Par for the Curse Blog Tour with Toyi Ward
Written by RAWSISTAZ · May 29, 2009 · 393 views
RAWSISTAZ talks to Toyi Ward, author of Par for the Curse, about her writing process.
How long did it take you to write Par for the Curse.Â
Five years from first word to press. But I was working full time so I anticipate I could have completed it in a couple of years if I were working on it full time.
How would you describe your writing style?
In one word….Real. There was a period of time when I stopped reading fiction because it was mushy to my brain. I wanted something to stimulate me even if it was a fictional account of something. So I endeavor to make my readers feel like they are reading a true story about someone else. I also work hard to provide proper sentence structure with an intentional rhythm. Even though my books aren’t neccessarily literary I desire for them to be well-written in form and in story.
Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what kind?
No, I don’t. I write in silence or with just an open window and the sounds of outside birds, wind, rain, or whatever.
Tell us anything about you as a writer that you think might be interesting or unusual.
I’m always reading three books at a time when I write: A book on writing craft, a novel I think is quality fiction, and a spritual development/living book. Those three help me to keep my center and stay focused on producing the best of what’s inside of me. It’s the reason why I have an Amazon Kindle. I need all three books with me always. I must read before I write. Go figure!
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
I have two very important lessons that will always stay with me. Number one, You must never quit. Number two is a profound lesson I learned. The subject that you dread the most is the one you should write about. Be uncomfortable. It will produce a raw and authentic representation of your voice.Â
Writers are often encouraged to write what they know. Have you found that to be the case with your writing?
Yes, always. I consider my writing a ministry. You cannot minister effectively anything that you haven’t been through. As a writer, I always have some sort of connection with what I write. It’s why my writing process is so complicated at times because I start with something I know and turn it into something unrecognizable but with the same message and theme.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Stormy has grown up with the warning that she is cursed. Raised in a family of eight women with twenty-four husbands among them, she has managed to escape the family’s legacy thus far. Things begin to change once she is given the details concerning a hex that was cast upon her great grandmother over eighty years ago.
Managing the antics of her adulteress young cousin, Riley, exhausts Stormy. Comforting the heartbreak of her older cousin Lourdes, angers her. After a devastating turn of events on par with her birthright, Stormy decides to seek a remedy for the family’s plight. She travels to New Orleans determined to find answers. Along the way she faces a quilt of obstacles and a set of choices that challenge her reality. Will she reveal the information or continue playing the hand she was dealt by an angry young woman in the Bayou?
Par for the Curse reveals the influence of voodoo and the impact of generational secrets on family, life, and love.
Follow the Par for the Curse Blog Tour schedule at http://bitly.com/ParfortheCurse.
*A Tywebbin Creations Online Event*
RAWSISTAZ Literary Group was founded in 2000 to support and promote the work of African-American authors. The groups, on and offline, represent close to 600 readers, writers, aspiring writers, and others interested in literacy and the impact on our communities.
Toyi, thanks so much for sharing with us. I like your book cover and title and I look forward to reading the book.
-Tee
Good interview ladies. I now have a new author to read. : )
Toyi, what other books have you written? And do you have a website?
Great interview. I look forward to reading Par for the Curse.
Thanks for sharing with us. I am wondering when you wrote your first book, how was your experience from written book to pubish to first sale? did you do your own promotion? did you self publish? self edit?
Thanks for dropping by the tour everyone! I appreciate the love. I’m new to the literary world. Par for the Curse is my first novel and it’s getting great reviews thanks to the early readers. Stay in touch with my via my website, twitter, myspace, or facebook. Be sure to check out the Book Blog at http://parforthecurse.toyiward.com
Great interview and many congrats to you on your first novel. Will you be attending the National Book Club Conference this year? This event is a great opportunity for you to introduce your new book to a large audience of dedicated readers while networking with others in the literary industry As a new author myself, I’d love to meet you and share ideas. Please feel free to contact me off loop at tricehickman@yahoo.com. Many blessings!
I look forward to reading your book. It sounds very interesting.