C. Lee Tocci facts for kids

C. Lee Tocci is the pen name for Cynthia Tocci. A pen name is like a special nickname an author uses for their books. Cynthia Tocci was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a writer of young adult fantasy books. Her most famous series is called The Chronicles of Kiva. Besides writing, she also works as a screenwriter, which means she writes scripts for movies. She is also a film producer, a theatrical producer, an actress, and an accountant.

Cynthia Tocci's Early Life

Cynthia Tocci was born in Massachusetts. She grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. She is the fifth of eight children in her family.

After high school, she went to Northeastern University for one year. Then, she moved to the University of New Hampshire. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in Hotel Administration.

Becoming an Actress

In the 1980s, Cynthia started studying acting. She performed in many plays. These shows were all over New England.

She created the role of Vincenza Vermicelli. This character was a pregnant bridesmaid. She played this role in an interactive play. This play was called Joey and Maria's Comedy Italian Wedding. An interactive play means the audience can be part of the show.

Running a Theater Business

In 1994, Cynthia bought a large building. It was a function hall in Woburn, Massachusetts. She bought it at a special government sale. She then opened her own theater there. It was called the Deco Boston Dinner Theater.

From 1994 to 1998, she produced over sixty plays. She even wrote two interactive shows herself. These were Polyester High 20th High School Reunion and The Wake of Maddy O'Malley. She also taught children's theater workshops.

Moving to Film Production

Cynthia sold her theater business in 1999. She then moved to Los Angeles. She wanted to act and produce movies there.

In 2000, she wrote and produced a movie. It was an independent murder mystery romance film. It was called Title to Murder. Famous actors like Maureen McCormick and Christopher Atkins starred in it.

During the movie's filming, Cynthia had an accident. A large portable generator rolled and hurt her hand. She had to go to the hospital for several days.

Writing Books

The movie Title to Murder did not make a lot of money. Cynthia felt limited by making movies. She felt that movies had too many rules. So, she started writing novels instead.

She once said that in a novel, no one tells you that you cannot afford to blow up a building. She joked that you could even blow up a twelve-story building. It only takes a few more words to write!

Her first novel was Stone Voice Rising. It was published in 2009. This book is the first in her series, The Chronicles of Kiva. She used her pen name, C. Lee Tocci, for this book.

Stone Voice Rising Book

Stone Voice Rising is the first book in a six-book series. It is a young adult fantasy series. The story is about a girl named Lilibit. She is meant to become the Stone Voice. This means she can talk to the Earth's soul.

The book also features a boy named Todd. He will become a strong Stone Warrior. Evil forces try to stop Lilibit. They are led by a bad character named Syxx. They want to stop her before she can fulfill her destiny.

The book was first called The Road to Kiva. It won an award in January 2006. It received the Editor's Choice Award. This was at the San Diego State University Writers' Conference.

Awards and Recognition

• San Diego State University 2006 Writers Conference Editors Choice Award.