Tonya Duncan Ellis started her professional life as a journalist and although she always wanted to write stories, she didn’t think she had it in her to write a novel.

It was when she became a mother and read books to her children that she noticed they were not being represented in any of the books they picked up.

She decided she would write her own stories, where her children were represented, and set it in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

Tonya takes me through her journey from writing that first draft, making the decision to self publish, building her name as a local author and someone who visits schools and talks to the kids there.

Duncan Ellis is an incredibly determined woman and was clear from the start she wanted to get her books out into the world. She believes in her books and wants them in every Barnes & Noble!

Using her journalist skills, she pitched her books to local newspapers and garnered coverage that way. She also paid to have a Kirkus Indie Review, which was worth the investment because school librarians trust those reviews and bought her books as a result.

She also applied for Vendor Status, which she tells me is necessary if you want your books in public schools and into the school syllabus.

School visits are one of the things Tonya loves most about her author life. Mingling with the kids, hearing their stories and lightning to their ideas, is great fun and a source of wonderful inspiration for the next books in the Sophie Washington series.

One young black girl was so inspired by Tonya Duncan Ellis that she entered a competition held by Black Children's Book week, which she won and was awarded the prize of $400.

If that doesn't show a child it’s possible to make a living with words, nothing does!

We go on to talk about how Tonya finds the time to write amongst her family life, and she says time blocking is an important part of her scheduling. She gets up early in the morning, so she has at least an hour of quiet time to write before everyone else gets up.

She says in the early days she literally locked herself in her room so she could get the peace and quiet she needed!

Another part of Tonya’s business is the merchandise and printables she produces. 

She owns the copyright to the images used in her books and uses them in colouring books, t-shirts and much more. She says it’s a great way to recoup some of the costs associated with her writing.

We finished our conversation with Tonya Duncan Ellis telling me about her Sophie Washington series and how each book has a Texas Twist. In each book the children see alligators or go to the rodeo, or interact with another ‘flavour of Houston’.

If you want to write middle grade books, this episode is for you. Tonya Duncan Ellis is a fantastic example of what you can achieve if it's something you really want. 

Links:

Home - Tonya Duncan Ellis

Black Children's Book Week - Black Baby Books

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