Author Showcase - Lynda Taylor
29th August 2022
Throughout August, I’ve handed my blog over to five authors to showcase their books. This is the final week and where I interview Lynda Taylor, author of The Clouds Dance.
Lynda and I would love you to share the blog on your own social channels tagging us in. For everyone who shares and tags us both and includes my site name www.loveofbooks.co.uk, I'll send you a little 'thank you' gift, wherever you are in the world*.
*postal address will be required but, in line with UK GDPR regs, not kept. One gift per household.
Socials: Twitter: @sjbwrites
Facebook: For The Love of Books or Sarah Banham or Lynda Taylor
Linked In: Sarah Banham BA (Hons)
Instagram: @s.j.banham
1. What was it that drove you to write this story?
Before writing ‘The Clouds Dance’ (the first book in this series) I heard the minister for education suggesting that Art and Music should be dropped from the curriculum to allow more time for Maths and Science. I understood the concern about the need for more medical staff etc, but consigning these subjects to after school activities would limit those who would be able to stay after school (for example: because of transport issues) and may also lead to these being paid for by parents. This would incur costs that many would not be able to afford, leading to creative activities becoming for the elite only. I felt that the next thing to go might well be literature. Language would perhaps be seen as a functional, factual necessity with no thought for the importance of imagination. From there I had to find a reason for the banning of books. The idea that in a pandemic they may be seen as carriers of disease gave me the way in for the Authorities to use the removal of them as the beginning of a way to control what the population see, read and ultimately think/believe.
This book, ‘First the Rain Must Fall’, follows the characters from the first book, and some new ones, as they strive to free the country from the harsh rule of the Authorities.
2. How did you cope with so many characters?
I had no problem in general, but had to keep my eye on the names. Making sure I had the right character in the right group was a constant focus of attention. It was necessary to use so many because my two main characters from ‘The Clouds Dance’ are living in different parts of the country meaning they have a range of new friends. I also made the decision to use third person in this book, as I wanted to show events from more than just Matt and Sophie’s points of view.
3. Tell me about your daily writing process.
What writing daily process?! I have to admit that I am an erratic writer. I think more than I write and often forget to make notes of things that come to me. Consequently I’m sure I lose a lot of useful ideas. I always intend to be more organised.
4. What is it about MG/YA that draws you to write about it?
I read quite a lot of YA fiction and also enjoy films in that genre. Perhaps having worked as a teacher of 11-18 students kept me rooted in the kind of things we talked about and the books they enjoyed.
5. What parallels did you intend to make with the first and second books?
Really the difficulties of simply surviving: finding food and water; evading capture – remain in the sequel. I wanted to show the separate groups facing similar problems and aims that were seen in book 1.
6. What parallels were intended with your story and COVID19?
Well, both ‘The Clouds Dance’ and its sequel ‘First the Rain Must Fall’ were imagined and largely written prior to the Covid 19 events. ‘The Clouds Dance’ was published in 2019 and a 60,000-word draft of ‘First the Rain Must Fall’ was the result of NaNoWriMo in November of 2019. Any apparent parallels in the first book are purely coincidental. ‘First the Rain Must Fall’ wasn’t completed until 2021. Inevitably what was happening to us all will have had some impact on my writing, but the plan was already in place. I had an historical awareness of other pandemics and book burnings, along with many works of fiction as my guides.
7. Is MG/YA where your writing naturally sits? Why?
It seems to be where my imagination takes me most often. I would say a reluctance to properly ‘grow up’ along with a lifelong interest in survival plans keep me rooted there. I can remember being in school, I guess around 12 years old, and having to listen to a talk by some army people about what we should do if the three-minute warning came. I also enjoy ‘coming-of-age’ novels such as ‘Catcher in the Rye’. I like the idea that around the age of fifteen we become aware of what really happens in the adult world and know that we must join that world before too long.
8. Do you think you’d ever write a novel in a completely different genre? What might it be?
My first novel ‘The Sea Child’ is based on the selkie myths and is very different from my other books. Though the coming-of-age bit is still central. I would like to try other genres for a novel, but have no plans at the moment.
9. What else can we expect from you?
For the next few months I plan to work on short stories. Perhaps an idea for a novel will emerge on the way.
10. What part of the writing and publishing process do you find the most challenging and why?
The actual writing is a struggle until I am fully engaged with the plot. I write loads of notes, most of which are discarded. The publishing process is my worst nightmare though. The technology is meant to make it easy to upload the manuscript and cover, but inevitably I have to play around with layout etc..
