The Gathering by B. R. Giacomazzo @bg_writes_stuff #BlogBlitz #AuthorInterview @rararesources

Hi and welcome to my stop on Bernadette Giacomazzo’s The Gathering blog blitz…..

Many thanks to the author and Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources

Interview with Bernadette Giacomazzo…..

For those who don’t know already, could you tell us about yourself and your book(s) please?

My name is Bernadette Giacomazzo, and I’m an editor, writer, and photographer with more than 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry. I’ve been lucky enough to see my work featured in People, The Daily Mail, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and countless other publications. I’m currently a contributing writer at The Inquisitr, HipHopDX, and Wrestling, Inc., and I’m a copy editor for a book publishing company, as well.

My book series is a dystopian fiction series called The Uprising, and the first book is called The Gathering. It’s out now. I plan to release the second book, Kings and Queens, sometime in the Spring of 2019.

My website is http://www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com, and the website for the book is http://www.longlivetheuprising.com.

Where did/do you get your ideas from?

For this series – which will be my only fiction series – I got my ideas from a variety of places, but my main influence was the so-called “Old New York,” which was New York City and the Five Boros in the 1970s and 1980s. What you see in New York City today is nothing like it was when I was growing up.

Are any of your characters based (however loosely) on anyone you know?

Absolutely. I firmly believe that it’s a writer’s divine right to use his/her life as inspiration – whether good or bad – for everything s/he does.

How do you pick your characters names?

Believe it or not, they just came to me. Some minor characters are named after real people – Pualani, for example, is named after my college roommate; Rock, Rush, Steele and Chainsaw are the nicknames of real friends of mine – but the names of the main characters (Jamie, Basile, Kanoa, Evanora, and Tommy) are totally fictitious.

Can you share your writing process with us, in a nutshell?

I’m old-school: I write down a three-sentence summary of the story. Then, I write a proper outline – introduction, body, and conclusion. Then, I develop the characters – I give them full backstories, draw up what they look like, and everything else. From there, I just write. Then, I go back and re-read the story three times – each time, making edits. I finally give it one last glance over before turning it over to a third party to give it a final pair of eyes and make notes. When I get their notes back, I make the changes if appropriate, then hit publish.

Who are your top 5 favourite authors?

In no order, particularly: Stephen King, Friedrich Pohl, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park).

If you could meet any author, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I would love to have a chat with Neil Gaiman one day. I wouldn’t just ask him one question – it would be a full-on conversation with tea and sandwiches. And then we’d pick up Stephen King and George R.R. Martin for ice cream, and we’d all have a nice chat.

Were you a big reader as a child?

Yes, and I still am. My family likes to joke that I like books more than I like people – and they’re not far off, LOL.

When did you start to write?

Professionally, at 21. But I really wanted to be a writer from the time I was 12 or 13.

If you could re-write the ending to any book what would it be and what would you change?

It’s not up to me to tell another author how to write. Something being “good” or “crap” is subjective anyway. Without going into detail, let me just say that there are certain authors that are garbage people, have garbage fandoms, and write garbage books. Anything that fetishizes a culture or a people – I don’t know why, but a lot of “historical romance” novels love to fetishize Scotland & Scottish warriors; the British call it “tartanalia” – is something that, in my mind, is absolute trash, and can be used to pick up what my dog leaves behind on a walk. Barring their use on dog walks, I avoid garbage books at all costs, because they’re an insult to me as a reader, and a disgrace to me as a writer and editor.

Is there a book you wish you had written?

No. You can only tell the story you were meant to tell.

If you wrote an autobiography, what would your title be?

My Life on the Press List, because honestly, that’s where I’ve spent most of my adult life.

If you could invite any fictional character for coffee who would it be and where would you take them?

I’d take Randall Flagg from Stephen King’s The Stand to Alice’s Tea Cup on the Upper West Side in New York City. The twisted nature of that whole concept is, strangely, appealing to me.

What are you working on right now?

The follow-up to The Gathering, which is called Kings and Queens. I loved the multi-layered nature of that title – it not only refers to two counties in New York (Brooklyn, a/k/a Kings, and Queens), but it refers to an Aerosmith song of the same name, released on their Draw the Line album back in 1977. The song is about medieval times, of course, but it has a larger message about people willing to die for what they believe in, and that’s the case in Kings and Queens, the book.

The second act of every series is always “darker” than the first act, and Kings and Queens is darker, more action packed, and less forgiving than The Gathering. Without spoiling it, however, it also has a surprise, twist ending filled with hope, too – even though the characters don’t have much of it left.

Do you have a new release due?

King and Queens won’t be out until spring of next year.

What do you generally do to celebrate on publication day?

I pull a Cersei Lannister and drink wine.

How can readers keep in touch with you?

They can email me – bernadette@bernadettegiacomazzo.com. They can “like” my Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/bernadettergiacomazzo. They can follow me on Twitter — @BG_Writes_Stuff – or follow me on Instagram — @BG_Takes_Pics.

Is there anything else you would like us to know?

I’m just really grateful for your time, and for even thinking about reading my book. It’s an honor.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions 🙂

The Gathering

The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved. In The Gathering, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought.

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1980613788/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1980613788/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39279875-the-gathering

Author Bio

With an impressive list of credentials earned over the course of two decades, Bernadette R. Giacomazzo is a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the word: an editor, writer, photographer, publicist, and digital marketing specialist who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to thrive in each industry with equal aplomb. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and many, many more. She served as the news editor of Go! NYC Magazine for nearly a decade, the executive editor of LatinTRENDS Magazine for five years, the eye candy editor of XXL Magazine for two years, and the editor-at-large at iOne/Zona de Sabor for two years. As a publicist, she has worked with the likes of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit record label, rapper Kool G. Rap, and various photographers, artists, and models. As a digital marketing specialist, Bernadette is Google Adwords certified, has an advanced knowledge of SEO, PPC, link-building, and other digital marketing techniques, and has worked for a variety of clients in the legal, medical, and real estate industries.

Based in New York City, Bernadette is the co-author of Swimming with Sharks: A Real World, How-To Guide to Success (and Failure) in the Business of Music (for the 21st Century), and the author of the forthcoming dystopian fiction series, The Uprising. She also contributed a story to the upcoming Beyonce Knowles tribute anthology, The King Bey Bible, which will be available in bookstores nationwide in the summer of 2018.