Ask the Author: Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
Answered Questions (11)
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
Maine, Vacationland; India; Jerusalem
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
A Closer Look At The Evidence and the Bible
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
My cruise was wonderful, especially Grand Cayman and Jamaica! happy Reading!
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
Satchie would just hold his peace in his skiff while posers circled in their Makos, revving up the bay waters, trying to hide they didn't just buy that new fishing license and captain-for-hire. As green as snotgrass, he thought, as he untangled his lures and washed down his boat.
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
Hi Brad: No, I haven't but you have me curious now. Definitely looking up and adding to my "To Read" list. I will be going on a cruise soon, and will def take along. What are your thoughts about his time in Louisiana? It's certainly a unique place! And what locale did he write about?
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
Hmmm...I'm blocked :) Maybe it's just turning the periscope, looking at the angles, procrastination, distraction, sluggery, family needs. financial needs amidst the absolute necessity to get the story out. One tool for me was writing "Why I write." Yep, an essay to myself recommended by someone in the publishing field. It helped me identify my passion, its goals and do a self-check on my motives. Trust God's timing but write on a schedule, with discipline and with dignity. The rest will fall into place. Pray for those areas that need reshaping and even pruning. He is faithful.
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
This answer probably varies. For me, it was a path for healing, for creative writing, for correcting injustices, for restoration and for working through darkness and brightening the narrative with compassion, sanity in safety. It was also a job I could do and be at home to take care of my family (even "grown boys) and run my household as a woman :) But the calling and affirmation has to be in place and the diligence to follow through.
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
Pray, hold on and keep moving forward! I kinda believe writers are born :) It's a calling, a longing and an unquenchable starting place for self-revelation, knowing who you are and creating a world you can appreciate through words.
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
I am currently finishing a novel, working title Poppy King. It's been dubbed "Steel Magnolias meets Flannery O'Connor." It's southern lit about two sisters, Poppy and Sissy, who grow through dysfunction with hilarity, thrills and regrets as they navigate New Orleans and the South Coast. Coming Soon!
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
I get inspired to write through scheduling (that is creating daily goals), long walks after writing blocks, prayers, friends, and reading other writer's journeys. It helps me feel understood when writing can be insular and weird. I thought I was the only one who did chores in the middle of the night, was awkward and precocious as a child with a rampant imagination, and pretend conversations, intense feelings and extra-sensitivity to normal things :) It helps to know other writers share those moments too! Carry On!
Toni Orrill, M.Ed.
The germ of the idea began really in childhood, at least in those memories, for Poppy King, my new book available soon. First, the locations were those I loved and knew fondly: the South, the Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. Second, I love exploring personalities, my own and others, alter-egos and characters. The south offers lots of ripe fodder for fiction. Finally, as writers, we work through our lives taking notes. Beware, you or any aspect of you, saying or quirk may appear in any fiction (nameless of course)!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more