Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I’m originally from Essex, UK and now live in Suffolk, UK with my husband, grown up son and Masai the cat.
I work part time as an administrator and apart from writing in my spare time I also love reading, Formula One racing, rock music, seeing live groups, theatre, gardening, keep fit, cinema, travelling and having fun with my friends
I started writing at the age of ten, but have been writing seriously since 2009 and am currently working on my 16th book. I have a series of paranormal/romance books signed to Red Sage in the US and the first one, The Atlantean Birthright – book one of the Eternal Love of the Seekers, was released last October.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Flame is due to be published by Little Bird Publishing House on 6th February 2015. It was quite literally a Eureka moment around 15 years ago. I was in the bath listening to a George Michael CD – unusual for me as I am a huge metal fan! – when the idea came to me and I actually stood up and shouted yes!!!
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not sure about unusual writing habits but I am very much character driven, I never write plot lines and just allow the story to go the way it wants to.
I do have a tendency to text myself with ideas so I don’t forget them too.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I guess David Eddings, Tolkien, Sherrylin Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Carol Goodman and lots of wonderful Indie authors I’ve met via social media.
What are you working on now?
I’ve just submitted another contemporary romance/thriller to Little Bird, it’s called Retribution. And over the last few days I’ve started writing a new fantasy/romance and am around 11k words in at present, so it’s still early days on that one. It doesn’t have a name yet, but that will come…eventually.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I use Twitter an awful lot, then there’s my website and I have used Tasty Book Tours Services, they’re really good. I also look for spots on peoples’ blogs, I’ve been on blog talk radio ( here’s the link if you want to listen to me ramble 😀 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/indiereviews-behind-the-scenes/2014/10/24/indiereview-behind-the-scenes-culture-shocked-w-author-toya-Richardson), local radio and the press. I’ll have a go at anything if it helps to promote my work.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Phew, that’s a hard one because I’m still learning but here goes…be patient, have faith in your work, make sure when you submit to publishers that you check and adhere to their submission guidelines to the letter, also make certain that you do your homework on them to be sure they accept your genre and most important of all edit, edit and more edit, there is nothing that puts a publisher off more than a badly edited MS.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Follow the advice an author gave to me at a workshop a few years ago and I quote, “write because you love writing, if you’re in it for the money, you might as well stop now.” Very true as writing is a passion and should be something that you love to do 😀
What are you reading now?
I have actually just finished Taken by the Huntsman by Mistral Dawn and I loved it. Not certain what to start on next as I have several which I’ve downloaded onto my Kindle, probably be Boss with Benefits by Lelani Black.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’ll keep doing what I love most and that is writing. It gives me a sense of fulfilment and happiness, a natural high 😀
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow that is a toughie!! Acheron by Sherrylin Kenyon, Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan, It’s cheatin as it’s a series but The Belgariad series by David Eddings
Author Websites and Profiles
Toya Richardson Website
Toya Richardson Amazon Profile
Toya Richardson’s Social Media Links
Twitter Account