whether he was making an ill-conceived joke or simply intoxicated. The dim light caught his gaze, and for a fleeting moment, his eyes showed that it would be unwise to get on his bad side.

Keira’s brother returned, wearing a ‘what the Hell’ expression on his face as he came back to his now occupied seat. Her gaze shifted to the audacious man who had now claimed her brother’s chair. After briefly glancing at her brother, she redirected her attention to the interloper and stated, You’re in his seat, you need to leave.”

The strangers laughter rang out as he threw his head back, seemingly undeterred. Nah, he can find another seat. Besides, I’m the man of your dreams, not this loser.”

A wicked smile crept onto Keira’s lips, as she responded through gritted teeth, her patience wearing thin, Get. Out. Of. My Brother’s Seat… NOW!”

Reacting swiftly, the stranger sprung up from the chair, causing it to tumble backward onto the floor. He squared up against Drew, swiftly assessing him before smirking in an infuriating manner. Meanwhile, Keira’s brother reclaimed his chair, restoring a semblance of order just as their food was delivered to the table.

Undeterred by the tense atmosphere he had caused, the stranger pulled up another chair and nonchalantly settled into an empty space at their table’s side.

This is just the beginning of D.A.’s novel. Later in the book would come transformation, love, and good changes. But who is D.A. Hinkley? How does she write? Luckily, you don’t need to wonder.

Her bio on Amazon.com says,

D.A. Hinckley is a prolific writer with an unparalleled knack for weaving dreams and imagination into spellbinding stories. Their literary creations are a product of an overactive imagination and the ethereal landscapes of their dreams. With the ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, D.A. invites readers to embark on extraordinary journeys where the boundaries of reality blur, and the fantastic becomes palpable. Each tale they craft is a testament to the power of dreams and the limitless realms of the mind. Future stories are in the works along with a sequel to Keira’s Alpha. Stay tuned.

She also wrote this about herself,

D.A. Hinckley, a native of a quiet suburban town near Columbus Ohio, discovered a profound love for the written word early in life. Growing up, the real world often felt mundane and uneventful, prompting her to seek refuge in the pages of books and her own creative stories. It was through these stories that she found solace and an avenue to explore the depths of her imagination.

Later in life, a newfound passion emerged as D.A began to delve into the realms of paranormal and horror storytelling. Drawing inspiration from the mysterious and the macabre, she channeled her creativity into crafting tales that sent shivers down readers’ spines. D.A.’s unique ability to transport readers into chilling and otherworldly experiences has made her a rising star in the world of dark fiction, proving that sometimes, the most extraordinary escapes from reality are found within the pages of her own haunting narratives.”

More about D.A. and her amazing book is revealed in the interview I was lucky enough to land. Read on.

Lady Saoirse [PaganPages.Org]: When did you become inspired to become a writer? Was here an “ah ha!” moment, or did you just start?
D.A.: So, growing up as a kid, I didn’t have any friends in my neighborhood as most of the people living there were retired couples whose grandkids lived in different states. So, I spent a LOT of time by myself. Being a Pisces, I’d just escape into a dreamlike state which just became stories as a way of entertaining myself. However, I didn’t start writing till much later in life.

Lady Saoirse: How long have you been writing and what education and training do you have?
D.A.: I’ve been writing since I’d say 2008 (nothing was ever published; the stories all reside on my computer though). It was a way for me to start the process of writing a research paper. I’d write a fun short story to get my creativity flowing for the actual research paper which I absolutely detested writing as it was a “forced” topic and not for a relaxing read. Research papers are the devil by the way. My education/training is I recently graduated with my bachelor’s degree (this year) in Business Administration/Human Resource. 

Lady Saoirse: What is your professional background in general?
D.A.: My 9-5 job is to call doctors’ offices for basic information so members can just look up the information I collected online. There’s no creative process, stick to the script and no one gets hurt…well I do when they hang up on me. But, meh.

Lady Saoirse: Talk about your creative process?
D.A.: I don’t really have a process. I’ve driven by an IHOP and thought of a story of a man eating pancakes with strawberry syrup only to later find out he’s a demon that possessed a human and he murdered everyone in the IHOP after he got his pancakes. But you don’t find that out till he has to get up to get a cup of coffee. This story is because my brother and I went to a restaurant and the music was loud and they had a balcony above that overlooked the stage. 

Lady Saoirse: How do you hunker down and bang out a story?
D.A.: I write in spurts. This story is a great example of it. I would get an ideal of “Oh yeah, this should happen in the story.” And I’ll make notes about it and then when I have time I’ll flesh it out into dialogue, descriptive details. I’ll read it a day later and change things till I like the way it sounds. Then the next thought would happen, I’d make notes and find a place to add it to the story. 

Lady Saoirse: How do you come up with new ideas?
D.A.: My brain is a scary, scary place. Most of my stories that I’ve written in the past are teen angst, horror type short stories and right now I have three stories rattling around in my brain, one being a follow-up to this book. Another being, a “fan-fiction” piece from the T.V. show “Breaking Bad” that goes in a paranormal direction with the twin assassins and Santa Muerte. Another is a crime lord’s daughter. Sometimes I write things (like this book) because there are so many of these types of books that to me are too similar with one another. Which there’s nothing wrong with that. But I like variety/creativity and these books seem to have mass produced story lines, that miss the mark (at least for me). 

