Toni Elaine is a mom, Nana, freelance writer, and budding romance novelist.

Early on, Toni worked at a variety of jobs and eventually landed in the insurance industry where she became a top life insurance agent her first year in the business. Insurance sales paid the bills but it was never her passion (is it anyone’s passion?).

During that time, a family crisis led her to write her first nonfiction book (which helped lead to major child mental health reform). Some advocacy groups offered her small sums to write a shorter version of her story. She thought, who knew? People pay you to write stuff. From there, she started dabbling in freelance writing and made it a full-time career in 2015.

She prides herself on getting her college degree at age 49 while raising four children and working full time. She is also a proud recipient of a congressional award, Angels in Adoption, and four other awards for child mental health advocacy.

While she originally hails from northern Illinois, she and her husband have blissfully transplanted themselves to a thickly wooded forest on an Appalachian mountaintop in middle Tennessee. In her spare time, she can be found chasing waterfalls, exploring hiking trails, or spoiling her grandchildren.