An Interview With Vickie Treadway AKA Tory Lynn Romance Writer

What kinds of books did you read while growing up?
When I discovered books a whole new world opened up to me. The stories brought me to places I had never been before and my imagination began to soar. I started reading Dr. Sues, and then jumped into fairy tales. I remember my teachers reading books to us in class as a group. The Hobbit, Land of the Lost, and other adventure stories that brought us back in time with the dinosaurs. I loved Cinderella, The Princess and the Pea, Rose Red and Hans Christian Anderson. The first novel I read was Little Women then Ann of Green Gables. There were so many books that influenced me it is difficult to remember them all. I also had a secret love of comic books.

When did you start writing?
I was around nine years old. I began writing a lot of my feelings down. Words were a way for me to get what was inside of me out in the open. I started half page stories that never amounted to much, then discovered I liked rhyming words and that turned into poetry. I had pages and pages of poetry and shared a lot of them with teachers and friends. When asked what I wanted to do when I grew up, I responded with I want to be an author.

How old were you when you were first published?
I was eighteen years old when I shared a poem with a police officer who was helping me at the time. He asked if he could have a copy to get published in their news letter. I said yes and gave it to him. I have since lost the copy of the newsletter that poem was printed in, but I'll never forget the feeling I had when I read it in there. I also wrote a poem that was published in my year book at school. I was so shy at the time, it felt good to have something of mine in a book that would last a life time. I think that is when I truly wanted to be a writer.

When did you start writing romance?
When I discovered boys. lol I remember my first crush, my first love and I discovered I loved to write about it. I read lots of books, but there were some books I would have loved to see a different ending or a different plot, so I began experimenting on my own and well, the rest is history. I love love and everything about it.

You have a novel called "My Charming Protector" that is published, how long did that book take you to write?
Oh, my goodness, it took me about fifteen to twenty years. I wrote it between having to work and take care of my family. It was mostly done in long hand and lots of loose pieces of paper. When I got my first PC, I typed it in and it went faster and when I got my lap top I was able to finish it. I'm not sure how many revisions there were during that time frame, but I know there were a lot.

What is it about?
It is a contemporary romance with suspense and intrigue. My Charming Protector is about a young woman who knows company secrets are being stolen. She doesn't have the proof she needs to stop it. The security program she wrote does more than anyone expected it to do, except for her. She then finds herself in a web of dangerous circumstances. She is the type of woman who is very confident in her job, but is shy and unsure of the man she loves, she finds herself facing her biggest fears professionally and personally.

What is the most common question you get when people find out you write?
Well, if it is people I know, they want to know if I've written about them. lol I don't use real people for my characters, I think that could get me into trouble. I watch people all the time. Those I know and those that are just walking by. I create my characters with bits and pieces everyone I know and see. I like knowing each person I create is original and unique. We all have our own finger prints, so I want my characters to have their own too.

What gives you inspiration?
It isn't any one thing, it is everything around me. It's what I feel, what I believe, what I see and smell. The things that I touch and what touches me. I get a lot out of being able to sit and watch people. There are so many characteristics that people have, and not just the obvious ones. You got to look between the lines, the subtleties of what makes a person who they are. I like to watch how people treat each other. It is very telling in how a person is when you observe them in different settings. Strong emotions can really inspire me. Whether it is my own, or someone else. Emotions can really set the stage for some great writing. I love taking joy from the beauty I see all around me and using that in what I write. As you can see, there is a whole kaleidoscope of emotions, scents, tastes and feelings that is all around us if we just take the time to appreciate it and as a writer use it to our advantage.

How do you find time to balance your writing and being a working mom and wife?
It is difficult, especially knowing I'd spend every waking moment on the computer if I could. I have ideas constantly in my mind swimming around just waiting to get out on a word document. It helps to have paper with me all the time to write the ideas down so I won't lose them. I try to get my family involved, by asking them their ideas and what they think of mine. I don't want my personal dreams to be lost, they forget I'm a woman, a person with dreams and desires too. Most of the time they are too busy doing their own thing, but they like it when I try to include them even though most of the time they don't have feedback for me. Being a wife and mom though, I'm expected to be supportive and be apart of their ideas and hobbies without question. It is a good thing I love being apart of their lives, or it wouldn't seem fair. I know that until I can make some serious money, my writing hobby won't be taken seriously by anyone but me, so I will continue to stand up for for what I love doing, because as a person I don't want to lose myself. I try to spend the majority of my writing times while the family is gone, early in the morning while they are asleep, or late at night when I don't have to work the next day. Now that my daughter is in college, it is easier to have more time doing what I love.

