MY INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR APRIL A. TAYLOR

 

 

What’s your name and what genre would you consider your books to be?

My name is April A. Taylor, and I’m a multi-genre author who writes Horror, Paranormal Mysteries, Fairy Tales, and Psychological Thrillers.

 

Tell me about your book. How did you come up with that (story, angle, idea)?

My most popular book, The Haunting of Cabin Green: A Modern Gothic Horror Novel, first came to life while I was sitting inside the real-life Cabin Green. There’s truly nothing more relaxing, or creepier, than being isolated in a cabin deep in the woods. 

 

 

How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc.)?

Gothic horror is one of my personal favorite genres. I’ve been a fan of horror in general since early childhood, so going in this direction was a natural fit.

 

What kind of research did you do for this book?

Because it’s a horror story, the required research was very minimal. However, I did do the typical research I always do such as making sure location facts were correct, etc. I like to include a bit of history and as many real-life elements as possible in each of my books. This is especially prevalent in my Alexa Bentley Paranormal Mysteries series.

 

Can you tell me about your Series?

The Haunting of Cabin Green is a standalone book (so far), but all of my other published books to date are part of two series: Alexa Bentley Paranormal Mysteries and Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales.

The Alexa Bentley Paranormal Mysteries series features a witty ghost therapist and paranormal investigator who solves mysteries while helping ghosts pass on.

Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales provides a reimagining of lesser-known fairy tales and legends.

 

 

Do you have a favorite book out of this series?

My favorite from the Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales series is Vasilisa the Terrible: A Baba Yaga Story. It’s harder to choose a favorite from the Alexa Bentley Paranormal Mysteries series, but I’m leaning toward Frightened in France.

  

Where did you get the inspiration/idea for your series?

My ideas always seem to come to me out of thin air, lol. Both series ideas randomly popped into my head, and I quickly started writing.

 

Was it always meant to become a series?

Yes, in both instances.

 

What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?

I’m a full-time writer who alternates between my own fiction and non-fiction content work for clients. I usually spend the afternoon writing for clients, followed by writing fiction late at night (midnight to 2 a.m., usually). I write in my home office. I don’t have a specific daily word count goal, although I almost always exceed 1,000 words daily for fiction.

 

Do you have a new book in the making and if so, what’s the name of your upcoming book?

Yes. It’s called Corvo Hollows: A Psychological Thriller, and it will be released on March 5. Kindle copies are currently available for pre-order on Amazon.

 

 

How important are character names to you in your books? Is there a special meaning to any of the names?

Each character’s name has to fit their personality. Some of the names have a special meaning, but most of them are selected because they’re appropriate for the person’s age, gender, ethnicity, and place of origin. I do a lot of research into common (and uncommon) names from specific time periods in order to add authenticity to each character’s name.

 

Is there a genre that you’ve been wanting to experiment with?

Horror comedy. I do have a basic idea written down for a horror comedy that I hope to write at some point this year.

 

 What is the hardest part of writing for you?

Writing has always come intuitively to me, and I actually love editing and proofreading too, which I know makes me a bit of an oddball in the author community. For me, the hardest part is waiting to see how readers will respond to each new book.

 

What do you think of book trailers? Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for your own book?

I have a book trailer for The Haunting of Cabin Green (https://youtu.be/ibkMkFW-kc4). It got a lot of attention on Facebook, but I’m not convinced that it had much of an impact on sales. Other advertising methods worked much better.

 

 

What do you consider to be your best accomplishment?

The Haunting of Cabin Green receiving high praise and sales numbers. It has been a #1 Amazon best-seller in several categories and was also named one of the ‘Best Horror Books of 2018’ by PopSugar, Inquisitr, Ranker, and BoredPanda. 

 

What’s the best thing about being an author?

Creating stories out of nothing other than the spark of an idea is extremely satisfying. I also enjoy being able to weave narratives that address social and political ills without actually talking about politics.

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Still writing fiction and hopefully no longer doing content writing for clients.

 

Have you always liked to write?

Writing has been one of my top passions since early childhood.

 

What writing advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Read and write as much as you can. Don’t worry about making constant revisions as you go; get the first draft down and go from there. Also, if you want to make a living from writing books, learn as much as you can about marketing.

 

If you didn’t like writing books, or weren’t any good at it, what would you like to do for a living?

I’m also a dark art photographer, so I’d probably take photos for a living.

 

Do you read reviews of your book(s)? Do you respond to them, good or bad? How do you deal with the bad?

I do read most of them. I thanked a few reviewers in the beginning, but now I don’t respond to them. I encourage new authors not to respond either, especially to the negative ones. Bad reviews are inevitable. Often, they’re more about the reader’s perception of the world than the actual book. My favorite piece of advice for dealing with a harsh review is to look up one-star reviews of classic books on Goodreads. That definitely provides some perspective.

 

 

Can you give us a few tasty morsels from your work-in-progress?

The tagline is: It begins with a deceptive cry for help. Before it ends, a quiet Detroit suburb’s illusion of safety will be shattered forever.

Also, the idea for this book came from a terrifying real-life incident involving one of my closest friends.

 

Why did you choose to write in your genre? If you write in more than one, how do you balance them?

I balance genres by bouncing back and forth between them. I’ve been drawn to each genre because that’s where the characters residing in my head have taken me.

 

Where did your love of books come from?

I’ve been an avid reader since the age of 5. No one else in my family is a big reader, aside from my aunt Brenda, so I’m really not sure how or why I got so into books at a young age.

 

Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?

Tons! The first few that come to mind are Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Goblin by Josh Malerman, The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, and Imajica by Clive Barker.

 

Of all the characters you have created, which is your favourite and why?

It’s a tie between Doug from The Haunting of Cabin Green and Alexa Bentley. I love Doug’s loyalty to his best friend, Ben. I also love Alexa’s witty sense of humor and her dedication to helping others, even when she’d much rather be napping or eating a sweet treat, lol.

  

 

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

It energizes me to a point, but it can get exhausting to stare at a computer screen for several hours.

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Originality is very important to me. I write what I want to write and try very hard not to let mainstream demands influence my work.

 

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

I’m part of the #WritingCommunity on Twitter, and that’s a great resource for everything from writing tips to getting a signal boost for sales.

 

If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?

If it was an autobiography, it would probably be called something like Always Tired, Always Writing.

 

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

What is the most disturbing book you’ve ever read?

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks.

 

 

 Where can your fans find you and follow??

Lots of places!
Website – www.aprilataylor.net

Goodreads – www.goodreads.com/author/show/17756638.April_A_Taylor

Twitter – twitter.com/aprilataylor

Facebook – www.facebook.com/aprilataylorhorror/

Instagram – www.instagram.com/aprilataylorwriter/

Amazon Author Profile – www.amazon.com/April-A.-Taylor/e/B07B48G36N/

 

 

Thank you for taking your time to do this interview ❤️