Category: Insider Note

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.)

Continue reading “Taylor to re-release first novel”

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.

Continue reading “Anna to grow up through the series”

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.

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.

Continue reading “The genesis of the Anna Ghere Mystery series.”