June 6, 2007
Author Interview: Vicki M. Taylor
Please welcome author Vicki M. Taylor to the blog today! She is the author of the book Trust in the Wind, a touching story of a teen mother and widower who get a second chance to discover the meaning of love and trust.
Vicki’s fabulous book is available here. As part of her online book tour, I had the chance to interview Vicki about her novels and writing. Here’s what she had to say:
You’ve written several books; a murder mystery, a tale of romance, and a story of teenage drug use. What is your inspiration for these novels?
I get my ideas for stories from a lot of different places: newspapers, magazines, TV, dreams, and even my children. The story of teenage drug abuse and murder is from a short story my daughter wrote when she was in high school. I borrowed her characters and built a book around them.
Trust in the Wind tells the story of a single mother struggling to make ends meet. Do you draw from your own experiences to create characters full of life and honest emotions?
You know, that’s a really good question. I guess there’s always a part of me in my stories, but, I don’t always draw on my own past experiences. Sometimes, I just put the characters in a situation and see how they deal with it. I don’t force them to go in a particular direction. They lead me.
I’m fascinated in the way you are able to make your characters stand out and demand attention and respect. Is there a person in your life that you think of when you create strong, female characters?
Sometimes I think of my mom. She’s a very strong person. She’s done and been through a lot. A lot of times I think, ‘if I were strong, what would I want to be like?’ or ‘if I knew a person like this, what would they be like?’. That helps me develop real characters dealing with real life issues.
I’ve read several of your short fiction stories. And Justice for All is wonderfully written. It really grabbed my attention, the suspense was excellent. Where did you come up with the idea for this story?
Thank you, very much. That story won an award as well from Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine. Where did I get the idea? I used to watch a lot of Law & Order episodes, and one of them got me thinking of a story. I started asking ‘what if’ and that’s how the story developed.
When you decided to become an author, what was your motivation to get published? Did anything hold you back, fear of rejection, etc.?
The motivation for me was to share my work with others. I wanted to be published so other people could read my stories. I do have some fear of rejection. I don’t think anyone likes to be told that their work isn’t good enough. But, fifteen years as a technical writer, writing computer user manuals, I got used to having an editor tell me they wanted more, or to make changes. It came with the job, and I think as authors, we have to realize that sometimes, other people won’t like what we do. That’s just how life is.
What advice would you give to someone who has aspirations of writing a novel or becoming a professional writer?
Finish the book. Then, learn as much as you can about the publishing business. Be informed and active in your career. When it comes to promotion and marketing, understand that you are going to be your best and largest contributor to getting your book in the hands of your readers.
You can learn more about Vicki and her book Trust in the Wind, as well as her other novels, by visiting her website VickiMTaylor.com. To learn more about the online book tour, please visit Pump Up Your Online Book Promotion.
Thank you, Vicki, for being with us today!
Posted by Dana @ 7:33 am • Uncategorized
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June 6th, 2007 at 3:27 pm, Linda L Rucker Says:
Vicki, glad to see you on the move. That’s the way you do it. Aren’t you glad you found Dorothy?
June 6th, 2007 at 5:50 pm, Vicki M. Taylor Says:
Hi Linda… This Virtual Book Tour stuff is kinda fun. Definitely glad I know Dorothy. She’s a happening kinda gal.
June 6th, 2007 at 10:35 pm, kim Robinson Says:
Looking good Vicki
Keep doing what you do
love ya