Chatting with Author Toni LoTempio - Raven's Quest Virtual Book Tour and #Giveaway

“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 has been there for 33 weeks!) and my short story, THE SACRIFICE, appears in the e-published anthology KISS ME KILL ME, and another, a follow up story to NO REST FOR THE WICCA, appears in the anthology EVERY WITCH WAY BUT WICKED.  Proceeds of sales of EWWBW benefit Nathan Fillion’s charity, KIDS NEED TO READ!

Currently single, I work full time and live in Clifton, NJ, with my muses: Rocco, Maxx, Gata and Trixie. Rocco is also known as Rocco the Sci-Fi Blogging Cat and has appeared on the Sci-Fi 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.”

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads

MM:  Many authors relate their characters to people they know.  Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?

TLT:  Oh my I am always basing my characters on people I know. Everyone I come in contact with gets fair warning that they may appear in a book someday LOL.  And yes, I do puta bit of myself into each of my heroines – for example, Raven gets her strong personality and sarcastic sense of humor from yours truly.

MM:  Who is your favorite character in your book and why?

TLT: That is like asking me to choose one of my cats over the other, LOL. They are all my favorites, because I created them.

  

MM:  Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?

TLT:  Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind.  I can absolutely identify with her independent spirit.

MM:  If you could dive into the pages of any book, which book would it be and what character would you be?

TLT: Any Perry Mason or Midnight Louie mystery. I’d love to be Paul Drake (or Midnight Louie) and prowl around and solve the case!

  

MM:  If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?

TLT:  I honestly havent’ given this question much thought, believe it or not! But I think for Raven, I could definitely see Megan Fox in the role! As for Finn – he’d have to be a redheaded hunk and a half. And a Scottish accent wouldn’t hurt, either.

  

MM:  What can we expect from Toni LoTempio in the future? Any new projects?

TLT:  I’m working on a new paranormal romantic suspense series I hope to release in April 2013 via Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

  

MM:  Where can readers connect with you?

TLT:  Website under construction, so the best place is ROCCO’s blog, which is updated weekly. www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me today. It's been a wonderful pleasure.

In this short novella, Shapeshifter Raven Grace and her psychic lover, Finn McPhee, are back, traveling to parallel time in search of a demonic killer.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

EXCERPT

The woman staggered into the center of the floor, weaving like a drunk. She looked to be in her early thirties, her full red lips matching the nearly non-existent dress she wore of the same color. “Death to all” she rasped, staggering forward. Her hand shot upward, and the large butcher knife there gleamed with fresh, red blood.

Raven pushed forward, her eyes darting around the large room, desperately seeking Finn. She caught sight of him. He’d been pushed back against a marble pillar, and was slowly inching forward.

His voice, inside her head: Got your weapon?

She nodded grimly, even as her fingers reached inside the useless purse slung carelessly across one slim, bare shoulder. She pulled out her weapon, cocked the safety, and plowed forward.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hedy do the same.

And then the air was rent with another, commanding voice, a feminine one.

“Drop it. Drop the knife now.”

The knife wavered wildly in the air as the woman took a step backward, her eyes glazed over and glassy. The speaker moved into the center of the room, and both Raven and Hedy stopped in their tracks, taking in the tableaux before them. The woman who stood calmly training her stunner on the knife-wielder, was thirty if she was a day and looked to be in perfect shape, if the curves beneath the form-fitting white Dior number she wore gave any indication. Her black silk fall of hair, parted in the middle, framed a face Raven knew George would describe as “million-dollar”, but there was a steely set to her jaw, a coldness in the thin set of her lips, that kept her from being beautiful. Still in all – she was a package no man would kick out of bed, of that Raven was certain.

The newcomer moved with the speed of a striking cobra, gripping the knife hand and twisting it backward. “I said drop it.”

Fingers went limp, and there was a sharp clink! as knife met floor. The woman whipped one hand out, and the next second shiny handcuffs had been slapped on the offender.

“I need help here,” the brunette snapped. “She needs a doctor, she’s obviously drugged. Someone get a medic – what are you all waiting for?”

On the podium, Sully cleared his throat. “You’d all best listen to her, and get used to it. I realize this isn’t exactly the best introduction, but…” His arm swept out, indicating the woman. “My successor…Captain Darla Barnes.”

Communing with the dead is an everyday occurrence for PI Morgan Hawkes. A half-Wiccan witch who can commune with spirits of those caught between worlds, Morgan uses her talents to exorcise the trapped ghost or demon as part of the Paranormal Investigation Squad – until a string of murders with a voodoo slant prompts the Special Forces Agency to ask for her assistance. Someone’s killing pureblood witches- and the SFA’s convinced Morgan’s heritage (her father was a voodoo priest) could be instrumental in solving the mystery. Teamed with dashing SF agent Cole St. John – an Inheritor Vampire that sets her blood racing – the two of them fight their attraction for each other as they race to stop a madman from unleashing a demonic force upon the world.

Raven Grace was a college senior with ambitions of a career in law enforcement when she met the demon Aega, whose bite turned her from mortal to Shapeshifter. Now a member of the Recovery Organization, Raven keeps the peace between humans and errant Hellhounds, trolls, wizards and the like while trying to track down Aega and bring him to justice. After a particularly dicey encounter one night with a Hellhound, she goes to the aid of a girl who’s been attacked and near death—and is amazed to find Aega’s bite mark on the girl’s arm. Determined to get to the bottom of this, she revisits the victim’s apartment and there discovers her closet is a portal to a parallel universe, where people she knows lead vastly different lives. She also gets a glimpse of the Recovery Captain there—a six foot, redheaded Scotsman named Finn McPhee, whose sexy accent and even sexier bod sets her senses aflame. Seeking answers, Finn takes Raven to the magickal underworld, where an ancient fae informs them the demon’s quest is rooted in Scottish mythology and magick. As they delve deeper into legend, the truth comes to light—Aega is only a pawn, subservient to another, darker demon…a being who knows the truth about Raven’s heritage, and who orchestrated her return to this parallel universe for the ultimate showdown. Now, Finn and Raven find their passion for one another must take a backseat to Raven’s battle with a dark force who won’t be satisfied until he’s claimed her soul for his very own…

2 giveaways at each stop for choice of E-book above:
No Rest for the Wicca
Raven's Kiss (Book 1)Raven's Quest (Book 2)

October 24 - Introduction at VBT Cafe' Blog
October 25 - Interviewed at Mass Musings
October 29 - Guest Blogging at AZ Publishing Services
October 31 - Guest Blogging at Wise Words
November 2 - Interviewed at Immortality & Beyond
November 6 - Interviewed at From The Mind of Omegia
November 8 - Book Feature & Excerpt at All Things BooksNovember 8 - Book Feature & Excerpt at My Escape
November 12 - Book Feature & Excerpt at For The Love Of The Reading
November 13 - Book Feature & Excerpt at Two Fantasy FlooziesNovember 15 - Guest Blogging at Lori's Reading Corner
November 19 - Guest Blogging at Waiting On Sunday To Drown
November 21 - Interviewed at Angels & Warriors Radio
November 23 - Review & Guest Blogging at A Book Lover's Library