Niteblade

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!  Today I’m interviewing J. E. Taylor whose novel, End Game, is now available on Amazon in Kindle format.

When did you first recognize yourself as a writer?

I wrote my first story in sixth grade and continued writing short stories and poetry through college.  When I got married, I put aside my writing while I cultivated a career and raised my kids.  Then, when I was restless with my day job, my daughter asked me if I could do anything, what would it be.  The answer was as easy as breathing.  I wanted to write a book and have it published and I haven’t looked back since. 

What draws you to speculative fiction?

I’ve always been drawn to the macabre – even that first story I wrote and gave to my father had a morbid ending.  I’ve always had pretty vivid dreams and nightmares and love the rush of adrenaline that comes with a healthy dose of fear.  Growing up I read everything Stephen King put out, sometimes underneath a blanket with a flashlight, and I wanted to write as effortlessly as he does. 

Is there a piece of writing advice you’ve never followed?

Get an agent.  I submitted query letters to agents before I knew what a query letter really should be and in doing so, I burned the bridges for my top choices of agents.  As I’ve gone from looking at the big publishing players where you’re required to have an agent to get your foot in the door, to the smaller indie publishers where no agent is required, I’ve reconsidered my need for an agent. 

In the December 2008 issue of Niteblade, Rhonda chose to publish your story, “Nightmares”.  Is there a story behind how it came about?

This is an easy one – it came from a nightmare within a nightmare and it ended up being my first sale.  I wrote it for a monthly short story contest on the Backspace forum (www.bksp.org) and after some shrewd feedback and serious re-writes, I decided to submit it to Niteblade.   I was jazzed when I got that acceptance email. 

What have you been working on lately?

I’ve been working on my next thriller in my FBI series – Hunting Season which is scheduled to be published in May.  I’m also gearing up for the release of my third book in my erotic thriller series – End Game, which is coming out on Valentine’s Day.   

Is there anything else you’d like to share with Niteblade’s readers?

I’d love to share a blurb for both Vengeance, which is the predecessor to Hunting Season and available now on Amazon. 

Living large in New York City as a corporate lawyer for the most savvy drug lord on the East Coast, Special Agent Steve Williams carefully plots Charlie Wisnowski’s downfall.  His plans go to hell when his wife Jennifer survives an attack by a serial killer.  With her life in jeopardy and his undercover guise threatening to unravel, he orders Charlie’s arrest.  But the sting goes woefully wrong and Steve becomes the target of a mafia assassin hired by the biggest crime boss in America. 

Escaping from the city, Steve and Jennifer settle back into their quiet life on the banks of Mirror Lake. Their peaceful existence shatters with a crippling loss and Jennifer’s visions escalate, forecasting a brutal assault on their family.    

Armed with scant details from her dreams, Steve trudges through a litany of past connections, searching for the key to stop the course of fate. 

What he uncovers chills him to the core – a brother with a grudge, a serial killer and a mafia assassin are all on his trail.  The hunt begins . . .

For more information about me and my writing habits, Niteblade fans can shoot over to my website:  www.JETaylor75.com