An Interview with Ohio Author Lori Taylor

 

Author Lori Taylor

An Interview with Ohio Author Lori Taylor

From Ohio USA meet author Lori Taylor. The author of several books, Lori’s first book was released in 2020. Since, she has released sequels and new titles, including her newest book Grace’s Heart.

Welcome, Lori!

GM: What is the premise for your new book Grace’s Heart?

LT: It is about a young girl (Elf) named Grace. She is a tomboy who hunts, traps, and fishes, and she used to enter and win all sorts of archery competitions with her dad. When her dad dies in a mine collapse, she vows to never compete again and retires her competition bow. Things are hard for her family after her dad's death, so when she sees the competition announcement. With a bit of encouragement from her sister, Grace signs up for it. Of course, she wins and therein lies the problem. First, she is robbed on her way home from the shoot, and then the King that hosted the event sends for her; he has a mission for her. It is something that she doesn't think she can do. At first, he tries bribery, and when that doesn't work, he resorts to threatening her family, leaving her between a rock and a hard place. Grace makes new friends, reclaims her horse and some of her winnings, and discovers the truth behind the King's demand. There are adventures and a first love to be found along the way as she returns to the castle.

GM: What other books have you written?

LT: I have written several. My first is From The Mundane To The Macabre, written in 2020. It was followed by The Open Gate in 2020. Both books are collections of short, scary stories. I started Accidental Encounters in 2021 and finished it in 2022. I wrote my first Trilogy called A Touch Of Elven Magic, which I very much enjoyed writing. I also wrote two stand-alone books called Beneath The New Moon and Grace's Heart, my new book. Plus, I published two cookbooks titled Keepers and Keepers Volume 2. It had been a busy, productive year for me.

GM: Take us through a day in your life as a writer...

LT: I work in Home Health from 9:30, when I leave my house, until 5:30 or later, Monday through Friday. I come home, change, cook supper, tend to whatever needs to be taken care of, and then, if I have the energy, I sit down at my computer or laptop and write for a few hours or watch TV.

GM: When did you realize you wanted to become a writer?

LT: I always knew I wanted to be a writer. I have written mostly short stories for as long as I can remember. When I was just a kid, my grandma would read them. She kept a lot of them. I have no idea whatever happened to them after she passed away. When I was a kid, my cousins and I would collaborate on stories. I don't think we ever finished any of them, but they were fun to write. I took a lot of English Literature and short story writing classes through the years, just for fun. Lately, I have gotten into the habit of using too much punctuation. It is a habit I am trying to break, and I have recently invested in Grammarly to help.

GM: Most authors say that writing is easy, editing is brutal, and book marketing is the worst. What are your thoughts on being an author, editing, and book promotion?

LT: I love being a writer, that is the easy part. The editing process is challenging, but luckily, I have a group of four people who read my work, tell me what needs to be changed and point out any mistakes they find. Book promotions are the hardest part for me. I only have time to do a little, although I have paid for advertisements on Facebook, Amazon, and TikTok. I've donated copies of the Trilogy to a couple of charity events. I have managed to line up a few book signings and reserved a table at a few craft events.

GM: Who is your favorite author?

LT: My favorite author is a toss-up between Dean Koontz and Stephen King. I love horror, and they both have unique writing styles that draw their readers into the story and hold them until the end. I love that. I aspire to and hope to accomplish that type of writing one day.

GM: What are you currently reading?

LT: Ghost Story by Peter Straub.

GM: Are you a theater or movie buff? What is your all-time favorite production

LT: I love both movies and theater. I love musicals. This time of year, my all-time favorite movie is the original, black-and-white version of It's A Wonderful Life. My Mom and I used to watch this every year at Christmas time. She passed away at 49, and I still continue to watch it. I never could get my kids to watch it with me, though, as I did with my Mom. My favorite musical is A Fiddler On The Roof with Topol. My second favorite is The Sound Of Music, and my favorite live production has to be Tecumseh. I took the kids to see that at least once a year when they were young and want to see it again. They wanted to switch things up one year, and we went to Xenia to see Blue Jacket. Needless to say, the following year, we were back at Tecumseh.

GM: List 10 things your fans may not know about you...

LT: 1.) My husband and I have two houses, mine in Glouster and his in Nelsonville, and we spend half of the week at each place.

   2.) My favorite meat is chicken; you can't fix it in a way that I don't like it.

   3.) I like wild rabbit but not deer, squirrel, or turkey; the turkey is way too dry for my taste, and I don't like frog legs or turtle. With frog legs and turtle, the longer I chewed, the bigger it seemed to get, and I couldn't swallow it.

  4.) I lost my Grandpa in 1982 when he was 98; four years later, I lost my Grandma when she was 67; four years after that, my Mom passed away from cancer, and four years after Mom, I lost my great aunt, with whom my family was very close. 

 5.) My cousin Martha and I are very close. We do practically everything together.

 6.) My daughter and her family live in Florida, and I only see them a few times a year.

 7.) I drive an eight-year-old Hyundai Santa Fe.

 8.) My husband and I have seven grandchildren; five girls and two boys.

 9.) Christmas is and always has been my favorite holiday, but my husband hates - hates may be too strong of a word, but let's just say that he greatly DISLIKES Christmas. He says that it has become all too commercialized and that it's all about the money anymore. Needless to say, we don't see eye to eye on this one.

10.) I have four brothers; two here in Glouster, one in Athens, and one in Wertigen, Germany.

11.) I put the two recipe books together mainly for myself, so I wouldn't lose the recipes that we found to be 'Keepers'.

Connect with Lori…

Amazon Author Page