← Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read
Living The Next Chapter: Candid Conversations with Authors and Writers for Readers Searching for a New Read
E712 - Valerie Taylor - A Romantic Comedy Series and A Cozy Series - Write From A Different Perspective
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- [00:01]
Valerie Taylor
So, as I mentioned, it's the second book, but it can be read as a standalone. And it. And it continues. And I haven't talked about her much yet, but, you know, it switched to Death, a Venus Bixby mystery. And Venus is a mature yet quirky sleuth, and she lives in a fictional whaling town that I named Chatham Crossing because it's between Providence, which has been in the news, and Cape Cod. So there's a town. For those who may not know, there's a town on the cape called Chatham. So that's why I said Chatham Crossing, because it's in the middle. And the mayor of the town collapses and dies during the annual Christmas tree lighting. And the detective there asks Venus to get involved in the investigation, but she says no. You know, she owns an oldies music store and cookie bakery, and now she's just opened a kiddie daycare center, so she's really too busy. But then she learns that her cookie bakery may be implicated in the mayor's death.
- [01:27]
Dave
Everybody, welcome back to Living the Next Chapter. It's the Author podcast. We get to meet great authors from around the world. And I love when you meet an author that's got many things for you to read, lots of great stories for you to fall in love with, and a great author who loves to share stories. So Valerie's here on the show with us today. I'm excited to have her on the podcast, and we're going to get into the conversation. Valerie, welcome to the show. Nice to have you on Living the Next Chapter.
- [01:52]
Valerie Taylor
Well, thank you, Dave. I am so excited to be here. It's been a long time coming. You know, when we booked it, it seemed like far away, you know, and then all of a sudden, here we are.
- [02:04]
Dave
Here we are.
- [02:05]
Valerie Taylor
December.
- [02:06]
Dave
It's great. I love having time with authors. I get to learn so much from you and all of the other guests that have been on the show. The one thing we do have, Valerie, is we have authors who listen to the show. I'd like to talk to them in a second, but first, let's kind of tell everybody where you are in this great big world of ours.
- [02:24]
Valerie Taylor
I am in Shelton, Connecticut, which is the upper half of Fairfield county, so still pretty close to New York City. Or New York.
- [02:35]
Dave
Very good.
- [02:36]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah.
- [02:37]
Dave
Okay.
- [02:38]
Valerie Taylor
And Boston. Boston's not too far away.
- [02:40]
Dave
So you're just in the middle of all of it, then. That's good. I like that.
- [02:43]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah.
- [02:44]
Dave
But safe, safely away from all the. The busyness of life and just kind of a quieter place to live. I Would anticipate. Pardon, A quieter place to live then, I guess.
- [02:54]
Valerie Taylor
Yes.
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Dave
Yeah.
- [02:56]
Valerie Taylor
Yes, it is quiet. Connecticut is the quiet.
- [03:00]
Dave
Excellent. Well, let's talk to the authors that are listening because they're coming for inspiration from someone who's further down the road than they are as a listener here on the show, and they're just looking for some kind of inspiration. Any kind of tips or suggestions you have for a new author that might be listening to the show. What would have been helpful for you to hear early on as an author, as you started writing that maybe we can share with somebody today?
- [03:24]
Valerie Taylor
Well, I'm sure there's a lot of things, but I'll just share a story. Something happened on Saturday. I was at a senior living center or community doing what they call a sip and shop. So it was mainly for the residents and the employees and their families. And so I had a table there. Most of the tables work crafters who made tables of all things and hair twirly things and jewelry. And there I was with my books. And so I had, you know, really wonderful conversations with all those different audiences that I mentioned. But one family member, I would imagine, started a conversation with me by saying that she. She had started to write her book and was about 30 pages into it, had given it to friends and family who were encouraging her to continue and write her story, but she was stuck and she didn't know what to do. So I thought about it briefly and what I recommended to her was that she read her story and then write it from a different character's point of view. So, you know, she obviously had, you know, one main character. And I said, now take a different character and tell the story as if that character was. Because it would give her a whole different perspective. And I think that I have done that. Most of my books are multiple point of view, although the. The last one that I'm working on seems to be one point of view. So I'm. I'm negating everything that I said, but I. I found that I was, especially when I was writing my very first novel, that it was very refreshing when I was doing a scene from a different point of view. And so that is something that I would recommend to aspiring authors that, you know, if you're getting bogged down, you don't have to do the whole book from a different point of view, but take a chapter anyway and just write the scene from somebody else's point of view. And it might, you know, trigger some very fresh way of thinking.
