Author Interview With Renita Pizzitola + GIVEAWAY!
DREAM ON
Her quest begins when she closes her eyes.
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.
Contact Links: website/twitter/facebook/blog/goodreads
Purchase Links: Amazon/Barnes and Noble/Lyrical Press/iBooks
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:Â
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.
Visit www.renitapizzitola.com for more information
How To Instantly Improve Your Writing — Three Quick Tips
LOL. Yeah, that’s one very creative knitter. 🙂
Hey everyone,
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.
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
The Writing Process — Step By Step
LOL. Ahh, yes, so true. 🙂
The writing process is an interesting topic and one I’m driven to share, because this process is much the same for all of us, whether we’re on the road to publication or have already arrived there. The journey never stops.
Let me give you some points to note about the fabulous writing process. Sit back. Relax. Because this is truly how the writing process works, and as writers we quickly learn to trust in it.
STEP ONE:
- The task isn’t in the writing, but in the rewriting.
- Seriously, your first draft isn’t supposed to be that great. You’re supposed to just continue on right to the end without too much self-editing. Phew. *wipes brow*
- Why? Because as you write this first draft, your story will build, and you will come to know your characters’ personalities.
- Which means the second draft will be better. Oh yeah.
- The third better still. *smiling*
- Now I know you see where I’m heading with this, because the more each chapter is rewritten, the better it’ll get.
- So, how many rewrites are there? Most authors will tell you around seven.
- Yes, we edit and edit far more than we ever spent time in originally writing the book.
- How come? Because we trust in the writing process, and it’s simply how it’s done.
STEP TWO:
So, back to that all important first draft, and the writing process for this. Do we plot? Or do we fly by the seat of our pants and make it up as we go along? Often referred to as being a pantser.
- That’s entirely up to you. As writers we have very creative minds, and our characters do as well.
- Plotting is great, and I’m completely on board for this.
- But at heart I’m a pantser. I love to let my characters take over. They drive the story, often throwing me into the backseat and taking the wheel. It’s all about strapping on a seatbelt and enjoying the ride.
- For me, my first three contracted books were 20% plotted and 80% flying by the seat of my pants. Two of these three books are part of an eight-book young adult series. So for the third book in the series which I’m currently writing, I’ve swapped to 80% plotted. Why the change to plotting for someone who’s a pantser at heart? Because it’s part of the writing process. As writers we have to adapt, and for me, here’s my reason why.
- I was requested during the submission stage of my second book in the series, to provide a synopsis for the third book. Now, this is a book I hadn’t yet written, although from the moment I was asked, I was actually beyond excited. The pantser within me of course had a few doubts, but I set her worries aside and instead spent an entire day plotting and plotting, and by the end of it I’d written a fabulous synopsis for my third young adult book. At the moment I’m close to finishing that first draft, and during the writing process I’ve actually managed to stay on track, all while allowing the creative pantser within me a little of her crazy streak.
- What I can happily report is that plotting definitely pays off. My current book’s first draft has been written quicker and smarter due to having a plotted synopsis on hand. And whenever I veer too far off track, one look at my synopsis brings me back. My characters still burst with personality, and they still tell me to take a backseat at times, but I’ve found an even sweeter balance with the switch to a greater plotting level. Step by step, I’m still learning.
- So, if you’re right now a pantser and considering plotting your next book, I can say it works. I’ve already plotted the storyline and written the synopsis for the next book which I’ll begin in a couple of months. I’m all ready to go, and it’s a wonderful feeling. I’m ready for both my front- and backseat rides.
So, are you a plotter or a pantser? Or like me, have you discovered you can actually work at being both? What’s your percentage? Maybe it’s half and half. Leave me a comment and let me know. I love hearing from you.
Thanks for dropping by to see me this week, and if you’d like to pick up your fabulous “fly by the seat of your pants” copy of Protector or to gift it to someone special, the links are just below. 🙂 Have a fabulous week.
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.
The Eighth Wonder of the World — The Pink and White Terraces
Random Picture Alert. You’ve been warned.
Yeah. 🙂 I saw. 🙂
Hey, has anyone heard of the eighth wonder of the world? Well, there may be a few eighth wonders out there, but as a Kiwi, it’s my job to make sure you get the truth, because in fact it’s New Zealand’s Pink and White Terraces which take that honor.
Let me begin this sad yet exciting tale of enlightenment. Why sad and exciting? Because Kiwis always find the good within the bad. Yes, we do.
The bad. The pink and white terraces aren’t here anymore, because they were completely destroyed in 1886.
The good. They’ve been rediscovered. *clapping furiously*
Confused? Stay with me now.
And I’ll start from the beginning. The pink and white silica terraces were located in New Zealand on a hillside in the thermal region of Rotorua, and cascaded down from two geysers and to the edge of a lake. They were formed as water containing silica flowed from the boiling geysers. The water cooled and crystallized into the terraces, forming a giant staircase as such.
Here are two wonderful paintings by Blomfield capturing the beauty of the two separate terraces in 1884. The first is The White Terraces, the second The Pink Terraces.
White Terraces (1884)
Pink Terraces (1884)
The terraces were each around seven acres in size, and descended with around 50 layers to the lake’s edge some 40 meters below.
They were so impressive, but sadly in 1886 were destroyed when an eruption occurred on nearby Mt Tarawera. During the eruption, a deep crater formed at the site of the terraces. It caused the lake to expand and cover them as well as nearby villages, including the famous Buried Village of Te Wairoa where 150 were buried alive.
But here’s the good news–
All was thought lost until just recently when scientists mapping the lake floor discovered part of the Pink Terraces 200 feet deep in February 2011. A search was then mounted for the White Terraces, and part of them was located in June a few months on. And now it’s thought the rest of the terraces may be buried in sediment under the lake’s surface, and not destroyed at all.
Ahh, I love that. See, got you smiling too, didn’t I?
So, that’s a little about New Zealand’s eighth wonder of the world. And would you believe they’re located only thirty minutes drive from where I live. Have you heard of these amazing terraces? Perhaps you’ve heard of a different eight wonder? Leave me a comment and let me know. I love hearing from you. Catch ya later. *waving from New Zealand*
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PROTECTOR–BUY THE BOOK: Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iTunes / Lyrical Press / Kobo.