"I’ve got a closet-full of ghosts waiting for their fifteen minutes of anonymous fame!"
Happy Monday, Everyone!
Today, I'm thrilled to introduce to a first timer on my blog, the lovely Stoni Alexander. 
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Thank you for having me, Nancy. I’m thrilled to be featured in your blog post!
Hello, hello! My name is Stoni Alexander and I’m a romance author! I cherish the opportunity to be creative and am grateful that I get to write every day. When not writing, my husband and I are avid power-walkers and we love watching our son play football.
Most of my pre-writing career was in corporate and government sales. Talk about a pressure-cooker! I also spent several years as an actress doing local theatre, television spots, training videos, and some gigs on Unsolved Mysteries, too. It was a fun time in my life! These days I can be found in my writer’s cave crafting angst-filled stories about couples finding their happily-ever-afters.
My debut novel, THE MITUS TOUCH, released in March of this year. I was ecstatic to receive Night Owl Reviews “Top Pick” and Scandalicious Book Reviews “The Cherry on Top Pick.” In October, I published the second in the series, THE WILDE TOUCH. This story also garnered Night Owl Reviews “Top Pick.” The third book in the series, THE LOVING TOUCH, is currently with the editor. This novella will be published in January/February of 2018.The Touch Series is not a light read. There’s betrayal, mystery, suspense, eroticism, and of course, true love.
What an amazing year you have had. Congratulations! There is nothing like the feeling of your first book being released to the world. So, can you tell us the origins of your stories?
I’m often asked, “Where do your story ideas come from? That’s a great question! They begin with a single image or incident. For THE MITUS TOUCH, the novel blossomed from a photograph and a movie scene.
Many years ago, while visiting a friend in Boston, I fell in love with a print she no longer wanted. One person's junk is another person's treasure, right? I brought the picture home, framed it and hung it in my home office. To this day, I’m still intrigued by the couple, pictured in their splendid masked costumes, by the late Italian photographer, Fulvio Roiter.
The story origin for THE WILDE TOUCH was a bit different. My husband purchased a previously owned vehicle and found this plastic card tucked inside the owner’s manual. Since he had no use for it, I told him I’d toss it. My hand hung over the trashcan when my writer’s brain screamed, “NO! What are you doing, dummy!”
As you can see, there’s nothing on the card but a spirographic design and the words: SILVER TOWERS. My imagination ran wild, or I should say…Wilde: What did the previous owner use this card for? Membership into an exclusive club? What type of club? What benefits were associated with Silver Towers?
And just like that...Incognito, the sex play club in THE WILDE TOUCH, was born.
Emmy-winning journalist Alexandra Reed returns to the DC area with two goals in mind—care for her ailing mother and steer clear of devastatingly handsome Crockett Wilde. But the man who stole her heart, then broke it, is impossible to avoid. As her life spins out of control, she finds pleasure in her secret escape—a sex-play club. And that’s where things really heat up…
Tech CEO Crockett Wilde is at the top of his game, but beneath his calm surface lies a raging volcano. When he finds the monster who abducted his sister, he’ll unleash a decade of pain. The one person who can subdue his demons—beautiful, headstrong Alexandra—wants nothing to do with him. Yet, he’s determined to set the record straight and not let the love of his life get away.
As Alexandra follows a trail of suspicious incidents at the kink club, Crockett seizes the opportunity to prove he’s not the bad guy she believes him to be. Together they unmask an underworld of evil. But it's the moment she goes missing that changes their lives in unimaginable ways.
AMAZON
I loved how you discovered the inspiration for THE WILDE TOUCH from something you almost trashed. What a great story. You and I both know that completing a book is an enormous challenge. How did you overcome the obstacles?
Needless to say, the story was one BIG, hot mess! It was written like an amateur because that’s what I was. Unbeknownst to me, there were major problems with the plot as well. Ignorance was bliss until I hired an editor. Her feedback was sobering. But, during the weeks she had my manuscript, I wrote THE MITUS TOUCH. Like the first book, this wasn’t well written, either. But I stuck with this story all while learning my craft. Two years later—yes, it took me a while—I published my debut novel. Talk about a proud moment. Along the way, there were several times where I wanted to give up. But I persevered. And I’m so happy that I did!
