Exclusive Interview with Toni Larue best-selling self-published Author 12/31/14

January 07, 2015

We had the pleasure of sitting down with Toni Larue to talk about her latest novel Abandoned Secrets and her new organization B.I.C. which stands for Beauty, Intelligence, and Confidence. Toni is passionate about writing and excited about the launching of B.I.C. movement in January 2015.

Tell us about Abandoned Secrets.

Toni: Abandoned Secrets is telling a story of a young woman’s journey as she searches for her mother who abandoned her as a child, (Monroe, the main character). She is convinced that finding her mother and learning why she left is the key to all of her problems. She doesn’t trust anyone, she can’t really love anyone, and she can’t maintain a long-term relationship. So she feels that if given the answer why, that will make all her issues disappear. But Monroe’s father is against her finding her mother but the more he insists that she let it go, the more she grows curious.

Monroe teams up with this FBI agent and they uncover this world of organized crime down here in Las Vegas. So the story pretty much follows them as they put together the pieces of the puzzle to discover how Monroe’s mother is connected to a crime ring. Abandoned Secrets deals with a lot of taboo topics like self-hatred, self-mutilation, and suicide. Even though it’s a fiction novel, I wanted to incorporate some type of message in the story.

Photo credits: Team Jon Doe content owns all rights to book cover (2014)

What inspires you to write?

Toni: What inspires me? Creative expression, just the need for it, God inspires me, life inspires me, every situation that I go through, every person that I meet, the writer in me is always present, and I am always searching for something interesting and different.

How long have you been writing?

Toni: I have been writing professionally for 10 years. I was writing for an online magazine and a technical writer for Hospital in the marketing department doing their website and brochures. It’s always been a part of my life. L

Tell us about the organization that you are launching on January 1, 2015. What does this mean to you and what’s the purpose and mission of B.I.C?

Toni: B.I.C. is launching January 1, 2015 and it stands for Beauty, Intelligence, and Confidence. It’s a movement that empowers women of all ages and backgrounds. It gives them the tools to lead a more balanced life physically, mentally, and spiritually. I pretty much created this because I think it’s important that women support one another. I feel that there is a need for a positive message and help women appreciate what they have to offer. It’s really about becoming the person you were born to be and being comfortable with who you are evolving as a person in general. The mission for B.I.C. is to empower women to lead a more balanced life physically, spiritually, and mentally.

What’s in store for Toni Larue for 2015?

Toni: The B.I.C. Campaign is what I am really focusing on and we are doing local events out here in Las Vegas. We are getting women together and women represent B.I.C. to speak to young kids and even women who have been through a lot. I am really focused on that and I have my next novels which is No Kissing and Abandon Secrets sequel will be coming out this year.

Do you have advice for aspiring writers who want to be published?

Toni: My advice is to keep writing, incorporate it in your daily life, learn the industry, and learn your business. Always study your craft and learn different ways to tell a story that is the only way you are really going to evolve.