AlTonya Washington is a South Carolina native and 1994 graduate of Winston Salem State University in North Carolina.

She released her first contemporary romance with BET Books in 2003- “Remember Love” which was nominated as Best First Multicultural Romance by Romantic Times Magazine. In 2004 she was named Best New Romance Author by the readers of Shades of Romance Magazine. Her third novel “Finding Love Again” won the Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Multicultural Romance of 2004. January 2006 marked the release of her sixth novel “A Lover’s Dream” for the Harlequin/Kimani Press label. The sequel, “A Lover’s Pretense” released in August 2006. The Ramsey saga will continue in March 2007 when AlTonya releases Book 3 in the series "A Lover's Mask". Also in August 2006, AlTonya released her eighth novel entitled “In The Midst of Passion” with Dafina Books.

She currently resides in North Carolina with her long time love Derric and their son. When she's not writing, AlTonya works for an academic library as a Senior Library Assistant.