Thursday, August 18, 2011

Guest Author: Toni Lotempio

Who the heck is: TONI LOTEMPIO

No doubt many of you are wondering, who the heck is this chick, and why should we fork over .99 to read her books?

Well, I can’t tell you why you should read my books, other than that I think they’re pretty good :-) but I can tell you a little bit about me so you get to know me – and my works – better.

I’m a native New Yorker, born and bred, but I’ve lived in New Jersey since I was thirteen. I’ve been reading ever since I was three, and writing since I was twelve - the first thing I wrote was a book of fairy tales called TWELVE TALL TALES. I even had another girl in school who was good at drawing illustrate them! (too bad I can’t find what I did with that manuscript- but after 30 years and a ton of moves I’m afraid its GWTW) I got hooked on horror from my dad, who used to take me to horror movies (Black Sunday starring Barbara Steele was the first) and, of course, I was a HUGE Dark Shadows fan growing up – I even ran a fan club for it in High School. I’ve always wanted to be Angelique – a sexy witch! I’d kill for those big, big, blue eyes! And I can’t wait for the Johnny Depp remake of Dark Shadows! As for reading, I love anything by J.D. Robb! I also read Carol Higgins Clark, Victoria Laurie, Janet Evanovich and Rita Mae Brown, anything by John Saul and the king of suspense, James Patterson religiously. Lately I’ve also become a big fan of Alex Kava and Tess Gerritson. I love both the paranormal and the suspense/thriller/cozy mystery genres. In paranormal I like Mary Janice Davidson, Michelle Rowan( I worship at her altar!), Kimberley Raye, Ashlyn Chase and Charlaine Harris to name a few!

Anyway, I write a lot of different books, and I confess I’m partial to the mystery genre (comes from reading the ENTIRE Nancy Drew series! – I’m not kidding – the ENTIRE series!) Some of my books have been published by small press, but I like to think I saved my best work for the indie market  My first indie, NO REST FOR THE WICCA, is a novel about a girl, Morgan Hawkes, who has both wiccan and voodoo heritage. Saddled with guilt over the death of her partner years before, she left homicide and became a “ghost whisperer” – someone who helps trapped spirits travel over to the next plane. But when a string of murders with a decidedly voodoo slant begin occurring, the PSFU (Paranormal Special Forces Unit) enlists her aid to solve the murders, and she finds herself teamed with a hunky Inheritor Vampire – Cole St. John – who sets her mixed blood racing!

And then there’s my latest - RAVEN’S KISS.

Some people might not like Raven at first glance. I didn’t either. She’s bossy, opinionated, and often rude. 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…..



AS the story progresses, we see the real Raven emerge – a girl who, beneath the gruff exterior, is actually quite a marshmallow when it comes to the people she loves! I like to think she’s a bit like me.

What’s in store for the future? I have a few more novels I’ll be releasing, another YA (with a Dark Shadows tie in, LOL) and adult, toward the end of the year. Also, my latest paranormal is just getting ready to go on sub by my agent, so who knows? (Coming soon to a brick and mortar bookstore near you – I hope, I hope, :-) So if you want more info, stop by either the blog: http://www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com/ or the website: http://www.tonilotempio.webs.com/

I also appreciate hearing from anyone who’s read my books, and feel free to friend me (and my cat,Rocco, the Sci Fi blogging cat!) on FACEBOOK!

2 comments:

Hot Ash Romance Novels said...

Congratulations on your new book and your new agent! I'm happy to hear about your success with self-publishing. Kudos!

ROCCO LOTEMPIO said...

Thanks! come visit my blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com there's a contest this weekend to celebrate NO REST FOR THE WICCA'S 25 weeks on amazon's Occult bestseller list! Leave a comment and you can win a $25 Amazon gift Card!