Best of Family & Relationships
Best of Family & Relationships
"So Many Books, So Little Time!"
Open for Submissions
Exclusive Interview with
Ted Tayler
When did you start writing?
I started writing fiction in December 2012, aged sixty-seven.
What makes writing your passion?
How long have you been writing?
What was the feeling when you published your first book?
Excitement. The first book I published was a book of memories - fact, not fiction. That was in August 2011. I carried the first proof copy with me all day.
What’s the story behind your choice of characters?
What annoys you the most in pursuing a writing career?
How do you get over the “writer’s block”?
I've never suffered from 'writer's block'. If the words aren't coming as freely as I'd like, I get up, walk away, and do something completely different. I watch sport, listen to music, agree to accompany my wife shopping. Anything to reduce the frustration. Some of my best ideas have come to me at the local garden centre when we're looking at bedding plants.
We all know the writer’s path is never easy, what makes you keep going? What advice would you give to new authors?
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?
Why not try writing fiction, instead of being an accountant? Even if it's a long, hard road, it has to be more fun than this.
Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad ones?
If you ignore your reviews you never get to learn how good readers think you are, nor can you put right the things which really annoy the others that write the bad ones. As a reviewer myself I try to make any criticism constructive.
What is the feeling when you get a good review?
Have you ever incorporated something that happened to you in real life into your novels?
Which of your characters you can compare yourself with? Did you base that character on you?
What do you think, the book cover is as important as the story?
The book cover plays an important role. It should identify the genre, help p[lace the setting, and attract attention to the blurb. I have no idea what percentage weight various elements carry - cover, blurb, title, price, plus any others you wish to throw into the mix - the story must always be the controlling interest viz: a minimum 51% of the whole package.
Do you connect with your readers? Do you mind having a chat with them or you prefer to express yourself through your writing?
I connect with readers on my mailing list and encourage them to reciprocate. I've established a regular correspondence with several over the years. It's been most rewarding.
How do you feel when people appreciate your work or recognize you in public?
Who is your favorite author? Why?
Charles Dickens. Now there was a guy who could tell a story. I lost count of the characters he created, but pick on any one of them and see how accurately observed they are. He never missed a trick.
What’s the dream? Whom would you like to be as big as?
I'm seventy-five. I have no dream, no ambition. My goal is to live long enough to finish writing the final story in The Freeman Files Series. For now, that's #16 due by January 2022, but I'm hoping to sneak a few more in before the Grim Reaper notices.
Would you rewrite any of your books? Why?
If you could switch places with any author – who would that be?
What would you say to the “trolls” on the internet? We all know them – people who like to write awful reviews to books they’ve never read or didn’t like that much, just to annoy the author.
I would suggest they never get the urge to write a book. I intend to keep reviewing for a while yet.
What would you say to your readers?
What I say every month - Best wishes, Stay safe, Keep reading
Share a bit about yourself – where do you live, are you married, do you have kids?
I live in West Wiltshire, England. I'm married. We have three kids in their forties.
What is your day job if you have one?
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your free time?
I read a lot, listen to music, watch sport and enjoy time with family and friends. That's a couple of hours I'll never get back. Free time? As a writer? are you kidding me?
Did you have a happy childhood?
Is there a particular experience that made you start writing?
Do you have unpublished books? What are they about?
What do you think should be improved in the education of our children? What do we lack?
If you were allowed 3 wishes – what would they be?
What is your favorite music?
I sang R&B and Soul in the Sixties. I prefer Hard Rock and Heavy Metal that I sang in the Seventies. I love every type of music except one - I can't stand Country & Western.
Share a secret with us 🙂
In the mid-Sixties the group I was with worked for a member of the Kray family