If you really want to know, I was born in 1965 in Rome, Italy, but soon started my travelling career. At the age of five, my parents took me to Lagos, Nigeria, where I grew up free and hot like I've never been since. I loved it there and still think of it with nostalgia. Anyway, it was also where I learned English.
After my African experience, I was ready to tackle the US. I lived in Atlanta, GA, five teen-age years, attending the Crestwood High School, where I started my writing career by publishing a short story Nostalgia on the Crestwood Journal. Very thrilled about discovering my new talent, I went ahead during college, writing for the Emory University journal The Phoenix. Three articles mark my first-and last-steps in journalism, "The peace Corps", "WAMM, Women Against Military Madness," and "Lesbism".
After my American experience, I moved back to Rome, but still kept living from time to time abroad, spending several months in Mumbay India, a country I always felt very close to me in more ways than one.
Today, I write both in Italian and English, mostly fiction of various genres, from fantasy erotica, to mysteries up to plain ordinary life stories.For those of you who read Italian, you can simply visit the Italian sections of my website, but if you feel particularly lazy, here's a short summary:
I have a short story on line Incontro Metropolitano (Meeting at the Subway) and two books:
Piccolo Crocevia a Cinque (Little Five Points, for those who know Atlanta it's a spot near Emory University), printed by Editing Edizioni, to be released December 2008.
L'Investigatto (loosely translated The Cat Detective), publisher Ennepil Libri, 2009.
In English, I write erotica in various genres, mostly fantasy, sci-fi and paranormal, sometimes trespassing into contemporary. Feel free to look over my current and future projects by clicking here.
Visit Laura's Website
TO SEDUCE A SOULMATE by Laura Tolomei
Finding a soul mate was the easy part. To seduce him proved Martin’s hardest challenge for nothing in Pirate Drake’s black intriguing eyes seemed to recognize the one person destiny had selected for him. But can the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas be enough to convince him of the contrary in spite of his dilemmas about gender, feelings, connections and sex or can Pirate Drake find a way around the burning desire, the erotic heat, the uncontrollable passion wrecking his senses at Martin’s mere sight?BUY THE BOOK *** READ THE EXCERPT
WIN - Join the party and leave a question or comment for Laura today over here on our Cyber Launch Party and your name goes in the hat to win a free download of Laura's new release TO SEDUCE A SOULMATE! Good luck and have fun! The winners will be announced right here, tomorrow - so be sure to check back!
Congrats on the new release Laura! Love the cover and really love the idea for this one. I'm very interested in reincarnation and love stories about it.
ReplyDeleteDid your experiences in India lead you to write this? I bet your travels have really helped you so much as a writer and given you millions of seeds from which stories can grow.
Hope the new book is your best seller yet!
Congratulations on the new release Laura! That is a fascinating childhood you've had...what an amazing journey...
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading
Anna Shah Hoque
s7anna@yahoo.ca
With all your travels,is there one place that influences your writing more than the other?Also,does travel lend more to your story lines?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release! I can't wait to read it even if I don't win *G*
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release!! The book looks awesome!!
ReplyDeleteWhat led you to write M/M romance or erotica?:) Personally I really enjoy M/M romance and or erotica :)
Ashley A
ash_app@hotmail.com
Welcome everyone to my release party and big THANKS to Author Island for having me as their guest today. I plan to have a lot of fun...what about you?
ReplyDeleteLaura
I'm very interested in reincarnation
ReplyDeleteAren’t we all?
Did your experiences in India lead you to write this?
Yep, certainly did.
I bet your travels have really helped you so much as a writer and given you millions of seeds from which stories can grow.
Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Seriously, travelling broadens the mind and the spirit so it does help overactive imaginations, like my mom defines me, see things on more levels than one. But to be honest, the idea for this one came from a friend of mine talking about this guy she worded with and as I listened, I fantasized about him to the point of creating Martin. The rest was easy. I mixed in my personal theories, the Indian beliefs, some of Plato’s philosophy and voilà, I wrote To Seduce A Soulmate.
Hi, Anna,
ReplyDeletegreat to see you here!
Yes, fascinating childhood, maybe that’s why I always think of souls moving around whether in this life or another LOL
Oh, and more importantly, fascinating childhood lead to even more fascinating adulthoods just like mine!
Enjoy the party,
Laura
Joanne
ReplyDeleteWhat a very interesting childhood. Glad you took all of your experience and decided to write for the enjoyment of others.
joannereynolds@sbcglobal.net
Well, Leni, what interesting questions you bring up and not very easy to answer either. But let me think for a moment.
ReplyDeleteMmmmmm….i honestly don’t think travel itself lends more to the story. It’s more the place that suggests new stories to me, with its setting and traditions. As far as settings go, since I like anchient history so much, I’d say my travels to Egypt, Greece, Jordan and India certainly helped a lot, not to mention I live in Rome, history’s first world-wide empire. When I want to Sicily, for instance, the places I saw were so touching, I had to set one of my books, Spying the Alcove, in one of them and the entire first chapter of the book’s dedicated to Selimos’s ruins.
