Some say that you shouldn’t get your honey where you get your money. In her debut novel, A Pleasure Doing Business, writer Victoria Townsend reveals what happens when people ignore this advice. The native Detroiter gave rolling out a glimpse into what led her to pen this scintillating page-turner.
What do you want readers to know about Victoria Townsend?
I am a woman who loves God, a wife of 30 years, a mother of two adult children and a grandmother of a 5-year-old. I am a sister, an aunt, a businesswoman, and one of the leaders in my church. I love God, my family, reading and writing. I love travel[ing], shopping, singing, having fun and living my life with no apologies. I am who I am.
What inspired you to become an author?
My love for reading. A friend and I started a book club 13 years ago and with all the books we’ve read, I just wanted to see if I could write one. So I just started writing and from this first book, there are five books to follow.
How did you determine your career path?
Getting laid off from my job last year. I decided I was going to take some time and do what I love best, write a book.
Names three books that changed how you saw life and made you want to become an author.
I don’t so much know if it was books that changed what I wanted to do, but there are tons of authors that made me see that I could one day become an author. Eric Jerome Dickey, Zane, Beverly Jenkins and the list goes on.
Who or what motivates you and why?
My family. My grandparents left me something, so I want to do the same for my family.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Procrastination. I always wait till the last minute. I’m working on it.
The title sounds naughty. Tell us about your book.
Paige Davis is tangled between two webs. Davis is an architectural designer working for a large, prestigious African American-owned design firm. It’s owned by her godfather, Ike Johnson, an influential businessman. The drama begins with a chance encounter with Malik Jackson, a handsome new hire that unintentionally stirs the pot and leaves readers wanting more.
How can women today relate to the characters in your book? How relatable is your book to current events?
We want to be loved and be in love. We have all been in love with the wrong man at one time or another and we have some people we just don’t trust. From time to time we hear the stories about how a mother has put her man before her child(ren). Or the woman who was out there but turned her life around to better herself and the woman who just has to have a man in her life.
What makes your book different from others?
It’s a romantic drama with a lot of twists and turns.
What message do you want readers to get out of your book?
True love conquers all. It may not be easy, but if you have true love you can get through anything.
Describe goal setting methods you use and how you evaluate your success.
The first goal was to challenge myself to see if I could do this. Once I did I had to set the goal of seeing if I could get a few friends who didn’t know each other to read it and tell me the truth about. Once I did that I had to challenge myself to get it published. To me, that is a success. To become a best-selling author and see my book(s) as a movie is a goal.
What are the three most important factors of being a successful woman?
Leaving a legacy for my children and grandchildren. Putting a project together that people would want and being my own boss.
Visit vtbutterflybooks.com for more information.
