It's Always A Good Time To Read A Book...So Give Chaser A Chance

We are living in interesting times. Interesting times call for something interesting to read. And, as luck would have it, I know of just the interesting thing to read, a little book called Chaser.

Back in 2018 my debut novel was released. It didn't change the world, but it changed me. Having something out there that people can pick up, flip through the pages, read, and enjoy brought with it so much personal satisfaction. It took a lot of hard work, but I found an acquisitions agent who liked it and bought it. Thanks to her and a wonderful editor, the finish product was born, a book, a story, an adventure.

Like millions of people now changing the way they work, play, interact with others, my family is home and thinking about the future. I know I'm not alone thinking a great way to spend time at home is to pick up a good book and let it engulf you, surround you, and yes, change you.

My book's been out for a while, but it's still something I'm proud of, something I still try and push whenever I can. If you want, you can go to Immortal Works website: HERE or the Amazon website: HERE and order the paperback physical copy, the digital copy, or you can check out Audible: HERE for the audiobook. I love the audiobook version. But, then again, I love them all.

Maybe it's because I'm friends with many authors and they are doing what I'm doing here--pushing their stuff. I'm glad they are. The world is a better place when we read. If you check out mine, or any book right now, thank you! I hope it makes this interesting time even more so.

 

How To Make A Writer's Day...

The other day, I was checking out social media sights (as I'm occasionally wont to do...), and I came across a very cool visual post. My writer friend Rachel took a picture of her children's bookshelf. They arranged it by color and it was awesome!

But, because I know they are one of the few people on this earth that have a physical copy of my middle-grade scifi novel, Chaser, I did a little search.

Blue--the cover of my book is mostly blue. At first, I didn't see it. Then, tucked in between classics from Roald Dahl and Brandon Mull, I spotted it--Chaser! 

Believe me--it made my day!

I think almost every author will tell you that they wished more of their books were out in the public. I hope to get more copies of Chaser into as many hands as possible. I put in a new order just today to prepare for next month's Salt Lake FanX Comic Convention. I plan to do a book signing, which should be fun. Actually, doing book signings and talking to people about my book. and about writing in general, is always fun.

This past week I ordered the audiobook of Rachel's debut novel, Shattered Snow. I've started it, but have not yet finished it. So far, it's excellent! We have several bookshelves with kids books in our house. Unless I actually buy a copy of her book, I can't replicate a picture of one of our bookshelves and have the same effect. I suppose I could put my iPad among the other books then take a picture...hardly the same thing.

I wonder if other authors represented in this literary display would feel as good about seeing their published works included as I did. I imagine they word, regardless of how many copies they've sold or how successful they are. Having sold dozens of copies or millions, I'm thinking any author would be proud knowing the impact they've had on even one person. Thanks Rachel for posting and thank your kids for including me in their shelf!

Ordering Books...Part Of The Process

As a writer, it's bad to attend a writing convention without books to sell. I should know--I seem to find myself doing it all the time.

The latest--this past weekend at Fyrecon.

But, I should say, I wasn't completely without product. I had one copy of my novel Chaser. One.

My last one.

This past weekend I attended Fyrecon 3 for two of the three days. I sat at our publisher's table for a majority of the time I was there. I talked to several people about the company and the books we sell. The company has grown so much recently that not all our titles we've published were there, including mine. 

For years I attended these events with another publisher, Xchyler Publishing. I had short stories in three of their anthologies. I usually didn't bring any books to those events, either, because other authors brought large amounts of the same books I would sell if I brought my own. Needless to say, I haven't made a killing selling my own books.

Maybe things will change now. I've got a couple of cons coming up so tonight, I logged on to my publisher's site and placed an order...not as many as I would have liked to order, but more than I had this past weekend. 

Yes, it's bad to attend a writing convention without books to sell. Hopefully, that won't happen again.

So...My Little Book Is Up For A Whitney!

I got into the writing game kind of late. Some of the writers I've met have been writing literally before they could bike or swim or divide fractions. And because I'm late to the party, many of the author friend's I've made over the last half decade are used to having their published works be recognized by their peers.

