When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Many years ago in elementary school, I dipped my toe in the writer’s pool. In fifth grade, I wrote a story about traveling to Mars, entered it into a short story contest, and won! And then around the same time, a policeman was shot to death in our town. A classmate and I collected donations for his family, and then I wrote a story for the local newspaper. In high school, I was an editor for the school paper. All of this motivated me to go to Journalism school at the University of Missouri, though I ended up staying for just a year due to family commitments. Throughout my career that followed, I penned and edited far too many marketing and communications programs for corporate entities to mention. I think the need to write is in my DNA.

Who were the authors that influenced you as a youth, and in what ways?

Given my obsession with mysteries as a child, you’d think I’d write whodunits today. Growing up I read mostly Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew. I just googled Nancy Drew and discovered the books were ghostwritten by several authors and published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. I didn’t know that! In my teen years and even now, one of my favorite authors is Stephen King, mostly because I’m amazed at his crazy creative mind and incredible storytelling. I’ve become an ardent Ernest Hemingway fan. He’s motivated me to try to write that one perfect sentence. I’m still trying.

How did it feel when you got to hold your very first advanced copy of your book?

On the one hand, I did a happy dance—a real live book with my name blazoned across the bottom. Life doesn’t get much better, except when you’re holding a newborn baby. Yet, the box with my ARCs arrived just several weeks after the pandemic started here in Connecticut, and the fear of contracting it through touch was being pounded into our brains. When UPS delivered the box, I let it sit outside for three or four hours, and then with gloves on, I brought the box into my garage and left it there to decontaminate for five days. Honestly, what should have been a Christmas-morning moment turned out muted, understated. Not at all what I’d imagined. After the box-quarantine ended, I donned my new “Namaste six feet away” t-shirt, and my daughter came by for the grand reveal. Having her share it with me made it extra-special. I’m hoping for more fanfare when I receive the ARCs of the sequel, WHAT’S NOT TRUE, in the spring of 2021.

What was the inspiration behind your book?

Though technically women’s fiction, I often refer to WHAT’S NOT SAID as chick lit for the mature woman. Did you know there are millions of mature women (nearly ten million in Canada and 75 million in the United States) looking for stories with relatable characters? These are the women who inspired me to write this book. And apparently, I’ve struck a chord. More than one reviewer remarked something along the lines of it’s “…refreshing to read a book with characters that not in their 20s.” So I ask readers to consider, “Why can’t an older woman be with a younger man? Wouldn’t the movie Something’s Gotta Give have been more fun if Diane Keaton rode off with Keanu Reeve instead of Jack Nicholson?”

What was your publishing journey like?

Once I typed THE END on the last page of my manuscript, I sketched out a publishing plan. Given my age, I was impatient to pursue the traditional route indefinitely. I gave myself four months of aggressively querying agents and decided if nothing happened, I’d self-publish. Some agents nibbled, and I received one contract that I turned down. Half way through that process, I submitted the book to She Writes Press (SWP). Just as I was about to switch gears and begin the self-publishing process, SWP accepted my manuscript.

As an independent publisher, SWP is my best choice, especially considering my timing. If I’d signed with an agent, I would’ve had to wait until they sold the book…if they were able to sell it…to an editor/publisher. All of that could’ve taken another few years that I wasn’t willing to dedicate to that one project. SWP is a collaborative partnership, where my input is valued. Distribution is seamless and wide across all book selling markets, and the books they choose for their catalog meet consistent high quality standards. I happily found my author tribe and will be publishing the sequel, WHAT’S NOT TRUE, with SWP in 2021.

What advice do you have for aspiring young novelists?

I have four pieces of advice for aspiring young novelists.

1. Don’t put it off. If you have an idea that keeps swirling in your mind, go for it. Enroll in writing classes. There are many online courses, either about writing novels, in general, or genre-specific. Get recommendations before you key in your credit card.

2. Know yourself. Do some critical, honest self-evaluation. What are your writing strengths and weaknesses? Share your strengths with other aspiring novelists; seek out others to help you overcome your weaknesses. Ask for and be open to feedback. It’s hard at first, but it gets easier, believe me.

3. Be willing to dedicate time and energy. You’ll find writing the book is the easy, least consuming, part. Deciding on your publishing path, pursuing it, and then managing the publicity all take more time than you could ever imagine. Publishers today are not footing the bill for marketing and promotion. Authors are. Social media and virtual events have become king now, especially with the pandemic.

4. Read, read, read. Most likely you lean toward a favorite genre. Yes, it’s important to immerse yourself in those authors. But read a book totally opposite your normal taste. You’ll be amazed what you discover and how it benefits you as an author.

If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?

Okay, I had to google this one. Did you know there are 20 popular superpowers? Who wouldn’t want to possess “intangibility” and walk through walls, especially if you need to break into that grocery store to get the last roll of toilet paper during a pandemic? What about “immortality”? If you could pick one age to be, say 45, and then never grow old, would you? Not sure I’d like that. Nevertheless, it is “flight” that has always intrigued me from my earliest recollections. I’ve dreamt I was flying high above everyone else, above even the tallest buildings, above stalled traffic on the way to work, or fleeing an enemy on my heels. I could get places safely and fast, without a speeding ticket. That works.

Where is your favorite travel destination?

What is the saying? Location, location, location? I say, “Italy, Italy, Italy.” Don’t get me started about how the coronavirus has impacted this incredible country! I’ll start crying and never stop. In 2016 after I retired I went to Cortona, Florence, Venice, and Rome partly solo, partly with a tour group. Then in 2019, I returned to Venice and then jumped on a cruise ship to explore Montenegro, Dubrovnik, and two Greek islands. Don’t yell at me about the cruise ship. It went against my better judgement, but Venice was calling my name again, and I had to do it. I’m an author, right? Write!! Research? Right. I did cry on the bus on the way to the Venice airport on my flight back to New York. Somehow I envisioned I may never get a chance to be back to a city or town whose very essence I feel in my blood. Talk about superpowers?!

When you’re not writing, what are your favorite hobbies?

First, let me tell you what I don’t do. I have a black thumb, so I don’t garden, and the plants are grateful for that. I can’t play any kind of instrument, unless you consider Spotify some kind of musical instrument. I have no artistic talent, drawing, painting or otherwise, though I did take a drawing class back in 2001 and sketched a nude dude. That was fun. How about cooking? I do it to survive, not as a hobby.

Now, let me tell you what I am interested in. Sports! No, I don’t play anything. But I do walk often and enjoy practicing tai chi. I consider myself an “expert sports spectator.” My love for American football and baseball began in seventh grade when my boyfriend, later first husband and then first ex-husband, played both sports. But I also love to watch basketball, hockey, and yes, even golf. Not a big soccer fan, though.

Bottom line, if I had the superpower to relive my life, I would be a sportscaster. Maybe one of the first women actually in the booth. Now wouldn’t that have been a hoot?!

Where can people find you online?

Thank you, Alexis Marie, for inviting me into your blog. And thank you to everyone who has read this interview. I’d love to have you join me in my journey as I launch WHAT’S NOT SAID and expand the series.

Please contact me at: www.valerietaylorauthor.com

Or follow me:

Facebook.com/valerietaylorauthor

Twitter: @ValerieEMTaylor

Instagram ValerieETaylor

Thank you for joining me for Writer Wednesdays!

If you are a writer/author of any genre and would like to pitch yourself for an interview, please email me at info@alexismariechute.com

Catch you next week!

Happy writing,

   –   Alexis Marie Chute