Tag: books

Welcome back!

My blog fell by the wayside this summer. June and July were filled with revisions for WHAT I WOULD DO FOR YOU, then I solo-parented for three weeks while Conor blew some stuff up. August was spent trying to soak in as much PNW sunshine as we could before school started. Blake Island, blackberry picking, trips to Seattle, art fair in Anacortes, out-of-town visitors, waterfall hikes, and ‘Feral Friday’ playdates. We are still a few weeks off from the true darkness, but I already miss my 9pm sunsets! There might be a few more dinghy trips left in the season, but I can feel the window closing until next spring. This changing of the seasons has thrust me back to reality and my to-do list, including an update here.

It’s hard though, because I don’t know what I should post and what I need to keep on the down low! This is a new stage in my writing career, and I’m trying to figure out the rules. What details can I reveal about the stages of my projects? I can tell you that my agent and I are happy with the final version of WIWDFY. We will be discussing the necessary revisions for GYBE, my YA sailing thriller, very soon. I also brainstormed a third project this summer that is a YA Irish folklore-inspired fantasy, and I’m waiting for feedback on the proposal to see if it’s a project worth continuing.

Books aside, I have tried to be brave and submit some short pieces of writing lately. Keep an eye out for a reflection piece I wrote for War Horse magazine coming out in October. I also just found out that a micro-fiction story I wrote for 101 Words was accepted this week! When I first started pitching, I was always so in awe of the other writers who had a lengthy bio. I am a writer with a bio now!

Speaking of updating my bio, I will soon pass along the Pen Parentis Fellowship crown to the 2025 winner who was chosen earlier this month! I can’t believe it’s been a year. SO much has changed, and I am incredibly thankful for my professional growth between then and now, and the people that have impacted and helped along the way. Hopefully by this time next year, I’ll be holding my hardcover book in my hands (and bawling my eyes out).

Love,

Taylor

Island childhood

A Reader Lives A Thousand Lives

deviate

I grew up in the suburbs, in the same house for twenty years, and had never even heard of a liveaboard until three years ago. So what spurred this examination of different types of living, and gave us the courage to do it ourselves?

Books.

My first ‘ah-ha’ moment came from reading Timothy Ferris’ 4 HOUR WORKWEEK. It talks about travel, escaping the bonds of a traditional 9-to-5, and alternative ways to make money. Most importantly, it discusses ‘dreamlining’ and laying out goals for what YOU want to accomplish out of life (not what is expected of you). Though with Conor in the military, we weren’t able to take the ‘4 hour workweek’ part of it literally, the message of the book got us thinking about how we could make the most of our lives and try new things while he was still in the service. If you’re wondering how to break out of a rut, start with this book. He talks about things I had never assumed were possible, and will truly make you re-examine the validity of “The American Dream”.

If that book inspires you, here are some more that have influenced me along the way:

THE ART OF POSSIBILITY is a great non-fiction for examining personal and professional fulfillment. It gives a set of twelve practices for bringing creativity, and thus unexpected possibilities, into your life. It was helpful in slowly changing my perspective to embrace change and challenges.

Another one of my favorites is called THE ORGANIZED MIND: THINKING STRAIGHT IN THE AGE OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD. This book made me realize the importance of living simpler, and how it would affect my overall happiness. It got me to look into tiny living and minimalism, which eventually led to boats! It is good to read in conjunction with FLOW: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE because they have a lot of parallels. Focus on what makes you happy, instead of spending useless time worrying! Don’t waste your brain power.

This is one that I just finished, so I can’t really say that it inspired us to get the boat, only that it reinforced my belief that we made the right call! DEVIATE by Beau Lotto teaches how to think, not what to think, and how by changing our perspective of the past we can influence our future. It explains why human hardwiring makes it difficult for us to live with uncertainty, and how to reengineer our brains to perceive a different reality, one that encourages creativity and innovation. The picture at the top of this post is an excerpt from the book.

As you can tell, I LOVE to read, and if anyone has other recommendations for me, I’m all ears! Please share your favorite books and what they have inspired you to accomplish.

Love,

Taylor and Conor