Featured Author: Rozita Berry

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Author Interview Rozita Berry

• What is the first book that made you cry?

Me:  Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. 

• What is your writing Kryptonite?

Me:  Marketing.  Never a strong point of mine.

• Who is one author are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Me:  There are several, but I think of Nancy Moors.  She has a unique style that resonates with me, and she takes an interest in other people’s writing.

• If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Me:  You’re not going to change the world with your writing, so never mind that.  You’re going to make a few readers happy, that’s all, so aim for that first and foremost. 

• How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

M:  It motivated me to write more and explore other styles of writing.

• What was the best money you ever spent as a writer? If you have not made any money, dream about it?

Me:  Getting a book professionally edited.  Cost me almost a thousand, but I learned a HUGE amount of things about writing that I didn’t learn in college, so it was worth the price even though it didn’t get the book published.

• As a writer, what would you choose as your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?

Me:  The cat.  I have four.  I have always been a cat person.  I love exotic cats too although I’ve never owned one and probably never will.

• How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

Me:  One.  It’s coming along slowly.

• Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?

Me:  The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I came to it late in life (almost 20 years ago) and it totally changed how I thought about fiction even though I’m not really a fantasy writer myself.  It’s hard to explain how.  At first I almost quit writing because I was so overwhelmed, I didn’t think I could ever surpass this series.  Then I started writing fan fiction, which gave me a chance to hone my craft and get immediate feedback on my writing.  Then eventually I began writing original fiction once more, but on a less epic scale.  YA then became my genre of choice.

• How do you select the names of your characters?

Me:  I think the Muse tells me their names.  LOL  I really don’t know.  Names just come to me while I write, and I create the character the name suggests to me.

•  What is your favorite childhood book?

Me:  Probably Little Women.  The first book I published was a modern-day retelling of it.  I also loved the Little House series, along with The Five Little Peppers, Caddie Woodlawn, and Heidi. I read them all over and over.

Available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gKNhxB

RoZita Berry—Bio

I live in Jonesboro, Arkansas with my four cats:  Ringtail, Hansel, Fritz, and Frankie.  All boys, all pesky and all sweet.  I attended college at Arkansas State University and graduated with a MSE in English, and have done some teaching in Freshman English.  I’ve published nine books on Amazon, mostly young adult novels and one book of poetry, and I’m working on the tenth.  I work as a home health aide at the East Area Arkansas Agency on Aging in order to make money.

I am also a composer and singer/songwriter, and have written dozens of songs and compositions. Moonshine Lullaby is my first traditionally published book.

Moonshine Lullaby:  Book Blurb

     Tanya Lauterbach, 17-year-old daughter of country music diva Rita Harding, didn’t want to leave Nashville to stay with her father’s family in the Blue Ridge Mountains while her mother went on a world tour. She was a city girl! She almost had to be dragged out kicking and screaming. But after she got there and settled in, the hills began to work their magic…not the least of which included a charming, handsome young man with a mysterious past and possibly dangerous present. 

Review of Moonshine Lullaby by Rozita Berry

By Katherine Soto   (Arc Read)

This is a well written story of a coming of age and life for a teenage girl.  Her famous singer mother drops her off in rural country with her Dad while goes on a world tour.  Tanya does not want to be there at all.  She wants to be back in the city with all her friends. Her Mom gives her no choice.

Tanya does not know her Dad and his family very well.  She tries to get along with everyone in the family at family gatherings and in the house the live in.  She attempts to fit in.

Of course, there are two boys vying for her attention. Seth is a country boy blonde and good looking.  Tanner is a cowboy singer, so good-looking Tanya’s sister has a crush on him. There is an adventure with murder, kidnapping, and intrigue. Through everything, Tanya learns things about herself she never thought were possible.

This story is a good young adult read for someone wanting an easy to follow romance/adventure with a coming of age story weaved throughout.