About

Tonya Rice – Author
Gatekeeper of Front Porch, Sweet Tea, and A Pile of Books and Goosepimply All Over

Born and raised in the South. Writer, wife, mom, MFA grad, lover of iced tea – without raspberries or peaches, thank you very much.

Tonya Rice writes women’s fiction. They’re contemporary and historical (which she loves to write because: Research!). She was also a participant in the very first year of the University of Virginia Young Writer’s Workshop and has known since those early days that all she’d ever really wanted to do was write and publish stories to make a darned (for my Rated-G audience) good living at it like Jackie Collins. Now, God-willing, she’s on her way!

Her stories present social issues through the lives of her characters in various challenging and thought-provoking situations which they seek to overcome and discover their strengths. She writes to explore the world, her local landscape – past and present – and her characters give her the opportunity to do just that.

Tonya is a native of Richmond, Virginia. She received her BA from Hollins College and her MFA in Creative Writing (Emphasis in Fiction) from National University. In addition to the blog, Front Porch, Sweet Tea, and a Pile of Books, she manages the classic film blog, Goosepimply All Over. She is also a member of She Writes and James River Writers. Tonya lives in Virginia with her family, which includes their cat with whom she shares her office and ultimately her desk.

I love books, especially Southern literature, British literature, historical fiction, and memoirs. Let’s hook up on Goodreads.

When I’m not writing or reading, I’m happy watching classic movies, spending time with my family, running, weightlifting, swinging at a driving range, doing some home decorating, watching Steelers football, or pinning.

Also, in case you may inquire: The front porch picture above is of my beloved porch and the best rocking chairs in the world of the Main Building at Hollins University, overlooking the gorgeous Front Quad. It’s where the office of admissions is located, along with the classic Green Drawing Room where many wonderful speaking engagements have been, and was also once my dorm home.

Looking for a story? Check out my books page!

Thanks for visiting!

“I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in.” – Virginia Woolf