Wigan mum's dream of being an author comes true after 10-year wait

A mum who first put pen to paper more than 10 years ago has finally achieved her dream of having her first novel published.
Taylor and son Levi with the bookTaylor and son Levi with the book
Taylor and son Levi with the book

Taylor Walker has always wanted to write a book, but struggled to tell her stories through to the end.

But now her first novel is finally in print and she hopes she can inspire other budding authors not to give up on their ambitions, regardless of how long it takes to reach them.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Taylor, 24, said: “When I was at The Deanery High School, I ended up getting into writing in English, when we had to write a story. It went from there.

“In my spare time I got into writing books in my bedroom while watching TV or listening to music. I was 13 or 14 years old.”

But Taylor found she struggled to get past chapter five in her books and did not know how to get to the end.

A couple of years later, she met author Darren Shan and told him about her problem.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He said that was normal and he only published his first book at 21. It gave me hope that maybe in the future I would complete one,” she said.

But Taylor, who grew up in Whelley and now lives in Astley, became frustrated and eventually stopped writing.

It was only when a friend asked for help with writing a book during the coronavirus lockdown that Taylor decided she would try writing again.

She returned to storylines had started 10 years ago and this time she managed to complete the book, entitled Dark Blood: The Beginning.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Taylor, who has a 17-month-old son named Levi, says she was more determined this time to finish the story.

“You start writing a book and imagine a character. As soon as you imagine that character, it’s like you are not writing the book, the character leads. You write it and go along with it and it pans out how it does,” she said.

It is about a 17-year-old boy named Killian who seems to be an ordinary teenager until his family moves to Florida. He struggles with mental illness and is admitted to a psychiatric unit, but there are fatal consequences.

Taylor said: “It’s quite a dark, gory book but there have been reviews which say it’s been such a gripping read and they can’t wait to read more.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Fans might not have long to wait, as after overcoming her writer’s block, Taylor has decided this first novel will be part of a Dark Blood series.

She has already started work on the second book, which she hopes will be released next year, and has ideas for several more.

Taylor was so committed to seeing her book in print that she decided to self-publish it.

She had sent her book to publishers and literary agents, and says she was almost “scammed” by people asking her to pay up to £1,000 to publish it, so decided to do it herself.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Taylor hopes to inspire others to keep going and follow their own dreams.

In a message for budding writers, she said: “No matter how many people tell you you are not going to make it or make anything out of it, as I was told a couple of times, I would say don’t give up. Ignore what people say and go for it.”

To order a paperback copy of Dark Blood: The Beginning or to find out more, search for Official Taylor Walker on Facebook.

Related topics: