Interview with thriller author J.E. Taylor

1.) According to your site, you are mainly a thriller and horror writer. Who were some of the authors who drew you to these genres?

Dean Koontz, George R.R. Martin, Lawrence Sanders to name a few, but it really came down to Stephen King. His writing drew me in, chilled me beyond compare and still could drum up an emotional response, whether it be tears or laughter or just a shudder. He is the king of horror and I bow down in the shadow of his brilliance.

2.) During the last couple of years there has been a lot of discussion concerning the future of books and e-books. What are your opinions? Have a preference? Care to predict the future?

E-books will continue to gain popularity. The environmentalists will continue to make lots of noise about killing trees and the global warming effect this has and you will see traditional publishers buckling under the pressure and switching to primarily digital formatting and even print on demand publishing to save the trees. While physical books will never go away completely, they will become more of a relic than the norm. Same with bookstores, they’ll convert to more electronic delivery – almost like library coffee shops with very few physical stock and very little overhead, save for the wireless capabilities and the stellar coffee that will give Starbucks a run for their money.

You asked. That’s what I see.

3.) One of the exciting aspects of digital and indie publishing is discovering new writers. Who are some authors you have been glad to discover in this brave new world of publishing?

Oh my. I’ve met some fantastic writers, indie and traditional published alike. My publishing partner – Jason Halstead – has some intense books as do the authors that signed with Novel Concept Publishing. Beyond our little stamp of the world, I discovered John Locke, Amanda Hocking, Mel Comley, Cat Connor, Poppet, J.A. Konrath, Blake Crouch. I’ve also had the pleasure of meeting some exceptional traditional writers through one of the writing organizations I’m involved with – those names are more mainstream – Jonathan Maberry, A.S. King, Allison Pang, Lisa McMann, Heather Brewer, Sara Gruen, Karen Dionne, Brett Battles, Robert Browne. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Jonathan, A.S. King and Karen Dionne as well as plenty of others that I know I’m missing here, but if I never took this writing journey, I highly doubt I would have picked up any of these writers books.

4.) You hear a sound outside your house at night. You go to investigate. Outside you find a flying saucer landing right outside your door. What do you?

I invite them in for a drink by the fire and drill them for information on the different worlds they’ve visited. I wouldn’t cook for them because, despite once having a small gig as a Pampered Chef, I’m a real disaster in the kitchen and wouldn’t want the aliens to think everyone’s cooking on Earth was that bad.

5.) M&Ms or Reese's Pieces? Or Sixlets?

M&M - especially the ones with the little pretzels in them.

6.) If one of your books was to be made into a movie, which would you prefer it to be? And why?

Hunting Season, hands down. It’s intense and it includes some serious supernatural elements, classic good versus evil and a heart wrenching scene near the end. I had the most fun writing this one and can see it doing exceptionally well on the big screen.

You can find out more about J.E. Taylor and her books at her website: http://www.jetaylor75.com