Dianne Rinella

 

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

It was more a matter of feeling that I had things to say versus the actual desire to write. My mom used to create fairytales on the fly for me, and it’s something I still do to lull myself to sleep. Now that I’ve become an insomniac, the stories are getting more elaborate, and I’ve started writing them.

2. Do you plan on writing other genres?

My head dances with characters and scenarios. So far the ones that have gripped me the most have been unconventional romances. It’s funny because when I wrote my first book, I just plopped down words. When I went back to make it pretty, I found my romantic voice. Now I wonder if could write any other way. Generally speaking though, I can’t see ever writing something that isn’t off-beat. As for genre, I think it’s more that I’ll tell stories and let the genres fall where they may.

3. Is there anything besides music that helps you to get into the zone when you sit down to write?

Lately I’ve been taking my iPhone on morning walks. I’ve dictated pretty much all of the first draft of my next novel that way.

4. What is your favorite genre to read?

I like anything that can make my mind question possibilities. I also like outrageousness, and deep-felt emotions. It’s the blurb that catches me, not the genre.

5. Who is the one author you put everything down and have to have the newest book as soon as its released?

Admittedly, I can put down any book and walk away for a month. It’s horrible, but true. It’s not a reflection on the author, it’s just one of my quirks. I can be dying to read something and take forever to get through it.

 

 

Diane Rinella FAQs

 

What inspired you to write Love’s Forbidden Flower?

One chilly fall afternoon I curled up and watched an obscure counter culture film called The Buttercup Chain. In it, two cousins, related through identical twins—thus making them genetic half-siblings—have a strong attraction. She is fine with the situation, while he is a huge ball of denial. The entire film I waited for the obvious to happen. When the film ended and the man was heartbroken, I felt a huge opportunity had been squandered. Clearly they were soul mates, and never once did we find out why he was so freaked out by his emotions. All you could believe was that he hid from who he was because of society. What a horrible world we live in where love is wrong.

 

The sadness of the situation stayed with me, as did my anger at the author for not taking the story where it needed to go, either by explaining the problem or by facing it. Upon doing research I discovered that there are so many biases toward the subject that I could not find a single book that really tackled it non-judgmentally. Yet the more I dug, the more common I found the real-life situation to be. The proverbial gloves came off and I started writing Love’s Forbidden Flower. What started as a story ended as a chalice in which I placed my heart, all the while asking why we make love laws. How we can tell others it is wrong to love, I will never understand.

 

What is something you would tell readers that may make them more willing to read this book?

Love’s Forbidden Flower is not an incestuous work of erotica. It is a New Adult Romance novel about soul mates and the unfairness that society makes love laws. If you read the reviews, the general consensus is that the taboo nature is not shoved at you. I’ve actually had several people tell me they kept forgetting about the blood relation. Chapter one is posted on my website because I respect people’s comfort zones. I encourage people to take a gander. If you can handle the first chapter, you should be fine. If not, I appreciate the time you took to read it. http://dianerinellaauthor.com/loves-forbidden-flower-chapter-1/

 

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

We are told what to believe. Society dictates right from wrong, and we are supposed to play along. In fact, we are conditioned to do so. In Time’s Forbidden Flower, Lily jumps on her soap box about the mixed messages society gives and how we are supposed to follow like herded sheep, zigzagging through the muck without question. I see a huge flaw there. I hope readers will leave the herd and ask their own questions, find their own answers. I hope that they will walk away questioning why we make love laws, even if they don’t change their views. If they see the world more openly after reading my novel, and many say they do, I have done something extraordinary.

 

What has been the toughest criticism given to you as an author? What has been the best compliment?

Other than from myself, my toughest criticism came from my beta readers who are college literature students. Harsh! They totally whipped me into shape though. As for complements, there are two. From a writer’s standpoint it’s that several have said that my words flow beautifully, like water from a faucet. (Makes me so happy!) However, what really sends me is that Full Marriage Equality blogspot has spoken out heavily in favor of the Forbidden Flower series, praising how I have handled the subject matter. Recently they coined the term, “Friend of Lily,” to be akin to the term, “Friend of Dorothy.” So someone in a consanguineous relationship is now referred to as a Friend of Lily. From a writer’s standpoint, to have a term coined after your character is incredible. From a personal standpoint, it makes me tear every time I hear it. I’ve had a little bit of positive impact on the world. It’s a huge deal to me.

