Author Spotlight Abbie Taylor

Welcome!

Please introduce yourself.

Hello, my name is Abbie Johnson Taylor, and I live in Sheridan, Wyoming. I was born in New York City in 1961. My family lived in Colorado and Arizona before settling here in 1973. After graduating from college, then completing two years of study and practicum and a six-month internship in music therapy, I worked for fifteen years in that field before becoming a full-time author.

1. When did you start writing?

I started writing in 2000. At the time, I was working, sometimes 40-hour weeks, as a registered music therapist, and it was often hard to find time to write. In 2005 when I married my late husband Bill, he persuaded me to quit my day job and write full time, and I’ve been a full-time author ever since.

2. What motivates you to write?

I’m inspired by current events, personal experiences, and what I observe in the world around me. My first book, We Shall Overcome, was inspired by a demonstration against the Iraq war in 2003. Many of the poems in my second book, How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver, were inspired by my experiences as a family caregiver to my late husband. Also, my fourth book, My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds, was inspired by those experiences. The title poem in my third book, That’s Life, was inspired by my niece’s reaction to being compelled to attend a performance of The Nutcracker with her family when she would have preferred to go to the mall with her friends. I’m currently working on a novel inspired by a story I heard from another participant in a writing workshop.

3. What genre do you write in and what made you chose this particular genre?

I write fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and I can’t say why I write what I write. The ideas just come to me.

4. What is your goal in writing? Do you have dreams where your writing should take you?

As I said before, I’m working on a fifth book, another novel. I’ve also put together a collection of short stories and several poetry collections that I hope to eventually publish. I don’t think about where I want my writing to take me. I just fly by the seat of my pants.

5. Do you ever suffer from writer’s block and if yes, how do you deal with it?

I rarely have this problem, but when I do, I put aside whatever I’m working on and return to it later.

6. What advice would you like to give new, hopeful authors?

Write every day, even if it’s for fifteen minutes. Read, especially books in your genre. Get involved in local, state, and national writing groups. Most important, submit your work when you feel it’s ready, and don’t let rejection stop you.

7. Please, tell us about your work.

Besides the books I mentioned earlier, I’ve written many short stories, poems, and creative nonfiction pieces that have been published in various journals and anthologies. I have a blog which I update at least three days a week. I contribute twice-monthly posts to Writing Wranglers and Warriors at https://writingwranglersandwarriors.wordpress.com.

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Contact Abbie:

Blog http://abbiescorner.wordpress.com

Facebook Page http://tinyurl.com/ybmouz5y

Website: http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com

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Abbie’s books:
We Shall Overcome
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/Novels.htm

How to Build a Better Mousetrap: Recollections and Reflections of a Family Caregiver
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/bettermousetrap.htm

That’s Life: New and Selected Poems
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/thatslife.htm

My Ideal Partner: How I Met, Married, and Cared for the Man I Loved Despite Debilitating Odds
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/memoir.htm