There are a lot of literary awards out there--some major ones, and some local ones. There's awards everyone's heard of, and some I'll never hear about. But ever since I began writing and getting to know the local authors there's one award that has always intrigued me, the Whitney Awards.

A little history from their website: 

What are the Whitneys?

The Whitneys are an awards program for novels written by authors who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elder Orson F. Whitney, an early apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, prophesied:

"We will yet have Miltons and Shakespeares of our own. Above all things, we must be original. Our mission is diverse from all others; our literature must also be."

It is our hope to be a part of that journey toward excellence by honoring writers who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and showcasing, through their work, the standards that make us a unique people.

You can access their website by clicking: HERE. You can also see all the other books nominated so far by clicking the INFO button, then go to Nominees.

I was notified just before Christmas that my little book, Chaser, received enough nominations to be considered for a Whitney award. It's quite an honor.

As with anything where there can only be one winner and several "almost winners," I have no idea how my story will do. I know from reading several books that have won in the past that the competition is always stiff--there's a lot of good authors nominated every year. We won't know until May of this year how we all did. I'll keep you posted. For now, though, I'm a happy camper.

My First Book Signing Is This Saturday...AND I NEED YOU THERE!!

There are certain things that happen when you're an author, or things you think happen when you're an author. You write a book, sign a contract, hold a physical copy of your book in your hands, post (beg...) a request for friends/relatives to buy your book, wish you could have done a better job on the book, and ponder why more people aren't buying your book.

Another thing that's supposed to happen is you go on a world-wide tour signing books in front of thousands of faithful fans.

Of those things, I've done almost all of them--except for the book signing.

This Saturday, from 10am to 1pm at the West Jordan Barnes & Noble Bookstore, I will be sitting/standing behind a desk, looking at people as they wander in and hopefully getting them a book they've been looking for, but didn't know where to find it.

And I'd LOVE to see you there!



I've watched my friends hold book signings. I've been a bit envious, but at the same time, nervous at the prospect of being in their shoes. I spent three days last weekend at Salt Lake FanX Comic Convention and I saw thousands upon thousands of potential customers walk by. I spoke with many and even sold a lot of books--I found out today it was my most successful convention ever!

I think FanX was a good warm-up for my first book signing. The FanX guests were there for a myriad of reasons--cosplay, celebrities, panels, artists, and thousands of others. Yes, people who wanted to buy books were at FanX and we found many of them, but so many others weren't looking fo books. Saturday, except for those who go to B&N for the coffee and danish, they'll be readers, readers looking for middle-grade interplanetary stories about boys and their dogs.

So, if you can, I'd love to see you Saturday morning! Take out your phones, pull up your Calendar App, enter in the following information:

Scott Taylor's First-Ever Chaser Book Signing!
West Jordan Barnes & Noble Bookstore
10am - 1pm
Jordan Landing
7157 Plaza Center Drive
West Jordan, Utah 84084
801-282-1324

But seriously, it would be awesome to hang out and chat with you. Hopefully, I'll see you there!

Fan Letters...From Big And Small

Yesterday I received an e-mail from an author. I asked for a quote on my book Chaser. It was something she didn't have to do, considering how busy she is and how, as far as authors go, she's at one end of the success spectrum and I'm at the other. It was very kind of her to do.



Today in the mail I received a letter of thanks. When the book came out, I had a request to send a copy to my niece's twin girls. They were kind enough to write my family a personal note. It was adorable.

If you want to be an author and continue to be an author, you need to be as much a marketer as you are a writer. I've noticed this holds true for those just starting out and for those who have several books on bestseller lists. So when I consider these two items, one from a world-famous author, the other from a couple of kids, I can use the first for marketing purposes, put it on websites and social media and it might turn a few heads which--in turn--may sell a few books. The second, it may not turn any heads, but it melts my heart.