You have short stories published how did you get started writing them and what kinds of stories are they?
Some of my author friend had been posting on different forums about Amazon.com and the Shorts program they had for authors who had books already published. I looked into it and tried my hand at writing short stories. I had never really tried except when I was a lot younger and didn't really know what I was doing. My first short story was called "Message Board Romance". Yes, most of my stories are sweet romance reads. I have one short story that is true called "The Magic Christmas Bear". It is a true story about one Christmas after we adopted our daughter. It had been difficult for her, because she was six and had a lot of issues. Being adopted after being shuffled around can't be easy for any child and it wasn't easy for her. The one thing she wanted most was being loved and accepted for who she was. As new parents, it was difficult for us too, but loving and having our daughter in our lives was a life altering event we would never change.

The Amazon short program stopped after a few years and Kindle came to be. They said that if I wanted to publish my stories on their Kindle program to go a head and that is what I have done. I have several short stories there.
"Message Board Romance"
"Paige Traverson's Hero In the Night"
"The Magic Christmas Bear"
"Troublesome Pugsley, Caitlyn's Best Friend"
"Sensual Delights"
"Passionate Encounter"
"Road to Discovery, A Christmas Story"
"Coming Home"

Where did you get the covers for your Kindle short stories?
They are my own photos. I didn't know what to do about not having covers and didn't want to not have them. I had a lot of fun making them and it feels good to have something of my own for others to see. I love playing around with my camera, I guess you can say that is my other hobby. I've never taken a photography class, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Do you have other work in progress?
lol, well of course I do. I have an almost finished Manuscript called "Milestone Ridge Mountain Magic, I have another one I've been working on called "The Jacey McMillian Story. Well that title is a working title and I haven't decided yet. It is a Christmas story. I have a lot of short stories I have finished and have in a file. I know one day I'll get back to them to polish. I want to find a publisher for them.

What advice would you give to other writers?
If all you think about is writing, then you must write. Believe in yourself and don't let others stomp on your dreams, because most of it luck, being in the right place at the right time. Learn as much as you can about the writing profession and what it takes to get published. It isn't easy. The most important thing is to have fun. Carry paper with you all the time to make notes, doodle, and to write down that inspiration that could be the seed to a story that will knock the socks off of some publisher someday. Learn from other writers and authors and ask a lot of questions.

Is there anything else you want to say?
Haha, there is plenty I'd love to say, but I will leave it for now with a huge thank you to my husband Russ and my daughter Nicole for putting up with me. Without them, I'd be nothing. I want to thank my mother, Theda, for always believing in me and telling me that I have the world at my fingertips and I can do what I want to make my own splash in this world of ours. My two sisters and my two brother's have always encouraged me to do what is in my heart and to never give up. Thanks Kathy, Linda, Chuck and Alex. I love you all.

The Idiot Driver!

I was shopping at the store to get my weekly food supplies when I was turning a corner with my basket. I had to abruptly stop because a man shot out of the next isle as if he were in a race and almost hit me and an older woman who was standing near me.

The man looked at me and the older woman, but didn't say sorry, excuse me, or go to hell. He then hurried on and stopped in the main isle causing a traffic jam with other shoppers, to talk with a woman who looked a little embarrassed.

The man took off again as the older woman next to me said as loud as she could, "Just like a man driver! They drive like a bat out of hell for no good reason and then "they" have the nerve to talk about us women."

There were a lot of laughs from all of us shoppers who heard her and even now a couple of hours later I still can't stop laughing.

Vickie

Setting The Mood

Every time I look into your eyes I feel the heat of passion fill my soul. My breath catches in my throat with a soft groan as you take me into your arms and and lightly kiss my cheek and neck. I feel your hot breath against me as I lift my lips to yours as you slowly lower me to the soft damp leaves in the woods where we are as our bodies meet as one...

Hmmmm, description is important as you set the mood in a hot scene. I don't think that graphic step by step descriptions are always necessary, but they do have their place in the market, so when writing your love scenes know who you are going to be submitting your work too and what is expected.

My book, My Charming Protector, has a few love scenes in it, but there is more to the story than what goes on between the sheets. I've gotten feedback that the love scenes in my book aren't way out there and they fit with the story as a whole.

Writing love scenes for others to read takes a little getting used too. I mean when people look at me after reading my book they look at me in a whole new way. I mean how embarrassing is it when they ask, "Are you describing something personal?" Just wanted to set the record straight. When I write I am in my character and not describing a personal event. What a character does, feels and believes is not necessarily what the writer does, feels, believes. Are we clear? I hope so. lol

My comfort zone is writing sweet reads. Giving descriptions of romance where man meets woman, eyes connect and hormones go wild with attraction without all the graphic detail entwined in a story that is believable and sweet. I love good descriptions of how one is feeling when a new love enters one's life and fresh feelings of excitement makes your heart go pitter patter as the story pulls your emotions in a mixture of feelings that the characters go through as they find their way.

