Reviews for Visionquest
Sassy Britt of AR - Alternative Read: "It holds a familiar dark, violent appeal, which runs through many of Laura Tolomei's other books, yet she has spread her wings and written in a different point of view, first person, giving this story a fresh feel which works very well."
Visit Laura Tolomei's web site
Visit Laura's Amazon Page
Laura's page at Author Island
Visit Laura's Coffee Time Romance page
Visit Laura's Goodreads author page
Visit Laura @ TRR
Visit Laura's Whiskey Creek Press Torrid Author Page
Visit Laura @ Biblioscribe
Visit Laura @ MySpace
Visit Laura @ Facebook
Visit Laura @ Twitter
Visit Laura @ Goodreads Friendship Requests
Visit Laura @ Linkedin
Visit Laura @ Gay Starta
Visit Laura @ The Blood Bank (Bitten By Books)
Visit Laura @ Erotic Romance Writers and Readers
Read an excerpt from Visionquest
About Laura Tolomei
Born 1965 in Rome, Italy, I grew up in Nigeria, US and India, returning to Rome to complete my studies and start a working career. In 2008 I published my first short story in eXtasy's Anthology Atlantis Allure and have been writing and publishing since then in both Italian and English. Still a fairly new author, I have already published several full length novels and short stories at eXtasy Books, with more yet to come also on Whiskey Creek Torrid and Romance Divine.
Backlist
The Festival Virtus Book 3 novel -- GLBT, M/M, fantasy, horror, paranormal, ménage --July 15th 2010, eXtasy Books
The Game Virtus Book 2 novel -- GLBT, M/M, fantasy, paranormal, énage --May 15th 2010, eXtasy Books
Tasting Leon's Mark, novel -- GLLBT M/M, M/M/F, énage, romance, contemporary, paranormal --April 15th 2010, WCPT
The Sex Virtus Book 1 novel -- GLBT, M/M, fantasy, paranormal, énage -- March 15th 2010, eXtasy BBooks
To Seduce a Soulmate novel -- M/M, contemporary, paranormal -- December 15th 2009, eXtasy Books
Bloody Passion, novel -- M/M, ddark fantasy, horror, paranormal -- October 31st 2009, eXttasy Books
Spying the Alcove, novel -- M/M, contemporary, fantasy, historical, paranormal, August 1st 2009, eXtasy Books
Roman Seduction, short story -- M/M, GBLT, énage, Series, Romantica, Romance, Historical, Adventure -- June 1st 2009, eXtasy Books
Slave for Sex, short story in Emerald Envisage Anthology.
Sacrificial Sex, novella --M/M, horror, dark fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal --March 1st 2009, eXtasy Books
Divinitas, novel -- M/M, lesbian énage, historical, dark fantasy, paranormal, gods -- January 1st 2009, eXtasy Books
Trespassing All Hallow's Eve, novel -- F/F, M/M, dark fantasy, paranormal, adventure, Halloween --October 15th 2008, eXtasy Books
Hunted, short story in Sanguinary Seductions Anthology.
The Moon Priestess, short story in Atlantis Allure Anthology.
ENTER Laura's Visionquest Drawing!
An Interview with Laura Tolomei
By Holly Hewson for The Romance Studio
HH:Your featured book is Visionquest. First, where did you get the idea for this imaginative, sizzling story?LT: The idea came to me during one of my many travels, although its purpose didn't really warrant a story and this horror type one either. But let me proceed in order. A couple of years back my husband and I were invited to the wedding of a friend and ex colleague of my husband, and we really wanted to go, only it would take place in Romania. Well, after debating it among ourselves, we decided it would be a fun experience, so we took the plane, then hired a car for the place was 400 km. from the capital and what wasn't my surprise when I found out I was going near Dracula's castle or what is believed as such. And even if historically it isn't -- the real castle was destroyed back in Couunt Vlad the Third's time by his numerous enemies, taken down piece by piece, stone by stone that's how much they hated him -- it was still a dark and intriguing place, with its secret passageways, its narrow stairwells, its high towers and a gloomy sense pervading it. In addition, lying at its feet, there was the reconstruction of a typical Romanian village of Medieval times with huts, stables, a small dairy farm, and other buildings of that period. And even if no one lived in it, it felt alive and that's where I began seeing Ilenio, my main character, his brother and father taking the sheep out to bring them to the mountainous fields surrounding the village. Well, the inspiration was so strong I couldn't wait to get home and start writing, not my Italian home but the apartment we had rented for the occasion -- a gorgeous placce by a river, so wonderful I used it as the basis for Sean and Leon's home in San Francisco in Tasting Leon's Mark -- and continuing it on the plane back to Rome because I just had to finish it.
