5 Questions with Moni Boyce
I love urban fantasy books, especially with a heavy romantic plot. Moni Boyce’s Oracle Chronicles gave me that and a little twist of my favorite Greek mythology! After tearing through the series, I asked, and Moni Boyce agreed to join us for a Q&A.
1. You write both contemporary and paranormal romance, do you have a favorite? What draws you to each?
I don't have a favorite between the two. I love writing both. For me it's about telling a good story. I like writing contemporary romance because I'm a romantic at heart. I enjoy writing about people falling in love, finding love, rekindling love. I enjoy writing the journey of two people finally getting their happily ever after. Writing about love, something everyone is searching for, and a topic that everyone can relate to is fun. I enjoy writing paranormal romance because I love the world building that's involved, creating my own mythologies. The make believe and imagination you use to create these stories excites me, and putting an epic love story at the center heightens everything.
2. The Oracle Chronicles are an urban fantasy with witches, vampires and seers, do you have a favorite type of paranormal?
I didn't think I had a favorite, but I have to admit that when I look at what I'm planning to write in the future, wolf shifters are pretty prominent in most of my stories. I do like reading vampire stories. I think writing wise, I enjoy shifter romance.
3. While not a "Greek mythology retelling," there is definitely some influence in the story, are you a fan of Greek mythology? Do you have a favorite hero/heroine?
Writing The Oracle Chronicles, I knew I wanted to include historical aspects to the backstory and lineage of the characters, and I liked including elements that readers would be familiar with, which is where Greek mythology came into play. After doing research on the Oracle of Delphi and how Greeks ended up in parts of Africa, I knew I wanted Willow's family to be descended from her. There is something very fascinating about Greek mythology. I think it was the way the stories were presented, especially for the heroes. A test or trial in which they had to prove themselves doing these larger than life feats, coming up against what seems like an unstoppable enemy. We see these stories influence time and again in other books, films, and art. Which is why I loved the idea of borrowing from that. Willow gets to be this hero that has to test her abilities and go through these trials to come out the other end, victorious against what most would consider a formidable enemy.
It's difficult to choose a favorite, but I would probably say my favorite hero/heroine would be Perseus. Unlike Heracles/Hercules who gets romanticized in my opinion, when you read Perseus' story, he seems to have a pure heart and integrity.
4. Your author profile describes you as an avid world traveler having visited 33 countries! Can you tell us a little about your favorite?
I love traveling. It's one of my absolute favorite things. I get asked this question a lot, and it's always difficult to list a favorite. LOL, I think I'm seeing a pattern of me not being able to pick a favorite. The thing is each country offers something different about it that I enjoy. I'll name two places and why I enjoyed my visits. Egypt was one of my favorite destinations to visit because I enjoy history, and Egypt is a country rich in history. Getting to visit the pyramids and then crawl down inside of one is something I will never forget. The other reason I enjoyed Egypt so much was that I had just gone from having relaxed hair (really harmful chemicals that straighten Black hair) to wearing my hair in its natural state. Western beauty standards make most people think straight, long hair is what is beautiful. Having that pressed upon you for more than 30 years, made me believe that my own natural, God-given hair wasn't attractive. So I'm there in Egypt and both men and women kept telling me how much they loved my natural hair. During a visit to a temple, a group of school girls wearing headscarves stopped me and my sister to tell us how much they loved our hair and to this day, that's still one of my favorite travel photos. That visit gave me a deep appreciation and love for my natural hair. Scotland was another favorite trip because I got to be in Edinburgh for Fringe Fest, which was amazing. Around the whole city there are theater troupes and performers from all over the world putting on shows and performances. Plus, the countryside of Scotland is breathtaking, and so lush and green, like out of a fairytale. I kept telling people my pictures would never do it justice. There's something kind of magical about the place.
5. Can you tell us a little about what's up next?
I have so many things coming up. I've already started to map out 2022. I'm kind of like a kid with a shiny, new toy. Sometimes I have to rein in my ideas and force myself to focus. I have a new paranormal series I'm rolling out before the end of the year called Curse of the Wolf. The first book, Hexed, was in an anthology earlier this year. I'm expanding that book and will re-release around Halloween. I'm planning to make that a 4 book series. I have a mafia romance series I'm working on the second book for. Next year, I have a few more contemporary and paranormal romance series I plan to release, one of which is a spin-off to The Oracle Chronicles. Phaedra and Max are getting their own series.
Moni Boyce is a writer, filmmaker, poet and USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary and paranormal romances. She spent the last fifteen years working in the film industry and now creates characters of her own and brings them to life on the page. Moni has ghostwritten romance novellas and novels for over a year now and decided to put some of her own creations out in the world. She considers herself a bookworm, film buff, foodie, music lover and an avid world traveler having visited 33 countries and counting. She lives a bit of a nomadic life, but considers Los Angeles home. Which is the subject of her first travel book: Greater Than A Tourist – Los Angeles, California: 50 Travel Tips From A Local. You can follow Moni on her author pages at Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, Book + Main and TikTok.
Moni will be creating original, exclusive content for and making her backlist available on Radishfiction.
Moni is a Pan member of RWA and VP of Programs for the VRW chapter and a member of the CIMRWA chapter.
Books we’ve reviewed by the Author:
