Total Exposure, which is part of the Code Red miniseries, is out this month and is about what happens when hot Fire Chief Dan Egan and sexy burn specialist Dr Natalie Giroux get stranded on an island during a violent storm.

Next spring will launch a new era for them, when their first hardcover featuring pet detective Sofie Metropolis will be hitting store shelves. I along with their other fans cannot wait for this book to come out.

Be sure to check out the latest news about upcoming books and tours at their website.

Interview with Tori Carrington
by Barb Hicks

Writerspace: Lori and Tony, thanks so much for agreeing to do this interview with us. Can you tell those who do not know, how did you two decide to begin writing? Was there any author in particular that made you think that you could do that too?

Tori Carrington: Our career began with reading and love of a great story. I (Lori) have always been a voracious reader, beginning with Goldilocks and every printed page I could lay my hands on thereon. Tony has always been an avid movie fan, starting with the likes of the old spaghetti westerns and continuing with every genre available. So it was only natural that when a book or a movie moved either or both of us, we’d spend sometimes hours discussing it, what came after the words The End, how we might have changed the direction of the story, essentially not wanting the experience to end. So when in 1984 Tony suggested we try our hand at writing a story of our own, everything clicked perfectly into place. Here we are now, twenty years and nearly thirty published novels later, happier for the experience.

I can't say that any one author made us think we could write. All of them, perhaps? We never really had a "eureka!" moment. Rather our journey was paved one brick at a time, with each book or movie we read or watched providing another step down the path to where we are now. A bit like our own Yellow Brick Road.

Writerspace: TOTAL EXPOSURE, is different for you two in that it is part of a miniseries involving other authors, how difficult was it for you to write this book?

Tori Carrington: We wouldn't say it was difficult; but the experience was different. This is the first time we were handed characters and a story and were asked to write a book based on them. Out of the twelve books in the continuity series, we purposely chose one that wasn't tightly woven into the rest. This was our first time out in this format and we wanted to take it slowly. So we picked the fourth title where the characters are stranded on a deserted island during a horrific storm almost straight out of the gate and are there for a majority of the book.

We didn't quite know what to expect, but we have to say we ended up enjoying the experience immensely. Courage Bay and its many heroes and heroines came vividly alive for us, through our eyes and the eyes of the other authors. We all shared the responsibility of setting up town details, like the diagrams of the hospital and fire station, and felt connected to all the stories and the authors in a way that was unique and memorable.

Our hero and heroine Fire Chief Dan Egan and E.R. burn specialist Natalie Giroux are more mature characters and we immediately rose to the challenge of making their conflicts more...I don't know, adult somehow. No simple misunderstandings here, or problems stemming from childhood. Instead we layered their backgrounds in a way that made them more identifiable as older characters. Solid. Set in their ways. And faced with the choice of staying the same, or changing to allow love into their lives.

We're happy to report they chose love!

Both Dan and Natalie are recovering from losses in their life. Did you find yourself reaching for the tissue when writing some of the more emotional scenes?

We don't stop writing any book until there are at least a good two or three places where even we, as the authors, who know what's coming, blink back tears as we write. Then during the revision stage we strive to take it further yet. It's only after reading the scenes ourselves no fewer than four to five times and finding we *still* tear up that we feel reasonably confident we've accomplished what we set out to do: delivered a book written to touch. And that's what all stories about, isn't it? Touching, connecting with others?

Writerspace: Do you have a particular favorite scene in TOTAL EXPOSURE?

Tori Carrington: I think our endings are always our favorite scenes -- and not because it means we're done with the book, lol! By the end our characters have been challenged with life-altering events, have fallen in love, have battled against that love, have laughed and cried, and have ultimately evolved into better people with great futures stretching out before them.

We also plot and write in such a way that you really can't pick one scene that stands out above the rest because each scene is woven tightly into the scenes before and after. We could say, "We loved when the hero made them MRE's and fixed them an indoor picnic while the storm raged outside," but without knowing that fixing dinner is not one of Dan's fortes (he's a widower who can't boil water and is way out practice when it comes to modern relationships), or that Natalie is questioning his ability to change, well, the pick doesn't come across a fraction as strong. No, when it comes to our books, you have to read the entire book for all the scenes to have the impact they're meant to.

Writerspace: What books do you have coming out in the next year?

Tori Carrington: So far we have seven titles scheduled for 2005. Here's the lowdown:

March - FROM McCOY, WITH LOVE, Harlequin Signature Select Miniseries 2-in-1 Reissues of our Harlequin Temptations THE P.I. WHO LOVED HER and award-winning FOR HER EYES ONLY in our Magnificent McCoy Men Miniseries. The reissues lead up to a brand, spanking new title in the series... April - A REAL McCOY, Harlequin Signature Select Saga Ah, yes. We don't want to spoil the surprise just yet! But suffice it to say we add another McCoy to the mix and the result is...well, we'll let you be the judge!

May - THAT'S AMORE!, Harlequin Signature Collections Anthology with hot, hot, hot fellow authors and pals Janelle Denison and Leslie Kelly. The title of ours novella is I Do...Don't I? It's set in nearby Detroit, Michigan (Go, Blue/Go Bucks! Ahem, sorry *vbg's*) and features two Greek-American characters and the chaos that ensues during the week leading up to their wedding.

