Toi Thomas Interview Part 3

Welcome everyone to another great week of the Writer's Revolution.  I am your host, the author of The Phoenix Blade, Andrew Hess.  This week we have a fun and insightful guest that loves to write Sci-Fi, Paranormal and Fantasy books.

It's time to have a little fun.

If you could only bring three items with you to a deserted island (non-writing items or people) what would they be and why?

I’d bring a book on edible and medicinal plants, a pair of reading glasses (also good for starting fires), and a tarp.

Those are interesting items to bring.  At least they would be useful to curing boredom and survival. 

The world is going to end tomorrow.  How do you live out your remaining time?

I’d like to be with my family, but it’s really big. If nothing else, I at least want to be with my husband, sharing a bowl of our favorite Indian dish with Nann, talking about all the fun times we’ve had.

Someone wants to make a movie based on your life.  Who would you pick to play you?

I have no idea. I can’t think of anyone that reminds me of myself as far as personality, but if they are a good actress that shouldn’t be an issue. As far as looks go, that another issue. I’ve told I look like any number of black actresses depending on how popular they are at the time (Nia Long, Janet Jackson, etc…), but since they are all getting older and so am I; I guess it would have to be a newcomer.

Alive or dead, who is the one person you would want to interview and why?

The answer to this question changes depending on the mood I’m in, but for now I’d have to say my great grandmother. She probably has a unique perspective on life as black women that would blow my mind.

Not many people would pick family because they feel more inclined to focus on the celebrity possibilities rather than pick someone right under their nose.  I think it’s very sweet you would pick your great grandmother.

Okay, crystal ball time.  Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

I can’t predict the future well, but I hope I’m still writing and maybe even doing it fulltime. I know I’ll be living somewhere different than where I am now and that I’ll still be making time to be with my family. Since no children are in my future, by choice, I’ll be spoiling my nieces and nephews as they head off to college and the work force. I just pray that things in the U.S. improve so I don’t have to worry so much their futures.

Spoiling nieces and nephews are always fun. 

Any questions you would like to ask me?

As a writer, what gives you a sense of purpose or accomplishment?

My purpose is a lot different than my sense of accomplishment.  My purpose has been to express my feelings and create something that grabs readers’ attention and be different than other books or screen plays that are on the market.  My purpose has also been to help and inspire writers to find their way along this great path of writing and encourage them to continue following their passion.  My sense of accomplishment is always found in anything I complete; a series, a book, a chapter, a paragraph, even a sentence that can pull everything together.

Any final words for our readers?

I hope you’ve enjoyed this peek into my life and work and hope you encounter more of my work down the road. Whatever you do, keep reading; give the written word the power it deserves.

Where can we find you?

Eternal Curse Series Blog, eToiThomas.com (with accompanying ToiBox Blog), Toi Thomas Facebook Fan Page, Eternal Curse Series Facebook Fan Page, Toinette “Toi” Thomas Google+ Page,GoodReads Author Profile, Pinterest Profile,LinkedIn Profile, Youtube Channel, Amazon Author Central Page

Make sure you pickup your copy of the Eternal Curse Giovanni's Angel; available now on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/ETERNAL-CURSE-GIOVANNIS-Toi-Thomas/dp/1456839934/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377787284&sr=1-1

And visit the Eternal Curse Series Blog: http://ecsuniverse.blogspot.com/

Toi Thomas Interview Part 2

Welcome everyone to another great week of the Writer's Revolution.  I am your host, the author of The Phoenix Blade, Andrew Hess.  This week we have a fun and insightful guest that loves to write Sci-Fi, Paranormal and Fantasy books.

Tell me about your blog

I have two active blogs at the moment:

Eternal Curse Series: This blog is mostly dedicated to featuring tidbits about my Eternal Curse Series, but I also guest host authors and bloggers and do author interviews. There is also a bit of geek culture highlighted on this blog. #cursescanbebroken

ToiBox: This blog is dedicated to discussing and breaking down my writing processes, offering sample of my writing, and talking about my works in progress. I also post partial guest posts and interviews from my other blog here. #thetoiboxofwords

How long have you been blogging for?

I’ve been blogging for almost as long as I’ve been pursuing publication, about three years now.

What inspired you to write your blog?

The first blog I wrote was a challenge I wrote just for myself to see if I could do it. It was a way for me to further develop the story I was working on while giving me a prompt to write daily for 40 days straight about that story.

Tell us what your thought process was the first time you interviewed an author.

The first time I interviewed an author it was purely a learning process. I wanted to see if I could do it and do it well. I wanted to prove myself as a professional and provide the author with a final product that they felt was worth telling others about. I was nervous, but it was fun.

Do you have any authors that you interviewed that stick out in your mind as a memorable interview?