In a romance the first kiss between the man and woman is very special. If described correctly you make your reader want to place themselves into the story where the heroine or the hero is as if they are too experiencing the same thing. Lets face it. If a first kiss is described as a sloppy uncomfortable experience, who wants to read further? You most definitely want to draw your reader into your story, so take extra care to set the mood.

I will continue on with my descriptive writing and setting the mood in hopes that I get better with time. As a writer I will always be trying to learn my craft better and I want to be very comfortable writing the thing that makes me the happiest.

It is extremely important to remember ... If the writer doesn't believe what they have written no matter how outlandish, the reader wont' believe it either.

Vickie Treadway

My Inspiration

I take a break from working on my present WIP to go outside and enjoy the morning as the sun comes up. I sit on a chair on my front porch and sip my coffee enjoying the warmth of the liquid as my skin is slightly chilled from the morning air. I breath deep and smell the colliding scents of clean fresh air and the recent rain from last nights storms mixed with horse and cow manure from the nearby pastures.

I can't say that the morning is quiet, because it is abuzz with sounds from the crickets and the birds as they wake up to go hunting for their morning meal. There is a slight breeze that causes the leaves on the nearby trees to rustle and mix with the far off noise of a car whose driver is off to start their day.

I look up into the morning sky and see the sun coming up and peaking through the low lying clouds on this side of the mountain. Vibrant colors of pink, yellow, purple and orange fill the eastern sky then turn darker as the sun rises hiding behind the heavier clouds.

As I sit here and witness this kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and smells I am thankful and overjoyed to be able to sit here and be apart of this wonderful morning. I have been able to put aside the stresses of the week to take part in the moment. Times like now I feel like I am a part of nature and it's beauty and not just an observer looking in.

I thank God for moments like this and give him all of the glory for all of the blessings in my life even for those I have not been able to see and experience yet.

I take inspiration from these moments and hold them close to my heart. It gives me hope that things will turn out as they should and it gives me an open mind to put words on paper as I continue writing the stories I have in my heart.

Vickie Treadway

To Change or Not To Change?

When do you know when enough is enough and it is time for a change? Do you just force the change because your too tired to go on, or do you try to keep going until an opportunity comes along to make the change a lot easier?

I keep plugging along hoping and praying that things will get better, but the only thing that is becoming clearer is the fact that I am having more bad days than good. I know that I have a choice to make.

I have a choice to either continue the way I am going, or I can make the decision to go into uncharted territories and try something new without a clear plan. The first way is comfortable and I at least know what is going to happen and it helps the family, because they all benefit from what is already tried and true.

The second choice will give me personal satisfaction and the possibility of finding something that is new and more meaningful, or I can fall flat on my face and those who depend on me can be hurt.

If I were alone and had no one to answer to but myself, I would most definitely take the chance to make a change to help myself, but with others to consider I feel as if I am stuck.

I guess the bottom line is that I'm not willing to take the chance to take a blind leap into the unknown because it could hurt those who depend on me if there is no clear plan. I need to put my faith in God to help me and to guide me into making the change when there are better opportunities at hand.

My Mother

Today is my mother's birthday and her name is Theda. She is a woman who undoubtedly loves her kids, all five of us. She wasn't perfect, nor did I expect her to be as we grew up. I sure as heck know that we weren't perfect and we all gave my mother the gray hair she sports today along with her life's experiences.

Today during our conversation she told me she didn't have any big plans to get get out to celebrate her special day. Though she see's better without the Cataract in her eyes since her eye surgery, I'm sad to say she has a degenerative eye condition which will leave her blind someday. It is this condition that stops her from going out and enjoying the beautiful sunshiny day that has blessed that region in the great northwest.

Mom also has diabetes, which has effected her whole nervous system which is literally causing her to fall apart with continual health problems. As her health fails I can't help but think about all that woman has gone through and the experiences she has had in her 73 years.

My mom has taught me more than I will ever know and she has been there for me with unconditional love no matter what has happened in the life we have lived. There are too many lessons in life I won't forget because of her.

I am only a phone call away, but I wish I could be there to hold my mom and to kiss her soft cheek and to tell her in person that I love her. I know that one day she will not be here so I try to never take for granted who that lovely woman is to me.

Happy Birthday MOM. I Love You!!