Guest Blogger – Diane Rinella

2015 03 16 - Diane Rinella (Head Shot)Please help me welcome the talented romance author, Diane Rinella! She has answered some interview questions about her writing and would like to share them with you.

How does your work differ from others in your genre?

Scary Modsters … and Creepy Freaks is yet another rock star book. However, Peter Lane peaked in 1968, was King of the Mods, and is now a ghost. He’s not exactly the leather jacket wearing bad boy of other rocker books.

By the way, if you get that the title of that book is a play on a David Bowie album, you are really going to dig the book!

Are experiences in your book based on someone you know, or events in your own life?

I think that any writer who says no is probably fibbing. Reality always slips into fiction. That’s what makes even fantasy seem real.

Why do you write what you do?

Every book has a reason all its own. Something To Dream On was written because I was chatting online with a friend—a grown woman—who was being bullied over her physical attributes—by a grown man. Worse, the guy thought he was being clever, or maybe he wanted to be indiscreet, and did it in code—on Facebook, right on his wall, using the public setting—for her and the rest of the world to see. He spoke of a group she was a part of and the friends she had. He even directly spoke of our activities. His friends joined in, friends who were also grown men and women. Their childish behavior, and who it was aimed at, could not have been more obvious.

Fortunately, my friend is a survivor who knows how to roll with the punches. She could have fought back, and while I do feel there is a time and a place for it, it was clear that these people just wanted someone to pick on—someone to make them feel superior. In the end, she felt it best to ignore them. Naturally, when she failed to fight back, they called it quits. After all, what fun is it for a bully when his victim doesn’t play along?

That incident drove me to start writing, and while it took a lot of other elements to make Something To Dream On something other than an average story about bullying, the fire had been lit. Something To Dream On is my way to show people that they can be stronger—be they victims or bullies. We can all overcome our insecurities and use our passions to make the world a better place.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

Every novel I have written sends the same message: Always be true to the amazing person that you are. It does not matter if you are a social outcast, a victim of bullying, or love someone that society says you shouldn’t.

What books have most influenced your life most and which writer would you consider a mentor?

Beyond The Valley of the Dolls showed me that you don’t need to be an eloquent writer or use fancy prose to write a story that can hook millions, generation after generation. Also, its author, Jacqueline Susann, drove copies of that book all over the country to get it placed in stores. She may have not have been self-published, but she sure had the spirit! She is the real queen of Indie book promotion!

What song best describes the feeling of a book you’ve written? Why?

We’ll Meet Again (preferably the version by the Turtles) fits all of them. So far, each of my stories somehow involves the metaphysical aspects of life. I can’t help it.

About Diane Rinelle

2015 03 16 - Diane Rinella (Head Shot)Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane’s 150-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun’s crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock n’ roll journalist/fan girl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

You can learn more about Diane at:

Website: www.dianerinellaauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianeRinellaAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianeRinella
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeRinella
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+DianeRinella/posts
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/DianeRinella
TSU: https://www.tsu.co/DianeRinella
Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjdT0zUuKYI
Goodreads profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6592108.Diane_Rinella

Diane Rinella’s Books

Something To Dream On

2015 03 16 - Diane Rinella - Cover (Something to Dream On)If a painting in the home of your perfect man reflects your dreams of doom, do you run, or do you dare to embrace love?

While Lizetta lives a life of compassion, childhood bullying over a few extra pounds have caused this sparky woman to lose site of the beauty of her soul. Jensen’s recent past is filled with substance abuse, shady morals, and loose women. A brutal wake up call forced him to find his way back to the gentle soul he once was; however, there are some whose futures depend on the return of the demon.
Souls can heal, but how long can they fight the forces that seek to destroy them? If one of those forces is the person who shattered your self-image, and she is determined to take down the one you love, would you still believe that everyone deserves a second chance?

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00RJGVQ8I

Scary Modsters … and Creepy Freaks

2015 03 16 - Diane Rinella - Cover (Scary Modsters)A fantastical romance involving a woman, the music that fuels her, and her Ouija board.

Rosalyn possesses a sunny personality that is laced with quirks. Although she seeks acceptance in a world where she lives out of time, what she gets is ridiculed for her eclectic wardrobe and unconventional music collection.

One fateful night, Rosalyn bewitches Niles, a stylish man whose offbeat character perfectly complements her own. Unfortunately, he possesses a critical flaw that means relationship suicide for him and pretty much anyone.

While under the influence of insomnia-impaired judgment, Rosalyn summons Rock ‘n Roll deity Peter Lane back from the dead. Not only does he spin her hormones into a frenzy, Peter is also the precarious puzzle piece that brings sense into her world. When Niles learns that he can overcome his life-long challenge by helping Peter avenge his death, how far will he go to secure Rosalyn’s heart?

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00J86FUQG

THE FORBIDDEN FLOWER SERIES

Love’s Forbidden Flower

The heart cares not what society forbids.

2015 03 16 - Diane Rinella - Cover (Love's Forbidden Flower)Lily nurtures a secret love for a flawless man—the one who is her soul mate. Donovan is gorgeous, charismatic, and delights in all of Lily’s talents and quirks. Their innate knowledge of each other is almost telepathic. Together they interlock like fine threads creating luxurious silk.

