Welcome to my weekly Author Spotlight. I’ve asked a bunch of my author friends to answer a set of interview questions, and to share their latest work.
Today, Toni Griffin – Toni Griffin lives in Darwin, the smallest of Australia’s capital cities. Born and raised in the state she’s a Territorian through and through. Growing up Toni hated english with a passion (as her editors can probably attest to) and found her strength lies with numbers. Now, though, she loves escaping to the worlds she creates and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come. She’s a single mother of one and works full time. When she’s not writing you can just about guarantee that she will be reading one of the many MM authors she loves.
Thanks so much, Toni, for joining me!
J. Scott Coatsworth: When did you know you wanted to write, and when did you discover that you were good at it?
Toni Griffin: I knew I wanted to write when the first characters started talking to me. Before that the idea had never even entered my mind. I hated English at school and always dreaded whenever we had to write creative pieces in class. I guess I discovered I might be okay at it after the first couple of books were released at readers started telling me how much they loved the stories.
JSC: How would you describe your writing style/genre?
TG: I write mainly paranormal. I love the freedom to create my own worlds and run free within them.
JSC: What was your first published work? Tell me a little about it.
TG: My first published work was Unexpected Mate, book 1 in the Holland Brothers Series. It revolves around Marcus Holland and Brian Townsend. Brian has been kicked out of his pack and disowned by his parents for being Gay. He leaves town and his car breaks down just outside of Leyburn. Marcus is the second of four brothers, the other three who had already come out as gay. Marcus believes it’s his duty to his parents to mate a woman and produce grandcubs. When he meets Brian his world is turned upside down.
JSC: What’s your writing process?
TG:
1. Pick up laptop.
2. Open word document
3. Press fingers down on lettered keys.
4. Send jibberish to beta reader
5. Stare and cry at all the red that comes back to me.
6. Drink a bottle of wine
7. Correct red
8. Publish book
9. Bite nails
JSC: Tell me one thing hardly anyone knows about you.
TG: I nearly died when I was about two. I had a very severe UTI and should have been hospitalized, but where I was living at the time wouldn’t admit me. I couldn’t eat or drink according to my parents, and I had a raging fever for days. I scared the crap out of my parents. Then one day I just sat up on the couch, looked around and told my folks I was hungry.
JSC: Do you write more on the romance side, or the speculative fiction side? Or both? And why?
TG: I’m a romance writer. I love a good happily ever after and want all my characters to find theirs.
JSC: What pets are currently on your keyboard, and what are their names? Pictures?
TG: I live in an apartment building in the middle of the city. I don’t have any pets. 🙂
JSC: Are you a plotter or a pantster?
TG: Mainly a pantser, I do occasionally plot out a story but it’s the exception to the rule.
JSC: If you could create a new holiday, what would it be?
TG: I think the world needs a Colin Firth day. Don’t you?
JSC: What are you working on now, and when can we expect it?
TG: Right now I have three stories in the editing process. A wolf in Cops Clothing (HB7) – releasing June, Kieran (AP4) – releasing hopfully July/August and As Fire Rains Down – No release date yet.
As for what I’m currently working on, I’m starting Pyro’s Accidental Shooting. Book 2 in my Hounds of Hell series, which will be released later this year in MCB Anthology.
And now for Toni’s upcoming works:
Uniformed careers are a matter of choice and of sacrifice – military, fire, police, forest service, etc. – and the people who choose these careers are often dedicated to a fault. But sometimes dedication can come with a hefty price. Mischief Corner Books is looking for stories that illustrate the physical or emotional sacrifice and the hard choices that sometimes come with such all-consuming dedication. Toni has a story in this anthology.
And for fans of Toni’s Atherton Pack series, you don’t have to wait long for the next book in the series – “Kieran” is due out this summer.
Author Bio
Toni Griffin lives in Darwin, the smallest of Australia’s capital cities. Born and raised in the state she’s a Territorian through and through. Growing up Toni hated english with a passion (as her editors can probably attest to) and found her strength lies with numbers. Now, though, she loves escaping to the worlds she creates and hopes to continue to do so for many years to come. She’s a single mother of one and works full time. When she’s not writing you can just about guarantee that she will be reading one of the many MM authors she loves