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.