- [05:59]
Dave
That's really interesting. Yeah, I like that. That's a great point of view.
- [06:03]
Valerie Taylor
Yes. Another thing that I would say is that when you're starting out, you might think, as I did, I'm going to write one book. Because, you know, I. Even growing up, I always believed that each of us has a book inside. We just have to get it out. And it took me decades to get there. But what I found, and what I would say to aspiring authors is that if you think you're going to write just one book, beware. You're going to probably write more than one book because it's addicting. Once you've written the end for that first book, suddenly you say, I can do this. And so then when you put it out to the world and you start seeing people read it and getting reviews and, you know, hopefully you're getting some good traction with. You feel it's a high, okay? So it is addicting. And. But I can also say that that success in especially your first book, it's fleeting, okay? It lasts just a few months because then there's so many authors out there today that there's a lot of competition, which I think is why people write a second book and a third book. Now, some people. It was recommended to me when I wrote my very first book to write a series, and so I did. So my first series is what I call the what's not series. So this is the first book. It's what's not said, and then I wrote what's not true and then what's not lost. And even though they're standalone books, there is, you know, a central character and. And themes throughout and. And similarly with my coziness. So that's a romantic comedy series. Similarly, on the cozy series that I'm in the middle of writing, there's, you know, a main character and she goes through the whole series. But I. I would say that I have seen my author friends. Some of them have written series, but a lot of them haven't. I mean, they've written multiple books, but each book is totally different. I mean, some of them are historical fiction, and then they. They'll write a, you know, a mystery, you know, so do what's right and what feels right. I don't think that there's any, you know, kind of cookie cutter answer to that. It has to be what works. What works for you. And then I would say that it. No matter how old you are or how young you are. In fact, at the event the other day, a woman came to my table with her son, who was probably 8 years old. And he was really interested in writing a book. And so I, I talked to them about how that can happen and how it's so easy today to even take like a short book and, and go to Staples, which is an office supply firm or store here in the States, and, and to get it published, you know, and so it's, it's never too early to start, and it's never too late to start because I think we have to believe that our life experience is what our superpower is. And I would encourage writing at any age.
- [10:05]
Dave
What happens for you as a writer in the process of writing? How do you change personally? You're gaining new skills and new abilities. You're finding your voice as a writer. Like, what changed for you in the process of writing your books?
- [10:19]
Valerie Taylor
I became more interested in other people, which may be a funny thing because I'm pretty much an introvert. And so I, you know, kind of forced myself because I retired from corporate America back in 2016, I guess, but it, it kind of forced me like out into the community, you know, to go sit, you know, at Panera or Dunkin Donuts or whatever, and at the libraries and even tv. Okay. So whether it be a movie that I'm watching or the news or a series to watch how people move with their bodies or how the words that come out of their mouth, you know, the eye and facial expressions. So I became more observant of people in life. And even, you know, when you go for a walk and you hear, you know, the birds or, you know, the cars or, you know, even the silence that we had during the lockdown and in 20, 20, 21, you know, so all of those, I think, became a part of me and my writing because enabled me to see outside of, outside of myself.
- [11:56]
Dave
I think that's something that a lot of people don't anticipate will happen in the process of writing. They have a story to tell, they're there to write the story. But along the way, you change, you become a different person than you were when you first started. So there's a lot of growth opportunities.
- [12:12]
Valerie Taylor
I also be. Not that I wasn't before, but I am awe struck by writers. I mean, what they and I write, I read all kinds of different genres. But you know, I'll, I'll read something and I'll put it down and I'll say, how, how did they ever, how did they ever write this historical fiction? You know, because it, you know, obviously it's historical, but it's also fiction, right? And so I, I'm I'm just, I just so admire all kinds of authors. No matter what they write, I respect total.
- [12:55]
Dave
And now you're part of that community. You're part of that group of authors that other people respect. Which is interesting, right?
