Latoya White is a businesswoman and mom who very much advocates grabbing life with both hands. As a young mom, Latoya worked many years for other people but felt she wasn’t genuinely living, so she decided to do so on her terms. She returned to college at age 31, studying computer sciences and software engineering. Today she runs two companies offering digital insight, marketing, and web development.
A self-confessed thrillseeker, Latoya can often be seen jumping out of planes or racing along the rails of a roller coaster: if you’re quick enough to spot her, of course. She’s also an avid traveler, keen to create many memories for herself and her family.
Latoya’s pursuit of adventure is matched by her passion for the arts, which began with a childhood love of books. Reading for hours as a young girl, she was memorized by books in every way: their look, their smell, and the escapist adventures they contained inside. Latoya is an even more prolific adult reader, believing firmly that imagination, humor, and fun should be available to all of us, whatever age we are.
Latoya’s determination to live with joy permeates her family life; her roles of mom and aunty are those she is most proud of. She lives in Rhode Island with her fiancé, two daughters, step-daughter, and niece, but is also aunty to many more, gathering her numerous nieces together for a biannual feast of fun she calls “Aunty Camp.” As they race inside from bike riding or get stuck to each other while crafting, Latoya’s house resounds with children’s laughter.
Ava’s First Day at the Diner combines Latoya’s love of reading, fun, and family, inspired by the adventures within her own home and drawing on the people she cherishes the most.
The story celebrates colorful characters, cheekiness, and the playfulness we should all try to keep in our lives.