Emory Bennett owns a lucrative dreamwalking business. Trained in weaponry and Muay Thai, she spends her nights entering the dream realm resolving her clients’ nightmares, whatever they might be: bad guys, scary beasts, or the classic forgot-to-wear-my-pants nightmare. Her jobs get complicated when a gorgeous man keeps appearing requesting her help.
Grayson, a fellow dreamwalker, is stuck in the dream realm while a stranger inhabits his body. He needs Emory’s assistance in the waking realm, which he can’t visit if he can’t get back into his body.
Once Emory is convinced Grayson’s not a figment of her imagination, they concoct a plan to lure the body snatcher out. But as Emory begins to fall for Grayson, the line blurs between him and the stranger who inhabits his body. She must keep it together to get close enough to discover his secrets, or divide her very soul if she can’t bring the man she loves back.
CONTENT WARNING: Strong language
A Lyrical Press Urban Fantasy Romance
I hope you’ll all join me in welcoming author, Renita Pizzitola, to my blog. Her latest book Dream On released March 4th with Lyrical Press. And wow, isn’t that a fabulous cover. Love it. Also, don’t miss out on her Rafflecopter giveaway listed below. An ebook copy of Dream On and a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card is up for grabs.
Hey Renita, so I’m going to start with a fun rapid fire question round.
– Nicknames? Reni
– Where do you live? Texas
– Have you ever traveled abroad? Unfortunately, no.
– Tea or coffee? Coffee…lots of coffee.
– Favorite dessert? Ice Cream
– Dog or cat? Dog
– Beach or skiing? Hmm, actually I’m a lake person.
– Chocolate, or vanilla, or rocky road ice-cream? Rocky Road
– Lemons or lemonade? Lemonade
– What’s your favorite time of the day to write? Night
– Do you write on holiday? Absolutely
– Last book you read? The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden (and LOVED it!)
– Plotter or pantser? Both, mostly pantser
– What three things would you take to a desert island? Kindle, iPhone and lots of adult beverages
I would so take my Kindle too, and then hope for an internet connection to download some more books.
– So, tell us what started you on your journey to being a writer? A request from my dad and a love of writing.
– And if you decided not to be a writer, what would your other dream job be? Being a writer is my dream job!
– Where would you live if you could live anywhere in the world? I kind of love Texas but I’d definitely love to travel all over the world.
– What’s a random fact about yourself that would surprise others? I talk really fast, like crazy fast.
– Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? Read often, learn everything you can about writing and don’t be timid. Seek out other writers for support and advice. They are wonderful people and always willing to help.
– Tell us what are you working on now? I just finished a New Adult Contemporary Romance and will be starting on the final book in the Gossamer series.
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY: Renita is running a giveaway, so to enter for a chance to win an ebook copy of Dream On and a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card, simply click on the link here–a Rafflecopter giveaway
She’ll announce the winner on 31st March, and get in contact.
Book Trailer:
BIO:
Renita Pizzitola writes Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy. An avid reader herself, she has always enjoyed stories with witty humor, romance, and fascinating characters. Renita lives in Texas with her husband and two children. When not writing, she enjoys reading everything she can get her hands on, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and playing referee to her two typically adorable children.
I can’t think of anything better than the following three quick tips which I’m never without as I write. At times it’s about heading back to the basics, and making sure the foundation of our work is steady and good. So, get ready. Here are three precious little gems to instantly improve your writing.
SENTENCE LENGTH
Oh yeah. When writing we can get so carried away with getting our words out, that our sentence length drags. My favorite thing, is to read my sentences out loud, particularly when a paragraph doesn’t look quite right. Try it. If you do, you’ll soon find yourself chopping long sentences right down.
There are so many benefits to this. Did you realize shorter sentences ensure the pace of your book picks up? Were you aware your reader becomes more heavily engaged when that occurs? It makes total sense, right? Shorter sentences allow for a quicker pace, and as a writer that’s one of our goals, to ensure our reader keeps turning those pages.
TELLING AS COMPARED TO SHOWING
This can be an issue, and one we’re not even aware of. What to learn is, don’t tell your reader what your character is thinking, but show them with physical reactions. Even add more dialogue if necessary to accomplish this.
Here’s a short but sweet example of moving a sentence from telling to showing. To set the scene, the hero has lost consciousness after a hit to the head. He now awakens.
TELLING:
“I’ve been out for twenty minutes?” Confusion took him.
SHOWING:
“I’ve been out for twenty minutes?” He scrubbed a hand over his head, wincing as he struck a lump. “Did someone hit me?”
Switching to showing is about finding those words of emotion, and as you see above with the word “confusion,” nipping it out and showing with something else.
OVERUSE OF ADVERBS AND ADJECTIVES
Never forget you want your reader to be immersed in your story. You don’t want them thinking too hard by the “overuse” of adverbs and adjectives. What do I mean by this? Here’s another sweet little example.
OVERUSE. Can you spot the “unnecessary” adverb or adjective in the following sentence?
Jack stepped away, quietly propping his back against the wide trunk of the tree.
If you got the word “quietly,” you’re so right. It should read–
Jack stepped away, propping his back against the wide trunk of the tree.
Keep an eye out for any “overuse” of adverbs. In the example I’ve used, Jack is quietly propping his back against the tree. How else does one prop themselves against a tree except quietly? “Propping” is a casual, restful motion, so in this case the adverb “quietly” is clearly not needed when “propping” explains it all. Don’t get me wrong though, adverbs definitely have a place where it’s necessary. Just remove those ones you don’t need so your sentences can free up and flow smoother.
Now for a bonus. I’m going to share with you a new excerpt from PROTECTOR, my young adult/fantasy/romance. Check out the scene below. It’s all about showing and not telling. To set the scene, my hero is in the heroine’s bedroom, and her best friend comes charging in. All completely innocent of course. 🙂
The door flew open and slammed against the wall. Yeah, that was Silvie, all right.
“Ten minutes is enough you two. Now break it up,” she admonished as she stormed toward the bed, red-gold curls flying about her face. “Let’s remember we still have a villain to unearth and apprehend.” She turned, giving Davio a fierce glower. “What do you think you’re doing on my best friend’s bed? Get off. Off. Off. Off.”
“Yes.” He pushed himself to his feet and pulled me up to stand beside him. “Except, in the future, Silvie Carver, you will remember not to storm into the room the way you just did and disturb us. Correct protocol is that you knock and wait before addressing a prince.”
Silvie didn’t seem to care as she reached past him and gripped my wrist. She scowled at him and tugged me toward her like a mother bear protecting her cub. “Well, lucky for me, Davio Thy-prince Loveria, I do not have to observe your correct protocol. We are on Earth, you see, not Peacio.”
Hmm, and all this from the girl who’d told me just days ago that I needed to get laid.
I almost smiled.
.
I hope you enjoyed that peekaboo excerpt, and if you still want more, then just below are the links to grab your copy of Protector. 🙂 So, what did you think of these three quick tips? Leave me a comment and let me know. I love hearing from you.
Emory Bennett owns a lucrative dreamwalking business. Trained in weaponry and Muay Thai, she spends her nights entering the dream realm resolving her clients’ nightmares, whatever they might be: bad guys, scary beasts, or the classic forgot-to-wear-my-pants nightmare. Her jobs get complicated when a gorgeous man keeps appearing requesting her help.
BIO:
