The Book Goddess: Blog Tour: The Devil's Triangle by Toni De Palma (Interview)

:- AUTHOR INTERVIEW: TONI DE PALMA -:

1. Describe your book in 5 words. Funny, naughty, mysterious, politically incorrect and sometimes “out there” but in a good way.

2. You have a book called THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE. Is there anything more you can tell us about the story or the characters? And what kind, if any, research did you have to do? Seventeen-year-old bad-boy Cooper finds himself at the Pearly Gates on the verge of being cast into Hell. When Lucinda, Lucifer’s sister who’s crossed party lines, decides to give him another chance at Heaven by sending Cooper back to earth to find a girl named Grace, the fun is just beginning. What Cooper is unaware of is that he and Grace have a long history together.

My years of Catholic school served as excellent research for the opening scene J

3. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started? What was your publishing journey like? I have an MFA in writing, but long before I took the plunge into being a writer, I worked as a social worker. My background in social work helps me enormously when I’m trying to figure out my character’s motives.

Someone once told me that it takes on average ten years to learn your craft and to get published. Maybe hearing that advice became a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy for me, because my first book came out ten years from the time I first started writing.

4. I love bad boys! How did you come up with Cooper's character? What was the inspiration behind him? It’s no coincidence that I started writing this book when my son was seventeen. He is hardly the bad boy type, but I just love boys in general (even my dog is a boy) and growing up, I was always attracted to the bad boy type. I think boys and even men feel a pressure to act tough, but are really soft and mushy on the inside (at least the men I’ve known) and they want to be loved as much as we do.

5. I'm really into books with strong romantic elements, is there anything you can tell us about the romance in your book? I love romance, but I love real love that is earned and based on devotion and caring. The love and devotion between Grace and Cooper is the whole enchilada of this story.

6. What made you decide to write a Young Adult book? And why paranormal romance? My first book, Under the Banyan Tree, is contemporary YA and YA has always appealed to me since it’s that time in your life when we are learning who we are. Our emotions are also very heightened and everything feels so important, because it is. The paranormal element was just fun to explore and what’s more naughty then the Devil?

7. As a reader, what is the most important to you, the characters or the plot? And as a writer, is it different? That’s a great question and since I also teach creative writing, an excellent one to explore with my students. As a reader, I want both. I think a great character who bumbles around aimlessly is boring. And a well constructed plot without a character to root for is also dull. Yep, I want both.

8. I love the cover for THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE. Did you had any say in the cover? And what was your first reactions when you saw it? Yes, I have to say my publisher outdid themselves. Cooper is HOT! My publisher asked what I liked in a cover (personally I prefer photos because I am majorly into photography and appreciate that sort of thing), but the rest was up to them. My husband saw the cover and said, “Hey! How’d they get my high school picture?” LOL.

9. How did you come up with the title THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE? Is there any significance or meaning the title has to the story? = Devil + Love Triangle = The Devil’s Triangle.

10. And finally, if you have to name one song that best describes THE DEVIL'S TRIANGLE, what would it be and why? While I was writing this book, Train’s “Drive By” was on the radio a lot I used to sing it to myself. The lyrics are perfect. They really describe Cooper and how much he wants to prove to Grace that he is truly devoted to her not just a drive-by I-I-I-I-I!

:- ABOUT THE BOOK! -:

Title: THE DEVL'S TRIANGLE

Author: Toni De Palma

Release Date: March 2013

Publisher: Crescent Moon Press

Genres: YA Paranormal!

When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.

While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend that can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.

While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping he and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.