- [13:02]
Valerie Taylor
It is. Because again, I go back to that event just the other day and people, you know, they, you know, I have five books published and I have them out on the table and, and they come up and they say, you know, I have a name tag on. And then they look at the book and they say, you're Valerie Taylor. I'm, I'm Valerie Taylor. You know, so it's, it's, it's a weird feeling. I, I'm not sure that I was ever. Well, I did well in corporate America. But, you know, I don't think I was admired perhaps as maybe a few people might admire me today.
- [13:42]
Dave
So I think the lesson too for authors listening is to when you are published, to get out there in front of people. Like you did go to these events and set up a table. What a great way to have conversation with people. Meet people that aren't maybe expecting an author to be set up there. There's other people who make handmade crafts and candles and things. And then all of a sudden there's an author with a table. It's like, how engaging for a reader to be. Like, I get to talk to an actual author. I know when I was a child, like in school, we had an author come to class. Now this is a long time ago and I remember sitting on the floor, cross legged, looking up at this author, going, that's a real author in front of us, like. And it was, it was a meaningful interaction that stuck with me my whole life.
- [14:26]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah, yeah.
- [14:27]
Dave
So you don't really know the impact you're going to have on people. Right. Being out there in the public and doing events like you're doing. It's a great idea.
- [14:34]
Valerie Taylor
I go to. Well, in Connecticut, there's a couple of groups that do an awesome job in organizing events for authors. And so I call them book fairs. Right. And, and some of them are outside, some of them are inside. I prefer inside, but I've done both. And though many of those events are very large, you know, there could be 30 authors, 50 authors, 100 authors, and I, I generally do well at those, but it's very competitive and I feel that competition when I'm there. And I, and I think, and sometimes you'll talk to somebody for 10 minutes and they're really engaged and then they move away from Your table and go talk to somebody else and they'll say, oh, I'll be back. And sometimes they come back and sometimes they don't, which is. Which is fine. But I also go to these craft fairs which, as you just described.
- [15:41]
Dave
Right.
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Valerie Taylor
I might be the only author there and I do really well at those, you know, so I. That's my preference, you know, so.
- [15:50]
Dave
Yeah. And I would. I resonate with the. The feeling of being an introvert. That's what I am. I. Big events. I'm not really a huge fan of big events and all the attention on me. So I like having smaller things like that where again, you're not competing with a lot of voices making it noisy in a room with a lot of people talking. It's nice when people just come up to your table and can have a great interaction with you.
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Valerie Taylor
Exactly.
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Dave
Yeah.
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Valerie Taylor
Smart.
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Dave
That's really good. I like that. Okay, let's. First of all, I want to say I love the covers of all three of the series for what's not like just the colors and the pictures and how the book covers are laid out. As an author, is that something that you have the ability to speak to or is that something that someone directs you that we're going to go this way? Like, what kind of say do you have over your cover?
- [16:39]
Valerie Taylor
So as I mentioned, there's two different series. So the what's not series that I. I held up the rom com. I. The first two of these books I published through she Writes Press, which is a hybrid publisher. And so they have a whole process where you fill out what they call a cover memo and you give them all kinds of information and then they come back with two or three different covers. And then you go back and for. And so the first one had keys, the second one has wedding rings, and the third one has a rose. And then a coin, a Greek coin. Okay. So each of those symbols has something in the story. And so I was able. I was really able to direct them on that pretty well. And so I was happy with that. And then the what's not lost? The green one with the rose. I self published that and. But she writes did the COVID for me. And so we were able to keep the theme going. And then in the cozy. Starting with a whale of a murder.
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Dave
Yeah.