There are several that stick out in my mind; some because they were so fun and some because they were not. Sometimes as an interviewer, depending on what your motive is, you find that you have to try really hard to make your interviewee sound more interesting than they really are. Not all people have super dynamic personalities and that’s okay.

Where would you like to see the blog go from here?

I kind of like my blogs where they are now, but of course I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a bunch more followers. I like being able to use these outlets to promote, not only myself, but others as well. We live in visual world and I just can’t sit by and do nothing while reading becomes a novelty. I’m a big movie buff, I love music, and my husband loves video games, but we make reading a priority. I promote books and authors because I think authors should be just as important to the world of entertainment as music groups or movie stars. 

Join us tomorrow for part 3 of our interview with Toi Thomas

Toi Thomas Interview Part 1

Welcome everyone to another great week of the Writer's Revolution.  I am your host, the author of The Phoenix Blade, Andrew Hess.  This week we have a fun and insightful guest that loves to write Sci-Fi, Paranormal and Fantasy books.

Tell me a little about yourself.

My name is Toi Thomas and I’m a big kid, though I do try not to be sometimes. My husband and I are best friends because no one understands our geekness the way we do. Aside from my love of writing and reading, I’m a bit of hobby hog. I enjoy cooking, painting, dancing, collecting, and nature- to an extent. I think most people look at me and see one thing while I’m usually something else entirely.

Those are a lot of hobbies.  So, what inspired you to write?  What type of genre do you write?

In many ways, I’ve been writing my whole life, but I only began to pursue writing as a possible career about three and half years ago. Writing has always been a creative stress release for me and I hope it stays that way. I don’t stick to any one specific genre other that fiction, but I mostly write fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal intrigue. I’m slowly developing my own style of contemporary romance, but will not be dabbling in erotica.

Tell me about your book.

Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel is a fantasy tale set in the modern era, but has elements of a paranormal romance with a spiritual foundation, but this isn’t a book with a hidden message. In the world of Eternal Curse, readers learn about the coexistence of humans, angels, demons, and all those beings in between, but the first book is only an introduction into what the series has to offer.

Humans, angels, and demons co-existing together?  I couldn’t imagine a world like that. 

Tell us about the main character, what makes them unique and what makes them tick.

Giovanni is a loner and not by choice. He doesn’t look, act, or feel the way average people do. Plagued with gray skin and a few other oddities, Giovanni has lived most his life in near isolation. He’s a bit of a pessimist, but only because he doesn’t know any better, and definitely not because he wants to be. He just wants to be normal, but that just may not be possible.

Giovanni definitely sounds like he has a good story to tell; especially for being a loner but not by choice part.  I think readers would like to learn more.

What inspired you to write this book?

I had a dream that inspired the character of Giovanni and part of the story, but mostly I wrote it because at the time I was writing it, it was a great comfort to me. In many ways I think it reflects a sense of isolation I’ve felt and sometimes still feel, but of course this feeling is greatly exaggerated in the book.

Dreams have a way to take on a life of their own, and building a character or story from it makes them even more special.

What other books or blogs have you written?

I’ve written four blogs in total at this point. My Eternal Curse Series Blog and my ToiBox blogs are current works in progress with new articles posted weekly. My other two blogs were self-challenges I wrote to aid in the development of my Eternal Curse Series. While still available to anyone who can find it, 40 Days and Nights of Eternal Curse has now been turned into a FREE ebook companion guide for the first EC book. Eternal Curse: Battleground: A Survival Guide will soon be made into an ebook as well.

Were your other books self-published or traditionally published?

All my books have been self-published, but the first Eternal Curse book has been picked up by a publisher and is in re-development.  I’m currently working to release a collection of short stories from my early days of writing, which should be interesting since I wrote some of them when I had no intention of ever publishing them. Needless to say, I’m working very hard to make sure my collection doesn’t turn into some form of weird torture.

I think there’s a lot of short stories and poems out there that writers never intend on publishing.  I had that happen with my poetry and they became much more than just a poem.  They took on their own story.

Who is your greatest writing inspiration?

My greatest inspiration for writing is the act of storytelling itself. In the industry there are so many authors that have made the written form of storytelling seem so easy, fun, and exciting that I just want to be a part of that in some way. I’d say it all began with the tales of Neverland, Oz, The Thousand Acre Wood, and Narnia. 

Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of my interview with Toi Thomas and make sure you pick up a copy of Eternal Curse: Giovanni's Angel on Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/ETERNAL-CURSE-GIOVANNIS-Toi-Thomas/dp/1456839934/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377614422&sr=1-1

And also 40 Days and Nights of Eternal Curse

http://www.amazon.com/Nights-Eternal-Companion-Guides-ebook/dp/B00E79CP5I/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377614422&sr=1-2