About Ted Tayler:
Ted Tayler was born in Corsham, Wiltshire in 1945. When he was five years old his family moved five miles up the road to Melksham. He’s lived there ever since. He attended Trowbridge Boys High School and left at 18 with a clutch of O and A Levels. He joined a bank initially but moved to a local tyre company because it fitted in better with his musical ambitions. He semi-retired in 2000; Ted’s been married to Lynne since 1971. They have 3 children in their mid-thirties and 4 grandchildren. Let Ted take up his story: –
“I grew up with reading and writing all around me. My mother loved books and I had 2 aunts who taught English. There was no escape. I just put it all on hold from school because of my music and work, until I wrote my book of memories from my life in bands in 2008; it was eventually published in 2011. At the end of 2012, I wondered if I could write fiction! Those are the when’s. I’m beginning to wonder why!
I think of myself as a storyteller; I hope that with each successive book I get better at it. What I’ve been told is that the reader feels as if we’re sat across the table from one another over a drink, and I’m just chatting with them.
As for the thriller series featuring The Phoenix; well, life is all about balance isn’t it? Good and evil, love and loss, laughter and tears. The Phoenix believes that criminals should pay for their crimes; the system often fails to deliver the correct punishment. The Olympus agents can help him redress the balance. There are stories left to tell.”
What inspires you to write?
I enjoy communicating with people. If it’s verbal, face to face, then that’s fine and I enjoy that too; however, I can reach more people with the written word and long after I’m gone the books I’ve managed to get finished will be available, somewhere for anyone who wishes to read them.
Tell us about your writing process.
Ah, the old ‘structure’, or ‘seat of your pants’ dilemma! I use a bit of both. I prepare a list of story ‘threads’ I want to tackle, and then I research them. I use the list as a series of signposts to guide me through to the final pages. Each finished story surprises me. The characters lead me where they want to go; I have to follow.
I write between two and three thousand words a day when I’m writing. When I read them back the following morning, apart from the inevitable edits, I start to plan whether to get back to the path that leads me to the next signpost, or just fasten my seatbelt and hold on tight!
For Fiction Writers: Do you listen (or talk to) to your characters?
I let them lead me where they wish to go. Several of my characters are not people you want to argue with. I dream about them at times.
What advice would you give other writers?
If you are thinking of becoming an author; enjoy what you are doing; make sure you write for you own amazement. Stick to it regardless of the knockbacks that come your way and measure your success in a way that you are comfortable with. I go back to my musical experience; there were thousands of bands & musicians out there striving for a break. Only a small percentage ever made it to the top. Some of the best bands I ever heard never got that break while some pretty rubbishy ones had a handful of hit records. Life isn’t fair. All we can do is do our best and enjoy however far our writing takes us.
How did you decide how to publish your books?
Pure luck. My first book of memories was published by a small outfit who encouraged me to offer a kindle version of my paperback on Amazon, back in 2011. Eighteen months later I wondered whether I could write fiction. The publisher had gone out of business; so I decided to go it alone.
What do you think about the future of book publishing?
At some point I think the plethora of new authors will thin out. The cream will always rise to the surface. How books will be delivered to the reader – who knows? So much has changed in five years; the next decade could change the situation dramatically.
What genres do you write?: crime thriller; vigilante justice; action adventure
What formats are your books in?: Both eBook and Print
Website(s)
Ted Tayler Home Page Link
Link To Ted Tayler Page On Amazon
Link to Author Page on other site
Your Social Media Links
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
All information in this post is presented “as is” supplied by the author. We don’t edit to allow you the reader to hear the author in their own voice.
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