Our First 5 Star Editorial Review for Dimes, Profiles and Wives: Today's Proverbs 31 Woman

We earned our first 5 Star Editorial Review for the first book in the Dimes, Profiles and Wives series from Reader's Favorite. Also, we are the running for their awards contest. Blessings are coming for Toyshelf Services LLC and our founder Toya Raylonn Vickers!

Maria Victoria Beltran

Review Rating:

5 Stars - Congratulations on your 5-star review! 

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Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers’ Favorite
Dimes, Profiles and Wives: Today's Proverbs 31 Woman by Toya Raylonn Vickers is a Christian novel about three modern-day women desperately seeking to fall in love, marry and live happily ever after. Owner of the relatively successful Ooo-lala Hair Salon, Tracey is dating two men, Charles (Chucky) Alexander Pryor, Jr and Robert Thrasher. Chucky is a junior partner at his father’s accounting firm, a renowned company on the East Coast. Robert, on the other hand, is involved in some kind of shady business. Sharon is a church-going African American lawyer who is a control freak. She is dating Cornelius Eugene Wynd, a partner at one of the largest law firms on the East Coast. Destiny is a licensed clinical social worker who just discovered that Stan Milton Reid, the man she is engaged to marry, is not what she thinks he is. Frustrated, she calls the wedding off but Stan is still pursuing her. The three are the best of friends and they want to live up to the standards of a true Proverbs 31 woman in the modern world. As the novel unravels, we get to know them intimately as the new year starts and they seek their life partners. These women are not lacking in men interested in them but first, they need to begin to live in a good and sensible way to find the right man in their lives. Will they finally find what they are looking for at the end of the year?

Toya Raylonn Vickers's Dimes, Profiles and Wives is a very engaging story about friendship and love in the contemporary world. Sharon's, Tracey's, and Destiny's stories can actually be read as stand-alone novels but having them together in one novel lets the reader look at a much bigger picture. Women can easily relate to the characters emotionally because, in spite of the growing independence of women today, having the right partner in life is what most of us still dream of. This novel will have readers laughing, crying, and swooning at one time or another. Tracey, Sharon and Destiney are certainly not perfect human beings but they all have redeeming qualities. Exploring positive and negative relationships, the narrative tries to uncover the many pitfalls and common errors in relationships and suggests that having God at the center of your relationship will result in harmony and longevity.

Sometimes romantic, sometimes tragic, Dimes, Profiles and Wives will also make you think about families and humanity. Indeed, reading this novel will help readers discover the reasons why relationships do not work and, perhaps by doing so, find the partner who is meant for them. The book also explores what it means to be a Proverbs 31 Woman in an ever-changing world and it is a very enlightening read. I recommend this book to men and women out there who are looking for the right person they can spend the rest of their lives with!

Book link:  https://amzn.to/3oKcqfl

Don't Quit! Let it Fuel Your Dreams!

 In 2018 I was working at my day job when I encountered a horrible customer. I worked at a call center and most times the customers I spoke to on a daily basis have problems with their services or just have questions. This call though was by far the worst call I had ever had in my career. The customer basically berated me so much stating how worthless I was and that this care package for their college student was a matter of life or death. Of course, they were exaggerating but I felt empathetic of their issues and closed the call the best I could. But by the time I got to my car, I was in tears. Right before I left the office the management team was hunkered at the entrance, and I voiced my issues and concerns with the call holding back my tears. They gave me the encouragement and confidence I needed for that moment. But I had it made up in my mind, I was not coming back to be belittled, berated, and judged by people who feel entitled because they didn’t have to do the job that I was doing.

 

Flash forward to later that day when I found an article about my job site and hurricane Florence evacuees. This seemingly unimportant business had taken it upon itself to evacuate 50 of our employees and bring them to Columbus, OH because our NC site was in the eye of the storm. Later that night I had a dream and the Lord basically showed me how I could be of more service there and that I could not quit my day job. This job not only helped to pay my bills, but it allowed me to follow my dreams as a writer. It also helped me to still be a contributor to society with my disability as well. There had been some management transitions that I at first was not enthusiastic about, however this action of the company to help families in need touched my heart. Not many companies would do what they did during such a traumatic event.

 

So, I say this, if you are at a job where it can get frustrating to continue on, remember this. What is your dream and how is your current position helping you to reach it? If you were in the same boat as me, working on a dream, then maybe you should chuck it up my friend and keep that job because you don’t know where it could take you. I was able to work efficiently at Contact Us for over 7 years with my limitations. The management was great at assisting their employees in the things they needed to not only further their careers but cover their families. I was so glad that I had a place where I could assist a multitude of customers who need our services. Even though I am formally educated in psychology and social work, I have been able to utilize my education to help my clients. Yeah, it may be a “stupid job” to those who feel it’s beneath them to do, but it was mine. So, don’t quit your day job just yet. Let it be fuel for your dreams to come true like I did. Currently I am operating a successful writing firm. You can go to my website www.toyshelfservices.com 

The #1 Tip for Success as a Self-Published Author

Okay so let’s get right to it. You have the novel you’ve been keeping under lock and key, and you are all ready to publish it. You don’t care how many people actually read it; you just want to see your life’s work in print. Well, if you just don’t care what happens in the future as far as your writing career goes, let me suggest one thing: do not edit your work.

There you have it, the number one tip for success by getting your novel in the hands of more readers, is editing. Good editing that you will have to invest in is worth every penny. Especially if you want to be taken seriously in the industry of writing, you will need to have your works edited. I know this fact all too well.

I made the mistake of self-publishing too fast without a professional edit of my first book. Now granted I sold over one hundred copies on the first print, which is a success for any author. (Selling even one book is a feat all in itself). But I had to deal with some not so good reviews from even my closest friends who knew I was a good writer.

My best tip for any self-published author is to take the little pennies you do have and hire an editor. You can even get on Fiverr to get some help with it. I know, it sounds crazy, but it can be done economically. But if it sounds like a ridiculous price to pay, then it probably is.

Pay attention to who you trust with your work as well. As I’ve always done, get it copyrighted before you let it leave your hands. It is easy to do online now. As your work is in process you can have all the editing done and self-publish when it is really ready to be shown to the world. With that, go on ahead and step out on faith and get that masterpiece edited.