Immerse yourself in the heart-pounding world of Stephen Taylor, a self-published thriller maestro specializing in terrorism, assassination, vigilante justice, and military thrillers. In this exclusive interview, Stephen shares the evolution of his writing journey, from the inception of his first thriller, “Execution Of Faith,” to the disciplined approach that enables him to churn out gripping novels every six months. Dive into his strategic marketing insights, cinematic influences, and the pride he takes in the gangland epic, “Vodka Over London Ice.” Join us as he unveils his latest project and tantalizes with a top-secret collaboration on a psychological thriller.
What was the first story you ever wrote about and how has your writing evolved since then?
The first story I wrote was a Danny Pearson Thriller called Execution Of faith, I’d always wanted to write a book, but it took until I was approaching 50 and the urge to accomplish what I’d put off for years took over. It took 18 months to write and a lot of editing and rewriting to make it good. But I persevered and enjoyed it so much I wrote 12 more. Thankfully the writing gets easier the more you do, and the series has a successful formula that I follow with ever new book. Now, I write a book every six months and have the next one Titled and covered with a pre-order up as soon as the latest one is published.
How do you approach the marketing and promotion aspect of being a self-published author?
I come from a business background having worked for myself and built several companies ever since I left school. So, I approached the marketing and promotion of my books in the same disciplined and analytical way I did for them. This meant leaving emotional attachments to one side and spending time and money on finding ways that work to sell my products.
Are there any movies or TV shows that have inspired your storytelling?
Funnily enough I’m not a big reader, most of my writing is influenced from my love of films and TV series growing up. Everything from Die Hard to Taken, Rambo, Jaws and thing from a kid like the A-Team, Knight rider, and later on from Guy Ritchie films Snatch and Lock Stock. I love them all.
What of your book(s) are you the most proudest of, and why?
Probably the second book I wrote, Vodka Over London Ice. There was a small section in the first book, Execution of Faith that tells a story of something that happened in the past. I loved this section so much I had to write a prequal. It’s full of gangland bitter rivalry, death, and vengeance. Due to the timeline I made it number one in the series and it continually draws people in to gone on and read all the books.
What is your most recent book and/or what are you working on currently?
I’m currently working on Book Ten in the Danny Pearson thriller series, Won’t Stay Dead. It’s up on Pre-release for March, but I hope to get it finished and launched by late January.
Is there a book project you have in mind that you plan to write one day? If so, can you tell us a little bit about it?
I’m writing a psychological thriller with another Author which should be ready to launch around Easter time. It’s top secret so I can’t tell you who it’s with or what it’s about. All I’ll say is I’m super excited about it and it’s really, really good. All will be revealed soon.
You can find Stephen Taylor on his web site, on Facebook, or on Instagram.
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