Toni: Why, certainly and thanks for having me!
In 1995, I joined the staff of SUSABELLA PASSENGERS AND FRIENDS, where I have been a staff reporter for over 10 years, winning their Margaret Sutton Award for Distinguished Writing in 1998. I joined the staff of NIGHT OWL REVIEWS in January 2011 as the suspense reviewer/columnist. My column, DARK STREETS, is featured on a monthly basis.
In 2007, Whiskey Creek Press published BOUND BY BLOOD, a tale of possession, and EBONY, which deals with zombies and the dark side of man. EBONY was #2 on the Fictionwise bestseller list for e-books for the month of July 2007, beating out Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story. In 2010 I self published NO REST FOR THE WICCA, which made Amazon’s list of top one hundred in Occult in March 2011, and my short story, THE SACRIFICE, appears in the e-published anthology KISS ME KILL ME.
I work full time and live in Clifton, NJ, with my muses: Rocco, Maxx, Gata and Trixie. Rocco is also known as Rocco the SciFi Blogging Cat and has appeared on the SciFi Saturday Night website and radio show, and also on the Kids Need To Read website where he holds the distinction of being the first (and possibly only!) blogging cat to support this charity.
Toni: My pleasure, Jen! Now, some people might not like Raven at first glance. She’s a moral girl who was turned into a Shapeshifter from a demon’s bite, and she’s a little bitter, to put it mildly. When her boss suggests she take a little “vacation” she runs smack dab into a mystery that she hopes will lead her to finally capture the demon who turned her. Raven discovers a portal that leads her into parallel time – a world where the people she knows lead vastly different lives.
She also meets the Recovery Captain in that world – a six foot redheaded Scotsman named Finn McPhee. (fun fact: I named this character after HP Mallory’s son). Although they butt heads at first, they can’t deny their attraction to each other, an attraction that deepens as they get closer and closer to unraveling the mystery surrounding the connection between Raven and a rash of serial killings…..
You can find links to purchase all the books on my blog and website.
Toni: Well, my mother taught me to read when I was three and by the time I was ten if I didn’t like the ending to a story I just rewrote it. Lol My first book, BOUND BY BLOOD, was published by Whiskey Creek Press in 2007. And since I’m ‘agentless’ right now, I’m afraid I don’t’ have a call story – maybe someday soon? (crosses fingers, toes, eyes)
Toni: My family (my four cats) are extremely supportive – they’d like me to get a lucrative publishing contract so they can have a jungle gym and lots of catnip toys LOL
Toni: Basically I get an idea, work up an outline, do whatever research I need to do. I sketch out the characters, sketch out what I want to put in each chapter, and then I fire up the CD player, pull Rocco on my lap and start. And, more often than not, the finished product is NOTHING like the original outline.
Toni: Practically all my heroines have red hair and green eyes – simply because I love red hair and always wished I was born a redhead! And if the heroines don’t’ have red hair, the hero does (like Finn in Raven’s Kiss).
Toni: Challenging: I think the plotting, making sure all the dots are connected and the ‘t’s’ crossed. Easiest: Naming the characters J Most rewarding is when someone writes you that they love your book or you get a good review from a review site.
Toni: Most of them do…some not in a good way. When I was writing the confrontation scene in RK, I had dreams about scaly skinned demons for weeks.
Toni: Hm….for Finn I think definitely James Franco. For Raven, I can’t decide between Reese Witherspoon or Milla Jovovich – although Natalie Portman might be good, too.
Toni: I like a nice glass of Sangria! Even better, a whole pitcher! And I treat myself to a nice dinner – by the time I’ve finished I feel I’ve earned it. LOL
Toni: What free time?????? The little there is I enjoy going to movies and plays. And people watching to get ideas for the next book/series.
Toni: I have a few more novels I’ll be releasing, another YA and adult, toward the end of the year. The YA has a ‘Dark Shadows’ tie in with Johnny Depp’s remake, so that will come out shortly before the movie. I also want to do two novellas continuing the sagas of Raven and my heroine from NO REST FOR THE WICCA –Morgan Hawkes.. And I’m still shopping a few other ms to agents, as well as working on two new novels. So, like I said above: What free time?
Toni: My blog is www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com (Actually, it’s Rocco’s blog, but he does occasionally let me post) My website is www.tonilotempio.webs.com It’s a good idea to check there often (especially the blog) for updates on upcoming projects, as well as other good stuff!
Toni: Yes, what paranormal creatures would you like to see featured in a book? Are you still heavy into vamps, or would you rather see demons, shifters, etc? Inquiring minds want to know!
Contest details:
- The prize is the winner’s choice of an e-copy of either NO REST FOR THE WICCA OR RAVEN’S KISS
- The contest is open to everyone.
- You must leave a meaningful comment for entry. This means your comment needs to be more than “please enter me in the contest”.
- A valid email address needs to be included in your comment. If you’re worried about spam, please modify your address, such as admin.bookblog AT gmail.com. You can also send a message to this email after your comment has been posted.
- While following the blog isn’t required, it is appreciated.
- The contest ends on Wednesday, September 7.
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