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Author Interview,  Giveaway,  Hope-filled Fiction

Toni Shiloh: Hobbies, West Africa, God’s Grace & More

September 7, 2022 /

You’re in for a treat this week as Contemporary Romance author, Toni Shiloh, shares with us about her new release, To Win a Prince. She’s offered a print copy as a giveaway (US residents only). Comment on her interview by September 13 for a chance to win!

Welcome to the blog, Toni. I’m thrilled to have you. Let’s start off with hearing about your hobbies. What do you do for fun? 

Is it to cliché to say I read? That’s what I do with a lot of my time. I also binge K-dramas, play video games occasionally, and do puzzles.

Reading is the best hobby! As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

It changed so many times I thought there was something wrong with me. Now I just think I had a vivid imagination. I’ve had fun using those jobs I’d dream up here and there as inspiration for my characters.

Using your childhood career dreams for book characters is genius. Who was your favorite book character as a child and why? 

I’m not sure I could choose just one. However, I was a huge fan of Nancy Drew. I loved that she had the courage to solve the mysteries and her friends made great secondary characters.

Oh, I was a huge Nancy Drew fan. I still love mysteries, but I also enjoy many other genres. What genre do you write and what inspired you to write that particular genre? 

I write Christian contemporary romance because I love writing two people finding each other amidst obstacles and overcoming them. I write in contemporary era because there’s nothing better than our current setting IMO.

Contemporary is my favorite. What is the setting of your current novel? Is it a real location or fictional? Tell us about it. 

My setting in To Win a Prince is completely fictional. It’s an island called, Ọlọrọ Ilé, off the coast of West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. It was inspired by the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria and I also took some pieces of Bioko Island and Sao Tome and Principe. It has a monarch which causes all sorts of fun (and trouble) for my characters.

I read the first book in your series and loved this setting! How did you select the names for your characters? 

I usually use behindthename.com to find the perfect character name. Sometimes I’ll use Google to find those that are harder, like I did in To Win a Prince. I wanted to choose a name specifically from Africa. I always look at the meaning of the names and try and choose one that matches my characters’ personalities.

If you wrote in a different genre than your current one, which would you choose and why? 

That one is so hard to decide. I’m an eclectic reader so I read in many different genres. I do know that I would definitely have romance in whatever one I chose. Whether that be historical, young adult, or romantic suspense.

For anyone who knows you, it’s no surprise that any of your stories would include romance. How long, on average, does it take you to write a book? 

On average, I’d say about three months for a full-length novel. My very first book took about nine months and that felt like forever, lol. Since then, I’ve gotten more disciplined and my brain has been trained to show up and write when I need it. So now I’m down to three months on the worst of days.

I’m so impressed with how quickly you can write a stellar novel. What did God teach you through the writing of To Win a Prince?

God taught me to wholly lean on Him while I wrote To Win a Prince. I wrote it during a difficult and chaotic time in my life but every day I sat in front of my computer, He poured His grace over me and the story. I’ll never forget it.

That’s wonderful. Which character in To Win a Prince was easiest for you to write and why? Which character presented the biggest challenge? 

Iris was definitely easiest to write in To Win a Prince. She has such a great personality that I found myself just writing when it was her turn. However, she was also the biggest challenge to convey her transformation during the story.

I loved all the characters in the first book, In Search of a Prince, and I know I’ll love this second book in the series. I look forward to reading it! Thanks so much for sharing with us on the blog. God bless you as you continue to write for Him.

Join the conversation. Does this second book in Toni’s Royalty series set on a fictional island off the coast of West Africa sound intriguing to you? Have you read the first book, In Search of a Prince, or any of Toni’s other novels? What questions or comments do you have for Toni?

Be sure to comment below by September 13 for a chance to win a paperback copy of To Win a Prince! (US resident only)

To Win a Prince by Toni Shiloh

Click the book cover for purchase link

Fashion aficionado Iris Blakely moved her whole life to the African island of Ọlọrọ Ilé when her best friend, Brielle, became queen. With dreams of starting a fashion business to help citizens in impoverished areas, Iris is determined to make her ambitions a reality. But when she discovers that the traitorous, yet handsome Ekon Diallo will be her business consultant, the battle between her desires and reality begins.

Ekon Diallo lost everything after one bad decision: his princely title, his material possessions, his friends, and the respect of his countrymen. Sentenced to community service for his crimes against Ọlọrọ Ilé, the only things he has left are the income he earned working for his father’s company and his knack for business.

To pay for his actions, he must work alongside the charismatic Iris Blakely, the best friend of the woman he helped betray. As Iris and Ekon strive to get her business off the ground, can Iris protect her heart from a partner she doesn’t completely trust, or will her dreams of happily ever after crash and burn?

Lending a wonderfully diverse perspective to the inspirational fiction genre, Shiloh captivates with a charming royal romance you won’t soon forget.

Toni Shiloh is a wife, a mom, and the multi-published Christian contemporary romance author of In Search of a Prince (2022). Her novel Grace Restored was a 2019 HOLT Medallion finalist, and Risking Love was a 2020 Selah Award finalist. As a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), Toni loves connecting with readers and authors alike via social media and at tonishiloh.com.

Connect with Toni: Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

Please share Toni’s interview on social media to help spread the word about her new release!

If you missed last week’s spotlight with Grace Hitchcock, find it here.

As a Jesus girl for more than thirty years, Deena Adams understands how important hope is to daily life, which fuels her passion to inspire others through hope-filled fiction based on true to life stories. She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and is a multi-award-winning writer, an active ACFW member, and ACFW Virginia president. Connect with Deena through her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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