When you're a new writer, you get to know other writers and you take notice when things happen to them like book launches, writing conference invites, and even getting fan mail. You wonder what it's like. I'm hoping this writing adventure will continue for me. And if I continue writing in the middle-grade genre, there may be more thank you letters like the one I received today. Because, after all, isn't that what writing is suppose to be all about?

Thank you Sherrilyn for the kind words! Thank you kids for the beautiful letter. I've had a great couple of days!

Getting A Review...That Made My Day

Ever since high school, I've been performing in front of people. Actually, I guess I've been performing as long as I could remember. Trying to make people laugh, impress them--I've been putting myself out there for a while. And when you do that, be it on stage, in a class, on paper, you set yourself up for praise or criticism. You're voluntarily allowing yourself to be judged, measured, and not only do they judge your performance/art, they judge your education, your background, pretty much everything.

And it can be brutal.

In college I sang in an incredible forty-voice choir. I thought we were pretty good. In fact, there's not many choirs I've heard that were better. Being in a talented group, you get used to hearing good things about yourself and the art you produce. Then, after a performance, we got a bad review in the paper. The next day in class, our professor/director said something about reviews. He told us we can't just believe the good reviews. He said not to put too much credence in the good, because you'll have to do the same to the bad.

In short, if a good review can make your day, a bad one can ruin it.

A few weeks ago, my book went on sale. And a writer's bread and butter is getting reviews, preferably positive ones. I've gotten a couple of reviews, and the latest made my day. It's because the review came from a twelve-year old, just the age for whom the book was written (you can read the review: HERE...). A middle-grader gives a middle-grade book a great review. That's a win-win-win.

So, how should apply my professor's advice now? Good question. I suppose, as the author, I shouldn't allow the reviews to dictate how I feel. But I've been looking at reviews perhaps in the wrong way. I've been looking at them through my perspective, how the words affect me. When I read these kind words from this twelve-year old, I think about how my words affected her, how it made her feel.

And when I think of things that way, it made my day.

So...Today Was A Good Day

I knew the package was coming--I just didn't know when. Looks like today was the day. The package was small, just large enough to hold five copies of Immortal Work's latest publication, Scott William Taylor's Chaser. Yes...it's real.

The book launched on the 16th of this month, but it was digital. I'm not complaining, mind you. The fact that something I wrote can be downloaded to literally billions of phones, computers, and tablets blows my mind. But to many of you--myself included--nothing compares to the feeling of actually holding a book in your hands, feeling the coarseness of each page, smelling the paper as the pages turn. 

It's visceral, tangible, wonderful.

A few years ago I put together a collection of short stories called Speckled that I wrote and had published. Getting a box full of unread, unopened books was a surreal experience. It's one of those things authors brag about, and they do so because it's amazing. Today it happened again. The brown cardboard package hides its contents, but once it's opened, the books come out and there's smiles all around.

I've spent time with a lot of authors over the past couple of years. Some publish books several times a year, some, like me...well, let's just say, it's not something that happens to me a lot. Yes, today was a good day. Hopefully in the future, it'll be less than three years between times the boxes show up at our door. 

And if you want a box of your own and experience that special feeling of getting a real "flesh-and-blood" book, check: HERE and it'll happen to you!

Six Years Ago I Took A Picture Of A Wish...Today that Wish Came True

Today was exciting for the Taylor household. My book Chaser went on sale on Amazon--the digital copy. I spent much of the day doing a little self-promotion, but hopefully, not too much. I received well-wishes from friends and family and even got a review posted on the Chaser Amazon page (you can access that page: HERE for yourself...).

But it wasn't until I did a little Facebook reminiscing that I found something that totally blew me away. You see, six years ago to the day I was in a Barnes & Noble bookstore imaging a book written by me in their store. I took a picture of the exact place a novel written by Scott William Taylor would be shelved. I used it as my Pic Of The Day. I know I was in Barnes & Noble on January 16th because one of my Pic Of The Day rules is I can only post a picture that I took the same day.

To an aspiring author, Barnes & Noble is like a pinnacle, a place that proves you are a real author. Since 2012 I've learned a lot about publishing. The publishing world is multi-faceted and complicated. Back then, I thought all you did was write a fantastic book and the world rushes to your door with cash and accolades. 

