Joya Goffney is a young adult romance author, best known for her debut novel "Excuse Me While I Cry Ugly." She was raised in a tiny, conservative town in the eastern part of Texas, where she grew up in a low-income household. Despite her sheltered upbringing, Goffney has only left Texas once, when she visited Colorado. She has never been on an airplane, which has limited her experiences outside of her home state.
Goffney is a Sagittarius with a Capricorn rising and has a deep love for music and writing. She has also identified herself as having social anxiety, which she has learned to manage. In her youth, Goffney pursued psychology and earned a bachelor's degree in the subject, making her an expert in black social psychology. When she's not writing, Goffney enjoys having dance parties and taking road trips with her friends.
Goffney grew up in New Waverly, a small town in East Texas. While in high school, she challenged herself by creating to-do lists filled with daring tasks such as "hug a random boy" and "eat a cricket." These experiences inspired her debut novel. Goffney moved out of her rural hometown to attend the University of Texas in Austin, where she now resides. Goffney's background and experiences have shaped her writing and given her a unique perspective in the young adult romance genre.