 

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Write the story you want to tell. We live in a wonderful era of a publishing revolution. There is no one out there who can stop you from writing and distributing your work. However, don’t just write and hit the publish button. Get as many people as you can to read your story and give honest opinions. Make the improvements you feel are needed and edit, edit, edit! Hire an editor. Do the best you can to catch every tiny misusage of a comma, but respect that even major publishers miss a lot or errors. Hit the publish button with pride. Know that bad reviews are inevitable. (Even the greatest classics get bad reviews.) Celebrate that you have done what so few others dare.

 

 

 

*** Please note: This is a New Adult Romance novel involving two siblings who struggle with their emotions. This is not a work of erotica.***
The heart cares not what society forbids.
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.

Click HERE to read chapter one of Love’s Forbidden Flower!

 

 Amazon

Smashwords 

Society’s torch only illuminates our path.
Very disturbing or somewhat intriguing? That is the question Donovan asks himself over his soul mate’s latest idea for bedroom antics. Undecided, he enters into a bet. If Lily wins, Donovan will become a willing participant in an unsettling new adventure. If she loses… Well, does Donovan really want her to lose?
Love’s Erotic Flower is an erotic, stand-alone, short story featuring the characters from the controversial New Adult Romance novel, Love’s Forbidden Flower. This piece is approximately 8000 words.
Warning: This title contains graphic language and raunchy sexual situations. It is intended for those 18 years of age and older.

 Amazon

 Smashwords 

 

An eternity of passion cannot be quelled by society. 
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.

The light of the alarm clock covers my face in a soft glow while its progressing numbers remind me that life is passing by. Finally, Christopher's breath deepens into a low snore. Like a paranoid ninja I slip out of bed and head down the stairs.

Is the frigidity of the knob on the library door brought about by the weather outside, or the betrayal I feel stepping through this portal, knowing a letter from a former lover awaits?

Grabbing the designated book off of the shelf, excitement and apprehension course through my nervous system. Hidden in the section on making gum paste lilies is a sheet of stationary that bares an uncanny resemblance to the stationary on which I once wrote letters to Donovan, sharing in the madness of an alternate reality.

To My Lovely Lady,

You are, and will always be, the force that drives and inspires me. On my brightest days, you are the warmth that shines upon me. In the darkest nights, you provide the voice that soothes me. Because of you I face each day knowing who I am and the good I bring into the world. Because of you, I am whole.

Until the end of forever,
Donovan

Placing the book back on the shelf, I head for the family room, unable to bring myself to return to Christopher. Curling up on the sofa I turn on the TV where the A Christmas Story marathon continues. Quickly I change the channel, only to return to it, and then flee again. Finally I settle on an infomercial, staring blankly, striving to force myself into panic over the details of the New Year’s Eve party to come. The diversion proves to be a terrible idea. This will be the first New Year’s Eve Donovan and I have spent together since we split. How do I move past the impending pain of the night while finding a way to heal?

“Cannoli,” I softly mutter aloud. “I’ll switch from cream puffs to cannoli. Maybe I should stuff the cream puffs with cannoli filling…”

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.
 

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Author Bio

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.

 

Website: www.dianerinellaauthor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianeRinellaAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianeRinella

Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjdT0zUuKYI

Goodreads profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6592108.Diane_Rinella

Chapter one of Love’s Forbidden Flower: http://dianerinellaauthor.com/loves-forbidden-flower-chapter-1/

 

Buy links:

Love’s Forbidden Flower

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Forbidden-Flower-ebook/dp/B00AFHTK4U/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1379425605

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/372452

 

Love’s Erotic Flower

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Loves-Erotic-Flower-ebook/dp/B00E3UVGCY/ref=pd_sim_kstore_2

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/370616

 

 

Time’s Forbidden Flower

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Times-Forbidden-Flower-ebook/dp/B00ED4Y5RS/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1-catcorr&qid=1379425716

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/372271

 

 

 

 

The heart cares not what society forbids.

 

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.

 

Society’s torch only illuminates our path.

 

Very disturbing or somewhat intriguing? That is the question Donovan asks himself over his soul mate’s latest idea for bedroom antics. Undecided, he enters into a bet. If Lily wins, Donovan will become a willing participant in an unsettling new adventure. If she loses… Well, does Donovan really want her to lose?

 

Love’s Erotic Flower is an erotic, stand-alone, short story featuring the characters from the controversial New Adult Romance novel, Love’s Forbidden Flower. This piece is approximately 8000 words.

 

Warning: This title contains graphic language and raunchy sexual situations. It is intended for those 18 years of age and older.

 

An eternity of passion cannot be quelled by society.

 

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.