What, When, Where, Why and How with Regan Taylor

Regan Taylor joins us on this lovely autumn day. Welcome Regan!

What comes first – the plot or the characters?

Definitely the characters, generally the male ones who tell me where they want to go and the kind of woman they want to go with. For instance, I had the idea for Indentured Bride (www.awe-struck.net) and was writing it, enjoying the story that was unfolding, getting to know Brett when I became aware he not only had two brothers, but his friend Rick had a story too. Rick's story is Traveling Bride and older brother Kendrick turned out to be Mistaken Bride. The same thing happened with Jason in Jason's Accord. My editor, Bea, (www.eXtasybooks.com) really liked his best friend, Michael and she wanted Michael to have a story -- Michael's story is about ready for submission and it's tentatively called Amazonia.

When is the worst time for someone to call you?

When I'm sleeping It's usually a telemarketer who missed the "do not call list" notification. I don't wake up easily and when it's a garbage call--watch out--my language gets a bit colorful.

Where would you spend your vacation?

In my home with the phone off the hook, blinds drawn and I don't answer the door. I also like cold, dark and rainy--I love reading for hours on end and my muse seems to kick in big time when I'm home at a stretch like that. I'm not much for crowds and sun and I like my home.

Why do birds suddenly appear, every time you are near?

Because I have cats and they are ..... gifts? Seriously, my cats are indoor cats and while they do enjoy looking at the window, they don't seem to even notice them.

How important is beauty in your daily life?

It depends on how you define beauty. For me it's seeing the ones I love every day.

From earliest childhood Regan was an avid reader and upon discovering Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens she was hooked on books that carried the reader away to a different time and place. Preferring the quiet of her room and a good book to spending time with people she traveled far beyond those four walls. When her mother relentlessly looked for friends for the introverted Regan (yes she still is shy and introverted despite the outward appearance of being outgoing) Regan would take off with a book or two and hide to avoid being forced into a social situation.

Her first foray into writing, aside from tedious English assignments in high school and college, were two non-fictions intended to be of assistance to people with disabilities. Both were a struggle to write despite their ultimate purpose and convinced Regan she was most certainly not a writer. Both books were completed, they made their way to the population that would benefit the most from them and she moved on or back to her reading roots. Due to her passion for reading she was beyond thrilled when in 2003 she “discovered” reviewing with Love Romances reviews. From her first reviews she became involved in interviewing various authors as part of the site's interview feature.

After a three year stint in law school followed by completing her masters in Counseling she set her sites on being a police dispatcher. Unfortunately her department only allowed women under 30 (generally blond women who did “favors” for the male officers) to be dispatchers. When her “day” job with a local police department in Northern California became far too burdensome due to internal management, rather than escape into her reading, she began to write. Much to Regan's surprise, the words flowed and eventually led to Spell Across Time, followed by The True Story of the Wicked Witch, Miranda's Heart, Jason's Accord, Indentured Bride, Mistaken Bride, Her Eyes, The Photograph and America's Hero.

Regan is a member of the San Francisco Chapter of Romance Writers of America and a contributor to their upcoming “how to” book. Her goal is to be a “stay at home writer” - writing as a full time profession rather than often very part time.