Why did you decide to become a writer?
I didn't. Just like I didn't choose to have brown eyes.
(Unless you believe that we choose these things before we come here, which
maybe I did. But if that's the case, you'd have to ask me why in the spirit
world.) It's what I am. Even when I've had other jobs, I've always written.
I've never not been a writer. Writing helps me
communicate more clearly, or sometimes in hidden ways, something I want to get
out. I write a lot of poetry as well, and that has been my way of purging thoughts
and feelings in a sort of code. Writing, as with any
form of art, is a miraculous opportunity to connect with another person's soul.
I have walked into a bookstore, pulled a book off a shelf, opened it and
started reading, and thought, My God, this book was written for me. This person
is speaking to me. And I've literally stood crying in the bookstore. I've
started reading a book in a bookstore and stood there laughing my a** off. I
want to touch someone like that. People remember the way you made them feel.
How did you come up with the story in the book?
I lived it.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when
writing?
Writing the parts that I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to know
about me. I would talk to Anthony about it and say, "People are going to
see me and have this picture in their head now." And he would tell me,
"But you have to leave it in. It's all part of your story. They have to
know the bad or they won't know why the good is as good as it is." You
know you're not the only only one. They have to know they're not either. And
they have to know there's hope." That was before I changed all the names
and locations and took a pen name. But reality is, I want to promote my book. I
live in a small town. So as soon as someone in town reads the back of the book,
they will immediately know who wrote it. I think really, the hardest...is
knowing that my family will know how much I'd been suffering. I didn't want to
go there. I don't want them thinking about that.
What do you like to do when not writing?
Have interesting, thought-provoking conversations with my
hubby or anyone else, but especially my hubby. Visit my kids. Hang with fam. (I
have an awesome family.) Paint, draw, photography, play piano and flute.
Crochet. Have coffee with friends. Pet my cats. Pet my dog. Dog sit. I'm
considering a podcast. Read. Did I mention painting and drawing?
Watch Netflix or Amazon, especially something that
makes me laugh. I love to laugh and make people laugh. You gotta laugh. I enjoy
going to movie theaters, especially old ones. I love historical places, where
you walk right where everything happened, especially mansions, where there is
the history of the families told and evidence of them having been there. Going
to very old cemeteries. Museums. Going to cities. People watching. Being near
children. (That sounds weird. I was in childcare for 25 years--not like, as an
adult-child, but as a caregiver--so I really miss it sometimes and miss my own
kids being little, so I really enjoy when I get to be near them...little kids
that is. Well, my own kids, too, but I already said that up there ^^^.)
Okay! I'm guessing that's more than enough. I can get a
little out of control at times. And I'm feeling that feeling where I'm pretty
sure there should be someone stopping me from saying anything else, but of
course, no one's gonna stop me. I'm like that drunk friend that needs their
keys confiscated, but everyone's in the living room and I just came out of the
bathroom which happens to be right by the back door, so nobody sees me slip out
and get into my car, and if it was a movie you'd be like, "Oh come
on. Nobody's that stupid. It's like, thirteen degrees out and she left her coat
inside...." ...... Not sure anymore where I was going with this. Talk
amongst yourselves.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
Ooh, good! An easy one.
I have a Facebook page @tayleekind. Also an author page at
amazon.com/author/tayleekind. You can watch for more to come there!