Forbidden Book Blog

*** 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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16181908-love-s-forbidden-flower?ac=1

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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18217787-love-s-erotic-flower

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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17339474-time-s-forbidden-flower

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…”

1. How did you come up with Lily, Donovan, and Christopher?

It was purely out of frustration. I saw a 1970 counter culture film called The Buttercup Chain where two cousins via twin sisters, making them genetic half-siblings, share an undeniable love. The film never went where it needed to, and it made me angry. I thought, “What’s the big deal? Shouldn’t we all just be happy?” After doing a lot of research I learned about the misconceptions regarding the subject and the people involved. I vowed I would always represent the love and not the cruel stereotypes.

Lily and I have a lot of similarities. We both fight for what we believe is right and try not to let others influence how we live. Donovan, when we actually get to see him for who he truly is, is pretty much my dream man. Christopher is adorkable and talks like no one you will ever meet. That was very intentional because I wanted to show how Lily loves people for who they are at their very core. It makes her relationship with Donovan more acceptable to the reader because we know she loves who he really is, and isn’t living in a fantasy land.

2. When will Christopher and I get our story?

I have it all planned out. It’s called Love’s Alternate Universe, and it’s what life would have been like for Lily and Donovan if the near event at the end of chapter two had gone differently. Since so many people have asked about that, I get to kill birds with one stone. All I need are to finish my next book, Scary Modsters… and Creepy Freaks, and for you to fly to San Francisco and babysit for a month. You will be most comfortable staying in my drawing room. It has a nice TV and a DVD player that I will preload with videos of the men who inspired Christopher’s creation. Naturally I will feed you, and I am a good cook, so you will be well provided for.

3. Will there be more books in the Forbidden Flower series?

Please see question number two.

Actually. I’ve been asked this a lot. Time’s Forbidden Flower closed out the series, but let’s face it, pretty much any book can have a sequel. I’m really happy with how the story ended, but if there is enough interest, I may be persuaded to take it another step.

4. What is the best part of being an author?
The people whom I have met as a result of hitting the publish button have changed my life. Readers have opened up to me with beautiful stories. I wish everyone could see the world with the same love and light as they do. I’ve also made some incredible friends and acquaintances. I never expected this journey to be so intense and fulfilling.

5. What is the craziest question you have ever been asked?

Please see question number two.

6. Tell us about the craziest fan you have come across.

Please see question number two.

7. Who are your biggest supporters?

Please see question number two.

Full Marriage Equality blogspot has spoken out heavily in favor of the Forbidden Flower series, praising how I have handled the subject matter. This is a huge deal because many of the people there are the real life Lilys and Donovans. 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 one of your characters 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. Amazing.

8. What is a must to keep with you while writing?

My desk drawer is always stocked with high-quality chocolate. Seriously, dopamine is a necessity! Pop culture trinkets, many of which have influenced my writing, surround me. This includes a hand drawn hermit from Peter Noone of Herman’s Hermits and an autographed picture of Jared Padelecki (think Julian.) To my right is a giclee of the British cover of The Hollies’ Lp, Evolution, where the guy who inspired Christopher’s look is reaching though the picture, much like Christopher does to his computer monitor when he talks to Lily. (Are you jealous?) Oddly, I had forgotten about this cover until after the book was nearly complete. When I found the signed print, I had to have it!

9. Really, when is mine and Christopher’s story coming out?

Please see question number six.

10. What advice do you have for those who wish to become 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.

How A Character Is Born

Diane Rinella

When I began writing Love's Forbidden Flower I had a very clear idea of what the story was about, the twists it would take, and how it would end. The path was clear; all I needed was to get from Point A to Point B and then I would be done. Simple, right?
Wrong!
Just as I was getting ready to bring in a flash in the pan, and rather simplistic, love interest for my heroine, Lily, I made the mistake of staying in bed late one morning and watching a documentary on the Hollies. (They are, by far, my favorite British band. Forget those lads from Liverpool—Manchester rocks!) As I was watching and happily singing along to one of my favorite earworms, “On A Carousel,” I stopped to take a good, long look at guitarist Tony Hicks. Now I realize that to anyone who knows me this is no shock. I’ve had a crush this guy since the dawn of time! But now I was looking at him through a new set of eyes as I thought, “He’s got a really charismatic look here. I forgot how boyish he has always seemed, and that grin and accent are to die for! Hmm…. What if I made this new guy, Troy, British? That could be a lark. On, and a musician, from Manchester, of course.”
Then I started thinking of other lads from Manchester, like Davy Jones, who had fantastic charisma. This led me to other men from England in general, and, since I was soon to watch a documentary on the Small Faces, Steve Marriott came to mind. Marriott was a real spitfire on stage and apparently quite the ball of energy in real life. He also had this awesome Cockney accent that, along with his colorful use of slang, made him a little confusing to Americans at times. Marriott, Jones, and Hicks are all known for their charismatic personalities and charming good looks, so this new character being endearingly irresistible to ladies was a natural progression.
Before you could say, “Bob’s your uncle!” Troy became Christopher (from Anthony Christopher Hicks) and my entire novel changed as suddenly I had the basis for Lily’s new love interest. The thing is, by the time I finished designing Christopher, I was hooked. I wrote his short involvement with Lily but quickly scrapped it while happily singing The Hollies tune, “I Can’t Let Go.” Christopher was now a major character, and so much of my story altered.
It’s funny how a little inspiration, or a few documentaries, can change your course of action. And now I’m back to signing “On A Carousel.” The last time it got stuck in my head it stayed there for five months. I hope it is a little more merciful this time.

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.