AGM Journal

Taylor to re-release first novel

With a million book projects floating around in my head at any given moment, why in the world would I decide to re-release my first novel? That’s a question my friend, Shelia Watson, and I discussed at length over the course of several months. It took many trips to several wine bars in the Charleston area for us to answer that question, but by the end of our discussion, we both decided to do a re-release…for different reasons.

(I urge historical fiction lovers to check out Shelia’s re-release of “Turning August” here.)

Anna to grow up through the series

Essence of main character based on author’s mother.

I’ve picked an unlikely character to be my primary storyteller, first in “One Christmas,” (soon to be re-released under a new title) and in the upcoming Anna Ghere Mysteries series. When readers first meet Annie, she’s a nine-year-old child. In the Prologue of “One Christmas,” Anna explains that she’s narrating the story many years later from the point of view of an adult. Here’s the set-up:

Through the years, my sisters and I re-told the story of that one Christmas hundreds of times, adding our adult insights and newly discovered details about the people and places that revealed themselves in full measure throughout our lives.

Bits of memories flicker in the twilight as I gaze onto the quiet boulevard in Jeffries, where I still live. As darkness falls, the tails of shooting stars in the night sky now hidden from my old eyes, I’m left alone with my memories.

Write what you know

Read what you love.

The time-honored advice battled-scarred authors often give any fresh-faced wanna-bes who asks: Write what you know. Beyond knowing a bit about how to put a few sentences together, mostly using the rules of grammar, I leave inspiring authors in the hands of the many greats who have inspired me in my craft. “On Writing” by Stephen King, “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell, and many other dog-eared volumes vie for space on my studio bookshelves. Yet whenever I run across the old “write what you know” wisdom, I yawn deeply and take a nap.

I believe better advice for wanna-be authors goes more like this: Writes about what interests you. Thanks to my mother, life in the Midwest during the 1930s interests me. She told me the stories of her life, doled out in bits and pieces. I picked them up and threw them onto the page, weaving a colorful tapestry to bind them together using my imagination.

My favorite character

An inspiring woman for the ages.

I am often asked, “Which character is your favorite?” Definitely, LoRetta Ghere, Annie’s beloved aunt! My mother often told me about her Aunt LoRetta whom she and her brothers and sisters called “Aunt Retta.” I choose to call my character “Aunt Lo” because I love that creative space between the name “Lo” and how high she soars in my books.

Readers first meet Aunt Lo, a librarian and artist, in “One Christmas.” My Great Aunt Retta was, in fact, an incredible artist. I have her painting of blue-eyed Jesus hanging in my home to this day. When I crafted my character, I thought of the extraordinary woman my mother often described and call upon Aunt Lo to inspire my readers to always reach for the best in themselves.

The genesis of the Anna Ghere Mystery series.

In 2021, I rediscovered a stack of notes I’d scribbled during many happy hours reminiscing with my mother about her life. A story of Christmas miracles emerged. I found myself falling in love with Christmas all over again as I wrote about an era I only experienced through my mother’s memories.

By the time I completed the book, I’d outlined two additional novels, and more than a dozen short stories. With the memories of my beloved mother ever near to my heart as I write, my stories pay homage to the many colorful people from my mother’s life who inspire my characters. One Christmas, released in late 2022, is the first novel in my long career as a writer.