:- 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.
