Author Spotlight: Taylor Rylan | CJC Photography

Author Spotlight: Taylor Rylan

Kitt by Taylor Rylan, Taylor Rylan gay romance author, CJC Photography book cover photographer

CJC: How did you get started as an author and what made you want to pursue that field?

TR: I love to read and used to read a lot. I still read, but only a few books a week now instead of a book a day. I happened to be chatting with another author about something and she said, “you know, you should write that. That could seriously be a story.” So, I did. And that is how I wrote my first book and series.

As for why I chose the genre that I am in, I was mostly reading MM romance by 2017 and I honestly couldn’t see myself as writing anything else. I love the dynamics of it. It’s about romance. Falling in love. Overcoming issues, both personal and external. I wanted to write that. I wanted to write about men falling in love.

CJC: What do you find to be the most rewarding and challenging part of being an author and what hurdles have you overcome while striving towards your goals?

TR: The most rewarding is getting a message from a reader saying how much they loved a book and what it meant to them.

The most challenging part is always staring at that new blank document and trying to figure out how to start a story. The one I’m currently working on, I started it three different times before I finally felt like it was what it should be.

There are so many hurdles when it comes to anything. Being a full-time author is no different. I think the biggest I have had to overcome is time management. I’m a mom to three teenagers and pre-pandemic, they were very active teenagers. Juggling them, their sports and clubs, and trying to focus on writing took a lot of planning on my part in order to keep my deadlines.

CJC: Which novel has been your favorite to write and why?

TR: Gah, this one is difficult because I love them all. But if I have to choose just one, I’d probably say Disarming My Destiny. Bishop, one of the MCs in it, you get to see the real him and he surprised a lot of readers once they got to know him. He deals with a lot of heartbreaking stuff with his dad in the beginning of the book, and that trickles out further into the story.

CJC: For first time readers of your work, which book would you recommend?

TR: My Survivor, My Savior. It is the third book in my first series, but it is still very much a reader favorite couple. I cried on and off when I wrote most of it and I’ve been told that many have cried when reading it. That means I got it right, right?

CJC: If one of your books were made into a movie, which would you select and who would you like to star in it?

TR: This is really difficult because I don’t watch a whole lot of TV or movies so I’m not even sure who to pick to play characters.

I only have one book that is a standalone so unless we’re doing a miniseries I say Sixteen Weeks Later. Who is going to play the lead MCs. Umm…Zachary Quinto for Anderson and Josh Hutcherson for Dax. And that was way harder than it should have been.

CJC: For those looking to become an author, what advice would you give them?

TR: Never give up. Any words you get down today are more words than you had yesterday. If you have questions, be sure to ask them. We all started somewhere and have been there before. We all had questions, and still do. A lot of us fumbled along the way, many asked questions from those who had already fumbled before us. No two authors are the same and what works for one, won’t always work for another, so be sure to ask someone else if something doesn’t work for you.

CJC: If you could co-write a book with any author, who would it be and why?

TR: I’ve been asked this question before and my answer is still the same. I know co-writing is not for me. Not only is my schedule crazy busy as it is but adding in something else where someone else is dependent on me getting a chapter to them on a regular basis isn’t for me. The pressure to do that would just cause issues elsewhere for me.

CJC: Favorite motto?

TR: Follow your dreams.

They’re yours and don’t ever let anyone tell you they’re useless.

CJC: What do you do to overcome writer’s block?

TR: Thankfully I’ve not yet experienced that!

CJC: In one word, how would you describe your writing style?

TR: Unorganized.

CJC: Which do you find harder to do… writing the blurb for your story or selecting the cover?

TR: Definitely the blurb. I have the cover before I start the story and that’s usually the easy part for me.

Fenwick by Taylor Rylan, Taylor Rylan gay romance author, Dominic Calvani model, CJC Photography book cover photographer

CJC: Which author inspires you the most and why?

TR: I don’t think there’s any one author that inspires me. I admire Nora Roberts for her commitment to her schedule and Stephen King for his words of wisdom.

CJC: What is your writing process like?

TR: Hectic. I used to be a plotter and plotted out every chapter of every book but then somewhere along the way, the MCs started taking over and saying “Nope, not really feeling that. How about this…” and thus I became a pantser. My process isn’t anything special really. I start a new manuscript and I pretty much aim for five chapters a week, one per day. If I get more, that’s great. If not, that’s okay as well. I write in 30-45 minute sprints. I listen to music while writing—this came about as a means to tune out my three teenagers while they were doing the homeschool thing during the pandemic. I have several playlists that seem to inspire words for whatever reason, and I’ll start one and then just get lost in the words. When the sprint is over, I write down my word count, take a break away from the computer for a bit, then come back and do another sprint. I repeat that until I finish my chapter. Sometimes it’s two sprints, sometimes three.

When I finish a manuscript, I do a read through and then send it to be beta read. After I get those notes back, I make any changes and then send it off to be edited. While it’s in edits, I’ll start on my next manuscript. After edits come back, I make those changes, do a read through, then send it off to be proofed. ARCs go out, I freak out about that, then I do final proof edits, format, do a final read through on my Kindle, and then upload to Amazon. By this time, I’ve usually already finished the next manuscript and it’s in beta reading so I simply start all over again.

CJC: What new projects are you currently working on and what are your goals for the remainder of the year?

TR: New projects. I’m currently finishing up a secret project that I can’t yet say more about. As for the rest of the year, my schedule is booked with my new vampire series. The first book in that series is scheduled for a September release. I hope to have the first three in that series out by the end of the year. I have one other secret project that is happening early next year, and ties into my paranormal world I’m super excited about it and can’t wait to see where that goes. My 2022 is already booked as well and it will be focused on two new paranormal series that are in the same world as my warlocks.

CJC: Any final thoughts you would like to share with the CJC Photography readers?

TR: Thank you for all of your encouragement and support. Authors couldn’t do this without readers.

Thank you so much Taylor for taking the time to answer all my questions.

NOW AVAILABLE:

“Fenwick” by Taylor Rylan and “Kitt” by Taylor Rylan !

Stay up to date with all of Taylor’s latest releases here.

 

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