In 140 words or less, tell us a little about you.

I’m a small town girl who came to the Northeast after college. I’m the eldest of five and my personality definitely reflects the textbook definition of an eldest child. I’m fairly bossy and pathologically organized and responsible. Textbook! Married, with two beautiful sons, I greatly enjoy being with my family.  My mom is my BFF. I speak to her multiple times a day about just anything.  I’m not an outdoors person unless it involves the beach, sun, and lounging by a pool. I love to golf but don’t get to do it often, so I’m not that great but I can play and break 100. For me, writing is a must do.

In 140 words or less, tell us why your book would make a great addition to our personal library.

Par for the Curse is unpredictable. Even I was surprised by the ending. Like life, stuff just keeps happening. The story manages to make us feel like we are entrenched in reality, but with drama that you only want to read about in books. This story was written to shed light on how we often hurt our family members with the best of intentions. Family secrets are most often meant to protect loved ones but instead end up being painful baggage carried for generations. Stormy is determined to rid herself and her family of the curse and the baggage that came along with it. You’ll love the contrast among these ladies who all handle the curse in different ways. One of them will tug at your heart.

What’s the main message you want readers to take away from Par for the Curse?

Well, first I want the reader to be entertained and enjoy the story.  That’s important for fiction writers to understand that people read fiction to be entertained. Then, I want them to think about and identify generational curses in their own lives and throw it out in the trash. Not to be recycled!  It may not be the same plight as the Briggs family but there are patterns of negative behavior that need to be stopped in our communities.  I hope to help people find the courage to change their behavior. As they follow Stormy on her exploration, they can take their own along side of her.

Describe a day in the life of Toyi Ward.

I am a full-time writer.  I started last summer with the completion of PAR FOR THE CURSE manuscript.  I write every day in the morning.  I find that the key to writing is to sit down and do it. As a writer, if you sit in the chair the words will come….maybe not good words, but words that can be made into something good.  After I get my children to school and I’m settled in with my coffee I read what I wrote previously and build on from there. I usually write until noon or one o’clock before doing some social networking for the day.  Next it’s to school for pick-up, homework, maybe basketball, chess, or computer class for my little one, dinner, QT with the hubby and then I revisit writing in the evening.  The afternoon is also filled with non-fiction freelance assignments. I am basically in front of my computer 18 hours a day.

If you had to name a smell that always makes you nostalgic, what would it be? What sorts of memories does the smell evoke?

The smell of the air right  before it rains. My great grandmother taught me how to smell the rain.  Just before a summer storm, it takes me back to sitting on Grandma’s front steps as a little girl, playing Chinese checkers.

Of all your favorite foods, which one would you find the most difficult to give up for the rest of your life? Why?

French Fries! There is nothing for satisfying and comforting than a hot plate of thick cut fries with pepper and ketchup. Fries are the thing that I can never give up. I have given up chocolate for months, but never French fries.

Which household chore do you dislike the most?

Washing dishes. I’ve had a dishwasher since I graduated college. I washed so many dishes as a kid that I vowed once I left my parents’ home that I would never wash another dish. I would rather clean bathrooms and wipe down walls before doing a sink full of dishes.

Name at least one thing that every mom should receive for Mother’s Day. A ”thank you”.

Besides family members, what female has been instrumental in shaping you into the woman you have become today?

Without a doubt, it’s Maya Angelou.  She taught me what it meant to be a phenomenal woman and I’ve never forgotten it.   My power as a woman is more influential than anything else I can hold.  Charm is deceptive and beauty fades, but a woman that fears the Lord (and knows who she is) will be praised.

Toyi, thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with APOOO!

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