Toby Neal - Independent Authors International

Author Toby Neal grew up on the island of Kaua`i in Hawaii. After a few “stretches of exile” to pursue education, the islands have been home for the last sixteen years. Toby is a clinical social worker, a career that informs the depth and complexity of the characters in her books.

Neal is the author of more than a dozen novels in the mystery and young adult genres, and the bestselling Lei Crime SeriesTM which launched in 2011. The series centers on Leilani “Lei” Matsumoto Texeira, a multicultural detective with issues. Lei, her dog Keiki, and her love interest, Stevens solve a range of complicated crimes in the Hawaiian Islands.

Amazon launched the Lei Crime Kindle World in 2015, which allows authors to build licensed fan fiction upon Neal’s works, and she’s sold over half a million books. She is a 2015 Independent Publisher Book (“IPPY”), 2015 National Indie Excellence® awards winner, and 2015 eLit Book Award winner.

Outside of work and writing, Toby volunteers in a nonprofit for children and enjoys life in Hawaii through beach walking, body boarding, scuba diving, photography and hiking.