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| 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…
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