But society dictates this picture-perfect adoration is the ghastliest of all possibilities.

As Lily embarks on a quest for the romance the heavens intended, her suitor turns reluctant. Desperate to uncover why Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hiding decayed from a tender-hearted gentleman into a ferociously self-serving, cocky bastard, Lily is prepared for battle when it comes to the salvation of her soul mate. However, Donovan traps Lily in a mental game of chess, leaving her to question his sanity. When Lily’s revelations about Donovan’s destructive alter ego lead to an inconceivable truth, can she help Donovan survive fate’s cruel joke?

Impassioned, witty, and deeply moving, Love’s Forbidden Flower is filled with stunning controversies that will forever haunt your heart.

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00AFHTK4U

Time’s Forbidden Flower

An eternity of passion cannot be quelled by society.

2015 03 16 - Diane Rinella - Cover (Times Forbidden Flower)Once upon a time Donovan assured Lily all of her dreams would come true. But how could he keep the promise of a fairy tale when her truest goals could not involve him, though her deepest desires did?

Now, Lily has it all—love, passion, a family, and the career of her dreams—with Christopher. But something is lacking. She and Donovan have spent the last ten years living apart, and the soul mates are eager to reunite. Can Donovan keep his promise to give Lily all she desires, even with Christopher in the way?

For Lily and Donovan, the past is a mirror to the future that cannot be shattered.

Donovan is convinced Lily has been his love for all eternity. Determined to unravel the past, they embark on a journey to discover where it all began. For centuries Donovan has stolen Lily’s heart while forced to suffer for his love. How much can a soul endure before the breaking point is reached and a monster emerges? Can the demons of the past be combated to pave the way for happiness in the next life? Or has the abuse suffered in this life already turned Donovan hell bound?

Time and again, one woman has destroyed their happiness. It’s time to silence her—once and for all.

Ravishingly sinful, witty, and controversial, Time’s Forbidden Flower, the sequel to Love’s Forbidden Flower, is a barrier breaking love story of time unwound.

Amazon: http://amzn.com/B00ED4Y5RS

What people are saying about the Forbidden Flower series.

From Autumn at Martini Times Romance, who awarded the series the Golden Olive. (This is a step above 5 stars and means it is worth its weight in gold.)

Love’s Forbidden Flower: Have you ever read a book that changed the way you thought about the world? Love’s Forbidden Flower is one of those books for me. I found myself weeping tears of both pain and triumph all because Diane Rinella’s prose painted a brilliantly tortured landscape that had me questioning what I once saw only as black and white.
This book deserves so many more brave readers. The subject matter may not be for everyone, but if you have an open mind and open your heart, this book will destroy you – beautifully.

Time’s Forbidden Flower: Diane is still one of the best when it comes to writing soul-deep longing and desire and Time’s Forbidden Flower overflows with it. The ending was quite surprising to me and I have to admit that I did shed a few tears after I turned the last page. The whole series is an absolute must read for NA fans that hunger for something a little different and maybe just a little darker. If Diane Rinella writes it, I am so going to read it – even if it’s just her laundry list!

Lori Zalewski, reviewer for Lusty Penguin and BTSeMag:

Love’s Forbidden Flower: 5 star review – Rinella’s beautiful prose, memorable characters, plot twists, and happy-for-now ending make Love’s Forbidden Flower an emotionally gripping, page-turning romance that leaves you wanting to revisit these characters again and again.

Time’s Forbidden Flower: 5 star review – Diane Rinella fans will be completely captivated by Time’s Forbidden Flower, the final addition to the Forbidden Flower series. Rinella’s narrative is an emotional tale with absorbing characters who have an intriguing story to tell… Rinella ties up this original story line, managing to blend the happy with the sad (keep tissues handy) to create a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. Time’s Forbidden Flower is a well-executed, dramatic ending to the Forbidden Flower series.

Bookworm Brandee:

Love’s Forbidden Flower: 5 star review – Love’s Forbidden Flower is not an easy read. It deals with a taboo subject and definitely would not be everyone’s cup of tea. But I have to tell y’all, I was riveted from the first sentence… the writing is so eloquent and lyrical, it made reading about Lily and Donovan easier. The love, anger, confusion is all rendered so poetically I tended to forget that I wasn’t reading the average love story.

Time’s Forbidden Flower: 5 star review – I adore Ms. Rinella’s voice. The writing is fluid and lyrical. And she constructed such a riveting story. Lily and Donovan’s is a passionate, poignant and powerful tale of eternal love.

Author, JA Huss at New Adult Addiction

Love’s Forbidden Flower: 5 star review – This is a book worth reading if only for the love story. It’s heart-wrenching and I couldn’t imagine going through this experience because it rips their lives apart.

Time’s Forbidden Flower: 4 1/2 star review – The second book is just as touching. For such a taboo subject, it is handled with class.

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope that Diane’s post has stirred up a desire to read her books. Please feel free to leave a comment, ask a question, let us know you have read the post.

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2 Responses to Guest Blogger – Diane Rinella

  1. Thank you so much for this wonderful article. I really appreciate all of your time and efforts. Wishing you the best!

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