Tosca Lee is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of The Line Between, The Progeny, Firstborn, Iscariot, The Legend of Sheba, Demon: A Memoir, Havah: The Story of Eve, and the Books of Mortals series with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker.
She is the recipient of three International Book Awards, Killer Nashville’s Silver Falchion, ECPA Book of the Year in Fiction, and the Nebraska Book Award. Her work has finaled for the High Plains Book Award, the Library of Virginia Reader’s Choice Award, two Christy Awards, and a second ECPA Book of the Year. The Line Between was a Goodreads Choice Awards semifinalist for Best Mystery/Thriller of 2019. In addition to the New York Times, her books have appeared on the IndieBound bestseller list, and Library Journal’s “Best Of” lists..
Tosca received her B.A. from Smith College and lives in Nebraska with her husband, three of four children still at home, and her 160-lb. German Shepherd, Timber.
Q: What is your favorite part of being a writer?
A: I love getting to pour it onto the page. To look back, re-read, and say, “Yes. That’s it!” And I love hearing from readers. I seriously have the best readers in the world.
Q: What is your writing day like?
A: When I’m working on a project, I’ll spend three to six months researching and another three to six writing, depending on the topic. When I’m on deadline, I write up to 20 hours a day, between 2,000 and 10,000 words a day. Between projects, I may go days without writing a thing. Weeks. Let’s just say routine is not one of my virtues.
Q: What is life like when you’re not writing?
A: I sleep. And wash my hair (well, sometimes.) I hang out with my kids and obsessively catch up with all the friends, cleaning, projects, e-mail, TV shows and errands I neglected while I was writing. But even then writing has a way of creeping in-–especially when I travel.
Q: What’s the best advice you’ve received on writing/publication?
A: Do your part, do the work and then surrender the results. Of course, your part goes far beyond the actual writing.
Q: What is the worst piece of writing advice you’ve heard?
A: Write what you know. If I did that, I’d be writing about how to watch Hulu on your phone and catch your dog drinking out of the toilet.
Q: Can you read my writing if I send it to you?
A: Unfortunately, no. Please don’t send it as it will be deleted. I can, however, refer you to several professional mentors and editors.
Q: What was your road to publication like?
A: What? There was a road?
Q: About that pageant thing…
A: You know, that was one of those things where someone saying, “You should do that” opened a possibility to me that I never would have considered. It was a fascinating experience. And by doing it, I had the privilege to represent numerous local charities and women’s causes, including breast cancer.
Q: You seem to travel a lot. Where is your favorite place you’ve been?
A: The place I haven’t been yet. Though I admit a special love for Bora Bora, New Mexico, and my mom’s kitchen.
Q: Do you still model?
A: I do–when I have time.
Q: Did you always want to be a writer?
A: I was a ballet dancer until height and injuries conspired against me. Despite the fact that I won writing contests in school and published my first piece in third grade, it wasn’t until I went to college that I began to seriously consider writing a “thing.”
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I sleep. Eat. Travel. Cook. I have three boys at home, so I cook a lot.
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