Thank you for the invitation to participate in your blog.
My name is Taylor Nash. I write contemporary romantic suspense with paranormal undertones. I’m a GRITS at heart (Girl Raised in the South) but have lived in the Midwest for over fifty years. Champaign, Illinois is home. My son and his family live in Springfield, so my granddaughters (ages 4 and 6) are close enough Grandma can spoil! I’m an avid golfer (I didn’t say I was good) and love to travel to golfing destinations where beaches are at the end of the rainbow.
There is a true romance behind my novels. My husband, Bill, was diagnosed eleven years ago with esophageal cancer and given three to six months to live. We were devastated. He was my biggest cheerleader and encouraged me to pursue my dream of writing when I was consumed with self-doubt. I was writing Uncharted Depths, my first novel, at the time of his diagnosis. I wanted to dedicate it to him, but time was my enemy. I published a family cookbook, Ida Kay’s Favorites, in time for him to see the dedication.
It took three years before I was emotionally able to work on Uncharted Depths because many of the locations we visited while on vacation. I was of the mindset I had to get one novel published to honor his wishes and published less than a year later. It won a Reader’s View Award. Three years later The Apparition was published.
The timing of this blog could not be more perfect. I just returned from Cape Cod where I released my third novel, Wicked Moon. This novel is very dear to my heart and a labor of love. The backdrop for Wicked Moon is a real mansion, The Simes House, located in the wonderful coastal village of Manomet, Massachusetts. The rare Italianate Victorian was built in 1863 and over years fell into disrepair. The house and remaining acre of land were taken for taxes in 2010. The Simes House Foundation was formed to save the mansion and restore it back to its original glory. The outside has been restored, which is breathtaking, and now they have put the inside out to bid.
Wicked Moon was inspired by the aura of the old home and the grass roots effort to save her. While it is a work of fiction, many businesses in the community allowed me to use their names to make the novel more realistic to this coastal town. Local photographers not only donated photos for the book trailer but one photographer created the cover. Profits from Wicked Moon are being donated to The Simes House Foundation.
I’ve been asked if I have a favorite character in Wicked Moon. I’ve spent three years researching and writing Wicked Moon, so I’m in love with all of my characters. If I had to pick one, it would be Kelli Goddard. Kelli inherited the mansion after her aunt passed away and found it in total disrepair. The mansion had been passed down generations. A wealthy developer complicates matters claiming his company owns the mansion. Of course, the two have internal and external conflicts immediately.
I loved Kelli’s character because, against all odds, she stood up for her beliefs. Not only had she lost her husband tragically, but was forced to declare bankruptcy due to a Ponzi scheme discovered after his death. To complicate her life, she inherited a dilapidated mansion her aunt insisted she keep in the family. Kelli had to persevere through financial and emotional issues—even multiple threats on her life didn’t scare her away. I admire her fortitude to never give up, even when at her lowest.
How many secrets does the mansion hold? Did Captain Eldridge hide rare coins on the property? Was the house inhabited by ghosts? Will Kelli falter under the pressure of selling the mansion for millions? Or, will she stand her ground, risking her life to hold on to her beloved Manomet Mansion? You’ll have to read Wicked Moon to find out!
Will there be a sequel? Stay tuned!Wicked Moon (and all my books) are available from my publisher and wherever books are sold, both in print and e-book format from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.
Wicked Moon trailer
Learn more about Taylor at www.taylornash.com