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.

Celebrated for Field Dedication

 

Toya Raylonn Vickers Celebrated for Dedication to the Field of Writing

 

Ms. Vickers has authored such works as “Fool for Love,” “Love Without a Limit” and “To Say I Do”

 

COLUMBUS, OH, February 22, 2022, Toya Raylonn Vickers has been included in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

While coming of age, Ms. Vickers kept a journal and cultivated a love of writing. However, she was also driven to pursue a career in service to others. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Ohio State University in 1999 and a master’s degree in social work from Howard University in 2003, she was involved in a life-threatening car accident. While convalescing in the hospital, she felt compelled by her Christian faith to pursue her passion to write. In 2003, Ms. Vickers began her first novel, “Dimes, Profiles and Wives,” which she finished three years later and published in 2010.

During the early stages of her career, Ms. Vickers gained valuable professional expertise as a policy analyst with the Alliance for Children and Families, a grant writer for the Children’s Defense Fund and as an operations supervisor for ContactUS Communications. Since 2009, she has excelled as the owner and chief executive officer of Toyshelf Services LLC. In this capacity, Ms. Vickers writes and produces her own books, offers creative coaching, writes grant proposals, serves as a ghostwriter and more.

Throughout the course of her professional journey, Ms. Vickers has written a number of books. Beginning with her first novel, she later penned “To Say I Do,” “Love Without a Limit” and “Fool for Love.” For her outstanding work in the field, she was named as the Author of the Month through New Birth Christian Ministries in 2021. Outside of her work, she volunteers with Out of Darkness, a nonprofit organization that helps women and teenagers who have been involved in human trafficking. Looking toward the future, Ms. Vickers aspires to build an apartment home complex for women who have been trafficked and are healthy enough to live on their own.

About Marquis Who’s Who^®:

Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America^®, Marquis Who’s Who^® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who’s Who in America^® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis^® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who’s Who^® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com. 

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release-service/489022 

The Reintroduction

 

Recently I had to remind myself why I became an author. It was not to be famous, make a whole lot of money or to be known. It was simply because I was lying in a hospital bed at Howard University Hospital after a life-threatening car accident finally realizing I would not walk and receive summa cum laude with my master's in social work. The Holy Spirit reminded me of my gift of writing, and I began the long journey of creating my first novel Dimes, Profiles and Wives. The main character, Destiny Karen Price, is loosely based on my life and the issues she has had to deal with including surviving child sexual abuse (CSA), bipolar disorder I, and low self-esteem. Some of the scenes happened in real life, like when she was running up and down the hallways of the Towers at Howard University during one of her episodes in her underwear. Destiny, the name, was a play on words as it was destined for me to walk in my gift and take authority by the Holy Spirit to write Christian fiction.

All the stories I write are real testimonies in print. I have been writing my thoughts, behaviors, actions, goals, plans, and dreams in journals and diaries since I was eight years old. I still have every one of them too and I know where the bodies are buried. I often go back through them and find my patterns to find ways I need to change. Writing is therapeutic for me and always have been. Some of the journals are addressed to people while most are not. My favorite person to address is my grandmother, Rachel Lee Cox. She always used to ask me “Are you okay Toy?” and I would answer her “Yeah, granny, I’m okay” even when I knew that I was dying inside. Now a days I have not been addressing the journals to anyone. However, I need to for anyone who finds them and starts reading them to understand who I am. Who am I? I am the woman of God who survived what was meant to kill her, conquered what was meant to destroy her, and continues to persevere through life resiliently by the grace and mercy of God.

I author stories about women like me who have issues with mental health to shine a light at an otherwise dark hole that nobody in our community really wants to have real conversations about. It is a labor of love for me. Each character that I design also has a walk with Christ that shows the reader a realistic view of how to walk out their faith too. None of my characters are perfect because no one on this earth is perfect. They each have some obstacle they are dealing with and have a sinful nature because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. However, by the end of the story they will be giving God all the honor, the glory, the praise, and the worship for He indeed is good. His mercy endures forever, and He loves us all just as we are, even if we are sitting in the mental health ward.

These are pictures my mother took of the aftermath of the accident on March 16, 2003, which was ten days after my birthday and two months before I was set to graduate from Howard University at the top of my class. I praise God for every day since because I really should not be walking this earth. Live your life every day purposely because tomorrow is not promised.

Dimes, Profiles and Wives: Today's Proverbs 31 Woman