Interview with Jacob Taylor

Published 2014-07-16.
Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in the California foothills. This provided ample experience with the outdoors so I made up stories with my friends about how we were all wizards or heroes saving the world. This lead me to having many characters to choose from when it comes to epic fantasy and YA Literature.
When did you first start writing?
Since the beginning of time. I can't remember a time I didn't have some sort of story or poem waiting to exist for others to enjoy.
Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you?
This one is hard to answer. I started reading as a toddler and by the time I was ten I was reading college level writing. As most people my age Harry Potter was all the rage during my teenage years but before I even got to that I had read the entirety of The Lord of the Rings, The Riddle Master Trilogy, and the Magic Kingdom series. These stories all had an impact on me. Lord of the Rings taught me that epic stories are real and possible and gave me the courage to stand up for myself. The Riddle Master Trilogy showed me how to look within myself and accept both the good and the bad there. The Magic Kingdom taught me that even when it looks hopeless with the trials of jobs and school there is still fun to be found and that magic is everywhere.
Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Yes I do. The first story I ever wrote was for 7th grade English. We were told to write about an invention. I was marked down because rather than writing about the invention I described the gadget and then told the story of the security guard who was sent to recover it when it was stolen. My teacher told me that I was a terrible writer and should not try to write fiction. Little did she know that one day I would be writing poetry and fantasy to make a living. I guess the joke is on her.
What inspires you to get out of bed each day?
As someone who has struggled with depression in the past and probably will again this is an important question. What inspires me to get out of bed is that if I don't get out of bed things only seem to get worse. If I get up I then can see the beauty of the world and become inspired to write and love and care about more than the troubles in my life. As I look for ways to serve and love others I find reasons to get up.
When you're not writing, how do you spend your time?
When I am not writing I am reading other peoples stories. I also like watching movies and listening to music or just hanging out and cuddling with my girlfriend. When I lived on a property with enough space for a garden I gardened and loved cooking with the fresh vegetables I grew.
What is your writing process?
I am a plotter. I write elaborate outlines and then get down the writing of the story after I have figured out where I want the story to go. Often the characters inform me I am going the wrong way and I revise my outline and follow their advice. After all it is their story I am writing and who knows it better than them.
Describe your desk
My desk is a table. It is large so that I can spread all sorts of stuff over it. This includes notebooks, pens, loose paper (covered with notes of course), laptop, pictures, and what ever meal I last consumed while working.
What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
The greatest joy of writing for me is the opportunity it provides to teach moral lessons in a fun, exciting way. Writing allows me to express the deepest fears and desires of my heart and experience them through the eyes of my characters. This is both a moral lesson for me and hopefully for my readers as they fall in love with the characters and learn the same lessons reading my stories I did writing them.
What do you read for pleasure?
For pleasure I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi. I read both adult and YA authors. Some of the authors I really enjoy are L E Modesitt Jr, Madeline L'engle, Anne McCaffrey, Patricia Mickillip, Orson Scott Card, and Brandon Sanderson.
What are you working on next?
I am currently working on an anthology of poetry. Some that have been sitting on my shelf for the last ten years and others that have just sprung into reality overnight. I hope to have it ready for publication in the next three months.
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Books by This Author

Of Masks and Tears
Price: Free! Words: 3,000. Language: English. Published: March 26, 2015 . Categories: Poetry » American poetry » General, Poetry » Spiritual
Of Masks and Tears is the debut poetry collection by Jacob Taylor. In it he explores the emotional journey of youth in an intimate visceral way. Within you will find poems of abject depression followed by the song of the phoenix rising from the ashes of despair.