Tclotempio's Blog

I’m not quite sure how mine is yet. I think it’s an improvement over the last half of 2010, but the jury’s still out.  One improvement: ABC is finallygoing to telecast the MISS AMERICA pageant again.  YEA!

I’ve set a lot of goals for myself this year, mostly writing.  I want to improve as much as I can, and finally land that competent agent and get a decent book deal.  I’ve also ventured into the world of self-publishing, and, while not quite as successful as former agent-mate HP Mallory, I have garnered a few decent reviews.

I’m hoping that my March release, a YA fantasy, will fare a little better.

Fingers crossed

MY SUPERHERO SISTER;

FLYING INTO YOUR DIGITAL BARNES AND NOBLE AND AMAZON MARCH 2011.

Happy New Year!  Here’s to a great 2011, and hoping that it supersedes 2010, which frankly SUCKED – for me, anyway.

I dont make resolutions, I  make goals, so here are some of mine for the New Year:

More patience at work (this one flew out the window alredy – it only took about two seconds)

to stay healthy – (this includes giving up the double scoops of Egg Nog ice cream, the Milano cookies, etc.)  and to lose about 15 more pounds (also giving up double fudge ice cream, Polar ice cream sandwiches – get the idea??)

to concentrate on my writing and not worry about what other authors are getting or doing – this one is hard for me. My mind goes in a gazillion different directions at once and while I’m not jealous of friend’s clothes, homes or cars, I do get jealous when they get top agents and book deals and their writing isn’t much better than mine.  OK, I vented   Now onward…

To try and develop a more “fan-friendly” persona.  Once again, very hard for me.  I’m naturallysnarky which doens’t exactly encourage the warm and fuzzies.

to keep up more with my blog and redesign my website. This is in between a 7-4 day job, writing books that I hope will sell, doing review for NIGHT OWL REVIEWS, continuing to be a contributing columnist to SUSABELLA PASSENGERS AND FRIENDS, and trying to social network everywhere I can think of.

I may have to clone myself.

Happy New Year!

Im in shock, but in a good way.

This year wasn’t one of my finest, for a lot of reasons.  I’m hopeful that 201 will be far, far, better.  Both personally and professionally.

i’m hoping for a successful resolution to an important personal matter, as well as a break with my writing (finally!) some friends of mine have had some nice success stories and while I’m happy for them, there’s a part of me that says, “Gee – why not me???”

I try not to be selfish, but i fail.  Miserably.  Call it “only child syndrome.”

when i’ve paid my dues, my time will come.

In the meantime, Christmas Eve is only two short weeks from today (can you believe THAT!) so for this weekend, I leave you with my list of the five best Christmas movies EVAH:

#5 – The Santa Clause – 1994 – Tim Allen:  who doesn’t love this story of a divorced dad who, caring for his son on Christmas, suddenly finds himself the brand new “Santa Claus” after Santa falls off his roof! both Funny and Touching!

#4 – Home Alone – 1996 – Macauley Culkin – Kid left to his own devices “home alone” on christmas eve ends up outsmarting two not so bright thieves.  Lots of laughs, esepcially when Macauley sets up his own special brand of booby-traps.

#3 – Meet Me in St. Louis – 1944 – Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien – Aside form being a fabulous muscial, it’s got both Judy Garland AND her rendition of my very favorite song, HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS.

#2- Disney’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL – 2009 – Jim Carrey – I like ALL the incarnations of Dicken’s famous novel about Ebenezer Scrooge and his redemption at the hands of 3 spirits, but this one in Disney 3D featuring the voice of Jim Carrey is my very favorite, followed closely by A CHRISTMAS CAROL – THE MUSCIAL starring Kelsey Grammar.  And jsut why dont’ they show that more often???????

Drumroll…#1:  Miracle on 34th Street – 1947 – Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, Natalie Wood.  Not only is the late Natalie wood cute and perky even when she’s being bratty (I believe, I believe) Edmund Gwenn won an Oscar for his portrayal of a man who truly believes he’s Santa Claus – and if wishing can make it so, he IS!

You will note the absence of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE FROM MY LIST.  While I know this is revered as an American Classic, and while I love Jimmy Stewart, I JUST CAN’T STAND THIS MOVIE.  SORRY.

So call me unAmerican.  but have a Merry Christmas anyway.

Work has been a killer lately, so I apologize for the lack of blog.  Just too damn tired when I get home and my mornings are hectic, but I decided to set aside some time to wish y’all a HAPPY TURKEY DAY, and to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart…VAMPIRES.

