#WriterWednesday Interview with Kristina Rienzi

I’d like to welcome Kristina Rienzi to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Things you need for your writing sessions: Silence, privacy, and coffee.

Things that hamper your writing: Distractions, exhaustion, hunger.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Making decisions about everything from story details, to marketing and promotion. Also, dealing with rejection and staying motivated is huge.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Writing in the zone, when everything flows and creativity is abundant.

Words that describe you: Introvert, empath, driven, passionate, resilient, encouraging, positive.

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Busy, cautious, people-pleaser, anxious, rule-follower.

Something you’re really good at: Focusing on the big picture, connecting with people, communication, coaching,

Something you’re really bad at: Boredom, being overwhelmed, spontaneity, large crowds, small spaces, stress.

Things you’d walk a mile for: The people I love, wine, live music.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: Bugs!

Things you always put in your books: The Jersey Shore, strong female protagonists, wine, twists, and opportunities to embrace the unknown.

Things you never put in your books: Sex, other than implied.

Things to say to an author: I loved your story, you’re such a great writer…anything honest and positive, so long as it’s not cruel or a personal attack.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: I’m going to write a novel in my spare time this summer.

Things that make you happy: All the people I love, especially my baby girl. Also, silence, wine, manicures, the beach, a great story (book or movie), music, delicious meal, being in nature – especially by the water.

Things that drive you crazy: Clutter, a long to-do list, unfinished projects, a fully-booked planner, boredom.

Best thing you’ve ever done: Become a parent, something I never thought I’d be, but it’s the best thing in my life.

Biggest mistake: Putting work above all, not finding time to relax and be present in the moment with those I love.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Zip-lining in Haiti.

Something you chickened out from doing: Almost from zip-lining! But, I chose to bail on a sky-diving experience on a cruise ship.

About Kristina

Kristina Rienzi is a Jersey Shore-based new adult thriller author, certified professional coach, and the former president of Sisters in Crime-Central Jersey. An INFJ who dreams beyond big, Kristina encourages readers to embrace the unknown through her stories. When she's not writing or drinking wine, Kristina is spoiling her baby girl, watching Lifetime, singing (and dancing) to Yacht Rock Radio, or rooting for the WVU Mountaineers. She believes in all things paranormal, a closet full of designer bags, the Law of Attraction, aliens, angels, and the value of a graduate degree in psychology. Her debut audiobook, Among Us was featured on Audible’s ACX University and is an Audible Editors Select pick. 

 Visit her online at https://KristinaRienzi.com.

#TBR Tuesday - What I've Been Reading - Ellen Bryon and Harlan Coben

The pandemic and the stay-at-home orders have helped me get a jump on my Goodreads Challenge 2020. I have a TBR (To Be Read) shelf in my office, and there’s a stack of library books on my night stand. I’m going to try to be better about sharing what I’m reading and enjoying.

My mystery/thriller bookcase has turned into two in my new office, and the books are spilling over into the cubby shelves of my craft area. I have a feeling it won’t be long until it’s all books.

I like lots of genres, but I always gravitate to mysteries, suspense, and thrillers. I don’t always start at the beginning of a series, especially if I found a new author at the library, but if I like it, I try to go back and catch up on what I missed.

My TBR Shelf at the Moment…

Here’s What I’ve Been Reading Lately

I love Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico. Her mysteries are funny, and the characters are quirky. I’m finishing her Cajun Country Mystery series. They are well worth it. These are great summer reads. I love the Louisiana flare and all of the bayou traditions. Her characters are fun, and the mysteries have lots of twists. I read Body on the Bayou, Mardi Gras Murders, and Fatal Cajun Festival recently.

Check out her new series as Maria DiRico. The Catering Hall Mystery series is set in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, NY. I look forward to reading more. (I love her grandmother and the cat.)

Recently we watched The Five on Netflix, and I hadn’t read much by Harlan Coben. This spring, I started his Myron Bolitar series. I’ve read Deal Breaker and Drop Shot. I like his edgy characters and the thrillers set in the world of a sports agent. The stories are action-packed, and I like the twists and turns that snake through every chapter. I’m watching The Stranger on Netflix and still trying to piece together all the different storylines.

What’s up Next

Right now, I’m reading Lori Rader-Day’s The Lucky One.

For more book ideas, follow me on Goodreads and BookBub.

What are you reading on #TBRTuesday?

What's Your Favorite Type of Sleuth?