Sorry--didn't happen then; doesn't happen now.

I'm excited about my book, but I'm not unrealistic. And it may never actually be wedged between Patrick Taylor's An Irish Country Village, and Terence Taylor's Bite Marks--especially since mine is a middle-grade novel and the two Taylor novels appear to be written for readers not necessarily in jr. high school. But something made me search a bookstore exactly six years ago today, make a little gap between two books, take a picture, then post that picture on social media with the caption, "Mmmm...I think something's missing." It's taken six years, but today, on a digital shelf somewhere, it finally happened.

"Hyggeligt" Night With Friends...

I got a text earlier this evening from a good friend. He and his family were in town and wondered if I wanted to come over to his sister's house and hang out.

Ah...yeah!

Matt and family was here from the midwest. They're visiting family and friends. The get together was quickly assembled. It was, in a word, cozy. The Danes have a name for cozy. It's called "hygge" and a cozy evening is "hyggeligt." It's such a perfect word and there's really nothing that compares in English. If I had to describe hygge, imagine sitting in a room in the evening, lights lowered--not blaring or overpowering--perhaps a small fire in the fireplace, and with a winter wind blowing outside, you're sitting in a comfortable chair maybe engulfed in a warm blanket drinking tea or hot chocolate chatting with loved ones. That's hygge and it's a wonderful thing.

Of course, you don't have to have all those things to have a hyggeligt evening. We were missing a fire, a winter wind blowing outside, blankets, or warm beverages, but we did have the most important thing--spending time with loved ones, chatting about life, about jobs, family, movies, hobbies, books, and music. We did that tonight. It was great.

When you're young--high school, college-aged--you have a lot of time to just hang out. We would go to friends's homes and talk, or go to a restaurant, spend time with each other, and talk. All that time was not wasted; it was well spent. I think it would be hard to explain to me back then that in the future, doing that same thing--just hanging out--would be so seldom done, and so richly enjoyed. Thanks Matt, Melissa, Darin, Lisa, Amy, Chase, and the kids for a hyggeligt time.

And they even had a Danish chandelier.

"Chaser"...An Interplanetary Tale Of A Boy And His Dog

There's a fine line between self-promotion...and harassment. At least, that's how it feels. I was notified this week that my book, Chaser, is available for pre-order on Amazon.

It's strange, looking at a webpage dedicated to something you've created. I've experienced it a few times before, but this one's special. It's my first novel, the second one I've written, the first published. I'll take that success rate any day.

In Chaser, you'll meet Kennedy, or Kenny for short. He's an inventive and somewhat stubborn twelve-year old who finds a way to take his best friend, his dog Chaser, with him on an incredible journey. Here's the write up on Amazon:

How far would you go to be with your best friend? Would you give up a chance to travel to a new planet? Would you disobey your parent? How important would it be? These questions and others face twelve-year old Kennedy Barnes as he and his dad prepare for an interplanetary mission to Planet X489-B, a mission to bring Earth’s animals to a planet without animals.

Or so they think.

Kennedy must choose to either leave his dog Chaser home, or try and smuggle him onboard. He decides leaving Chaser back on Earth would be too painful so he figures out a way to bring him along. What follows is a story of strength, deception, harrowing escapes and painful lessons learned. Join Kennedy, Chaser, and the entire crew of Trinity Base as they travel billions of miles from home on an adventure as big as the universe. You’ll find out how far one boy will go to be with his best friend.

The next month's going to be a busy one for me. Chaser is available in a digital format on my friend Clif's birthday, January 16th. The hardcopy will be available after that. And since I'd love to see as many people get a copy as possible, I'll be hawking this as much as possible. You can check out Chaser's Amazon page: HERE, and if you feel so inclined, go ahead and order your own copy.

Yes, there is a fine line between self-promotion and harassment. I'm sure I'm going to cross that line a lot very soon.

This Year's NaNoWriMo...A Little Different

A lot can happen in a year. 