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Valerie Taylor
And I think we're going to talk about these and switch to death. Right. So I hired a cover designer and again, I did kind of like a cover memo for her with a lot of information. And she really did exactly what I wanted. I mean, that this was the first one. And we really. She gave me, you know, when she designed the font of the heading, it was kind of bland. And so I said, you know, I want something different. And so she did this. I don't know the name of the font, but so excited, because it was a font that she wanted to use but hadn't been able to get an author to accept it. But then the key, too, is that I have these signposts. The signpost that says Music museum and Mayhem, and that, you know, kind of is what the. Is embodied in the story. And then it switched to death, which is. So that one is more of a summer story, and this is more of a holiday story. And so this. The signpost says cats, cookies, and chaos. So the alliteration of the C on the M and the other one. But then she, you know, she put. Of course she designed the whole thing, but she put, you know, like snowflakes in the back, and she plopped this red Santa hat on the top, which really made me laugh, because even though it takes place now, I hadn't mentioned a Santa hat, but when I saw that my. The. My draft was, like, almost finished, finished, ready to hand off to her to lay out. But I went in and I actually added just a sentence in one of the scenes where I added, I think somebody walks in with a Santa hat on or something like that. So. So that was, like, one thing was driving the other, you know, which. Very cool. A real partnership which you can have with designers.
- [20:12]
Dave
That's amazing how. And a design element helped add to the story. I think that's very unique. Usually everything seems. From my perspective as a reader, I would think that the book is done, everything's finished, and then they start the artwork. But I love that there was this back and forth.
- [20:30]
Valerie Taylor
That's great. It was great. Yeah. She's a great designer. So. And now I'm working on the third one. I've already started kind of noodling. What are those three words going to be on the signpost? And the next one takes place in March, and So there's a St Patrick's Day theme to it. Okay, so I'm curious, because the first two books are obviously, you know, blue. You know, how she's going to, you know, we're going to want to keep the blue, but how are we going to incorporate more green right into it? So it'll be. It'll be interesting. So that's the project to finish for 2026. So.
- [21:15]
Dave
So there's a chance to have you back on in the future to celebrate that book. That's ready too. Right. Okay, I like that. Who, who do you think is your. For each of these two series? Who do you think is your ideal reader? Who are you trying to reach? Because I want to make sure that we're talking to them.
- [21:30]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah. So I would say for the rom com, it's definitely. It's a contemporary story. It actually takes place in the. In like 2019. 2020. And it, I say it's, it's a mature audience. So, you know, it's, you know, over 25, mostly men. However, I can tell you that I have a fellow in China who's a fan of who. Who I got to know because I had done an event, a podcast, if you will, with the New York. I think it was the New York Public Library. And he was on the call from China, and so then he's been following me. Yes. So. And other men have read the books, the rom coms, and enjoyed them. Yes. I have another fan in Nebraska of all places. So now the, the cozy, on the other hand, I've, I've sold it to teenagers. And so I don't know if people know, but cozy's. So this is the kind of the difference between the two genres. So the rom com have more leeway and you can, you can go more than PG or.
- [22:57]
Dave
Yeah.
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Valerie Taylor
It's not quite R rated, but, you know, it's not 50 shades of gray, but it's definitely mature. Okay. But on a cozy, it's got to be what they call clean. Okay. There. You can take. There can be romance. And I. There's romance in all of my books and there's mystery in all of my books. And with, with romance, romance and crime kind of go together. Yeah, I think Hercule Pro and Agatha Christie said something like that. But they say you can take the romance up to the bedroom door and. But then you cannot go over it. So, you know, the, the cozies are, you know, readable by, by anybody, really.
- [23:47]
Dave
Okay. Yeah. Interesting, because I know you mentioned on your, on your website, you know, welcome to the librarian. So if there's a. Maybe a high school librarian or college librarian, definitely these books can find their way onto the shelves.
- [24:01]
Valerie Taylor
So, you know, I talk about events a lot. I was at an outdoor event, upstate Connecticut in the fall, and a gal or a family came up and I think it was a teenager recognized my books, my, my rom com, and she said, oh, those books are in our library. And I was like, really? Okay, I'm not gonna argue with it. But I was a little surprised.
- [24:33]
Dave
Wow, interesting.
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Valerie Taylor
Yeah.
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Dave
There you go. Okay, that's great. So, yeah, so you definitely know who you're writing for. You're getting great feedback from your audience in person and through reviews and everything, which is excellent. I'm reading through on your website a lot of great comments and things about your books. What. Where do you see you kind of going after finishing off your next series? Are you going to continue writing? Are you going to go in a new direction? Do you kind of have a long term goal for 2026?
