News Flash
Geri Taylor is a MARSocial "Author of the Year"
Competition Finalist!
(click here link to find out more)
Happy New Year to you all. WOW, 2014 is here. It's my pleasure to introduce you to Geri Taylor...and don't you just love the title of her book. It brings all sorts of images to mind.
I can't wait to read the excerpt on Saturday!
GT: Thanks for having me, LA, it's an honor to be your first guest in 2014!
LA: What’s next for you, Geri?
GT: I am currently working on two more pieces of women’s fiction. One is a suspense/thriller/mystery and the other is more of a human drama between two people suffering from health issues and how they try to overcome the pain and make the most of their lives. I vacillate between these two but I have other screenplays I wrote that I want to use to create future books.
LA: How has your experience with self-publishing been?
GT: I did a lot of research on self-publishing and even set up a Kickstarter project to help me earn money to pay for some of the costs of editing, etc. by pre-selling the book. Melange Books, LLC, an independent publishing company, published “The Kitchen Dance”, but I intend to self-publish one of my next two books because I want more control over sales and more of the profits. I will even consider creating another Kickstarter project or other form of crowdsourcing.
LA: I'd love you to come back to the blog and tell us more about Kickstarter. Will you?
What sort of promo do you do? Do you have help? Use a publicist?
GT: In regards to publicity, I spend too much unsuccessful time promoting via the Internet and social media. I have found book signings are my best way to generate sales and I really enjoy meeting the readers. I am considering using a publicist once I have three books published.
LA: What is your writing routine like?
GT: My writing routine is pitiful right now. Because I am an artist who creates original Santa Claus figures from gourds and cypress knees, I spend a lot of time during the months of October through December painting. I have also been performing with a professional dinner theatre that has kept me busy for the past two months. However, I usually write in the mornings and can easily spend the entire day writing. I love taking my camper to the park and to spend a weekend doing nothing but writing.
LA: Having achieved your goal to be a published author, what is the most rewarding thing?
GT: I have found that being a published author opened a few doors, including joining the local chapter of Romance Writers of America (NOLA STARS) and Sisters in Crime’s chapter called Grave Expectations. I have joined numerous writing groups online and in social networks that I would never had considered had I not published. I am rewarded with the people I have met and the education I gain from them in becoming better at my craft.
LA: Which aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most?
GT: I love the character development. Good characters will create the story by their reacting to different circumstances. For example, if I put Joule (from The Kitchen Dance) into the same situation as the heroine from my current work, Joule would react totally differently acting more out of emotion and fear than the trained response of Kakie, who is a detective with the sheriff’s department.
What I hate…EDITING!!!
LA: If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would it be, and what would you talk about?
GT: Kathy Bates. I have always loved her acting style, especially the way she brought Stephen King’s characters to life. I would want to go camping with her and just chill.
LA: Wow Kathy Bates, I love her. Can I come too?
Coffee, tea or other?
GT: All of the above.
LA: Tell us something about yourself we might not expect!
GT: I’m a hoarder. Not the trash kind…the shopaholic kind who loves thrift shops, garage sales, and estate sales.
LA: Do you have a day job, too?
GT: I am a substitute teacher. It doesn’t pay much but I do it for the kids.
LA: Do you have a favorite quote, quip, or saying? What is it?
GT: Yes. A real writer knows when to hit the delete key.
LA: LOVE IT.
Blurb:Joule Dalton, a successful interior designer with a prestigious architectural firm, lived her life choreographed by her loved ones until a tragedy forces her to learn her own steps. Allen Brooks has endured his own share of manipulations and all his hard work and sacrifice has left him with nothing. He wears his troubles like the too large overcoat he picked up at a mission while living on the streets. This coat brings them together in an unexpected way. Joule takes the misfortunate Allen into her home in hopes of turning his life around. She gives him a place to live, a job, even introduces him to her wealthy friends. What she does not give him is her trust. This he must earn. The two combine their dreams and create a wonderful relationship. Then Allen gets a call that will challenge his sense of responsibility. He makes a choice, one that Joule cannot begrudge. Allen struggles with his decision while Joule goes back to her old life until they both realize what they really want.
"The Kitchen Dance" is a slice of fiction with a serving of mystery, a side order of suspense, a dash of crime and an extra helping of romance for dessert.
To Buy:
Melange Books
Amazon
Bio:
I was born in West Monroe, LA (but I do not know the Robertsons) but I now live in Ruston, LA where I attended high school and college. I have lived and taught in Texas, so my southern accent is an amalgamation of all three.I have always been creative, usually expressing myself with art, but the last ten years have been spent on stage and screen as an actress portraying a number of interesting characters. I use this experience every time I create the characters for my own works of fiction.
Find Geri:
Blog
Website
Happy New Year! Welcome Geri. You have quite a background! Can't wait to read your excerpt.
ReplyDelete~LA