You can find Lynda's book on Amazon. Click on this link to go to Lynda's book
Lynda and I would love you to share the blog on your own social channels tagging us in. For everyone who shares and tags us both and includes my site name www.loveofbooks.co.uk, I'll send you a little 'thank you' gift, wherever you are in the world*.
*postal address will be required but, in line with UK GDPR regs, not kept. One gift per household.
Socials: Twitter: @sjbwrites
Facebook: For The Love of Books or Sarah Banham or Lynda Taylor
Linked In: Sarah Banham BA (Hons)
Instagram: @s.j.banham
1. What was it that drove you to write this story?
Before writing ‘The Clouds Dance’ (the first book in this series) I heard the minister for education suggesting that Art and Music should be dropped from the curriculum to allow more time for Maths and Science. I understood the concern about the need for more medical staff etc, but consigning these subjects to after school activities would limit those who would be able to stay after school (for example: because of transport issues) and may also lead to these being paid for by parents. This would incur costs that many would not be able to afford, leading to creative activities becoming for the elite only. I felt that the next thing to go might well be literature. Language would perhaps be seen as a functional, factual necessity with no thought for the importance of imagination. From there I had to find a reason for the banning of books. The idea that in a pandemic they may be seen as carriers of disease gave me the way in for the Authorities to use the removal of them as the beginning of a way to control what the population see, read and ultimately think/believe.
This book, ‘First the Rain Must Fall’, follows the characters from the first book, and some new ones, as they strive to free the country from the harsh rule of the Authorities.
2. How did you cope with so many characters?
I had no problem in general, but had to keep my eye on the names. Making sure I had the right character in the right group was a constant focus of attention. It was necessary to use so many because my two main characters from ‘The Clouds Dance’ are living in different parts of the country meaning they have a range of new friends. I also made the decision to use third person in this book, as I wanted to show events from more than just Matt and Sophie’s points of view.
3. Tell me about your daily writing process.
What writing daily process?! I have to admit that I am an erratic writer. I think more than I write and often forget to make notes of things that come to me. Consequently I’m sure I lose a lot of useful ideas. I always intend to be more organised.
4. What is it about MG/YA that draws you to write about it?
I read quite a lot of YA fiction and also enjoy films in that genre. Perhaps having worked as a teacher of 11-18 students kept me rooted in the kind of things we talked about and the books they enjoyed.
5. What parallels did you intend to make with the first and second books?
Really the difficulties of simply surviving: finding food and water; evading capture – remain in the sequel. I wanted to show the separate groups facing similar problems and aims that were seen in book 1.
6. What parallels were intended with your story and COVID19?
Well, both ‘The Clouds Dance’ and its sequel ‘First the Rain Must Fall’ were imagined and largely written prior to the Covid 19 events. ‘The Clouds Dance’ was published in 2019 and a 60,000-word draft of ‘First the Rain Must Fall’ was the result of NaNoWriMo in November of 2019. Any apparent parallels in the first book are purely coincidental. ‘First the Rain Must Fall’ wasn’t completed until 2021. Inevitably what was happening to us all will have had some impact on my writing, but the plan was already in place. I had an historical awareness of other pandemics and book burnings, along with many works of fiction as my guides.
7. Is MG/YA where your writing naturally sits? Why?
It seems to be where my imagination takes me most often. I would say a reluctance to properly ‘grow up’ along with a lifelong interest in survival plans keep me rooted there. I can remember being in school, I guess around 12 years old, and having to listen to a talk by some army people about what we should do if the three-minute warning came. I also enjoy ‘coming-of-age’ novels such as ‘Catcher in the Rye’. I like the idea that around the age of fifteen we become aware of what really happens in the adult world and know that we must join that world before too long.
8. Do you think you’d ever write a novel in a completely different genre? What might it be?
My first novel ‘The Sea Child’ is based on the selkie myths and is very different from my other books. Though the coming-of-age bit is still central. I would like to try other genres for a novel, but have no plans at the moment.
9. What else can we expect from you?
For the next few months I plan to work on short stories. Perhaps an idea for a novel will emerge on the way.
10. What part of the writing and publishing process do you find the most challenging and why?
The actual writing is a struggle until I am fully engaged with the plot. I write loads of notes, most of which are discarded. The publishing process is my worst nightmare though. The technology is meant to make it easy to upload the manuscript and cover, but inevitably I have to play around with layout etc..
You can find Lynda's book on Amazon. Click on this link to go to Lynda's book