HH: What do you like about the Visionario and why will readers relate to him?
LT: A Visionario is someone who has dreams or more appropriately visions about events about to happen, usually dramatic ones, and in Ilenio's case, they're full of blood and violence. Personally, I find him fascinating for his ability to predict the future, but what makes me, and readers I'm sure, feel for him is his need for love to assuage the horrors he sees nightly, which of course is not what the ruthless master who chooses him plans on giving him…at least at first.
HH: What do you like best about Lord Brahany and why might he be perfect for him?
LT: like Lord Brahany because he's an alpha male who knows what he wants and has no scruples in grabbing and using it regardless of what it is, thing or person makes no difference to him. So he buys Ilenio from his family because he knows Ilenio is a Visionario and it's what he needs to fight evil, then bonds him sexually without any regard for his young age and lack of experience. But Lord Brahany is not as insensitive as he'd like to be, his heart bleeds for the evil tearing his land apart and for the many lives lost, which he sees as his mission to stop. And that's the problem for he can't accomplish his mission without a Visionario and the intimate connection he's forced to establish with him, something deeper than sex or blood that must open a privileged channel in which to share thoughts and feelings. And since Lord Brahany already lost a Visionario, he doesn't want to feel anything for Ilenio, afraid of the pain involved, which explains his harsh and brusque treatment. But like a true alpha male, he's willing to reconsider his positions if the situation requires and this, more than anything else, makes him perfect for Ilenio not just as a master, rather as a trusted companion.
HH: How did you choose the setting and time for this story?
LT: I remain vague in the book about time and setting, but now readers know it's set in Romania during roughly medieval times, Dracula's times 13th – 14th Century where high lords commanded everything and were masters of life and death over everyone.
HH: What sort of research did you do for this work?
LT: Besides being on location, I didn't do much research because it's a fantasy work based in an imaginary setting at a not very defined time. The only thing that qualifies as research is the oath to swear allegiance to the ruler of the land, which I transformed slightly to suit my story. Mine goes something like this:
"As the Patroniter of the county, I swear to serve faithfully the Seigneuros in compliance with the requirements of my position. I shall always be alert to attacks and if I must, I shall defend the county and its people against the enemies of the Seigneuros with my own blood. I shall always take much care to fulfill my duties and obligations as a good Patroniter, according to the directions which the Seigneuros will see fit to give me."
HH: What else do you have in the works for lucky readers?
LT: Re-Scue - however you lived your past, today you're the key to changing your future, the prequel to Tasting Leon's Mark, an original borderline story about two souls chasing one another through repeated lifetimes in order to satisfy their bloodlust through a passionate game of sex and knives. No feelings is the only rule the hunter warn, but his prey inevitably falls in love with him, which results in tragedy most of the times until... well, you just have to read it, even if true balance is reached only in Tasting Leon's Mark, the sequel now available @ Whiskey Creek Torrid.
Then I'm working on the next release of the Virtus Saga, The Leader Book 4, where Duncan will officially come to power, but only if he learns to accept his responsibilities, the ones to his beloveds among all, the same he needs to convince them into The Pledge, Book 5.
HH: How do you balance a writer career with the rest of your life?
LT: Not too bad, considering I have a lot of free time on my hands, given my job—taxing at times when I'm on business trips, otherwise noot too overbearing -- and the fact I just have my husband and cats too look after. And my husband often works on weekends, so in the end I have more than my share of time to do my writing.
HH: If you weren't a writer, you'd be a...?
LT: An archaeologist, yes, definitely, I love history too much not to have done something more useful with it if I hadn't started writing, or rather fantasizing, about it.
HH: What's your favorite guilty pleasure?
LT: Squeezing and fondling my cats too hard and for too long until they tire of it. Just can't resist those four furry adorable felines running around the house! LOL Other than that, there's no guilt in my pleasure…ever.
HH: What is your biggest hope for 2011?
LT: Well, it was peace, but seen how things are going in the Arab countries, I guess that's off the list for now. I'd also like, but I don't want to sound presumptuous, a greater awareness on a global level about all life in general, our planet's in the first place, yet again I don't think it's on this year's menu either. So I'll settle for something less ambitious and more on the personal level like achieving my projects in peace and awareness.
HH: Thank you!
top
Close this window
Copyright © 2010 theromancestudio.com