I’ve had a love affair with vampires ever since i saw the original DRACULA with Bela Lugosi when I was a kid.  There was jsut something about those ebony eyes, sparkling, commanding, as they peered ove the rim of his black satin cape, that took my breath away.  In my later years, i was introduced to the world of Stephen King through SALEM’S LOT, which still today remains my very favorite King book.  King took us through the world of vampires with eerie ease, and while the Rob Lowe telemovie was a bit truer to his tome, I have to confess I’ll always be partial to the David Soul two parter (who could ever forget Bonnie Bedelia in that coffin, trying to seduce her ex-lover into getting – gasp – THE BITE!

when I was a teenager I was obsessed with a certain gothic soap opera – yes, that’s right.  I was – and still am – a confirmed DARK SHADOWS addict.  I’ve even gone to the conventions!  I was such a freak i even managed to wangle myself an invite down to the studio where I met my biggest star crush of all time – Jonathan Frid.  I was, of course, tongue tied (what do you expect, I was 15) and i think the thing that amazed me most was the fact his real voice was NOTHING LIKE BARNABAS’S! (can’t wait to see what Johnny Depp does with this role!)  Ben Cross was good in the 1991 nighttime remake, but oddly – it just wasn’t the same, although now i watch the old DVD’s and think “they actually got paid for this? Cripes, i can see them looking at the teleprompter!”

but you know what?  I didn’t care!

Vampires in paranormal romance today are steamy and sexy, and there really are no hard and fast rules.  Like Angel, some can walk in daylight (just not direct sunlight) some prefer the nightlife, some are just damn bloodthirsty while others fight on the side of humanity.  I have a few vampire heroes in my books – in SOAPSUDS, SEX AND SILVER BULLETS (yet unpublished) Logan Slade is a detective.  In NO REST FOR THE WICCA (indie, published through Amazon, details at the end of this blog)  Cole St. John is a special forces agent for the PFSU – Paranormal Forces Special Unit.  What do these two men have in common, besides hotness, you ask?

They’re a breed of vamp known as INHERITOR.

Now, I’d like to take credit for the breed, but I actually came across the information on the Internet.   to wit:

inhertior vampires TYPE ONE: These vampires are much like the Genetic vampires, except they are born. Like Sanguinarians, the vampire trait will lay dormant inside them until around the age of 13 – 26, when they awaken. When they body reaches the late stages of puberty, ir releases a chemical which awakens the vampire and begins many physical changes in the body. As a result of this, most Inheritors look around 19 – 20 years old their whole life. Most of the time the parents of the vampire will be human and vampire, or both vampires. There must be one vampire parent. Inheritor vampires live to around the age of 350-400 years old.

inhertior vampire TYPE 2: Sanguinarians are the “mortal version” of the Inheritor vampires. They still require and crave blood, are sensitive to sunlight, and have many of the traits the Inheritor and Classical vampires have. However . However, Sanguinarians do not live much longer then the average human being.

Of course, to make it my own, I’ve taken some liberties – my Inheritor vamps are more human than humans, and age to a VERY HOT mid-30′s, but you get the idea.  There are more types of vampires out there than jsut the typical Dracula/Barnabas sleep in the coffin during the day rise at night to suck a maiden’s blood type.  As a matter of fact, that type (referred to now as a “classical”) is getting pretty passe.  After all, didnt’ Angel show us just how a vampire can survive among humans, and how hot one can be?

The mystique of “the bite” never changes. Considered the ultimate sexual experience, in old lore people thought after 3 bites the victim turned into a vampire.  Other mythology had the victim rising as a vamp after the vampire drained them of their blood.  Another way to “turn” someone was to bite them, then have them drink their blood.

IN summation, there are no hard and fast rules concerning vamps anymore – or any other type of creature for that matter!  and isn’t that great for us writers!  We can create whole new worlds of vampiric hotness for you, the reader! (and for us, too!)

In my b0ok, NO REST FOR THE WICCA, half-Wiccan witch Morgan Hawkes is recruited by the PSFU to help solve a string of murders with a voodoo slant (yes, her other half is voodoo, if you haven’t guessed).  Cole St. John’s a hot, hottie Inheritor Vampire, and i’m not being prejudiced (read some of the reviews on my site if you want).  so if you’re interested in another type of hot vamp, I hope you’ll give NO REST a whirl!

