Ask the Author: Liza Nash Taylor
Answered Questions (4)
Liza Nash Taylor
Right now, I'm working on promotion for ETIQUETTE FOR RUNAWAYS. I had no idea how much is involved in launching a debut novel, especially during a pandemic! I'm so grateful for the support of the reading community and my publisher, Blackstone. The pandemic has nixed a live book tour, and the book festivals I had hoped to attend are almost all going virtual. All I can say is, it's been a learning experience, and along with my fellow debut authors, I'm trying to stay positive and find some creative solutions. I'm also working on edits for my second novel, IN ALL GOOD FAITH, which will come out on August 10, 2021. It's a stand-alone sequel to the first, and is set in the Great Depression.
Liza Nash Taylor
When my youngest went to boarding school I went back to school myself. I was working on an English degree for about a year, then, one semester the only classes available were something along the lines of “Literature of the Restoration,” (which just made me want to weep with anticipatory boredom), or “The Writing of Fiction.” I took the writing class. The assignment was to start a novel.
A couple of things came into play. First, the location. I had recently broken my ankle and was laid up for six weeks. So, with my cast propped up, I sat on the porch of the 1820s farmhouse where I live and I started the story right here. As far as the time period goes, the Prohibition Era was a happening time in Albemarle County, so I chose 1924. Character-wise, I had just finished reading Daniel Defoe's 1922 novel, Moll Flanders. Moll's story influenced my plot (minus the marrying her brother bit). I was taken by her naivete, which she overcame through sharp instincts and the pursuit of dubious opportunities. She didn’t always make good choices, though, and I liked that about her. She was an inspiration fo my main character, May.
A couple of things came into play. First, the location. I had recently broken my ankle and was laid up for six weeks. So, with my cast propped up, I sat on the porch of the 1820s farmhouse where I live and I started the story right here. As far as the time period goes, the Prohibition Era was a happening time in Albemarle County, so I chose 1924. Character-wise, I had just finished reading Daniel Defoe's 1922 novel, Moll Flanders. Moll's story influenced my plot (minus the marrying her brother bit). I was taken by her naivete, which she overcame through sharp instincts and the pursuit of dubious opportunities. She didn’t always make good choices, though, and I liked that about her. She was an inspiration fo my main character, May.
Liza Nash Taylor
I'd want to go to the castle in Dodie Smith's I CAPTURE THE CASTLE. I missed reading this in my youth but discovered it about ten years ago. It's absolutely magical, and the narration of the audiobook by Jenny Agutter is superb. I love the scene where the girls find a packet of green dye ( no spoilers!) and I love the bull terrier.
Liza Nash Taylor
Spoiler free: I'm always listening to an audiobook and reading one or two real books. I recently listened to Zora Neale Hurston's THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, which is one of my top ten of all time, and certainly one of my top three audiobooks. The late actress, Ruby Dee, does a masterful narration. Yesterday I finished listening to Nancy Thayer's latest Nantucket summer book, THE GIRLS OF SUMMER. It was sweet and fun and I really felt like I was back on the Island (I lived there year-round for seven years). I'm reading two Blackstone titles, Jotham Burello's SPINDLE CITY, which is a fabulously dark story of a Massachusetts mill town. Also, after hearing Edward Farmer speak at a virtual book event, I had to run and order his debut novel, PALE. It's set on a southern plantation in 1966. Farmer's character Bernice has such a voice in the narrative. I can't wait ti see what will happen.
Earlier this summer I fell in love with James Wade's debut, ALL THINGS LEFT WILD. As a huge fan on Charles Portis, I was reminded of True Grit here, and fans of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy will love this one.
Earlier this summer I fell in love with James Wade's debut, ALL THINGS LEFT WILD. As a huge fan on Charles Portis, I was reminded of True Grit here, and fans of Larry McMurtry and Cormac McCarthy will love this one.
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