Commercial Break: Book Review of Betsy St. Amant's "Confessions of a PK"

This is way, way overdue. I was supposed to post this before giving birth, but crying and praying to go into labor already doesn't necessarily put you in the mood to review a book :). Which is a shame, because this is for sure one of the best YA (Young Adult) books out there.

You see many novels about perfect teenagers or really messed up ones, so I loved it when my friend and writing guru Betsy St. Amant came up with a fun story about a girl who is kinda perfect, but really messes up a LOT. I bet it will comfort a lot of good girls out there, and encourage them to cut themselves some slack. Why are always under the impression that we have to earn God's acceptance? I think the message of this book is refreshing and inspiring to people (not just teenagers) wherever they are in the relationship with God, or even if they haven't gotten there at all.

So without further ado, here's the book description:

Sixteen-year-old Addison Blakely has tireless played the role of PK—preacher’s kid—her entire life. But after Wes Keegan revs his motorcycle into town and into her heart, Addison begins to wonder how much of her faith is her own and how much has been handed to her. She isn’t so sure she wants to be the good girl anymore. Join Addison Blakely as she attempts to separate love from lust, facts from faith, and keep her head above water in her murky, fishbowl existence.

And now, an interview with author extraordinaire, Betsy St Amant!

I heard you say on a radio interview that this used to be a secret book. You mean you were going to keep this awesomeness from us?? How come? 
ADDISON BLAKELY started out being a secret book because it was a "vent". One day I had a little immature tantrum over how frustrating it could be to write for the market, to write within boundaries, to be restricted in content while also having to remember regular writing rules. So I started writing a book with no guidelines, no plot, no anything except the way I wanted to write it. It was my fun secret project while writing the way I needed to for my other projects. Then when I was asked to write a YA by a particular house, I realized that story line was already exactly what I should use. God works in mysterious ways and I love how He can take even our frustrations and make something beautiful.

Is Addison anything like you were as a teenager?
Actually, yes. I was always the good girl growing up, had no problem following the rules, didn't understand the temptations my friends faced. I never cared about drinking or smoking or trying drugs or the other "no-no's", my purity ring was securely in place, etc. I enjoyed being "good". When I got older like Addison though I began to understand that wasn't enough. I was saved as a child and because I never had this bad past to turn from and be an obvious change in my life, I had to really think long and hard on my salvation and what it meant to me. As a teenager I had another coming to Jesus experience where I nailed down my salvation and really embraced faith for me, as an active choice.

What do you like to write the most at this moment, YA or romance?
I still write both at the same time. They're entwined. I can't NOT write romance so even my YA's have strong romance threads :)  I'd say right now I'm enjoying my YA projects the most because of the first person voice and really getting into the character's head!

What advice would you give to Addison if she was real? I'd say, easy on the caffeine lol.
Right??? Haha I gave her my love for mochas. And sprinkles. I'd tell Addison to quit stressing over everything and appreciate the beauty in mistakes. Grace is gorgeous. We should never sin on purpose but we should never take grace for granted either. It's a gift.

Should we expect more PK books in the future? PLEASE say yes!!!
I sure hope so! Working on that now! An email to Barbour would go a long way. If you've enjoyed Addison's story and want the rest of the series I planned published, please shoot them an email and tell them! You can go to www.barbourbooks.com and then the "contact us" link. Thanks!

**BIG MOTORCYCLE ROAR**

Oh, look who's here! Welcome, Wes. Now, would you spit out that gum, please? This is a reputable blog. 

Okay.  ::::takes gum out of mouth and hands it to Anne::: Here.

Ew, I don't want that - trash can's over there. So. What are your intentions with our friend Addison? 

:::winks:::: wouldn't you like to know? Sorry, I can't help the sarcasm. We're still technically teenagers, so it's not like I'm ready to march down the aisle. ::shudder:: But you know? Maybe one day. In the far, far future.

It seems you could have any girl you want. Why Addison? 

Addison's cool, you know? She's not like other girls. She's...::voice trails off::: she's just Addison. And that's all I'm going to say. ::clears throat::

How come you're a jerk one minute and a dream the next? Make up your mind buddy. 

Predictable is boring. Besides, Addison knows the real me, so don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Anne. She gets it. ::Leans in close::: Hey, do I need to tell Addison she has competition? ::winks again::

I should warn you that my husband reads this blog and in Texas it's not illegal to carry guns :). Anyway, I don't know how to formulate another question without giving out a spoiler. So what has this experience in Addison's book meant for you as a person? 
Why you gotta ask me all the heavy stuff? ::sigh:: I'm only doing this interview for Addison anyway because she said she'd go for a ride on my motorcycle if I did. ::straightens shoulders:: I guess she helped me see a lot about what it means to be real.  A real friend. A real boyfriend. A real believer in, you know, God and stuff. She showed me not everyone has to be the way they thought they were destined. ::shrugs:: Sometimes destiny can be re-written. That's where the faith stuff comes in that I'm trying to learn more about.

Awesome, Wes. I'm warming up to you, though if my daughter ever met someone like you, I'd probably lock her up in her room :). Speaking of whom, gotta go give her some attention.

To meet Wes, and Addison, and other fun characters, buy Confessions of a PK on Amazon here! Also check out Betsy's blog and author page. Warning: you might become a lifetime fan!