Wrong Way by Taylor Law: Author Interview and Review

Leading The Shenandoah pack consumes most of Thomas Collowell’s time. The Alpha’s job is never done. That had never been more true than when a killer targeting shifters strikes too close to home. He doesn’t have time to deal with a mate, especially a human. There is nothing Camdon Williams wouldn’t do for his best friend, which is why he was the best man in Jessie’s joining ceremony. While in Skyline Village, he gets more than he bargained for, including a strange attraction to the Sheriff. When Camdon and Thomas are forced to work together to stop the killer, Camdon’s eyes are opened to a world he wouldn’t have believed existed. They both learn that there is no such thing as perfect timing. Sometimes, it’s about taking a chance… before it’s too late.

Hi Taylor, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Tell us a little about yourself, your background, and your current book, please.

Thank you so much for having me. The hardest question – a little about you. I grew up in my parent’s restaurant in south Florida. Well, that’s from when I can remember. I waitressed while I studied music and theatre and then, when I realized that chunky people had no hope of being a performer in our society, I studied criminal law. I wanted to be a crime scene investigator, but I wound up with a paralegal degree instead. I worked in family law for a bit before moving to contract law and civil litigation. Music continued to be a big part of my life, along with writing. Now, I am disabled. Before, I worked 40-50 hours a week and wrote novels for fun because I’m that kind of nerd. Now, I still write for fun when I can, when my body allows me to. I will always be a writer. I started when I was a kid and I’ll never stop. It’s part of what makes me who I am.

I’m 100% Sicilian but I’m probably the quietest one in my family. My son is going to be a Senior this year – AHHH! – and then will join the military. That’s what he wants anyway. Makes me feel old. I love paranormal and fantasy. They’ve always been my favorite genres. I came from a generation who played in the woods by my house with homemade forts and stick swords. Our imagination was everything.

Wrong Way is the second book in The Shenandoah Pack series, and it’s release was long awaited. It features Alpha Thomas and Camdon, Jessie’s friend, as the leads. They are both so much fun because neither one of them are submissive types at all. The push and pull is electric, and when I heard that come from a reader, I was so excited it came across on the page. They are both such interesting characters, and I believe they balance each other well.

Honestly, writing this book was like pulling teeth. I knew what needed to happen but I couldn’t find the right path to get there. I had to stop and work on other things. So I think this book took me over two years to finish, and it’s not that lengthy. It was just that I stared at the screen or deleted scenes so much. Also, I wanted to do it justice. I believe I did. I’m proud of how it turned out.

Speaking of Justice – he may be my favorite character. I’ve never picked before because all of my characters are so different, it’s hard to compare them. But Justice is special

Do you pay attention to literary criticism? If so, how do you handle it?

If an author tells you they don’t pay attention, they are probably lying. I read them, especially the bloggers’ reviews. I love constructive criticism, though. That’s how I got better. I reread old stories, and holy cow did they suck. However, I’m looking for something different from the reviews than what the readers look for. My first job is to make the reader feel something – hatred, joy, wistful, happy, love, anger, etc. So when they tell me they wanted to slap my character, I take that as a compliment. Unless I didn’t mean for that to happen, then I did something wrong. If they laughed, cried, or screamed at the Kindle even better. When they say it was too short. It was a full story but it ended too soon. I take that as they wanted more. Readers always want more. As a reader, I want more. But the story directs itself, and I won’t put in filler for a higher word count. It’s not my style. If the review is bad, I look at why. Sometimes it’s just a matter of the reader not liking my voice or style of writing. When people ask how I feel about those, this is my typical response. “I’m not going to be everyone’s favorite flavor of ice cream. Some will like vanilla, and I have nuts.” And I truly believe that. There are different styles for everyone out there. Now, if there is something I can do better, I will work on it. If they just didn’t like me, that’s okay, too. Does it hurt? Sometimes. It feels like rejection, even though it’s not. It feels personal, even though it’s not. After a while, though, it’s a small sting and I grow from them instead of dwelling.

How do you come up with your titles?

Typically, so far, they are a play on words of the theme of the book. Wrong Way – Both the leads go about things the wrong way and realize it almost too late. I don’t want to go into too much detail for spoilers sake, but all my book titles are a variation of the same. My Lord’s Judgment – a judgment sends the angel to earth and when things turn out different than he’d thought, he thinks to himself that he should have trusted his lord’s judgment.

What new authors have grasped your interest?

S. Joyce is the only new author I’ve read lately. She writes M/F bear shifter books that make me happy sigh. Everyone else has been my favorites – Mary Calmes, Laurann Dohner, Dianne Duvall, JR Ward, Sara York, B.a. Tortuga. Oh, I’d never read T.c. Blue, although I love her to pieces. I recently read two stories by her and loved them. Her voice is really strong and easy to fall into.

What is the hardest part about a world that you have never been in, that doesn’t (as far as we know) exist?

Ah, most of my books are in our worlds but with slight variations. For example, angels and demons exist. They just hide in society. Or shifters hide in society. I’m not sure what will happen when I write a different world. I have plans. Oh yes, I do. The most difficult I find, with any paranormal or fantasy, is to make the reader believe. To take the little details and reveal them in just the right way that the reader can see them or feel them. I try to not info dump to my readers. I want them to learn things as they go, when it feels right to let them know. And hopefully, I get it right and don’t fall on my face. Heh heh.

What is the favorite character trait or flaw that you put into Wrong Way?

Oh, it’s so funny you asked. I just posted about this on Facebook. Jessie’s game, poke-the-bear, is totally me. I don’t seem like the brat type, but I so am. I have to feel comfortable enough with the person, but ladies and gentlemen, I have horns. I’ll admit it. Example: my friend – I’ll call her Jane – Jane told me she hated clowns. She just didn’t like them. They gave her the willies. A few friends and I were sitting around a table at Day of the Dead at Coastal Magic this past February, and another friend walked up with her face completely painted like Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas. I told her to go say hello to Jane and then I watched with an evil chuckle while she walked up behind Jane and tapped her on the shoulder. *giggle* Now, I knew there would be no trigger or horrible reaction. It wouldn’t be fun if it really hurt someone. I would feel guilty forever. Think of Jessie’s poke-the-bear game. Camdon talks about it and does it a bit in Wrong Way. That’s me – the little shit. 😉

I was really looking forward to the next book in the Shenandoah Pack Series and I wasn’t disappointed. I love the world Taylor has created. I’m such a sucker for paranormal romance and she nails it with this series. I caught myself laughing, gritting my teeth, and I never knew what to expect next.

I loved seeing the relationship grow between Thomas and Camdon. Camdon has a strength to his personality that worked well with Thomas. The chemistry between them from the start is amazing, but like typical guys the lack of communication eventually causes things to go south in a big way. I do wish i could have seen a little more of them together as a couple though. I will be excited to see more of their relationship together in future reads.

The storyline was very realistic and getting to see much of the story from the killers POV was pretty cool. It explained his behavior and made me want to see him taken out even more. The ending sets up the next story nicely and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. I’m looking forward to Justice’s story and I hope it’s him we get to see next.

4.5 pieces of eye candy from me.