Last November I was all in on my goal to write a novel in a month. I jumped on days when I didn't work. I even took a story I wrote more than a decade ago, spit it up in as many episodes as possible, then posted those as a daily blog--all in an effort to save time to write.

And it worked!

I finished my novel, pitched it, and it's currently in the final stages of publication. We have a release date early next year. In short, my preparation, hard work, and stick-to-it-iveness paid off. I thought, "Hey, I could do this every year!"

It's a year later. We're three days into the process and I've produced...well, not much toward my goal of 50K words by November 30th.

Funny, I feel different than I thought I would about it. If this had been last year, I would have been discouraged, to the point where I might just have given up. I'm so glad I didn't.

Sure, I could make excuses. I'm again involved in a Christmas production at our local community theater. Last year we did a straight play--no music or choreography to memorize. This year's so is so much more involved, so much more for me to do which translates to less time to write. Another change from last year is I'm reviewing novel submissions for Immortal Works, something I enjoy doing, but have had less time to do. Throw in my own novel to finalize and I am busy.

This year's story will require more time, time I didn't put in earlier to prepare for instant writing. Discouragement can be a killer for a writer (or so many other endeavors...). Though this year is decidedly different, I feel okay about taking things slower. I am all for completing my second-in-a-row NaNoWriMo, but if it doesn't happen, that's okay. I want to make sure I do this one right. There's a lot at stake. Like I wrote earlier, a lot can happen in a year. And that's just fine with me.

Immortal Works...Will Publish "Chaser," My First Novel

From my experience, there are a lot of reasons to write a poem, a short story, or even a letter. And there's as many reasons to write a novel as there are novelists. 

Last November I wrote a novel.

A few weeks ago I found out it's going to be published.

I'm not sure exactly when Chaser will be available, but I received more information on the process today. I'll be working with an editor until it's as good as it can be. Then a cover will be chosen and all the other details that go into releasing a book. Finally, that moment will come when a finished book will come, usually in a box, and I'll get to hold it in my hand, open the pages, even smell the paper and ink. I've been fortunate enough to have several short stories published, and the feeling I got holding those anthologies for the first time was magical. I also self-published a collection of short stories.

I'm imagining, when this novel comes out, the same thing will happen this time. 

Writing brings moments of extreme excitement and amazing disappointment. Having someone say they loved the story--the not-yet-polished story--is one of the former, as is receiving an e-mail from a publisher with a contract attached. 

Originally, I wrote my story to see if I could complete the NaNoWriMo challenge and to write a story my 12-year old would enjoy reading. I also had hopes of getting it published. Looks like, with this particular novel, there's more than one reason for writing it. 

Creativity...And The Toilet Paper Roll Cardboard Tube

What does a toilet paper cardboard tube have to do with writing and creativity?

That's a good question. 

I was working on my script yesterday. It's a science fiction story and it was time for me to understand what the spaceship looks like. In the first draft, I skipped over the details of the ship--I didn't want to take the time to explain it all when I wrote the story during NaNoWriMo. But now, as I go through it again, I need to explain things to the readers and just because I see it in my mind, I need to make it sound believable.

The spaceship has a spinning section to create the artificial gravity the astronauts needed to survive the multi-year mission to a distant planet. Everyone's now onboard and the mission is about to begin. I need to describe the inside of that spinning tube, the rooms, hallways, storage compartments. I need to see it in my mind so I can let everyone else see it too.

I started jotting down some ideas of how big the spinning part of the spaceship needed to be. My artistic abilities just didn't cut it. I needed something else. That's where the cardboard tube helped. It gave me a visual aid I needed. The tube on the ship will be about as long as an American football field, 300 feet long and 160 feet wide, except the ends of the field will connect.

I should probably blog more about my writing. Truth is, I should probably write more in general. It's amazing the feeling that comes when the ideas flow. It's difficult to describe. Working on that little problem, designing the layout of the kitchen, living quarters, hospitals, and laboratories, it's one of the cool parts of writing, one of the things that makes it worth the time and effort, even if the book never sells. 

This writing thing--full of surprises!