- [25:05]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah, I do. And I've, you know, I've started kind of doing some research on this and, and I'm afraid that it's just going to take me away from finishing this third book. So I have to be really careful. Two different directions or maybe it's three. I'll have to think about this. So one is that I'm thinking I'm done writing long novels. I'm just going to do blogs. You know, Substack has become really popular and I, I'm on there and, and I enjoy. It's very easy, which I, which I like. So that's one, one area. Another is I really, and I think I mentioned it earlier, I, I love and, and admire authors of historical fiction.
- [25:54]
Dave
Yeah.
- [25:55]
Valerie Taylor
And I have a little thing in the back of my mind area that I might want to work on. But it is, I mean it's a real project. It takes years to write historical fiction and then 3rd Avenue that I've been exploring a little bit. And I'm probably going to have to take a course. I, I think I want to write a screenplay. So either taking like my first book, you know, what's not said, and turning it into a screenplay or something brand new. And, and the reason that that's an itch for me is that people have said that they love my dialogue and that one review I think for what's not said had said that it was a chef's kiss. And I mean that was like the greatest compliment. And, and I know I enjoy writing dialogue and of course screenplay is like probably 80% dialogue and 20% direction, you know, so I probably, I might put the historical fiction aside and do the blog and the, and the screenplay.
- [27:19]
Dave
Nice. Yeah, excellent. We've had several authors who have done exactly what you're saying on the show and written screenplays and yeah, if you're ever interested in talking to somebody, just from author to author, I've got some great contact guests on the show that could give you some great direction.
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Valerie Taylor
I'D love that. Thank you.
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Dave
Yeah, I think that's a. That's very interesting to follow an author's path from writing into screenplay because again, it is a very different way of writing.
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Valerie Taylor
Yeah.
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Dave
And you're right, you're more focused on the characters and what they're saying than the backdrop and everything else. There just needs to be enough story to give direction for the visual side of it. But you really got to go in after the, after the conversation and the story between the characters. Yeah, I like that.
- [28:09]
Valerie Taylor
And you're. And what I've read over the last couple of weeks as I'm researching it is that you're not really even telling the whole story, you know, you're just, you know, pulling back or going in, I guess, and just, you know, and. And it's recommended that I get a, you know, like, if I'm going to do my own book, then, you know, get the screenplay of a romantic comedy and then watch it and read it
- [28:38]
Dave
at the same time. Exactly. That's one of the things I heard one of my guests say is they'll grab the script for a movie and put the movie on and watch the movie and reference the script at the same time. That's super smart. And then you get to see how it translated from. From words on a paper to your screen. So that's a good lesson. Yeah. That's interesting that you brought that up. That was talked about on this show. That's interesting. Good. Wow, that's. That sounds like a lot, A lot to take on for a first time screenwriter to do that. But I'm sure that with the amount of words that you've already put pen to paper on, you've already got a foundation to build from. So that's interesting.
- [29:19]
Valerie Taylor
So I think what drives me is the challenge. Okay. So, you know, for years, I, as I said from childhood, you know, I was like, I can write a book. I can write a book. And then I read a book and I won't name the author of the book, but I. It was a, like a romantic comedy. And, and I. And I took the. After I was finished with the book, I took the book and I literally threw it across the bed. I was reading it in bed and I was like, I can do this, I can do this. So I took it on as a challenge. But it took me a long time to get all the corporate speak out of my head and be able to find my own voice. But then, you know, I think that I've done it now, you know, with this next one It'll be six books. I was only supposed to write one. And so it's kind of like, well, now I need a new challenge. You know what? I don't write poetry. I mean, that's one. That's another. You know, I admire poets. I mean, how cool is that, right? But, you know, I. I could never understand poetry in school, and so I don't think that I could write it.
- [30:38]
Dave
That's. Yeah, that's a completely different. A different muscle to develop over time, I would think. Right. So. No, that's amazing. I like it. So for. For your. Your most recent book that's available to readers now, what would you say? As it's gift giving time at the time of recording, people are looking for ideas for their loved ones this holiday season. So let's talk a little bit about this one because again, it's already got Santa's hat on the COVID So come on. Yeah, let's talk a little bit more about the story for that one as people are considering that possibly for a purchase this Christmas season.