May 11th - SOFIE METROPOLIS, Forge Series Hardcover Debut. We can't tell you how excited we are about this series! Sofie is...well, Sofie is Sofie. She's fun, nutty, brave...essentially bits and parts of all of us. The series is set in Astoria, New York so she has a bit of big city grit, but is fully grounded by her eccentric and hilarious Greek family and extended family.

Autumn or winter - 3-book Harlequin Blaze miniseries set in and around New Orleans. You should see these sizzling ideas! If you think our Blazes have been hot and pushed the envelope before now, what till you get a gander at these three!

Writerspace: SOFIE METROPOLIS, is your first hardcover. It is set for release next Spring, what can you tell us about this new series?

Tori Carrington: My Big Fat Greek Wedding meets Stephanie Plum and Magnum, P.I. At this point in our careers, this is just the sort of series we can sink our professional teeth into. Sofie allows Tony to stretch his plotting skills (the mystery and suspense elements are to-die-for! Pun intended), and gives me a chance to live vicariously through a character who is out of her element as a new P.I., yet relies on her instincts to come through in the end. Oh, and the fun we and she get to have along the way! From a neighborhood vampire, to missing Muffy the Mutt, there's so much going on in this first book that our editor asked us to snip some of it out.

Our favorite books are those you can read through and love the first time around, but that when you go back to read again, you'll discover things you missed that will give the story a completely different slant, adding to the reading experience. Is this your kind of book? Then Sofie is definitely for you!

Writerspace: Do you know how many books you plan for the series?

Tori Carrington: We don't want to jinx ourselves! But being the plotters we are, let's just say that we've brainstormed enough ideas to fill a dozen books at this point. If it were to go on forever, we wouldn't have a problem!

Writerspace: What are you currently working on now?

Tori Carrington: Funny you should ask... We're actually writing the second Sofie title now. She's such a hoot! We adore this series and are amazed at all the little details that pop up while we're writing. We can't wait to see all the trouble Sofie's going to get into this time!

Writerspace: What is your favorite thing to do together besides writing?

Tori Carrington: Everything and anything! Seriously. Well, short of jumping out of planes or rock-climbing that is. We're ecstatic sitting doing nothing more than contemplating the world and everyone in it, and are just as happy traveling, enjoying salads with friends *vbg*.

We're lucky in that we count two places home. Our house here in Toledo, Ohio where we've lived for the past fourteen years, and Athens and Smila, Greece, where Tony's from and where we travel to quite often. The cultures are so vividly different yet somehow compliment each other. Here in the States we play as hard as we work, hitting conferences and expos constantly. In Greece...well, we just are. Our pace slows and sometimes the biggest question of the day is what we're going to fix for one o'clock dinner and whether we'll wake up from our siesta in time to see the sunset over the Aegean.

Writerspace: Do you have any current favorite tv shows that you absolutely cannot miss?

Tori Carrington: Right now I'm really into The Biggest Loser. I'm finding the show very inspiring...probably because I have a bit of weight I'd like to lose myself. Not an easy task considering how much we both love to cook and eat! Tony, on the other hand, is into everything and anything that has to do with the news. He used to be a huge CNN fan and still watches Crossfire every afternoon at 4:30, but he's has been tuning into MSNBC more and more lately (Hardball ranks high on his list right now). Also, the Greek version of American Idol (it's called Fame Story there), is a fav of ours. It's actually on for a half hour every night on the Greek satellite station we subscribe to, with the live two-hour show every Sunday night, and a longer show Monday night when they pick the two nominated to leave the island, er, I mean house. This Greek version gives you a more comprehensive view of what it takes to go from wannabe to almost there. And last year a Greek-American girl from Queens won, which was exciting to see!

Writerspace: Who are your favorite authors to read when you are not writing?

Tori Carrington: Mine (Lori) are Janet Evanovich, Maeve Binchy, Amy Tan, Jennifer Crusie, Teresa Medeiros, Christine Feehan, Leslie Kelly, Karen Robards, Lori Foster and...yeesh, you don't really expect me to name them all, do you? I could be here all day and know I'll still forget someone! Some of Tony's favs are John Grisham, Teresa Medeiros, Dean Koontz, Sidney Sheldon and Jude Devereaux.

Writerspace: One final question, do you have any advice for wanabe writers?

Tori Carrington: Write! Seriously. Just write and keep on writing. Everyone's path is different. You'll see those who'll publish straight out of the gate. Then there are the others, like us, who'll have to toil away for years and years before they sell their first book. Give yourself fully over to the process. Don't over analyze yourself or your work. Know that finding an editor and/or agent is much like finding a mate, meaning it generally takes some time before you find that right match. And, finally, just believe!

Writerspace: Thanks Lori and Tony for all the wonderful books you have put out and can't wait for more books from you two.

Tori Carrington: Thanks so much, Barb! And remember we hold monthly drawings for all sorts of fun stuff on our site, and we're currently planning a cross-country bus tour to coincide with the release of SOFIE METROPOLIS in mid-May! Make sure you stay tuned for more details by joining our newsletter list and/or our Fan List.