Ask the Author: C.L. Taylor
Answered Questions (18)
C.L. Taylor
Hi Helen, I'm really thrilled to hear that you're enjoying my books. Sleep, my next book will be published in the UK on 4th April (18th March in Australia/NZ) and I am currently writing my seventh!
C.L. Taylor
I always have a huge, towering TBR pile of proofs sent by publishers so I'll be plucking a few books off that including the new books by Tammy Cohen and Mark Edwards. I also really want to read He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly. I also have a book by Maggie O'Farrell that I want to read (Notes from a Heatwave) and The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman. Together by Julie Cohen is coming out this summer and I have heard good things about that book. Sounds as if it will be huge.
C.L. Taylor
The only online promotion I do for my novels are the occasional boosted Facebook/Instagram post. How long is your short story? I think it might be better to wait until you had a novel to promote but what works for a lot of self-published authors is to write two novels then give one away for free with a link to the second novel in the back. That way you can find new readers and, hopefully, they'll enjoy your work so much they'll buy the other books you've written. Good luck!
C.L. Taylor
Hi River, having a plot in mind is a good start and I understand your fear about continuing the story throughout a whole book. My advice would be to plot your book using the four act or eight sequence structure. I draw an empty chart on a huge piece of white paper and then then write the scenes I have on post it notes and stick them in the relevant section. I can then see at a glance which section of the book needs more plot. The four act structure is the three act structure but with the second act split into two. By doing that you ensure you don't have a 'soggy middle' to your book. You can learn more about the four act/eight sequence structure by googling Alexandra Sokoloff who has written some great blog posts about it. She also has a book available to buy on Amazon called Stealing Hollywood which details it and other tips and hints for using screenwriting methods for writing novels. Good luck!
C.L. Taylor
Hi Anna, thanks for your question. I'm really glad you've enjoyed my books. I normally start with a 'what if?' question e.g. what if four girls went on holiday and had to turn against each other in order to survive? I then think about my main character and what she wants. So for The Lie Jane in the present thread wants to discover who is behind the note and Emma in the past thread wants to escape from the retreat. I then try and think of a flaw that character has that will make it harder for her to achieve her goal (for Jane it's wanting to keep what happened a secret, for Emma it's her anxiety). I then think of lots and lots of obstacles to stop my character from achieving her goal. I hope that helps!
C.L. Taylor
Someone else has! It's 9,000 words long, called The Lodger, and is available to members of my CL Taylor Book Club.
C.L. Taylor
Hello Eden, I'm so pleased that you enjoy my books. The Missing will be released in the US on 7th November 2017. I don't know yet when The Escape will be published, but hopefully in 2018.
C.L. Taylor
Nick and Amy in Gone Girl. Never was there a more fascinating or dysfunctional couple!
C.L. Taylor
I didn't have any books published in 1998. My first book, a romantic comedy, was published in 2009. Wrong author?
C.L. Taylor
There are no plans for a book tour as yet but do sign up to the CL Taylor Book Club newsletter if you'd like to be informed about any future events I do.
http://www.callytaylor.co.uk/cltaylor...
I am appearing at the York Festival of Writing in September, giving the key note address on the Saturday and am sure I'll be signing books afterwards.
http://www.callytaylor.co.uk/cltaylor...
I am appearing at the York Festival of Writing in September, giving the key note address on the Saturday and am sure I'll be signing books afterwards.
C.L. Taylor
Hello Karin, thanks so much for your question and apologies for taking so long to answer it. I've only just seen it (I thought Goodreads would email me whenever I received a new question!) Thank you, and your colleague, so much for recommending The Lie to your customers. I hugely appreciate that. My Norwegian publishers haven't bought any of my other books that I know of but hopefully they will if The Lie has sold well!
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Ha! I love your thought that Al was pretending to be knocked out. That would have been an amazing twist! Ever thought of being an editor? ;)
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Ha! I love your thought that Al was pretending to be knocked out. That would have been an amazing twist! Ever thought of being an editor? ;)
C.L. Taylor
Hi Elaine, there are Kindle versions of both books available in the UK from Amazon.co.uk. In the US there is a Kindle version of The Accident but it has a different name 'Before I Wake'. The Lie will also be available in the US next year but the date and title haven't been confirmed yet.
C.L. Taylor
Thanks Hilary. So many books, so little time! Hope you enjoy The Lie when it reaches the top of your TBR pile.
C.L. Taylor
Write the book that keeps you awake at night because you can't stop thinking about it. Write as often as you can. Don't stop to edit and polish, you can do that when you reach 'the end'. Get feedback on what you've written from a writing group and then rewrite and polish until it's sparkling. Only then should you send it to an agent. Also, don't turn your nose up at 'how to write' books, there are some excellent ones out there, especially those by Sol Stein, Donald Maas and John Yorke. And study and analyse the books you love to see how the author structured the novel and wrote the scenes that captivated you.
C.L. Taylor
Creating something that allows readers to escape into a different world for a few hours or a few days and hopefully entertains, thrills and grips them. And there's nothing quite as wonderful as holding a book you wrote in your hands.
C.L. Taylor
If I'm writing a novel and I get stuck on a certain plot point I'll stop writing and do something else instead. The trick is to stop consciously thinking about the issue and let your sub conscious have the space to mull it over. I find the answer will often come to me when I'm having a shower, going for a walk or reading someone else's book.
C.L. Taylor
I wanted to write a book about female friendships, particularly the female friendships you have in your twenties. Your friends are your family, they support you through everything but there are often cracks in those friendships - resentment that has built up over the years, unspoken competitiveness and petty jealousy. Often those issues aren't voiced, they're pushed down and ignored for the sake of keeping harmony in the friendship group. I started to wonder...what if a group of female friends with hidden issues in their friendships were put in a dangerous situation? Would they pull together or would the cracks in their friendship make them turn against each other? The result was THE LIE.
C.L. Taylor
I'm currently researching my third psychological thriller which will be published by Avon HarperCollins in April 2016.
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