Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I do many things, but writing is my first love. As a born Psychic Medium, I enjoy doing a weekly radio show along with Ken Kessler, the producer and Music Intuitive, Psychic Tapestry on Blog Talk Radio. Years ago I was authenticated as a reliable psychic by The Edgar Cayce Center and asked by the director, Marco Oliver, to give readings there monthly.
It’s my pleasure and honor to direct The Reiki Circle at Unity of Houston twice monthly, where we help people in need of healing on all levels of body, mind, and spirit from all over the country on Zoom, as well as in person when we can meet again.
I love writing and have been published for over thirty years. I have had poetry and articles published in various literary journals and mainstream publications and newspapers. My first novel was in the YA genre and is no longer in print. I’m the author of Friends in High Places, an Angel/Thriller/Romance that hit bestseller status on Amazon at number nine in Magical Realism. I am currently the author of My Heart Will Find You Book One in The Heart Trilogy, My Heart’s Adventure, Book Two, and My Heart’s Secret Desire, Book Three.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Heart Trilogy, which includes My Heart Will Find You, My Heart’s Adventure, and My Heart’s Secret Desire, is inspired by my own life. At three I began dreaming of a wild life lived centuries in the past as an unwilling member of a wagon train traveling from Boston to Marietta Ohio. I was sixteen, and my name was Jessamyn.
As an adult I wrote my dreams into a romance novel and then in research found the characters, (same last name too), had been real people. And it was clear to me the same souls from that past life were back in this one yet playing very different roles in my present life. At the suggestion of an agent, I later rewrote this manuscript as a novel within a novel, telling the nearly unbelievable story of both my present and past lives and how I came to discover this past one in dreams.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I write from character. I feel people’s emotion deeply as an empath, and when I’m writing a novel I’m becoming each character as I write their unfolding story. When I get an idea for a new novel I wait until the characters start talking to me and to each other in my head and then I know I’m ready to go. I learn the story as I write. The characters lead the way.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have loved books for all of my life. I love The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, The Mary Poppins Series, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Gone With The Wind by Margaret Meade, and The Member of The Wedding by Carson Mc Cullers. And there are so many more. Too many to mention.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently writing an historical novel set in 1875 in Oregon about a young father widowed suddenly when his wife dies while giving birth to a daughter. They already have two young sons and the father must run their farm and ranch. His wife makes him promise to remarry right away as she wants the children to know the love of one woman with a kind heart.
At the same time a young saloon singer who once had aspiration of starring on the New York stage has escaped from her unscrupulous manager who not only seduced her with promises of marriage but has been forcing her to work small venues around the country and has become increasingly abusive as she resists his insistence she help him cheat in card games. Desperate for a place to hide she runs into the young father at The Mercantile where he has come to hang a poster stating. Wanted
A Kind Hearted Woman
For a Marriage of Convenience
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use a variety of resources. I love Awesome Gang and discovered it on Kindlepreneur. I also use Freebooksy for promotions, as well as other highly recommended sites. I also post on my social media platforms of Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Joining FB book lovers groups is a good option too, as well as creating a profile on Goodreads and creating an Amazon Author page. My website is https://tonidemaio.com/
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Do not ever give up. Join a writer’s group and participate in sharing and critiquing each other’s work. Read the genre you wish to publish in, and subscribe to Writer’s Digest. I also have found Writer’s Conferences to be educational and helpful.
Develop a thick skin, reminding yourself that a rejection is just one person’s opinion and actually reflects the needs of that particular editor. Be glad when you get a personally written response, it means you have talent. And remember, writing is a craft you can learn.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
To never give up.
What are you reading now?
I’m writing now so I’m not reading fiction as I tend to get caught up in stories. I’m currently caught up in the one I’m writing.
What’s next for you as a writer?
More novels. Always!
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
The Foxfire Books. They tell you how to survive in any instance.
Author Websites and Profiles
Toni DeMaio Website
Toni DeMaio’s Social Media Links
Facebook Profile