Lady Saoirse: How can aspiring writers focus on getting their writing done, especially if they have tight schedules?
D.A.: Maybe this is the Pisces in me, but I don’t do schedules when it comes to writing. I just allow myself to write what comes to mind whether it is just the thought of a portion of the story and worry about the interactions, character development, etc that I’ll breathe into life later. For this story, certain characters I could see being played by actors and actresses. The only exception to this was the main character Keira. That I wanted the reader to put themselves in her shoes at that age. Hence why there’s no description of ethnicity, hair color, hair length, or weight. The only thing that I kept was age being 25 and she’s short, because I’m short.

Lady Saoirse: Talk about your personal spiritual path and how your writing ties into it?
D.A.: My spiritual path is I really don’t have one. I’m big into the paranormal/horror genre which is where my writing ties into it.

Lady Saoirse: Let’s talk about Keira’s Alpha. How did you come up with this idea and what made you decide to publish it?
D.A.: Keira’s Alpha started with wanting to go to this specific restaurant and could imagine a guy standing up in the balcony that I notice (he notices me?), to my interaction with the guy that sits down and starts harassing the main character (which I’ve had that happen when I was younger). After that it was just thoughts of “this happens next” while I was working. There are things in the book that I was wanting to do, like the need to pee. Because at the time I would be writing I didn’t want to stop the writing process when I really “needed to pee.” Also no one talks about that in books. I don’t go into great lengths of toilet talk, just the urge to go and either being denied, or it’s already been figured out for that person. Wanting to go to Taco Bell. The restaurant we ate at, I was really disappointed in the food after waiting for almost a year to eat there. Not to mention it was loud and I’m not into loud atmospheres when you can’t hold a conversation with someone other than screaming “WHAT?!” As far as deciding to publish it… I don’t take credit for that. My brother Drew is the one that convinced me to get it published. I was happy to just let it collect dust with my other stories.

Lady Saoirse: Let’s talk about your publishing process. Why did you decide to go with the method you used to publish and would you recommend it to other writers?
D.A.: I used KDP (it’s not just for low content books). It was easy to use, they have tutorials. I do want to apologize in advance, because the kindle version went all over the place with the table of contents and formatting. Not to mention, but if I had taken more time with it, I would have made the chapters/segues for the paperback better. But for self-publishing I would say it’s easy to use, they have customer support. The artwork again I have to give credit to my brother who told me about a site called Fiverr.com where you can connect with just about anyone to do freelance/promotional work. I used it for the artwork, since I draw worse than a 5-year-old, so I gave three things to the person that did the artwork for the cover/banner/book, and she did an amazing job bringing my vision to life.

Lady Saoirse: What’s next?
D.A.: I’ve started writing a follow up book for Keira’s Alpha, but as of now it feels forced and I don’t have a clear ending yet.  So, I’m going to read it several times and this time take my time to write the ending and make sure it transitions smoother.

Lady Saoirse: What else would you like to add?
D.A.: Buy my book? But all kidding aside, if you have an ideal for a story, write it down, think about the interactions in the story by talking aloud (yes I talked out lout for character dialogue), put yourself in your characters’ shoes. Think of people you could see portraying your characters in a movie.  This last bit is very important do RESEARCH. Too many times I’ve seen where no research is done, and they mess up part of a story because they didn’t take the five minutes to Google up something as simple as “smallest cities in Germany.” That’s how I came up with one of my locations. 

You can read more about D.A here:

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEZ5GnrH0w/  bonus trailer
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEbmQTvrM7

Pinterest
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62417144827930575  Bonus trailer
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/62417144827930577

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@mariasauthorloop/video/7286931923761597742  

And the book is here:

 

Keira’s Alpha on Amazon

 

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About the Author:

Saoirse is a practicing witch, and initiated Wiccan of an Eclectic Tradition.

A recovered Catholic, she was raised to believe in heaven and hell, that there is only one god, and only one way to believe. As she approached her late 20’s, little things started to show her this was all wrong. She was most inspired by the saying “God is too big to fit into one religion” and after a heated exchange with the then associate pastor of the last Xtian church she attended, she finally realized she was in no way Xtian, and decided to move on to see where she could find her spiritual home.

Her homecoming to her Path was after many years of being called to The Old Ways and the Goddess, and happened in Phoenix, Arizona. She really did rise from her own ashes!

Upon returning to Ohio, she thought Chaos Magic was the answer, and soon discovered it was actually Wicca. She was blessed with a marvelous mentor, Lord Shadow, and started a Magical Discussion Group at local Metaphysical Shop Fly By Night. The group was later dubbed A Gathering of Paths. For a few years, this group met, discussed, did rituals, fellowship, and volunteering together, and even marched as a Pagan group with members of other groups at the local gay Pride Parade for eight years.

All the while, she continued studying with her mentor, Lord Shadow, and she became a Third Degree High priestess in 2022. She belongs to the Black Dragon Clan.