Since childhood, Toby has been interested in the past and has found many affinities with her ancestors. Unexpected and unwelcome psychic experiences led her to study reincarnation and psychic phenomena, and she took comfort in the fact that she was not alone. A high school teacher of speech and drama for many years, Toby wrote academic books before venturing into relating her psychic experiences in Out of the Psychic Closet. Those experiences also translated into a fictionalized series called the Alma Chronicles, a family saga of reincarnation and conflicts spanning centuries.

Expressing her love for the stage, Toby has written plays and screenplays, sometimes alone, sometimes in partnership with other authors. The passing of some of her family members resulted in an interest in genealogical research, which serves as another creative spur for her work. She served as President of Arizona Authors Association from 2005 to 2015, Vice President from 2018 to 2021, President once again for a four-year term, ending in 2025. Toby now serves on the Board. She lives in Glendale, Arizona.