Stoni, my first two books were also big hot messes. But like you, I studied my craft, and I'm still learning with each new book. You should take great pride in the fact you never gave up. Is there a time in your life you realized you wanted to be a writer?
As a child, I was a voracious reader. I must have been around seven years old when I decided I wanted to be a writer, of children’s books—of course! Years later, I put pen to paper (or in my case, fingers on the keyboard) and started writing that first novel.
How have your life experiences prepared you for a writing career?
Thankfully, I’ve been married for many years to an amazing man, but in my younger years I dated a few “characters”. Those men were instrumental in helping me conceptualize some of my villains—yes the bad guys. Doesn’t say much for my taste in men back then, does it? I’ve got a closet-full of ghosts waiting for their fifteen minutes of anonymous fame! Seriously, I am grateful I’ve got some wear on my tires because the many life experiences have helped me craft complex characters full of depth and emotion.
Oh...I have to ask. What does your sweet hubby have to say about your closet full of ghosts? I can imagine him coming up with all kinds of inventive ways to kill them off. LOL! So...next question. What do you love about writing?
Everything!
Writing, reading, plotting, editing, popping onto social media, talking shop with authors, bloggers, reviewers and meeting romance readers. Collaborating with my husband is super fun, too!
Yup, he had to be a partner in your writing. :)What moment in this journey are you most proud?
There are too many to be able to pick just one. Here are a few: Like I mentioned, I’m proud I didn’t give up. My husband is my first reader and I’m proudest when he likes what I’ve written. And God bless the man because he’d never read a romance novel in his life before he offered to read mine. I’m delighted when a blogger or a reader tells me how much they loved my story or ask when the next one is coming out. Those are all special moments.
It's time to lighten things up, shall we? Tell us something about yourself that only a few know.
Here’s a little known fact…Clutter makes me crazy!
I noticed while working on my most recent project that the words weren’t coming as easily as I’d expected. Once I acknowledged that I couldn’t even see my desk because it was completely covered with papers and stuff, I stopped writing. Spent the time clearing it off. Boy, that helped! I could think. The words flowed and the desktop stays clutter-free. If anyone has a surefire method for eliminating clutter, please, please share!
I'm exactly the same way. I write at our kitchen table. What I see around me has to be clutter free or the words just don't come. Here is something fun I enjoy tossing at my wonderful authors. Write a love story in eight words. Go...
Marry me. I can’t live without you.
I write romance, but those seven words could be the beginning of a horror story, too. LOL!
That was perfect, Stoni. Let's talk food. What can't you live without?
I love pasta and salad. My muse is addicted to dark chocolate, but I dole it out after she gives me something good. Potato chips are my Achilles Heel.
Your Achilles Heel and my Achilles Heel could be BFF. So what's up next, Stoni?
I’m plotting the next full-length novel in The Touch Series, THE HOTT TOUCH. I’m very excited about this story because the hero and heroine are both very, very strong-willed. The combativeness and electricity between these two is dynamic. One night I woke at two in the morning. The heroine kept me awake for hours. I keep a pad of paper on my night table and I couldn’t jot things down fast enough!
Where can readers find you?
My website! www.StoniAlexander.com. C’mon by and check it out! Sign up for my newsletter to get sneak peaks and giveaways. You can also find me here:
GOODREADS:
FACEBOOK:
Twitter:
And here are the links for my novels. I’m an Amazon girl, so the books are FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited!
Nancy, thank you so much for inviting me to visit with you and your readers. I’ve had a great time and hope to hear from your readers!
Cheers to romance,
Stoni
P.S. Sign up for my NEWSLETTER by Thanksgiving and you’ll be entered into my Thanksgiving Gratitude Giveaways to win one of my e-books!
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Stoni, it was a blast having you here. I wish you great success with THE TOUCH SERIES and all your future books. Please drop back by for your next release. If anyone has any questions for Stoni Alexander, please don't be shy. It's a pleasure to get to know our readers. Leave your question below in comments. If you have a hard time, drop me an EMAIL and I'll post it for you. Have a wonderful week, and please, spend some time relaxing with a great book.
Hugs to all,
Nancy C. Weeks
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