Self Published Authors is proud to present to you a woman who most writers would consider to be "SuperWoman." With a wealth of knowledge and experience, J.E. Taylor is an inspiration to us all.
Author Name: J.E. TaylorWhere can we find your book? Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords and all their affiliates. My novels are available both in e-book form as well as in print and the prices range from free for my mainstream shorts to $2.99 for my latest thriller.
Tell us a little about your book. My latest novel - titled Georgia Reign - is the fourth book in my Steve Williams series. Here’s a quick intro:
Special Agent Steve Williams, still reeling from the death of Chris Ryan and his unexpected inheritance, isn’t ready to step back into the line of fire. Relations with his wife are strained at best, and now he’s saddled with a new partner and a not so silent guardian angel.
When his boss calls with news of another case, a serial killer in Atlanta
“Georgia Reign is impossible to ignore or put down. If you love crime thrillers, you really HAVE to start reading the Steve Williams novels by J.E. Taylor. She takes you on a ride you will never forget. Gripping, disturbing, page turning crime thrillers don't get better than this.” Poppet / Gemma Rice – Author of Seithe, Darkroom and Djinn
Do you have any upcoming projects? Yes on both the personal and publisher side of the fence. As far as my personal projects, I just released two anthologies of my short stories (one erotic and the other a mainstream fiction collection) and I’m working on the next book in the Steve Williams series.
On the publishing side, Novel Concept Publishing released our first title – a thriller - Hidden Evil on October 1st and our second title – a science fiction novel called The Capable Man, will be coming out on November 1st. We also have three more books in various stages that are scheduled for release in late 2011 and early 2012. In other words, I’m pretty busy.
What has your journey as a writer been like? Crazy wonderful.
Why did you choose to self publish? I learned the ropes through my original publisher and when they moved from publishing house to co-op, I decided to jump ship and start my own label. About the same time, a writer I had worked with approached me on starting a bon-a-fide e-publisher and I took the offer of a partnership and now feel like we’re building something special in this market.
So I’m not your normal self-published author – I had a label backing me and learned everything from editing to formatting to creating print books to marketing and accounting, and only when I had a grasp of the business did I venture out on my own.
Would you do it again? Yes – no doubt about that.
Please share some advice to help future authors. Edit. Get a real good editor for your work, and not just one that does line editing. You want one that challenges your plot line, pokes holes in your work and finds inconsistencies in what’s on the page. Take some editing courses like those offered by Margie Lawson (www.margielawson.com) to deepen your craft and reach a new level of prose. Always keep learning and growing as a writer.
What one person has impacted your life the most? This is such an easy question for me. My father has impacted me the most in my life. He is a very special soul – with a killer sense of humor and a perchance for excitement and enjoying life to its fullest. He also is my biggest supporter and just a loving teddy bear. I never had a doubt that I was loved growing up and that gave me a level of confidence that I hope to be able to pass on to my children. He made me believe I could do anything I wanted to and cheered from the sidelines as I reached for my goals.
How do you juggle life around your writing? This is a question I’m asking more and more these days – and I’m not balancing very well at the moment. I’ve got a pretty demanding full time day job in addition to the Publisher gig. I have two kids that are active with after school activities and somehow, I carve out time to write but lately, that time has been seriously crimped and frankly, it’s making me cranky. Writers all over the world will be able to identify with this. I love the process of writing, the ability to get lost in my own world and when that’s taken away by unforeseen circumstances for long periods of time, we writers tend to get cranky.
Sort of like an extended period of PMS.
What struggles have you overcome as a writer? The biggest two are finding time to write and spreading the word. They tie together too. Amanda Hocking did the right thing signing the big publishing contract. It will give her more time to focus on the writing – not all the other necessary things that go along with being self-published or with a small press. Time is a commodity and we writers need to learn to focus our efforts in order to reach the biggest audience with the least amount of legwork in order to carve out the time for the next book.
It’s a weird kind of insanity.
What criticisms have helped you grow as a writer? I had some tough critique partners when I first started writing and after I licked my wounds, I took a look at what they were saying. I wrote from the 50,000 foot view, like watching a movie – one dimensional, non-engaging - telling. I took that to heart and sought out some fabulous online writing courses and I mentioned Margie Lawson earlier in this interview, but I can’t express the depth that her classes gave my writing. She gave me the tools to make my writing pop, and gave me the tools to cut scenes that didn’t forward the story in any way. She taught me the difference between just a narration and hooking the reader into a story so they can’t put the book down.
J.E. Taylor is a writer, a publisher, an editor, a manuscript formatter, a mother, a wife and a business analyst, not necessarily in that order. She first sat down to seriously write in February of 2007 after her daughter asked: “Mom, if you could do anything, what would you do?”From that moment on, she hasn’t looked back. Seven published novels and more than a dozen short stories later, she decided to switch hats and open Novel Concept Publishing (http://www.novelconceptpublishing/) with fellow writer Jason Halstead. In addition to this venture, Ms. Taylor also moonlights as an Assistant Editor of Allegory (http://www.allegoryezine.com/), an online venue for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.
To find out more about J.E. Taylor and her books, visit her at http://www.jetaylor75.com/.
Thanks for having me Amy!
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome! Lovely to have the chance to meet you.
ReplyDelete