- [31:15]
Valerie Taylor
So as I mentioned, it's the second book, but it can be read as a standalone and it continues. And I haven't talked about her much yet, but, you know, it switched to Death a Venus Bixby mystery. And Venus is a mature yet quirky sleuth. And she lives in a fictional whaling town that I named Chatham Crossing because it's between Providence, which has been in the news, and Cape Cod. So there's a town, for those who may not know, there's a town on the cape called Chatham. So that's why I said Chatham Crossing because it's in the middle. And the mayor of the town collapses and dies during the annual Christmas tree lighting. And the detective there asks Venus to get involved in the investigation, but she says no. You know, she owns an oldies music store and cookie bakery, and now she's just opened a kiddie daycare center, so she's really too busy. But then she learns that her cookie bakery may be implicated in the mayor's death. So she has no choice but to get involved. And soon as she's uncovering clues, she discovers that maybe someone she cares about is also implicit, may also be involved in the mayor's death. So, you know, will she be able to solve the mystery and bring joy and cheer back to Chatham Crossing by Christmas? We shall see.
- [33:10]
Dave
Interesting.
- [33:12]
Valerie Taylor
It's. It's a lot of fun. Yeah.
- [33:15]
Dave
Wow. Okay. And then for. For people that are coming to the what's not series, should we start with the first in the series as a starting point. Do you think that'd be a good place to send people?
- [33:26]
Valerie Taylor
No. What's not said is, as I said, it's. It's format, a mature.
- [33:31]
Dave
Yeah.
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Valerie Taylor
Audience. And it's about a different protagonist, Cassio Callahan, who's been in her dysfunctional marriage way past its expiration date. And just as she's about to run off with a young man she met on a solo vacation to Venice, she discovers her husband has a serious illness. So will she stay in the marriage or will she run off with the hot young dude? And major twists and turns in the story. And what I did with that series, unintentional as I was writing it. In the third book, the what's not lost? There's a secondary, very minor character in it named Venus Bixby.
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Dave
Oh, okay.
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Valerie Taylor
And I loved writing Venus and creating her for that story. And so when I. When I decided to write a cozy mystery, I said, venus needs her own series. So that's how Venus became the protagonist. And.
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Dave
Interesting.
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Valerie Taylor
Yeah, so that was very interesting. So what I had to do, because
- [34:52]
Dave
the.
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Valerie Taylor
The rom com is in the. The later 2019. 2020.
- [34:57]
Dave
Yeah.
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Valerie Taylor
And so I. I had to back up the timeline for the cozy. So the cozy starts in 2010.
- [35:06]
Dave
Okay.
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Valerie Taylor
So it's before.
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Dave
Wow.
- [35:09]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah. So. So I had a little planning that I had to do on that, but it was. It was a lot of fun doing it. So again, it goes back to my innate desire to have this challenge, because that was a challenge. It was like, okay, am I gonna. Am I going to be able to make this work? You know, and even with the rom com, the first book is set in Boston and Venice. The second is Boston and Paris, and the third is Boston, Paris and Greece. And the question that I get all the time from people is, have you been there? It's places. And yes, I lived in Boston for a while, but I also was in Venice and Paris and Greece. And so the Venice one, it was at the publisher, she writes, they were laying out the interior, and I was going to Venice. It was 2019. Right. Like six months before the lockdown. And so there's a major chapter in Venice. So I took it with me and I walked it through to make sure that I did it right, you know, and then the Paris one. What's not. What's not true was during the lockdown, I was writing that. And, you know, the Internet is a wonderful thing because there's. I have a major scene at the Eiffel Tower, and I was able to, you Know, really kind of get some information about the Eiffel Tower to make sure. I think I'm talking about how there's a restaurant there and how high it's off the ground, whatever. And. And I had people say to me, you nailed Paris. And I was. And I had been there years before with my daughter. And then in what's Not Lost, the. I had been to Santorini and Catacalan, where there are scenes in both those places and the winery at Catacalan. I had some questions that I, I needed verification of. And so I emailed the folks at the winery and, and told them I. What I was doing. And, and they, they immediately emailed me back. It was a lot of fun. So. And then I had Venus born out of that book. So, yeah.
