Interview with La Toya McCray – Ramona Portelli Blog

Interview with La Toya McCray

LaToya McCray was born in Wilson, North Carolina on June 30,1988. Also, she graduated from E.T. Beddingfield High school in 2006. She has been writing ever since she attended Wilson Community College. Her passion came from writing short stories for the Wilson Literary Review: A Journal of Literature, Culture, and the Arts Journal. She writes street literature like no other. Twists and turns in plots, she specializes in her writing. Creating violent underworlds, she is very good at this type of writing. Not only she writes street literature, but she writes also romance. 

LaToya McCray depicts her future to write more standalone novels in romance every since her debut novel “He’s A Fruitcake.” LaToya McCray writes with so much talent in both genres that she even dreams to write a mystery/thriller. She writes with talent through many poignant plots with some many interesting characters that possessed in her novels. Her characters came from thought provoking inspirations from many novels that were read throughout her life. 

She is a fan of Eric Jerome Dickey’s mysterious novels such as “Chasing Destiny,” “Waking with the Enemies,” or “Dying for Revenge” are some examples. Eric Jerome Dickey had proven her ability to write more every day. LaToya McCray hopes and dreams that readers can be entertained and inspired by her writing too. She can inspire other authors as well when they write. 

How many books have you published so far?

I was a self-published author for ten years and then decided to work with a publisher short-term. So, all my books are totaled up to about ten books.

Tell me more about your latest book.

My latest book is so much of street lit. Street lit is very popular genre for the African-American community. My latest book was just revamped when I was with my publisher at that time. I’ve learned so much from my publisher based on how to promote yourself in this industry and also refining a brand. My latest book needed to be in the street lit genre because it fits even though I am writing about a popular salsa dancer and it’s a mixture of romance, violence, and a little mystery. When I was a self-published author this book wasn’t marketable even though I started writing this story every since 2010. Based on the characters and the storyline I had more of a dramatic and complicated storyline that fits a street lit genre. My book is my favorite among others that I’ve written because you can’t go wrong with writing a book that just transformed into another genre while keeping the main storyline every since the beginning, which is so rewarding.  I just love my latest book because I am willing to write more of this genre in the future.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

My goal is to focus on being consistent to reaching goals as an author and sale like it is my own brand after releasing a 5-star book. I am focused on popular genres that I love such as urban romance, street lit, women’s fiction, African-American romance, multi-cultural romance, urban fiction, and thriller.

What book or books have had a strong influence on you or your writing?

Since I am a reader that made me be a better author I adore books from Kimberla Lawson Ruby, which is all about complicated Christian Fiction book series that she written, which I have read  one book from her that was in the middle of the Curtis Black series as known as “The Ultimate Betrayal,” which changed my life and the second book  called “Better Late Than Ever,” which was also outstanding that made me write more romance in the future. I am willing to read the whole book series from her. When I started writing I just finished reading some books from Eric Jerome Dickey’s novels that were like reading action movies. For example, his books that I adore was “Driving Me Crazy,” “Chasing Destiny,” and of course the Gideon series. Also, I adore dramatic and suspenseful novels such as street lit that made me write more of the genre as if I took my writing to the next level based on authors like Ashely Antoinette & Jacquavis who written “The Cartel” series. Lastly, it won’t hurt to read a new and popular genre like urban romance from my favorite authors like Kenya Redd, Sha Jones, Yandy Binx, and Jessica Watkins. All of these authors in the urban romance genre made me be inspired because I am willing to write more of urban romance since I adore romance as well. I’ve read Kenya Redd’s “Duchess: A Hood Love Triangle,” Sha Jones’ “Kody and Kaci,” Yandy Binx’s “Confessions of a Goon’s Wife,” and Jessica Watkins’ side chick book series. Lastly, I am a fan of Jaythawriter who is in both genres like urban romance and street lit. 

In what ways do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

I would say I do both as to being original and being known in a popular genre that I adore to write. I can’t help by writing what readers really like to read because it’s the popular genre that I’ve learned to be passionate about all the time. Secondly, I can’t write without being original because I have my own style of writing just as every author that I know. Every author is different and I just want to share my own craft. When you show your originality many readers are willing to get know you through your writing, which is remarkable about being an author.

More information & to get to know more about Toya McCray :-

Amazon  https://www.amazon.com/LaToya-McCray/e/B00DYABRHI?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1562084387&sr=8-2

Instagram @l.love_persona

Facebook: @LaToya McCray

                 @R&B Swagged Out (Book Page)

                @The End of The Sun Rays (Book Page)

                 @Loving A Rapper  (Book Page)

Twitter @latoya_mccray

www.latoyamccray.com

Pinterest  @Inner City Fit


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