Interview with author Taylor Hobbs

My special guest today is author Taylor Hobbs and we’re talking about her new historical fantasy romance, Cloaked.

During her virtual book tour, Taylor will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble (winner’s choice) gift card to a lucky randomly drawn winner. To be entered for a chance to win, use the form below. To increase your chances of winning, feel free to visit her other tour stops and enter there, too!

Bio:

Taylor Hobbs lives aboard a 38 ft sailboat named Story Time with her husband, baby girl, and dog. They are a military family and who love to travel, whether it is by sea or air. When she's not writing, Taylor enjoys doing yoga and planning her next adventure.

Welcome, Taylor. Please share a little bit about your current release.

As the Cloaked Shadow, Fawkes has made his career breaking into prisons for any contract with a large enough purse. He takes advantage of the kingdom's impending revolution by playing both sides of the conflict. Each rescue contract he fulfills turns a tidy profit until he angers the wrong duke.

Charlotte is a criminal-in-training who yearns to crack her mentor’s guarded façade, but is unprepared to confront the depths of his dark past. As her sense of right and wrong blurs, Charlotte discovers just how far she will go for the Cloaked Shadow and the sacrifices he requires.

Now hunted throughout the land, Fawkes must face long-buried secrets in order to survive, but they could destroy him. Charlotte risks everything, including her heart, to set Fawkes on the path to redemption. Will Charlotte have the strength to pull Fawkes into the light, or will she follow him into the shadows?

What inspired you to write this book?

This story poured out of me, and I wrote 80,000 words in 80 days. I was going through a difficult time in my life, so I needed a sweeping fantasy novel to escape into and a kickass female protagonist to encourage me. The opening line came out of nowhere, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it until I wrote it down. I built the story from there. For those wondering, this is the opening line: ‘Naked as the day she was born, Charlotte felt the earth’s grip tighten around her with an unyielding hold.’ It was a visceral, no-holds-barred way to introduce her.

Excerpt from Cloaked:

Fawkes’ attack pressed Charlotte backward, and soon they were outside. As Charlotte’s feet slipped in the mud, she realized she had lost her size advantage. Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating her surroundings long enough to blind her, and she failed to anticipate the next punch. It landed hard on her right shoulder and spun her around.

            Before she could steady herself to counter, her arm was wrenched behind her back. Fawkes had a grip on it with one hand, the other around her throat. She stood flush against him, feeling his harsh breath and pounding heart as it beat against her back. They stood like statues, neither one of them wanting to the first to break the spell.

           

            The roar of thunder made her jump and brought them back to reality. “I’ve gotten better, haven’t I?” Charlotte couldn’t help asking. She’d meant it as a quip, but it came out too hopeful.

            She felt Fawkes sigh, tensing his hold on her before dropping his grip. With her back still to him, she waited for his answer. Instead, his hand brushed wet hair back from her face before a finger traveled down and traced her jawline. Charlotte leaned into the touch, but then it was gone. She turned to see only darkness, and then a flash of lightning showed his tall frame heading back to the cave.

What exciting story are you working on next?

It’s about an American woman who buys a village in Spain. I based it off an article I read in 2015 about the Spanish government putting abandoned properties and villages up for sale after their economy crashed. It has a healthy dose of magical realism and an unreliable narrator. Under the Tuscan Sun meets Rebecca.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

Probably when I finished my first manuscript. It was terrible, but there was such satisfaction in seeing a story through to the end. Cloaked is my third novel, but first to be published. I’ve felt like a writer for a long time, but now I get to call myself an author, which is a strange feeling. I don’t fully consider myself to be one yet.

Do you write full-time? If so, what's your work day like? If not, what do you do other than write and how do you find time to write?

I am a military spouse and mom to an 8-month-old. Let’s just say my writing productivity has definitely nosedived in the past, oh, 8 months or so. I used to write full time, but now I squeeze it in during naptimes, after dinner, and on the weekends.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I always draft single-spaced until I type ‘The End.’ Then I double space the manuscript and watch it get so much longer! It’s my weird little reward for finishing it.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An Olympic gymnast. By the time I was twelve, I was a level 8 gymnast who practiced 4 hours a day, 5 days a week after school. I ended up getting burned out and said goodbye to my Olympic dream, but started coaching in high school instead! Being a writer never crossed my mind. I loved to read, but didn’t start writing until after college.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I live aboard a 38 ft sailboat named Story Time with my husband, baby girl, and dog. When I’m not writing, I enjoy doing yoga and planning our next adventure.

Links:

Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Publisher: The Wild Rose Press | Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Thank you for being a guest on my blog!

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