Author of the Week: Altonya Washington

How did you become a writer? 

I think it's safe to say that it was purely by chance. I've always been an avid romance reader (I love many genres, but romance is my fave) After college, I realized that my love for the stories I'd always enjoyed was overshadowed by my need to see more characters who looked like me. Living in South Carolina circa 1994, AA romance was difficult to come by. So...I decided to craft my own...

Where does your inspiration for your characters come from? 
So many places, I'm mostly inspired by names. I spend lots of time jotting down names that intrigue me, it gets me started on the road to creating the man or woman that it would be tied to.

What are you hoping readers take from your book? 
From this this particular book Taboo Tree, I really hope that readers are left with a lot to think about such as the choices they make regarding kids and sexual partners to what they'd do if they found themselves in the utterly complex situation these characters find themselves in...

If you were to write a book about a controversial topic, what would it be? 
It would be this one. Taboo Tree is the most controversial title I've written to date. The idea of finding your soul mate only to discover you're related...it was an extremely challenging topic for me to tackle.

Most writers have a process or method for writing their books, what is yours?
I tend to hunker down and write anyplace at any time so setting isn't a part of my process. As for method, I tend to spend several months just thinking about my characters, jotting down notes about them, etc...then I start with a premise/overview of what I think they story will be about. After that I start on my outline/which resembles a rough draft as it’s so very detailed. Once the outline is done, I’m ready to write the story. All this is done in longhand using a college ruled notebook and my favorite blue Bic pens. Outline is plotted out on white typing paper. Once the story is written, I’m ready to type!

What is your favorite genre of books?
Crime Fiction, Paranormal Romance & Fantasy Epics in that order.

Are you an avid or occasional reader?
I’d like to say avid, but it really depends on how busy I am. A friend recently turned me on to Audible and I’ve been having the best time getting through my lengthy reading list. Things tend to wind down for me near the end of the year and I’m able to settle back with a few good books and actually read.

What are two things you want your readers to know about you?
That writing is an obsession for me. I’m ALWAYS writing something and that I absolutely love being a mom as hectic as it is!

If you could interview one of your favorite authors, who would it be? Why?
I’d love to interview Stephen King. I once read an article about his humble early days of writing. In the article if; I remember correctly, it stated that he would often write in the basement of his house on an old manual typewriter perched atop a wooden board that he’d rest over his lap to serve as a makeshift desk. I’d love to talk about his journey and how those early days made him the creator that he is today.

What is or was your dream job?
WRITING!!! Being a fulltime writer would be it for me.

What new projects are you working on?
Currently at work on the sequel to one of my erotica titles: Ruler of Perfection.

Where can readers find you?

I’m all over the place. I still struggle with putting lots of time in on the social network sites, but readers can find me on Twitter www.twitter.com/#!/ramseysgirl

and Facebook www.facebook.com/altonyaw

and at GoodReads and Shelfari. They can visit my website at:www.lovealtonya.com and they can always email me: altonya@lovealtonya.com

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