- [37:28]
Dave
The interesting thing that I'm pulling together too, talking with you is that you mentioned early in our conversation, for an author that stuck to write from a different perspective, a different character perspective. So in what's Not Lost, we're introduced to Venus, which turns into that character becoming her own series just from a different character's point of view within the story. Open the door for a completely new series of books. Right? So you are living the advice you're giving to an author about getting stuck and thinking of another point of view. Right.
- [37:59]
Valerie Taylor
And what I've thought about as Venus, you know, really kind of grew and grew and grew with the. With the cozies as they're rolling out is had I known that I was going to do that with Venus, would I have done anything different? And what's not lost with her character? And I'm not sure, but, you know, a reader, just recently, when I had asked me again the question you did about what's next, Right. And so I kind of was talking through that, and she actually gave me another thought that I haven't built upon at all yet. But she recommended that I write like, many short stories, mini stories about, you know, where Venus is solving crimes. So there, you know, they could be 20 pages or 50 pages or, you know, that I could easily just. Just publish online, you know, with. Without much problem. So, I mean, it's a thought, you know, and. And actually I was doing some writing the other day and a scene, and I found with that, you know, in the, in the crevice of my mind, the scene that I was writing, I realized what I was doing in the scene was almost setting up the ability to write another story. And if it was, you know, that she was going to solve, you know, she was contemplating some issue in town that wasn't going to be solved in the book. And I thought, oh, you know, you're doing it, Valerie, you're doing it again.
- [39:50]
Dave
Yeah, that's great. I know that some of the authors I've talked to on the show, they leverage substack and they write short stories for a paid audience on substack. So people actually pay for their. Those short stories to be delivered to them and it keeps them writing when they're working on new projects, they're still actively as an author, they're still writing stories, they're just shorter and they're just for a very small audience, but immediately earn an income from that as well.
- [40:16]
Valerie Taylor
I think most authors would say that they enjoy the act of writing more than publishing and marketing, but the publishing aspect of it, because I was a marketer almost all my life, my corporate life, marketing, communications, so that, you know, I was really intrigued with what it took to create and publish a book, you know, because I've been doing brochures all my life, you know, so to do a book was really interesting. And I, you know, and I've had, luckily I have had great experiences with the publishing process. On the marketing, I would say, you know, you would think that, that I'd be a pro at that as well. But, you know, they. So much about marketing books has changed, you know, since I published what's not said in 2020. I mean, it just, they keep moving the goalposts on us and changing things. So, yeah, it's so in a way that's good because it keeps, it keeps me anyway fresh and it keeps me young.
- [41:34]
Dave
Right.
- [41:35]
Valerie Taylor
I can keep learning. That's one of, one of my mantras is that I like to feel like I learn something new every day and, and so writing and publishing does that.
- [41:46]
Dave
Truly excellent. And you're truly living your next chapter, which is the name of my podcast. So, yeah, you're truly doing that all the time. I love it. Okay, great. Let's talk about your website. Valerie, before we head for towards the door, tell us a little bit more about the site I'm on here. I'm looking at it. I see all about your media, your blog, what you're reading. So you have a list of books that you're reading as well, and we can see the series and all the information is there for us to click and purchase and buy. But anything in particular that you like to point new visitors of your website to?
- [42:20]
Valerie Taylor
Well, you know, I'm not even sure if it's on there or not, but I, I Will I have. Maybe I have posted my prior years reading. So, you know, I, I read about 40 books a year and so I'll, I know I think that's a lot. It's not for some people, but I'll post my list in January that I, that I read. But I, So I should also mention that each of my books has a playlist in it and if I don't have it on my website, I should put them on there. Yeah. So each, there's music within a thread throughout each book and then cozy mysteries. Each book has about a dozen cookie recipes. So this is what I consider value added. And I, I haven't posted them, I don't think on the plate on the website, so I should do that. But I, you know, the, the website is like the least thing that I pay attention to, honestly. So, but that, you know, you talk about aspiring authors. I mean, so that, that's all, all part of the package that you learn. You know, it's not just writing the book. There's all kinds of things that go, you know, there's Facebook and there's Instagram and there are people on TikTok and I haven't gone that way. So you're going to inspire me to update my, my website. Good thing. That's great. Good.
- [43:56]
Dave
And all your social links are right there on your website as well, so we can follow you, which is great.
