Genre: Young Adult/New Adult Contemporary Romance & Young Adult Fiction.
Danielle was one of our original featured spotlight authors, but for those new to her, here is a brief bio…
Danielle Keil grew up in the Chicagoland area. A recent transplant, she is enjoying the Mississippi life, especially the pool in her backyard.
Danielle has been happily married for over 10 years, and has two young children, a daughter and a son, who are exact replicas of her and her husband.
She also is a fur mom to their Corgi, Cozmo, who loves barking, mud, and peanut butter.
Danielle’s love language is gifts, her Ennegram is a 9w1, and she loves everything purple.
The way to her heart is through coffee, chocolate and tacos (extra guac).
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We asked Danielle a quick round of questions, and here are her answers:
Q1: You’ve been busy working on The Pact Series since we interviewed you last. Can you tell us a little about what inspired this new series?
Absolutely! I saw a series on Amazon that inspired this series at the start. Each book was a different “rule”—they were quirky and silly, but it made me think, “what if a group of friends all made a pact to follow?”
It grew into this series. The first full-length book, Far from the Surface, was also a book I always knew I wanted to write, but didn’t know when/where. When I got the idea for the Pacts, it worked perfectly. Lizzie’s book is a deeply personal one for me, as it is based off of my own story from high school. I’m so glad it fit into this series and I love it (and all of them!)
Q2: What was one of your favourite reads of 2020?
I’ll be honest, I haven’t been able to do as much reading as I used to now that I’m a writer! I did find the Palm South University series by Kandi Steiner last year, and binge-read those SO FAST. The last one comes out in August, and I cannot wait!
Q3: If you could spend a day with any one of your characters, who would it be and why?
Lately, that would be Ray, from the Pact Series. He just is a cool dude who loves hard and protects what’s important to him. He seems like he would be fun to hang out with and give some wise advice.
If not him, then Jackson from Into the Light. Just so we could laugh all day!
Q4: If you could have any one of your books made into a movie, which would it be and who would you cast?
So, I’m going to switch it—instead of a movie, I would want The Pact Series turned into a Netflix series. Things would have to be changed a bit (maybe all the characters go to the same school), but I think it would be an awesome series.
As for who would play who… I have no idea! I’m so bad at casting. I would just want an actor/actress who would do the characters justice, as they are so deeply emotional and relatable to so many readers.
Q5: What is the best writing advice you’ve been given to date?
Just write. You can’t edit a blank page.
Q6: What are you reading right now?
I have an ARC from Natalie Cammaratta called Falling and Uprising. It comes out in July and I just started it!
Q7: Do you have any writing quirks?
Not sure about any quirks. Every book I write is completely different for me, from where I write (couch, desk etc), to what I listen to, to the order I write in, and more. I do like to use a fidget spinner when I edit though, because it keeps my attention on the computer rather than my phone!
Q8: How long does it take you to write a book on average?
It depends on my deadline! The Pact Series releases every other month, so I’ve been writing those quickly. They’ve been coming to me quick, so that makes it easier. However, I was supposed to be ahead when writing them and I’ve quickly fallen behind. So there’s that. I prefer to release every 3 months instead, it gives a bit more wiggle room!
Q9: If you could give any advice to an aspiring author what would it be?
Write. You can’t edit a blank page 😛
But also, learn. Don’t be afraid to ask. Join some groups that give good advice. Soak it up. Learn as you go along and make sure you help those behind you!
Authors are allies, not competition!
Q10: Tell us about your first published book. What was the journey like?
Oh man, I could go on for DAYS about what I didn’t know. My very first book (which is currently unpublished) was out in November of 2017. I didn’t know ANYTHING. I released it to my Facebook friends (I didn’t even have Instagram then!). I was in one FB group for authors, but I didn’t take the time to learn too much before releasing. And then I stopped. I didn’t write or publish for a few more years after that!
My next one was March of 2020. 100% the only reason I continued after that was because I found another FB group, and a handful of author besties. Without them, I would have gone a few more years, I’m sure!
After last March (yes, after it released), I learned about ads. I learned about formatting. I learned about reader groups. Release parties. Newsletters. Swaps. Categories. All the things! I’m still learning to this day, but I do love sharing my knowledge!
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Secrets of the Summer (The Pact Series Book 1) Excerpt:
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳. 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯.
𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘖𝘯𝘦.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵.
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Books by Danielle Keil
Far from the Surface (The Pact Series Book 2)
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Beneath all the Layers (The Pact Series Book 3)
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Imperfections in the Plan (The Pact Series Book 4)
Pre-Order: Amazon US – Amazon UK –
Out of The Darkness – Amazon US – Amazon UK –
Into the Light – Amazon US – Amazon UK –
Cast from The Shadows – Amazon US – Amazon UK –
A Very Parkdale Christmas – Amazon US – Amazon UK –
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Danielle, thank you so much for being a featured author, it’s been lovely catching up with you, and we can’t wait to do it again in the future. Until then keep writing all the words.
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Subscribe to Danielle’s Newsletter today and download a FREE copy of Love at Aspen Lodge
The guest checking into Aspen Lodge could be a long lost relative of the Hemsworth clan, and Tasha practically fell all over herself greeting him.
What’s more? The twin brother she said goodbye to four years ago walked through the door right behind him.
The hot Australian? Her brother’s best friend and co-worker.
They have to return to Australia for work, and soon, but feelings are developing between them and fast. If they don’t call it off, they face a long distance relationship, which could be next to impossible with an ocean between them.
Will Tasha be able to control her feelings, or will she be left alone once again?
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If you want to be in the know about what Danielle is up to next, you can find details on her website HERE or click on any of her social media platforms below.
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