Welcome My Latest Guest: G.E. Taylor!

I want to welcome G.E. Taylor. First I’d love you to introduce yourself.

I am a lover of romantic stories and started reading any Mills and Boon books I could find while in high school back in Jamaica. I was so taken by the stories I tried writing my own. Of course I didn’t consider them to be that good, so they were hidden under my bed. My trip to the USA placed me on a different path. In college I majored in English but ended with a Master in Social Work from Rutgers University in NJ and later a Master in Education from Seton Hall University, NJ. I’ve come full circle and is back to pursuing my writing. I live with my family in NJ.

You can find me at:

Website: http://bit.ly/1E6pNal

Facebook:www.facebook.com/getaylorauthor

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/getaylorauthor

Tell us about your latest release.

Desperate Decision is my second book and it was published July 2015. It can be found on Amazon. Com, Barnes and Noble and Create Space. Com. The story is powerful and one which today’s readers can identify with. The problems the Hero and Heroine faced in their relationship are as true for them as in real life. Going against tradition and family expectations can bring so much hurt and pain, only trust and the strength of their love can help them through it as Allison and Mason discovered. Allison escaped from her step-brother’s house where he’d kept her like a prisoner after he robbed her of her prize money which she intended to use to open up her pastry shop. She met Mason out of sheer desperation and he helped her when his senses dictated he shouldn’t. But he went with his instincts.

Later he discovered that she was a master pastry chef who could put his failing pastry business back on top. He offered her a job, which she was more than happy to take, since she had no money. She proved she was the best person for the job, but his father had other ideas. He wanted a male working with Mason. But Mason didn’t see it that way.

Mason’s father expected him to marry someone from his station and background. Instead, he fell in love with Allison which caused bloody hell between him and his father. In the end, Mason got back Allison’s money from her thieving step-brother, reorganized his company with Allison’s help and married Allison who turned out to be his helpmate and the love of his life.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1JiQNqC

 Nook: http://bit.ly/1NHOJ0K

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1MTrlOA

Now I have a few questions for you – I have found readers do like to know fun things about us writers.

1.) Who is your favorite villain – it can be from a book (even one of yours), movie or TV show. And why?

My all-time favorite villain is Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier/Joker in the 1989 Batman movie. I admired his dapper kind of dress. The colors were fantastic and well-coordinated. But the life he brought to the character was outstanding.

2.) Who is your favorite character out of your books? Why?

In The Lady Mentor, Joanna, the Heroine is my favorite because of her strength, her unselfishness, and her caring. She fights for what she believes in and for those who come under her care. She goes after what she wants and is not afraid to fail. She meets her challenges head-on. Vaughn-the Hero, I must include. He is her anchor, strong in will, but does not overshadow her. He knows when to give her the space she needs, but he never lets her run rough-shod over him. He is unselfish, caring and loving, was not afraid to put his life on the line for her when her own life was threatened.

In Desperate Decision, Allison, and Mason, the Heroine and Hero are my favorite. The circumstance under which they met, Mason could have easily walked away and not get involved with her. But he was a man who was not afraid of taking chances. He was strong, honest, caring and stood up for what he believed in, even if it meant going against his own family. Allison complemented Mason in business as well as in their personal lives. Without hesitation she would put his needs ahead of her own. She is strong when she needs to be, tenacious and caring.

3.) What do genre do you write? What made you pick that one?

Contemporary romance is the genre I’m most comfortable writing. I chose it because I’m better able to write about issues of today.

4.) What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on Surrender My Heart, a contemporary romance.

5.) What got you to start writing?

First, I love reading. So when I discovered the romance books by Mills & Boon, I read all that I could find. Later I read the Harlequin books. I was very inspired by them and wanted to write a story and see it published by them.

6.) Where do you get your ideas from?

Sometimes I use the culture or events happening in the society.

7.) What would people who read your work be surprised to find out about you?

That I take my work seriously and that I’m striving for it to rank with the best out there.

8.) Do you have any special talents?

I enjoy cooking and baking. I especially like to bake cakes and decorate them.

9.) What was the one piece of advice you received when you were an aspiring author that has stuck with you? Why?

Read! Read! Read! Read books from writers you admire. Luckily, reading is something that I enjoy doing, so that piece of advice reinforced my effort. I constantly try to improve my craft and take good advice seriously.

