Today we’d like to introduce you to Toretha Wright.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
My journey as a writer began when I read my first book. I learned to read from the Dick and Jane books in first grade. I enjoyed the stories about Dick and Jane, their baby sister, Sally, and their dog and cat, Spot and Puff. I mention this memory because those books ignited my love for reading. Those stories and pictures stirred something inside me, and I started drafting short stories about the people in my neighborhood. Fast-forward to third grade, my teacher read some of my stories and encouraged me to continue writing. That’s when the real fun began. I started reading books from my mom’s collection, some were over my head, but that didn’t curtail my pursuit. My love for literature was further inspired by my afternoon trips to the Aiken Public Library with my sister, Sadie. There, I found some great American literary icons – Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Arna Bontemps, and Langston Hughes – who furthered my interest in creative literature.
After high school, I entered college, where I declared majors, first in psychology, early childhood education, and finally in business administration neither clicked for me, so after two years, I joined the workforce, satisfied that I could earn a living and still do what I loved – reading and journal writing. My summers found me selecting a contemporary author and reading the entire body of work by that author. I worked as a commercial lines insurance underwriter for several years while writing poetry, short stories, and dallying in the creative arts. I loved the theater, and while living in Michigan, I met friends who introduced me to a group of fine arts aficionados. They helped feed my soul with multi-disciplined creative arts – dance, theater, poetry, and visual art. During my adventures, a local arts newsletter published my first poetry piece. That’s when I knew I had found my calling, and more would come of this. I continued writing in various genres, short stories, poetry, theatrical plays, and essays on the condition of the community. But it would be years before I published my first novel in 2002.
Later that year, I began writing and editing professionally and earning a living. Thus, WrightStufCo was born. I started my one-person company with a chair, desk, and a second-hand dell PC. My first clients were novices like me, but we bartered our talents. I did some writing and editing, while others performed web building and graphic design services. My business income came from editing papers for college students and books for local authors. WrightStufCo soon developed into a full-fledged editing service for other publications. Today, it is a thriving publishing service, helping new authors get their works published.
Over the years, I have authored several articles in various magazines, newsletters, and other publications and penned twelve fiction books, plus six children’s books. Recently, I was honored as the recipient of the 2020 International Afro-American Historical and Genealogy Society (AAHGS) Book Award in the Historical Fiction Romance/History category for my novel, “The Secrets of the Harvest.” The AAHGS Book Award is a competitive contest established to recognize, promote, and honor authors of high-quality publications that accurately examine and portray African-ancestors family history and genealogy. It has been 21 years since WrightStufCo (later renamed WrightStuf Consulting LLC) was launched. We continue to assist new and seasoned authors in getting their voices in print.
The books I authored include the following:
- “Ties That Bind Us: Ivy’s Passion” 2002
- “Flat Shoes” 2004
- “Souls on Fire” 2006
- “Reflections in a Faded Mirror” 2007
- “Secrets of the Harvest” 2015
- “Shadow People” 2016
- “Dates and Nuts & other recipes for Romance and Madness” Volume 1 2017
- “It’s About Time,” A Collaborative Make Your Own Adventure Story 2018
- “Black Misery and other Slave Songs” 2019
- “Ties That Bind Us: Cleo’s Song” 2020 – This book was combined with “Ivy’s Passion” in 2021
- “Dates and Nuts & other recipes for Romance and Madness” Volume 2 2021
My children’s books in the Red Scholar collection include:
- “Jordin the Crawfish is a Very Fine Scholar”
- “Cory the Frog Finds the Missing Alphabets”
- “J’me and the Butterflies Can Count to 10”
- “Teach Me About the United States Constitution,”
- “Teach Me About the 50 United States” is currently being revised.
- “The Candy Store Owner”
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
My venture as a writer and entrepreneur has been challenging. Like many businesses, I have faced feast and famine. The highs and lows did come my way, but I stayed the course. I worked at some permanent jobs and took on contract work during the low tides. But as a creative writer, you can view every day as a future story. Some of my assignments took me to different cities and towns. As a writer of prose and poetry, I often find most people interesting, with a story or two inside of them waiting to be released. I was captivated by the stories I heard from strangers I met during my travels. I would sit and listen, storing up what was told to me. My creative juices would drool, and when I sat down to write, I’d smile and sometimes laugh out loud while putting a fiction piece together on my Dell. Soon you’d find the bits and pieces of these strangers’ lives they so proudly poured out to me sprawled somewhere on the pages of one of my books or stage plays. Of course, names would be changed to protect the innocent. More struggles would come when the contract assignments were few to none and books written were not sold. There were times when discouragement was the theme of the day. However, I found my writing stronger and more prolific during those times. My award-winning novel was written during one of those times.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
WrightStufco celebrated 20 years in business this past April. We started as an anchor for editing papers for college students and books for local authors. It soon developed into a full-fledged editing service for other publications. Since then, we have become a thriving publishing service for authors nationwide. Our professional services help new and seasoned authors get their voices in print. Over the years, and through grace, WrightStufCo has used its unique talents to publish more than 120 books, and we’re still counting. In 2005, KP Productions was added to the WrightStufco enterprise as a performing arts venture, out of which KUUMBA, a small group of theater enthusiasts, was formed. We collaborate with some of the most celebrated theatrical performers around town and provide guest speakers, artists, and literary enthusiasts for events. To bring the organization full circle, we launched our IT consulting services in the summer of 2009. As a solutions provider, we dedicated our brand to providing quality, innovative IT consulting for our insurance clients. Our skills included software development and implementation, business requirements, and business specifications for product development. In 2019, we retired this arm of WrightStuf ventures and replaced it with short films and documentaries. Be on the lookout for new stuff coming soon.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
I view risk-taking as an everyday phenomenon. When you wake up in the morning, you take risks because you never know what will come your way. As an individual, you must always have a secondary plan or a Plan B in place. Always think about the “ifs.” What would I do if this or that happened? And think about having some insurance in place. Only use some of your savings, and by all means, be ready to work a second or third job if that’s an option. Learn a new trade or skill or turn a hobby into an income stream. And most of all, live within your means. I know I sound boring. But I’m good. (I just smiled because I’ve been called boring before, but again, I’m good).
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wrightstuf.com
- Instagram: writinsista
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/torethawrightauthor
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torethawright/
- Twitter: @wrightStufCo
