VIRTUAL EVENT: Author Chat & Giveaway with Toni Blake!

Lorelei Buzzetta Author

Watch my recorded interview with Toni Blake! We discuss her book The Summer of Lost and Found, her inspiring writing journey, and quirky fun facts.

I'm so excited to share the highlights of my fabulous chat with USA Today bestselling author Toni Blake!

"What a lovely time I had with Lorelei and her wonderful group! Warm and welcoming – it was like chatting with old friends who share a common love of books and stories! A super-positive experience in every way!"

~ Toni Blake, USA Today bestselling author of The Summer of Lost and Found

What LTRB Club Members are Saying about Toni Blake

"I was so delighted by Toni Blake's discussion of her characters and plot of The Summer of Lost and Found."

"I appreciate Toni's candid discussion. She was very sweet and friendly, and I love her writing style."

"Toni Blake is one of my favorite authors!"

"Toni Blake left a lasting impression on me, especially when she discussed how the idea of The Summer of Lost and Found came to be."

Fun Facts about Toni Blake

I love asking our authors unique questions, and Toni shared some wonderful answers with us during her interview!

From a 10-Year-Old Dreamer to Romance Star 

Did you know Toni told her mother she was going to be a writer when she was only 10 years old? Growing up isolated on a farm, she desperately wanted to write books so she could connect with people all over the world. 

She even wrote a 19-page novel about a girl named Jenny who experienced every bad thing that had ever happened to Toni (like getting chased by a bee!). 

Despite a high school guidance counselor discouraging her, Toni decided to pursue writing after she got married so she wouldn't wake up at 80 with regrets. She initially tried writing sweeping western epics and literary fiction until a friend handed her a Jennifer Crusie novel. She realized how smart, funny, and sexy romance could be, and fell in love with it because it is the only genre by women, about women, and for women—where the woman always wins.

The Summer of Lost and Found 

Her beautiful book, The Summer of Lost and Found, has the most incredible and inspiring origin story. Back in 2016, Toni was diagnosed with breast cancer. While recovering from chemo and feeling very weak, she told a visiting editor friend that it was going to be the "great lost summer". 

Her friend immediately told her that it was a good book title, and Toni used that concept to keep her creativity and storytelling alive in her head during her treatments.

The story follows Jessica, a Cincinnati news anchor who finishes her breast cancer treatment only to face ageism and beautyism from her bosses when she tries to return to work. 

She retreats to an Appalachian Mountain cottage where she clashes with Matt, the local police chief (who she originally thinks is a country bumpkin!), and his adorable Yorkie named Goldie. A discovered treasure map leads Jessica on a journey that changes everything.

What to Expect in Her Books 

If you pick up a Toni Blake book, she promises her readers these staples:

• Deep Emotion: Her stories are deeply emotional and will absolutely tug at your heartstrings.
• Heartwarming Connections: You will feel fully immersed in the charming settings and the lives of her characters.
• Uplifting and Life-Affirming: She wants you to close her books knowing that even when we face hard obstacles, life is worth living and you can come out better on the other side.

Her morning routine

 She loves to ease into her day! After a small breakfast, she sits by her back window to look out over her pond and take some quiet time. She tries not to schedule any early appointments.

Unique thing she owns

She owns a real Bible from 1838 with a heartbreaking inscription about a 4-year-old child who passed away. She found it in her father's flea-market treasures, and it actually inspired the lost Bible in her story!

Hidden Talents & Hobbies

She is an avid walker and gets her steps in every single day, a habit she built during cancer radiation to ward off fatigue. She also loves to complete massive, complex paint-by-number canvases.

Bucket List

She recently got back from Portugal, but her current bucket list goal is to visit all 50 US states (she is currently at 45!).

Want to see what happened next?

If you want to catch the full interview and our private meeting with members of the LTRB Club, you can join today, enter the giveaway, and watch it directly from the membership vault!

Giveaway!

3 books – winner's choice – plus swag (Continental U.S. only)

And for a limited time, I’m extending the Let’s Talk Romance Books Membership $1 Special for the first month!

THE SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND

by Toni Blake

Recovering from cancer, Cincinnati news anchor Jessica Fox has no choice but to take a summer leave. Her boss’s proposal: for Jessica to take it easy and recharge at his late grandmother Mabel’s cottage in the Kentucky mountains.

The town of Lost and Found lives up to its name. Resistant at first, Jessica grows to appreciate the slower pace, the spectacular sunsets, the affable locals, and even Matt Cordray, the laid-back, too-friendly police chief next door. Most engaging of all is Mabel, who left behind a treasure map that leads Jessica to a collection of lost items—mementos and love letters—people have mailed to the town over the years. Jessica needs something to help pass the time, and she finds it in reuniting these precious things with the distant strangers who lost them.

Lost and in flux herself, Jessica has no idea just how connected to life this town will make her feel again or, by summer’s end, how transformative a season it will be.

About The Author

Toni Blake is a USA Today bestselling author of more than forty contemporary romance novels published by Montlake, Avon Books, Harlequin, Penguin Books, and more.

Her books have received the National Readers’ Choice Award and Bookseller's Best Award, and her work has been excerpted in Cosmo. She is a two time nominee for the prestigious RITA Award and a two time recipient of the Kentucky Women Writers Fellowship.

Toni lives with her husband in northern Kentucky and enjoys traveling, crafts, and spending time outdoors. 
www.toniblake.com

Categories: : Author interview, Contemporary romance, Giveaway, Virtual Events