Happy reading!

link to WICCA:http://www.amazon.com/NO-REST-WICCA-ebook/dp/B00427ZIIG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290513168&sr=1-1

my website: www.freewebs.com/toni1953

my blog: http://tclotempio.falloutentertainmentgroup.com

to find out more about types of vampires:

 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Are_there_many_types_of_vampires#ixzz166aONWLg

I celebrated my birthday last Wednesday, November3, and I have to say out of my many years on this earth, it was the CRAPPIEST birthday on record, capped off with m y slicing my finger with a bagel knife!  (fortunately no stitches were needed – just a big ass bandage and lots of bacitractin.)  However, I’m hopeful that the remainder of the year/2011 will improve.

Part of my reason for optimism is the fact my new rewrite seems to be going well – and it’s actually a (gasp) romance, which I hate writing. but for some reason, this story just seems to flow.  Let’s hope it flows right on thru to the ending. (which has to be somewhat happy, of course – it’s a damn romance!)  and after this I’m gonna work on my winery owning vampire story, and after that I had an idea for an entirely new one, plus rework a few to put out as ‘indies” seeing as NO REST FOR THE WICCA seems to be doing so well…

Next time:  More insights into rock, my top ten comedies of all time – and a look into the future!

I for one, am having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact it’s NOVEMBER.  And I’m behind on my goals, which means I’m gonna have to rethink my 2011 ones.  but in the meantime….

gee, what a shock that Cablevision and News World settled…in time to broadcast the World Series…I guess they really do think the public is stupid enough to believe they couldnt’ actually reach a compromise, huh???????? As always, just MHO – feel free to disagree, but dont’ throw anything!

I also thought I’d share some more four star reviews for my indie paranormal, NO REST FOR THE WICCA.  Gee, for a book some NY editors called “flat and one-dimensional,” it would appear some readers disagree….Again, MHO.

So here’s one from Strange Candy reviews:http://strangecandyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/review-no-rest-for-wicca-by-toni.html

Quills and Zebras: http://quillsandzebras.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/no-rest-toni-lotempio/

Love of Books:http://books-love-affair.blogspot.com/2010/10/review-no-rest-for-wicca-by-toni.html

All this “indie love” has me seriously thinking of doing more of my books in this format – but never fear, I’m still trying to get an agent and get published in the good old fashioned way (Random House, Ballentine, etc).  I know ereaders are the wave of the future, but…I’m old.  and I still like to hold a paper book in my hands

Speaking of old…Halloween was yesterday, and a plethora of horror movies graced the cable channels all weekend.  Here’s my thoughts on the best and the worst: 

Worst Horror Movies on this weekend:  Halloween 2, 4,and 5.

C’mon people – why tamper with a classic.  As good as the original Halloween was, these rehashes are just that: HASH.  HOW MANY TIMES CAN THIS GUY RISE FROM THE DEAD?  Endless, apparently, just like his cohorts Jason and Freddie, as long as there are people willing to shell out $12 to go to the theatre and watch him slice and dice.  ENOUGH!

Best Horror Movies on this weekend:  Halloween (the original) and Halloween H20.  I can’t say enough about the first Halloween – it’s scary, spooky in all the right places, and it had a killer ending, until they decided to keep on doing it ad infinitum.

Out of all the sequels, H20 is unquestionably the best in my mind.  Its got it all – Jaime Lee Curtis, spooky private school setting, Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett in his screen debut, and …decapitation! (although even THAT didnt’ stop Mikey)  My only regret in this movie is they didn’t kill Adam Arkin’s annoying guidance teacher character off fast enough – and I liked the guy on Chicago Hope, too!

Seeing Wednesday is my birthday, I’ll not be around much the rest of the week.  will try to post maybe one more time but otherwise – see you next week!

Toni Out!

and for those who don’t   NO REST FOR THE WICCA is now also available in ebook format at Barnes and Noble:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/e/2940012537423/?itm=1&USRI=No+Rest+for+the+Wicca#TABS

You even get a choice of covers….purely by accident, but hey, what the hell.  How many authors offer you that!!!!!!

Come on, News World.  We all know you’re going to reach an agreement with Cablevision sooner or later.  Why don’t you guys just shake hands now and settle this damn thing?

I mean, this goes on every few months or so.  the tv stations and the cable provider supposedly can’t reach a financial agreement so they pull the station from the air for a few days (hey, we’ll show THEM) and then, magically, it reappears.  And a few months later, your cable bill is higher. Imagine that.

We all know News World’s being snarky becasue Fox is where the money is, now that they carry all the major sports playoff games.  they figure Fox can afford to pay it becasue of the advertising revenue.  Well, guess what.  Average Joe Blow the consumer doens’t see a dime of that advertising money.  Joe Blow wants to see his Yankee or whoever play in the World Series. And he can’t do that if he doens’t have a tv with an antenna (which, thank God, I have in the bedroom – so i can still get Glee and King of Queens reruns, and House, which, in my HMO, is about all Fox Five and My Nine are good for anyway)

So, come on News World, you’re not fooling us.  You just want a piece of all that sports revenue.  But even you cannot get blood out of a stone, so why the hell don’t the two of you just reach the agreement you know you will in the end anyway and stop punishing the average American consumer.

Or, there just might be a run on tv antennas at Best Buy.

Tiger Holland gave NO REST FOR THE WICCA (SOON TO BE AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK) five stars, below:

Review by: Tiger Holland on Oct. 14, 2010 :
Morgan Hawkes is a pararnormal investigator with a small genetic advantage—she’s half Wiccan, meaning that she has enough supernatural ability to deal with ghosts and send them along their merry way to the next world. Her father was a bokor, a master of voodoo, but she’s not really comfortable with either side of her heritage because her father delved into dark magic and her mother never stood her ground on any important moral issues. For Morgan, whose mixed parentage assured that she was was shunned by almost everyone on both sides of her family, her genes are a constant reminder of an unhappy past and the only benefit she gets from being half-and-half is a little added power while she’s on the case “ghostbusting”. She even left her awesome former job working in the Central City homicide department because a mixed voodoo/magic spell she used on a criminal backfired and killed her partner. Now, Morgan’s being offered a chance to work with Special Forces to bring down a serial killer who seems to be using his victims for voodoo rituals. The job will mean re-opening old wounds and working with a partner again, a self-assured Inheritor vampire named Cole St. John. Is a possible relationship with Cole worth crossing co-worker boundaries? And even more importantly, is Morgan willing to take the risk of tapping into her dark side to solve these crimes?

The worldbuilding is pretty solid, here, and I admired the variety of species and forces at play. It’s an “everything and the kitchen sink” paranormal world, containing not just vampires, weres, shifters, witches, daemons, and trolls, but subspecies of each, all of which have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. No Rest doesn’t overload the reader with too much information early on, but later in the novel there’s some pretty seriously detailed discussions of rituals and spell books, partly because of the lecture scenes when Morgan has to go undercover at a university, since all the victims have been witches, like herself, who were taking classes in the Supernatural Sciences. The voodoo facts get deeply chilling at times, but Morgan’s strong, unfliching POV keeps the story from ranging too far into creepy territory.

Speaking of Morgan, she’s a heroine to love. She has a great snarky sense of humor, and is a kind of modern successor to the tough, fast-talking dames in old detective novels and black and white movies like His Girl Friday. She’s good and she doesn’t use her powers to benefit herself—basically just the kind of gal you’d want on your side during any problematic situation, big or small. But though she has a certain magical ability, I was most pleased by her human side. The practical details can make or break an urban fantasy for me, and Morgan lives in a very realistic fashion: she can defend herself, but that’s because she works out regularly, not because she’s supernaturally strong; she can’t afford to buy top-line business suits; if she goes without sleep, she’s exhausted (and looks it) the next morning; if she gets hungry, she has to slap together a ham and cheese sandwich. The character doesn’t exist in a vacuum—she breathes and deals with everyday stuff along with supernatural challenges and crime scenes straight out of CSI.

Cole St. John is a good counterpart for Morgan. He’s only a half-vampire (he might be called a dhampir elsewhere) and except for some mind-reading, he’s just like any human guy. He’s kind of high-handed is his first dealings with Morgan, but she needs someone who doesn’t sugar-coat the past. While other people try to spare her feelings, Cole agrees with her that the accident that killed her partner was her own fault, but he also says that she has to learn from her past and forgive herself. It’s hard not to like Cole. He’s good at what he does, tough without being a jerk, and polished without coming off as overly smooth. I love the insights we get into his character, like how he’s conflicted about his vampire heritage since he also had a troubled family life, very similar to Morgan’s upbringing. I’m hoping for future books with these two, so that we can see further details about Cole and what makes him tick.

Apart from a few coincidences and some typos, this story was fantastic. I read and enjoyed it just like any urban fantasy I’d pull off a bookstore shelf, and I love the worldbuilding, the romance, and Morgan’s growth as she faces her past problems and forges ahead to build a new future for herself. Here’s hoping there are more installments coming!