{Blog Tour & Giveaway} Something To Dream On by Diane Rinella (@DianeRinella)

1/26/2015

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 sight 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, could you still believe that everyone deserves a second chance?

Lizetta has always been self-conscious about her body - but it never stopped her from being a giving soul. She doesn’t quite know what to think when a mysterious psychic informs her that something will happen that will literally change her life and lead her to love.

“Why not just surrender to the other gifts God gave me and enjoy my life? Sometimes I try to accept that I am really not all that big, but then moments like these happen and … What is it going to take for someone to see that I am worth loving? It’s such a painful road that sometimes I am left to question my own value.”

Jensen is a talented musician that is wasting away in a world filled with easy drugs and easier women. His wake up call comes in the form of his mother throwing him out and a stray dog on the side of the road.

Meeting Lizetta gives him strength to stay clean and soon he’s falling head over heals in love with her. But someone from his past isn’t so happy that he has found happiness and is determined to do anything to turn him back into the monster that he once was.

Is it really true that love is stronger than death or is this life all there really is?

“Do you have any idea what it is like to watch someone you love suffer while they teeter on the verge of death? To be on your knees, praying and doing everything you can to help them, while knowing it is futile? When do you stop praying for salvation and start praying for mercy? When do you just hold the person in your arms and tell them you love them and wish them happiness in whatever the next step holds?”

I didn’t know what to think of Something to Dream On at first for it’s unlike any other book that I have ever read. It’s an epic journey through self-doubt, pain and forgiveness painted boldly in Diane’s unconventional style. It made me laugh out loud and cry hot tears of sadness with its powerful message.

So if you’re like me and have ever felt just a little bit different than everyone else or somehow on the outside – this one is for us…

"Please, use your time wisely. There are people who need the understanding that only you can give. Save them, and in the end you will save yourself.”

Exclusive Excerpt -

Tingles blanket my skin, bringing about peace to my soul. At last, redemption is upon me. Her words paint my soul with a comfort that no drug could ever match. “I am so grateful for you and Etta. This sounds crazy, but I swear that right after he died, I heard Eddie’s voice saying to let the universe be my guide. I tried to understand, but I couldn’t get it until I saw Etta on the side of the road. I thought I was living my nightmare all over again, but an angel in scrubs appeared and gave me hope.”

“I looked such a mess that day,” she chokes out.

My hands cup her cheeks so I can capture her gaze. New tears form because more than ever I see what a gift she was. “You looked like a savior whose only concern wasn’t her own. You were the beacon of light that showed me I would be okay. I was so afraid that seeing Etta would send me begging for a needle and a spoon, but instead you both brought me deeper into salvation.” I squeeze her hands again to emphasize my plea. “You ground me. For months I have stayed on track because I had this dream that there was something better for me, something that could make me feel rooted. That dream is you.”

Lizetta’s tears mirror my own. Her eyes are so puffy and red that I worry for her all over again. When she grips my hand, both fear and anticipation fill me over her upcoming words. “Time and again, my father hurt me. When you first said that you were fighting an addiction, my mind went to the time he smacked Jimmy across the face so hard that blood sprayed. After that, every time Mom and Dad fought, Jimmy and I cowered together. I’ll also never shake Mom’s expression while trying to hide why the cops had come to the door on the day Dad died.

“My dad was a shameless bastard whose womanizing gave Mom Gonorrhea. Thank God she cut him off for good then and there, because eventually a hooker, a fling, or a needle infected him with HIV. The killing blow to our hearts came when Dad’s last day was spent in a motel room, dying alone with a needle in his arm. For years I have carried those images of my father, a man who couldn’t be bothered to shake a habit—not for his wife and certainly not for his kids. I grew to love Paul because he showed my family that we were worthy of happiness. Now you have basically told me that you got clean for yourself, but are willing to fight even harder for my sake. Do you have any idea how that sounds to a little girl who was hurt by her father, only to go to school each day and be ridiculed about her body? You too, Jensen, are a savior.”

Guest Post - Diane Rinella

Why I Wrote Something To Dream On

Someone once told me that there is truth tucked into every joke, every comment, and every piece of fiction. Thus, fiction and reality go hand in hand.

After releasing Scary Modsters … and Creepy Freaks, I had a hard time getting traction on a new story. I strive to be original, which is in no way easy, and it felt like every time I sat at my computer the same old love story popped out. Maybe I just wasn’t inspired, or maybe the universe had not yet spoken. Then one day the universe screamed.

I was chatting with a friend online—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 the idiots. 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.

So in getting back to the truth in fiction, Something To Dream On came out of a real event that was brought on by someone being a real jerk and a friend who took the high road, thus making the world better by not feeding the bully machine. Sadly, the guy who did the teasing still seems to be an ass; however, the person he attacked taught me how to be a better person. For that, I will always be grateful.

About The Author -

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.