Outskirts Press, INC.

LaToya grew up on the South side of Chicago under a single-family household with her mother and older sister. LaToya had a baby doll in one hand and a G I Joe action figure in the other. Her tomboyish ways instilled a tough exterior both physically and mentally. The softer side of her personality allowed the discovery of a creative imagination which enabled her to express herself through poems and short stories at the very young age of 13. In the 8th grade, under the direction of her choir instructor, Latoya wrote her class play and received rave reviews. After graduating from high school, Latoya decided to follow in her mother’s footsteps and at the age of 19 began her career in banking. At the age of 21, LaToya began to write once again to assist her in dealing with 4 life changing tragic losses in the span of 5 years. It began with the loss of her “lookalike” cousin who died tragically from a gunshot wound to his head, then her father and grandfather passed from cancer. She then lost the father of her then six year old son to a motorcycle accident. Latoya was able to work through her grief, undying pain and overwhelming emotions by putting pen to paper. Although this book does not depict her true-life events, LaToya was able to use her life experiences and exude powerful emotions to define her characters in “As I Breathe”.