Victoria Christopher Murray

Status: Widowed

Children: 1, age 22

Books: 16

Victoria Christopher Murray is the best-selling author of several adult and teen novels. Her books are Christ-centered, so decide what that means to you. She is blessed to be living her passion - writing and talking about Christ everyday!

A native of Queens, New York, Victoria always knew she would become an author, even as she was taking an unlikely path to that destination. She first left New York to attend Hampton University where she majored in Communication Disorders. After graduating, Victoria attended New York University where she received her MBA. She spent many years in Corporate America. However, Victoria never lost the dream to write and when the "bug" hit her again in 1997, she answered the call.

Victoria originally self published her novel, Temptation. In 2000, Time Warner published Temptation. It made numerous best sellers list and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in Outstanding Literature. Victoria has gone on to write several other novels. She has received numerous awards including the Golden Pen Award for Best Inspirational Fiction and the Phyllis Wheatley Trailblazer Award for being the pioneer in African American Christian Fiction.

Victoria splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington D.C. She is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

BEHIND THE BOOKS

What is a typical day in your life like? I try to write something every day, but I usually spend my morning in worship (reading my Bible) and working out. Then, I spend the afternoon writing and doing other kinds of writing projects.
How supportive is your family when it comes to a deadline? Everyone understands deadlines now. Especially since I'm working on my 17th book.

What do you wish to accomplish with each book? I just pray that I give everyone a story that they will enjoy and will make them either go back and read my other books or wait (impatiently) for the next one.

What advice would you give to female aspiring authors? I would say what I always say. Writers are readers and writers are writers. You must read in order to learn, in order to be encouraged, in order to be motivated. And you MUST write everyday. It is especially hard for women because of the other demands on our lives. But you have to make room for your dream. It doesn't matter if you write one word a day, one paragraph, a day or one page a day, you just have to be committed to writing something. I say that we must have the same commitment to ourselves that we give to others.

What female authors have influenced you? I think the female author who influenced me the most was Yolanda Joe. Years ago, I saw her on a television program talking about her book, Falling Leaves of Ivy. I ran to the store the next day, picked it up, read it, loved it and said, "I can do this." That was in the mid-90s and I've been writing ever since.

Stay tuned next week as we highlight another incredible woman!



The Jasmine Series


Adult Novels


Teen Fiction


Coming Soon