Urban-Reviews.com - Inside Out with toniwo

toniwo

Toni “toniwo” Womack is a mother, author, Navy veteran and spoken word performer who began sharing her love for writing and expressive thought a few years ago. With a mix of modesty and flamboyance, as well as utilizing colorful, thought-provoking rhymes, toniwo conveys her thoughts and feelings to her audience.

Through her poetry, toniwo made people look at their situations and laugh at them no matter how bad. However, that wasn’t enough. That's What You Get For Running With Scissors came from toniwo’s inability to contain her observations to a few verses. What went from poetic verse turned into short stories that she was willing to share with her friends and now…with the world. She currently producing two short films for the LA & Sundance Film Festivals, and completed two novels, DISCORDIA: Caught in Rapture & Living With Sin with a stage-play by the same name.

Some of her creative work has been featured in Black & Single Magazine, Houston Style Magazine, Minority Business Journal, Honey Magazine and coming soon, a poem to be featured in Essence Magazine as well and several national anthologies. toniwo is CEO of Blacklight Publishing Services, a company designed to make possible for writers to achieve the dream of becoming a published author.

Read a Full Excerpt from Truth Be Told: Click Here

Author's Official Website: http://www.toniwo.com
Author's Publishing Company: http://blacklightpub.weebly.com
Author's Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/toniwo
Order Your Copy of Truth Be Told via Amazon: Click Here

Urban Reviews: Tell our readers about Discordia.
toniwo: Well, Discordia is about Rapture Comeaux, a Black woman who is one breakup from a nervous breakdown. When she meets Richard, she thinks her one true love has finally come. However, through deceptive practices and contempt against her heart, she finds out that no man in her life can be redeemed of his sins, except through death. When she realizes she can get away with murder, she decides to pay visits to former lovers and serve them the same fate. Only one person knows the truth, but will it be told? Rapture is no longer a rational Black woman, she is now DISCORDIA (the Roman goddess of bloodshed), a Black female serial killer.

Urban Reviews: Where did you come up with the idea for this novel?
toniwo: Many women in general have gone through bad breakups and have had murderous thoughts but would never follow through. Black women mainly are strong when in it comes to adversity and do our best to fight through heartache. I just took an idea of what we might do if we are pushed to the limit. Moving past the stereotype of a serial killer.

Urban Reviews: What made you want to try your hand at writing?
toniwo: I have always been a storyteller, whether it was through my spoken word poetry or just talking, I love to re-create events putting my "swag" on it or watch people and create stories about them. The book writing came in a natural progression of sort.

Urban Reviews: What are your goals as a writer?
toniwo: My goals are to continue writing my books on my own publishing company (which I have done, BLACKLIGHT PUBLISHING), publish other authors (which I am doing now) and tell different stories not to be pigeoned-holed in one genre. I want to keep my readers guessing on what I am going to put out next.

Urban Reviews: Has the book business been everything you had imagined it would be?
toniwo: Not at all. With everything, there are ups and downs. I got into this book business very naive and I wished I had a mentor to let me know what to expect. I had to learn quickly that you have to be more than an artist, you have to know the business and be willing to share it with others. I have met some nationally published authors who felt threatened when I inquired about their journey and almost discourage me. I feel like that there are enough readers out there for all of us to share and everyone doesn't read just one book. I realized quickly you have to work hard, make contacts and work those contacts. But all in all, I love it!

Urban Reviews: If you go change one or more things relating to your book, what would it be?
toniwo: I was told to make it longer...:)

Urban Reviews: Do you have any ideas or planned releases for the future?
toniwo: I have several outlines for books, one non-fiction, two more novels that I am currently working on, a completed screenplay that I have shopped around, in negotiations to write for a sitcom, a completed stage play & workshop series on self publishing.

Urban Reviews: Do you have any favorite authors or books?
toniwo: I have few. Self-published authors are Trice Hickman & Frankie Nicole. I met them and had the opportunity to read their books. I am excited about Trice's new book which should be out this month. Nationally published would be Pearl Cleage, J California Cooper & Walter Mosley. These people are iconic and would love my place in time like all of them.

Urban Reviews: What do you like to do outside of writing?
toniwo: I love going to the movies. My children and I go at least twice a week.

Urban Reviews: Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself or your novel?
toniwo: I love what I do, and when you love what you do, the money will come. As far as my next novel, the title is called Am I My Daddy's Daughter. Know that all reunions don't have happy endings. It promises to be a heart jerker.