There are so many sleuths out there: professional, amateur, female, and the list goes on and on. Do you have a preference? I've grouped some of my favorites by type, but they're in no particular order. What other authors and sleuths would you add to the list?

Hard-boiled Detectives - This character type is usually male and tough. He can survive in the gritty world, and he often works in a big city. This type solves mysteries by stick-to-itiveness and street smarts. He usually is a private detective or some sort of fringe law enforcement who solves crimes because the police are ineffective. This subgenre came from the pulp fiction magazines in the early 1900s.

1. Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade
2. Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlow
3. Robert B. Parker's Spenser

Cozy Amateur Detectives - The Cozy subgenre derived from the British mystery traditions. Originally, they were set in pastoral or smaller settings. There was an amateur sleuth who solved the crime because law enforcement was bumbling. There was a small circle of suspects, and violence and sex happened outside of the plot and not in full view of the reader. This subgenre was often called soft-boiled, and it has evolved into all kinds of themed mysteries. Many of the sleuths have interesting jobs or hobbies.

1. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple
2. Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear
3. Ellery Adams' Molly Appleby
4. Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow
5. Sherry Harris' Sarah Winston
6. Maya Corrigan's Val Deniston
7. Rhys Bowen's Lady Georgiana

Private Eyes/Bail Bondspersons - This subgenre has a sleuth who has some training in law enforcement, but he or she is not with the police. The stories can be hard-boiled or softer.

1. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum
2. Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
3. Michael Crais' Elvis Cole/Joe Pike
4. P. D. James' Cordelia Gray
5. Rhys Bowen's Molly Murphy
6. Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot
7. Carolyn D. Hart's Max Darling
8. Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin
9. Spencer Quinn's Chet the Dog
10. My Delanie Fitzgerald

Police/Military/Federal Law Enforcement - There are mysteries or thrillers with law enforcement and/or retired officers as the sleuth. Some have a military or federal investigative jobs.

1. John J. Lamb's Brad Lyon
2. Bill Crider's Dan Rhodes
3. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch
4. P. D. James' Adam Dalgleish
5. Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire
6. David Baldacci's John Puller, Michelle Maxwell, and Sean King
7. Lee Child's Jack Reacher

Lawyers - I like legal mysteries and thrillers. These sleuths are either lawyers or investigators in law offices.

1. Michael Connelly's Mickey Haller
2. Lisa Scottoline's Roato and Associates
3. John Grisham's Many Stand-alone Thrillers

What other types of sleuths would you add to my list?

Steve Berry's THE JEFFERSON KEY

I love that Steve Berry mixes history in with his Cotton Malone thriller series. In The Jefferson Key, he explores the idea that the four American presidential assassinations and the other attempts were related. This one has a lot of car chases, gun fights, intrigue, and pirates.

A lot of the action takes place in and around Virginia and Washington, DC. His protagonists drive a motorcycle down the beautiful staircase at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. They shoot out the window and make their escape. They also have a battle at Monticello in Charlottesville over one of Mr. Jefferson's inventions that holds the key to a cipher.

The pirate stories take place in and around Bath, North Carolina and Ocracoke Island (Blackbeard Territory), and the characters even end up near Oak Island near Nova Scotia.

The book is fast-paced with great page-turning action. And Berry does a nice job with explaining fact from fiction at the end. Add this one to your beach bag for a fun, summer read.

FACEOFF - Edited by David Baldacci

I downloaded the International Thrill Writers' anthology, Faceoff, edited by David Baldacci. Most anthologies have some sort of theme. This one is interesting because it pairs multiple writers and their protagonists in each story. It also introduced me to several new-to-me authors, and I look forward to reading their novels.

My favorites included Dennis Lehane and Michael Connelly's "Red Eye," set in Boston. Both characters are looking for the same kidnapper. One is because of a recent abduction, and the other is chasing a lead from a cold case in California. Steve Martini and Linda Fairstein's characters meet at a lawyers' conference in "Surfing the Panther." I also liked the twist in Heather Graham and F. Paul Wilson's "Infernal Night," set in New Orleans. "Pit Stop" by Raymond Khoury and Linwood Barclay encapsulates an action-packed car-jacking in the limited space of a short story. I also liked "Good and Valuable Consideration" by Lee Child and Joseph Finder. Jack Reacher stories are always a great read.

And the beauty of a short story anthology is that if you don't like a particular story, you can always move on to the next one. There is something in Faceoff for all tastes.