10.) If you could talk to any famous figure (present, past or fictional) who would it be and what would you talk about?

Chef Gordon Ramsay. I admire him tremendously. When I cook, I try to strive for his standards and my results are sometimes laughable. Anyway, I’d want to know what his life was like as a boy growing up and when did he know that he wanted to learn to cook. What was the reaction of his parents? I’d also talk to him about the feelings he had with his first break-through. How did he handle that? And now that he was famous, how does he keep on top in a business that was so competitive?

11.) What song would you say describes your life?

The Shuffle by Kenny G. My life is beautiful and I’m in a happy place. I’m enjoying what I’m doing.

12.) If you could come back as any animal – what would it be?

A lion, maybe.

Excerpt:

The cold November air hit Allison hard, chilled her bones, and caused instant goose flesh to rise and cover her skin. She hunched over momentarily, trying to ward off the chill. Her eyes scanned the train station as a possible place to hide, but she discarded the idea immediately. It was too open. The streets across from the apartment were busy and not easy to cross. Estimating her chance of crossing them before being captured, the odds were against her. She would not have the time or the strength to do it before they caught up with her. Moving as fast as she could, she walked across the courtyard, down the embankment to the sidewalk.

Several cars and other vehicles waited at the stoplight. Making a desperate decision, she stepped up quickly to a car and yanked the handle. The door opened and she scrambled inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it. The light changed from red to green. The driver, startled, pressed the gas. The car leaped forward only to stop abruptly. Several horns blasted behind him instantly.

“What the fuck!”

 “Drive! Please drive,” she begged.

The sound of her voice carried a desperation that commanded him to obey. The car leaped forward as two people, a man and a woman, dashed into the courtyard. They hurried through the wrought iron gate onto the sidewalk looking up and down the street, peering into cars as they drove by. Allison eased down on the floor of the car until the stranger’s car circled the green and headed toward South Street. Her heart pumped furiously, and she swallowed with difficulty. Lifting her shaky hand, she eased herself upon the seat. She had no idea what she would say to this stranger when he stopped his car. He must think she was insane or had escaped from somewhere. She hadn’t. This was the first time in her life that she’d ever done anything like this.

He pulled into the parking lot at the supermarket, flung his door open, and walked around his car to the back right door. His long strides reached it before Allison got out. As she pushed against the door, he pulled it open. He was furious with her for not only scaring the living hell out of him, but for doing this unthinkable act. What could have possessed her to do it? She’d better have a damn good reason.

With both feet firmly planted on the blacktop, she was ready to stand, but she could not lift her body. He stood solidly in her path, one arm resting on top of the door, effectively cutting off her escape. Dressed in black jeans, cream polo shirt, and light black jacket, his body allowed little room for her to move.

Allison looked up at him and swallowed nervously. He was lean and taller than Douglas, so she would say he was over six foot tall. His face was deeply tanned, his blond hair shaped his head perfectly, and straight brows enhanced his cold blue eyes that were not looking at her in a friendly way. His nose was straight, jaws firm and square, his lips slightly full and sensual. His hard eyes concentrated on her steadily. A strong current of anger radiated from him. She felt it, and cursed Douglas fervently in her mind. There was a leached control about him that frightened her. Most of all, she needed to be on her way. The quicker she apologized, the faster she could leave, she decided.

“I’m sorry, very sorry, I startled you back there,” she said sincerely. “Thank you for helping me. Again, I’m truly sorry. I’ll leave you now.”

“Like hell you will! Not so fast,” he stated, not moving an inch as he continued to look at her. Despite the anger that ran through him, the sound of her voice drew his attention. It reminded him of warm honey. He liked it, and he could hear genuine regret in her tone. She was also very nervous, and she should damn well be, for the stunt she just pulled. He wasn’t ready to let her walk away from him. Her skin was light brown, and he wondered what her eyes looked like. The huge dark glasses she stared at him through hid them very well.

His eyes on her were unnerving. She couldn’t help but move restlessly in her seat. If only he would move. Each minute he delayed her was making it easier for Douglas’s friend to find her.

“What made you do such a foolish thing?”

“Under ordinary circumstances, I wouldn’t have done it.” The thought of how close she came to involving him in an accident made her stomach turn.

“Care to describe the circumstance?”