But my USA experience isn’t something to forget so To Seduce A Soulmate is set, not surprisingly, in Atlanta GA, the city I lived in when I was over there. My main influence though, comes from India as far as philosophy, religion and culture goes. I’ve studied it, lived it, breathed it and it has mixed with what I am to create a world all my own.
As a radio interviewer once told me, it seems that of hatever age or place I write in, I’m always in a Laura Tolomei’s world and I think she’s right.
By the way, have you had the chance to hear my radio interview on To Seduce A Soulmate? Check it out on Blog Talk Radio What's Hot in Romance @ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/whats-hot-in-romance/2009/11/24/laura-tolomei
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mahalia, and may Lady Luck be with you LOL
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be a great read, Laura.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the talent you bring to World Romance Readers and World Romance Writers.
Many Blessings
Congrats on the release! This book sounds interesting, I love soulmates and will add this one to my wish list!
ReplyDeleteeva.silkka at gmail.com
What led you to write M/M romance or erotica?
ReplyDeleteNothing explains people better. They act their best and worst if sex spices up their relationship, their drive’s always more challenging than in either work or family context. That’s why I love erotica!
But even more, I love questioning society’s conventions, putting them to a test so to speak, and nothing works better than those tricky same-gender relationships where you’re not just up against your partner, but against society itself.
Hope I satisfied your curiosity and now for a curiosity of my own. Why the name EdgesAngel23? Does the 23 have a special meaning? I noticed it because I was born on a 23, the November one, so that nmber is particularly significant for me.
No, thank you, Kelly, for your wonderful words. You’re really too kind for me -blush- and I don’t know if I deserve having incredible readers like you!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good Laura, I love the idea for it. How many books do you have out now and what's coming up next for you? Also do you prefer writing in English?
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new release. Wow, what a great way to grow up. That's sort of the way my kids lifes were....we were in the military so they (we) moved around alot. Saw a lot of interesting sites and met a great many people.
ReplyDeleteHi, Sharon, I do have quite a few out now, 7 in all
ReplyDelete- Trespassing All Hallows Eve
- Divinitas
- Sacrificial Sex – 2010 EPPIE nominee in the horror category
- Roman Seduction
- Spying the Alcove
- Bloody Passion
several short stories and now this, To Seduce A Soulmate.
What’s coming is a great new fantasy saga Virtus. Here’s a brief incipit
If Sendar stood a chance perhaps it would be thanks to the arbitrary twists and turns of a blind destiny. Or maybe someone would discover the truth about the ancient ways and compromise our peaceful existence forever. Either way, people needed a hero to shed new light on the age-old mysteries.
As for your last question, I definitely prefer writing in English rather than Italian, maybe because in my regular work I have to write a LOT lol
I've become a big fan of the m/m genre and this one looks super good! It's a lovely cover too--did you get any input on it and who was the artist who gave you such a lovely cover?
ReplyDeleteYeah, Jo Ann, it's a great way to grow up if you can handle the pressure of having to move around, leaving your friends every year or so, having no place to call your own, etc. I must say that from a kid's point of view, it isn't always the best choice possible and I speak from experience. My brother, 6 years younger than me, didn't have such a great time moving around and he's still paying a heavy toll today at almost 40 years of age.
ReplyDeleteSo as in all things, there are the good and the bad things, but I'm sure for your kids the good things were more than the bad ones.
Congrats on your new release!
ReplyDeleteHello, Laura.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your opinion on book trailers? Do you think they help in book sales?
Thanks,
Tracey D
Thanks, Estella, and glad you stopped by today!
ReplyDeleteI think anything that gets your name out there, and the book’s name, too, is great. I personally don’t have any trailer of my own, just a share on a great Halloween trailer with other 4 wonderful eXtasy authors, Courtney Breazile; Angela Caperton, Jamboree Jones and C.R. Moss that was also featured on Author’s Island blog. Other than that, haven’t had time to look into it, but I will soon enough.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's almost 2 AM here in Rome Italy so time for me to sign off. Thanks to all who came to visit and left a comment. I had a great time answering your questions and if you have more, just leave them and I'll get to them later today, which will be tomorrow for you LOL
ReplyDeleteAgain, also a big THANKS to Author Island, a great host as always.
Good night from Rome,
Laura
Congrats on your new release. I've just started reading m/m and this one looks good.
ReplyDeleteYolanda
HI Laura, I read your book set in Rome nad really enjoyed it. Do you plan on more set during that time?
ReplyDeleteDebby236 at att dot net
Thanks to everyone for celebrating Laura's new release with her - she had a fantastic time! The name of the poster drawn today to win a free download of Laura's new book TO SEDUCE A SOULMATE was Yolanda!! Congrats and please email me at AuthorIsland at yahoo.com with your email address so Laura can get you your ebook!
ReplyDelete