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About Toi Other

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary! – An Interview, Part 1

anniversayGreetings readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors. It’s my anniversary and I thought I’d interview myself and share it with you. I’ve come a long way as a writer, blogger, reviewer, and interviewer and I’d thought it would be nice to share some of the things I’ve learned and tell you a little about myself, in case you don’t already know.

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So just who is Toi Thomas?
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I’m a devoted wife who works as a teacher’s assistant. My family is very important to me even though I don’t always spend a lot of time with them.

I believe in world harmony even if most people can’t seem to grasp the concept. While I do enjoy great conversations, crowds are not my thing.

I entertain myself by reading, watching movies, listening to vinyl records, cooking, collecting actions figures, and blogging.

I adore most animals, enjoying dancing, can’t live without tea, chocolate, or ice cream, and have been known to over indulge in geek culture from time to time, but more on that later.

Who is so me and why?

Wikipedia

In my younger days, I was often told that I look liked several black entertainers, from Nia Long to Janet Jackson, but I know for a fact that I look like my mother.

When it comes to personality, how well you know me makes a difference. I’m an introvert so am not always understood by the crowd. I don’t mind that at one point I was referred to as black Daria; I like Daria.  –

In terms of writing, after using the site, I write like, I found that my writing style might resemble that of either Dan Brown or James Fenimore Cooper, but I think there’s a flaw here. 😉

What was my favorite book or story, pre-teen years?

Wikipedia

This is an easy one. While I adore most of the classic children’s tales such as the stories of OZ, Wonderland, Narnia, and more, it was the tales of Neverland that really struck a chord with me. I can remember checking out the same two or three books from the library every time we’d go. As I got older I looked for tales of Neverland on the small and big screens. Even to this day, I sometimes feel like a little lost boy on the inside.

What makes me geek out?

Wikipedia

For anyone who doesn’t know the answer to this question, you must indeed be new to this blog. Have no fear, I will share, but first some ramblings.

Did you know that I do a monthly post called My Geekdom? There are so many things that fuel my geekness that I have to talk about them at least once a month. I also have five+ pinboards on Pinterest dedicated to geek themes and culture, and I follow many blogs based on their geek factor.

But enough of that…what really does it for me after: Betty Boop, Muppets, Peanuts, Marvel, and more? It all boils down to Batman…because he’s BATMAN!

In terms of interviews, whose brain am I just itching to scratch?

I love that fact that I’ve built a home on the web that’s inviting to authors, and soon to be other members of the book industry, because I really do enjoy getting to know other people who share my passion for writing and reading. I do hope to someday have a chance to interview some my favorite authors, but I don’t know that’s it’s an urge tugging at my brain at the moment.

I’m kicking myself for not giving my interview bucket list more considerable thought before this moment. I could name so many musicians, directors, authors, actors, and more in the field of entertainment, and even a few political figures, that I’d love to be able to sit down with and just ask questions until they walked away from me, but there’s no one brain I’m currently itching to scratch. I would however love to find the answers to questions such as “Why do people to the things they do?” and other philosophical ideas such as this.

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Okay readers, bloggers, geeks, and authors, that’s all for today…unless you have a question you’d like to ask me. 😉

Thank you for sticking with me these past two years. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for part two of this interview and hopefully enjoy some more of my insights.

This has been a

interviewpic-toibox

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

 

Categories
Interviews

McCollonough Ceili Interview

toiboxinterview

The Eternal Curse Series Blog Presents an interview with author: McCollonough Ceili.

So tell me, who is McCollonough Ceili?

I am an Irish/American who discovered a love for writing when asked by my American mother to pen my autobiography Noria, Since then I have not been able to stop writing, which has resulted in the publication of several books for all ages.

Wow, you’ve written an autobiography as well write fiction books for all ages; I’m very impressed. I can’t imagine trying to write about myself, I’m just not that interesting.

So whacha got for me today?

I have a book that started out as a dream, from there it went to a self guided tour of the history of Ocean lifeguarding, nnd finally ended with the book, “What Happened in Hallandale”.  Some of the things you read in said book really happened, others did not. The main reason I wrote this book was so that I would stop dreaming about these character.

Below is what my editor had to say about the book. Which can also be found on the back of the book.

“Dive into a dreamlike world of love, courage, magic, and death. Twelve-year-old Piper can travel to the world of angels and, she learns, through time. Rushing back to the past to correct a terrible tragedy, she learns that there are things you can change – and things you cannot. This tale of love that transcends death, courage that transcends time, and the power of compassion will break your heart and heal it, and then leave you still longing for more.” – Summer Foovay, Editor

Small world, I think. I wrote my book for the same reason. I needed to stop dreaming about those characters. Dreams are powerful things…I love the description your editor offers. It pulls you right in.

So who’s starring is this 2 dimensional script read of “What Happened in Hallandale”?

Piper, a magical child from the modern world is telling the story of what happened when she ventured to 1940s Hallandale Beach Florida. Ms. Piper went to Hallandale to try and stop a terrible mistake, though in order to do this she must break into an ancient Irish tomb and steal a  spell.

Oh, so this is a time travel book. I really like time travel stories. I like seeing how people from different times react to the changes.

Past, present, future, is there a rhyme or reason to your writing?

I write whenever and wherever I feel inspired, which basically means that I carry a pad and pen with me always. I also have recording program on my cell phone so I can speak aloud thoughts that come to me during a time when I should not be writing; example: when driving the car. I get most of my ideas from dreams that I have had and the world around me. I spend a lot of the week jotting down ideas, then come the weekend I put them together into a chapter or two.

I am currently working on the sequel to “What Happened in Hallandale”, titled “Awakening the Truth”

That phone app sounds clever; I need to look into that. Glad to hear you’re extending your story into a series; series are fun.

What author(s) has most influenced your writing? Why or how?

I am inspired by a lot of different writers, though when it came to writing “What Happened in Hallandale” I was inspired by the “Real Laurie” Real Laurie is the women for whom the character Lorraine was based on. She was a woman who had to change her name from Lori to Laurie jus so she could get into medical school. She lived in a time when women were not supposed to become doctors.  I was also inspired by actress Nancy Valen whom I feel looks a lot like Laurie.

Valen played on the American show Baywatch.   Every Time I would see Ms. Valen as Captain Thomas a memory of stories told to me about the real Laurie would come to the surface of my soul. It got so intense that I would find myself watching the show with the sound off and writing  most of what became “What Happened in Hallandale”  In fact she even inspired the title of the  book, the “real” part of my story happened in another place in Hallandale. I discovered that name when I was reading about Ms. Valen.

I hope you won’t take this as an insult since she’s not Irish, but I get a Joan of Arc feeling from this Real Laurie character. I’m liking this story more and more; you just keep adding layers to it.

Whose brain are you just itching to scratch?

Okay this is a tough question. I guess I would have to say Mr. Dick Van Patten, I believe that we younger ones can learn so much from those of his generation, plus I love the light in his eyes, there be a wise soul beneath them.

Good man and a good show, Eight is Enough.

Who is so you and why?

No one that I know of, oh wait my American mom thinks I look like the woman who plays on Bones. Temperance Brennan. I but I honestly don’t see it.

You may not look like the actress who plays Temperance, but maybe you just have Bones vibe about you…but I can kinda see a resemblance.

What’s your ideal reading spot for your next highly anticipated read?

GoodReads.com

I am at my wee desk in the kitchen of my home, I can hear the washing machine, I just finished eating an orange. The book that is currently on my nightstand is “Dear America Hear my Sorrow” the diary of Angela Denoto, New York City, 1909. It is hardback and I am excited to read it, because it is one of the few books from the Dear America series that I have yet to read. My ideal spot is my bed!

That sounds lovely. It has everything that reading should be: comfort, excitement, anticipation, and your referred reading medium.

What was your favorite book or story, pre-teen years?

The Dear America series was my favorite book series back then along with all of the books written by Betty Ren Wright.  I love those type of stories so much but have yet to write one like them me self.

Wow, you read Dear America as a kid and are still reading it now. That’s dedication and it very pure, honest, and nice….

There is more fun and insights to this interview, visit the Eternal Curse Series Blog for the full experience. For more information about this author, McCollonough Ceili, please visit the links below.

Blog: NorianGirl

Amazon Author Central: Mccollonough Ceili

Facebooks: Mccollonough Ceili

Twitter: @noriangirl

LinkedIn: Mccollonough Ceili

Purchase links for “What Happened in Hallandale”: Amazon

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

 

Categories
Mira's Closet

Mira’s Closet: 5/19/14: Style Statement

MClosetMira’s no fashionista, but she definitely has her own sense of style…
And now here’s an update on just that.

First an observation: I don’t like pink, on me. I actually think pink is a very pretty color; I’m just not a very pink kind of girl. Usually when I say that I get the feeling people expect me to wear all black or denim overalls. BTW- I look awesome in black and I adore my overalls, but that’s not the point. I also happen to look good in yellow, all shades and hues of blue, brown, red, purple, and occasionally green. Have I worn pink before? Yes. Will I wear it again? Maybe if it’s for a good cause (hint hint wink wink 😉 ) I simply prefer to wear colors I feel comfortable in on a daily basis. That’s just one part of my personal style statement. How about you?

Now here are some style tips/clips from

Tori
Click to see more.

my own personal fashion guru, trainer, and my physical inspiration for Mira.

 

Daily Dish: Vania’s Baby Reveal

I hope you enjoyed this. Also check out Tori’s new EBoutique: December 10.

For more on style and fashion check out:

Celebrity Trends at WhoWhatWear: http://www.whowhatwear.com/

Fashion Medley: http://thefashionmedley.com/ (content advisory)

A Beautiful Mess: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/

My Style Pinboard: http://pinterest.com/toinette_thomas/my-style/

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords