Ebony Troncoso is a three time Children’s Book Author and a graduate of Lehman College, holding a Bachelors Degree in English Literature and a Masters in Early Childhood Education.  She is an educator and the founder & CEO of Aspired Dreams LLC. Publishing House. With a great passion for writing, Ebony prides herself on creating vivid, heartfelt stories that surround the theme of family dynamics for children under the age of 10 years old.

Ebony genuinely loves to help people anyway she can and looks forward to helping your dreams of being a published author become a reality too!

1) First, I want to thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me!  When did you know that writing is what you were called to do? What is it about being a writer that you love the most? What about being a writer frustrates you the most?

No, thank you for this feature. I’m always so humbled to work with new people within the literature industry. But writing has always been “my thing” so to speak. It’s funny because I remember I wrote this extensive essay about my uncle for Thanksgiving and why I was grateful for him. The language and verbiage that I used in just the 4th grade was truly amazing. So looking back, I’ve kind of always enjoyed writing. The part of it all that I love most is that there’s no right or wrong way to express yourself. You can write a story the way you want and watch a handful of people create multiple interpretations for this one story. On the other hand, I think the frustrating part of being a writer; although it comes with the territory is writer’s block of course. You could be super motivated for like the first three pages and by the fourth page, the light bulb has completely gone out and you are unsure of when it’ll turn back on.

2) Can you tell us a little about your book(s) and where our readers can find out more about them and you?

The main theme and focus that spans throughout each book is family dynamics. In “Mommy And Me,” readers get to see the strength a single mother has raising her daughter as she is displayed as a superhero for delivering chocolate milk to stores and teaching at night. In “Best Friend First, Dad Second,” you get to experience the unconditional love felt between a father and his daughter as they have tea parties and summer bike rides. Lastly, “Mom Has The Key To My Heart,” is a loving story that shows the relationship between a mother and her son. With all that’s going on in our society with our young black men, I created this book of affirmations to boost their confidence and to help instill in them that they are valuable as well. My books can be found on Amazon or my website at www.EbonyTroncoso.com

3) What projects are you currently working on?

At the moment, I’m just focusing on my publishing company, Aspired Dreams Publishing House. We offer editing, ghostwriting, proofreading, and publishing services for aspiring authors. I took a break from composing my own stories and found a greater passion with helping others.

4) What has been your most significant achievement as a writer thus far? Where do you see yourself within your career in the next five years?

I think My biggest achievements as a writer thus far are being featured in two magazines in 2020, and now another feature in Write 2 B Magazine! I’m always so grateful and humbled for these opportunities because I never imagined establishing such a name for myself as a writer. It’s like unreal at times! Within the next five years, I plan to have my own office space solely for my publishing company, but for personal meetings of my own. I’m taking necessary precautions to grow my brand, and owning my own office space to house all of my projects.

5) How have you dealt with rejection within your writing career?

I can’t Say that I’ve heavily dealt with rejection within my writing career. Before I published my first book, I had made up in my mind that I was going to be an independent author, breaking barriers for other upcoming authors. You don’t need an agency, or a publicist to achieve specific goals you’ve set out for yourself. As long as you work hard and remain determined, the sky is the limit!

6) Do you have a schedule for when you write?  Do you outline your novels?  How long does it generally take you to finish a novel?

When I write, I definitely create outlines and deadlines for myself. But that always reminds me of that saying, “God laughs at you when you make your own plans” because things do not always happen the way we plan ! I don’t Think I’ve ever set out a date for myself and the book was actually released that day LOL. So many things transpire while writing that as long as you stay the course, you are on track. I’ve never written a novel as all of my stories are children’s books. But if I were to write a novel, I would most definitely have some form of outline just to ensure all of my thoughts are written down.

7) Do you believe that there is ever a point in life where it’s too late for an aspiring writer to become successful in this industry?  Do you feel a late start would hinder their chances?

I don’t think that it is ever too late for an aspiring writer to become successful in this industry. Some of the world’s greatest writers became successful years after their books were published. However, I do not feel that a late start would hinder someone from being successful, just like I don’t agree that an early start would guarantee success as well. What you put out is what you’ll always get in return ten fold. So if you produce an amazing work of literature and you work hard to create an audience and a name for yourself, success will come to you. Just try to remember the goal at hand and blessings will always find you!

8) How has the current state of the world affected your writing? Because writing is an isolated practice, do you find it easier to deal with quarantine? Has it stifled your creativity or has it made you even more driven to get things done?

Prior to quarantine, I had somehow lost my passion for writing and devoted myself to solely working on publishing books for other aspiring authors. So during quarantine, I had plenty of time to perfect my craft and learn new software. I even launched a webinar to help people with the first stages of how to write a book. It was liberating to see so many people that have always wanted to write a book but just needed that little push. And of course I was grateful to help them through this process. But quarantine can either do two things if you let it: motivate you or discourage you. I definitely discovered a new drive within myself during those down months.

9) What are your thoughts about how the publishing industry as it is being represented today? Do you lean more towards traditional publishing or self-publishing as a preference? Does being a hybrid author interest you? 

I think the publishing industry today has created this untouchable demeanor for upcoming authors and it’s pretty intimidating. They’ve created this image as though you can not reach that level of success as a writer unless you are signed under a major publishing company, and that’s proven to not be true at all. I started writing “Mommy and Me” in 2016 and for the life of me, couldn’t find a publishing company that would charge me less than $2,000 just to get started. So, I put the book down and became so discouraged as to how I was going to get the book out. For months, I researched and found methods to self-publish. I spent plenty sleepless nights in front of my laptop, publishing my book and learning all of the tricks behind it. So self-publishing will always be my preference because the reward is so much greater to know that you’ve achieved your dream all on your own.