{Author Interview} Brenda B. Taylor, Author of A Highland Emerald


The desire to write historical fiction has long been a passion with Brenda B. Taylor. Since elementary school, she has written stories in her spare time. Brenda earned three degrees: a BSE from Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Arkansas; a MEd from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas; and an EdD from Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; then worked as a teacher and administrator in the Texas Public School system. Only after retirement could she fulfill the dream of publication.

Brenda and her husband make their home in beautiful East Texas where they enjoy spending time with family and friends, traveling, and working in Bethabara Faith Ministry, Inc. She crafts stories about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people in her favorite place overlooking bird feeders, bird houses, and a variety of blooming trees and flowers. She sincerely thanks all who purchase and read her books. Her desire is that the message in each book will touch the heart of the reader as it did hers in the writing.

Her latest book is the Scottish Historical Romance A Highland Emerald.

Author Contact Information:
Historical Heartbeats
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About the Book:

Aine MacLean is forced into an arranged marriage with Sir William, Chief of Clan Munro, yet her heart belongs to a handsome young warrior in her father’s guard. She must leave Durant Castle, the home of her birth on the Isle of Mull, and travel across Scotland in a perilous journey to her husband’s home on Cromarty Firth. William agrees to a year and day of handfasting, giving Aine an opportunity to accept him and his clan. He promises her the protection of Clan Munro, however, Aine experiences kidnapping, pirates, and almost loses her life in the River Moriston. She doubts the sincerity of William’s promises and decides to return to Durant Castle when the handfasting ends. William determines to win Aine’s heart. Will the brave knight triumph in his fight for the bonnie lass?

A Highland Emerald is the third book in the award-winning Highland Treasures series. The novel tells the story of Aine MacLean and William Munro and is the prequel to A Highland Pearl.

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As a book bloggin’ and book luvin’ Princess, I’m always curious to find out how authors got the ideas for their books.  Can you tell us what your book is about?

A Highland Emerald is the third book in the award-winning Highland Treasures series. The novel tells the story of Aine MacLean and William Munro and is the prequel to A Highland Pearl.

Aine MacLean is forced into an arranged marriage with Sir William, Chief of Clan Munro, yet her heart belongs to a handsome young warrior in her father’s guard. She must leave Durant Castle, the home of her birth on the Isle of Mull, and travel across Scotland in a perilous journey to her husband’s home on Cromarty Firth. William agrees to a year and day of handfasting, giving Aine an opportunity to accept him and his clan. He promises her the protection of Clan Munro, however, Aine experiences kidnapping, pirates, and almost loses her life in the River Moriston. She doubts the sincerity of William’s promises and decides to return to Durant Castle when the handfasting ends. William determines to win Aine’s heart.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters of your book?

Of all the characters I’ve written about, Aine MacLean in A Highland Emerald is my favorite. At the beginning of the novel, Aine is a pampered younger daughter of the powerful MacLean chief. Her father arranges a marriage with William, Chief of Clan Munro. Aine must leave her home on the Isle of Mull and travel across Scotland with William to the Munro clan lands on the Cromarty Firth. The journey to her new home is perilous, but Aine comes to love and appreciate her husband. She grows throughout the story into a responsible wife and mother.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would that be?

I would tell my younger writing self to get busy and write your story. As a young girl, I had a desire to write fiction stories, but did not take the time to sit down and put them on paper.

What would you say is one of your interesting writing quirks?

I write while sitting in an easy chair with my laptop on a small portable desk. My special place overlooks bird feeders, blooming trees, and flowers. I like quiet, but don’t mind my husband’s TV playing softly in the next room.

Do you hear from your readers?  What do they say?

Usually I hear from the readers who enjoy my stories. Most are very complementary and are eager to read new ones.

What is the toughest criticism given to you as an author?

The toughest criticism given to me as an author is for a reader to say they didn’t like the story line or a character. I invest a lot of time and effort developing both the plot and characters. The characters become part of me, because I must invest so much of myself into their development. They become my best friends during the time I’m writing their story.

What has been your best accomplishment?

My best accomplishment is writing and publishing nine books. I have a children’s book about my father that I wrote and illustrated. My father was a farmer and continued to raise a large garden all his life. He had bees, pets, vegetables, gourds, and fruit trees in his large back yard. I wrote, illustrated, and published a book about his wonderful backyard.

Do you Google yourself?

Sometimes I Google myself out of curiosity. Most times the entries are what I expected, but then I’m surprised where my name crops up.

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

I have no unpublished or half-finished books. When I begin a project, I see it to the end.

Do you have anything specific that you would like to say to your readers?

The one thing I want to say to my readers is—I wish you to enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoyed writing them.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for hosting me on your blog. A Highland Emerald is on sale for $.99.

    ReplyDelete