- [44:01]
Valerie Taylor
And, and they can subscribe to my substack. There's a subscribe button, I think. So that's. And I, I always say I don't spam people with substack. I think I'm starting to do a little bit more than I did before I moved to substack. And what I've done with my newsletter, I think is a little different. Some authors and, you know, it's their choice, you focus their, their newsletters just entirely on their books and where they're going to be and blah, blah, blah, blah. For me, what I'm trying to do with most of my newsletters is to feature a country. I called it, I call my newsletter behind and Ahead. So it's, I want to look kind of behind at a country. You know, I did Ukraine when Ukraine was invaded. And I do some quick research about, you know, what bookstores in these countries and, and author, you know, prominent authors. And I give links to, to authors and, and books from various countries. And then I, I'll, I'll write something quirky about myself so I, you know, that people wouldn't necessarily know. And then I'll I'll do something, you know, where. Where I am in my writing journey. So that's the ahead. What's going ahead? And I. I'll often, you know, with. With sometimes I do blurbs for other authors for their books or, you know, I'm just promoting them. I'll. I'll promote other author books on my newsletter as well, so.
- [45:44]
Dave
Good. Excellent. Well, while you're. While we're talking, I've already signed up, so I'm part of your substack family, so there we go. So I'm there. And I encourage everyone else to do
- [45:53]
Valerie Taylor
the most technologically advanced person I know.
- [45:59]
Dave
I do have some challenges, I got to tell you, there's some things that make me go I don't understand. But, yeah, no, I do. I do enjoy.
- [46:05]
Valerie Taylor
You are amazing. Yeah.
- [46:07]
Dave
I love connecting with great people like you. That's what makes me happy.
- [46:10]
Valerie Taylor
So fun.
- [46:11]
Dave
Yeah. Excellent. Great. So come back in the new year when everything is done and ready for the next in the series. We'd love to have you back as a guest and reconnect. That would be a lot of fun.
- [46:23]
Valerie Taylor
Dave, you're. You. You are super, super. Now, who interviews you?
- [46:27]
Dave
Not very many people want to talk to me as, As a guest, which is. I love guesting. It's fun. But. Yeah, but I love. I just love podcasting and I love meeting great people. So. And having you on the show is a. Is a win for us here on the show, so thank you very much.
- [46:41]
Valerie Taylor
Thank you. Thank you.
- [46:42]
Dave
Excellent. And if we don't see you online, we might see you at a craft sale.
- [46:47]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah.
- [46:47]
Dave
Encouraging everyone to go hang around the table and not just talk, but buy books in front of the author. Make sure you buy. Get a signed book.
- [46:55]
Valerie Taylor
Yeah.
- [46:55]
Dave
Get an autograph. I think that's great to do. That's a great idea.
- [46:59]
Valerie Taylor
I agree. Well, thank you.
- [47:02]
Dave
Thank you. Thank you, everyone. All information for Valerie in the show notes, as always, go and sign up for her substack and make sure you tell others about all of the amazing books. The sixth one is coming, but two series of books for you to fall in love with. And again, so great to have you on the show, Valerie.
- [47:19]
Valerie Taylor
Thank you. I love being here. Thank you, Dave.
- [47:25]
Dave
Hey, thank you so much again for pressing play. As you've heard, great guests on the show. And one thing you didn't hear in this conversation is what? What did you not hear? Think about it for a second. That's right. Not a single solitary commercial for a mattress or a supplement or whatever you call it. No, why? Because we don't want to break up the conversation with commercials. So the fact that you're still here means that you are a fan of the show, I'm assuming. So if you want to help to keep the podcast going and to make me feel really happy, all I really care about is coffee. Okay. I just got to be honest. I love coffee. I'm drinking one right now. Starting to get cold. I need. I need to warm it up. Helping us with our Buy me a coffee link over at living the next chapter.com and also in the show notes helps kind of keep the lights on around here. Remember, I'm doing this for free. I. I'm paying for everything, so I would love to have a little coffee donation. You know, even five bucks kind of fills up my cup. And I would love to enjoy a coffee from you. So if you're interested, again, thank you for listening, but you can use our Buy me a Coffee link and fill up the cup. Thanks for being here.