Howling Turtle : Author Interview: Megan Tayte

What do you like to do when you're not writing?

With two children, a busy business and several books to edit/publish/promote, I don’t get a lot of down time in an average day, but I try to chill with my kids before their bedtime – stories, games, bathtime, snuggles. Then later in the evening, after another session at my desk, I get stuck into whatever boxset I’m working through, with, if I’m being good, chocolate-coated rice cakes or, if I’m not being good, just chocolate! Then I read until late in bed, which is my ultimate way to unwind. I plan regular breaks from the routine too – walks in parks, meals out, holidays by the sea.

If I’m feeling stressed, I go to the university campus near my house. Years ago, when I was a student there and lived on campus, I’d walk around it daily – it’s huge, and green, and full of flowers and benches with great views, plus there’s a large lake and a cafe that serves up great cream teas. These days, I try to go at least twice a month. Some days I write there, in the library. Some days I hole up in the hotel, which is arty and very calming. Some days I take the kids and we go exploring – we found a great secluded summerhouse once that you get to by climbing a rockery, and now we go there for biscuit-and-orange-squash picnics.

Do you plot out your stories first or just start writing to see where it goes?

A mixture of both. I plan books pretty carefully, but then I give myself permission to go with the flow as I write as well. Sometimes I end up discarding the material I write on a deviation (I cut a full chapter from Death Wish in which I killed off a major character because when I read it back it felt all wrong – and too harrowing); sometimes I love the new course and follow it all the way. The Ceruleans series is twisting and turning – some of those were planned, some were gifts of the muse.

What has been the most rewarding part of being an author?

For me, the writing itself is ultimate reward – I love writing; I feel like I’m most myself when writing. But I also love connecting with readers. And I really love the little launch parties my family throws when I release a new book. Sounds swanky, right? Not at all! I let my son (age six) plan everything, which results in cake, candles, balloons, indoor sparklers, cheesy party tunes and (essential launch party kit) animal masks. I don’t think publishing gets more fun than trying to ingest chocolate cake through a penguin mask.

What is a challenging part about being a writer?

The way it consumes me. When I’m in the concept, first draft and rewrite stages, the story takes me over. I love the feeling, but it can make focusing in other areas of my life tricky. The day job becomes more challenging, and at times I find I’m washing up/cooking/building Lego towers/finger-painting with the kids in a dreamy haze. At its worst, that can mean slightly charred dinners and Technicoloured children. Thankfully, my family is very understanding!

Are you currently working on any projects?

I just published the second book in the Ceruleans series, Forget Me Not, and I’m busy editing the remaining three books for publication. Then I’ll be starting work on my next novel. I intend to repeat the process ad infinitum; I learnt many years ago when I wrote my very first book that there will always have to be a next one. It’s a way of being for me, and a very happy one.

If you could be any animal for a day what would it be and why?

A tapir. It’s been my favourite animal since I first saw one at a zoo in my early twenties. I’m slightly obsessed with this much-overlooked animal, to the point that I just had to work one in to the second Ceruleans book, Forget Me Not. I guess I can’t help rooting for the underdog – in this case, undertapir…

About the book:

IN SEARCH OF THE MEANING OF DEATH, SHE’LL FIND THE MEANING OF LIFE.
The Ceruleans: mere mortals infused with power over life and death. Five books; one question: If
the might of the heavens were in your hands, would you be sinner or saint?
Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Blake is haunted by death. Her estranged sister has made the ultimate dramatic exit. Running away from school, joining a surfing fraternity, partying hard: that sounds like Sienna. But suicide? It makes no sense.
Following in her sister’s footsteps, Scarlett comes to the isolated cove of Twycombe, Devon, with grand plans to uncover the truth. Alone. But she hasn’t reckoned on meeting two boys who are determined to help her. Luke: the blue-eyed surfer who’ll see the real Scarlett, who’ll challenge her, who’ll save her. And Jude: the elusive drifter with a knack for turning up whenever Scarlett’s in need.
As Scarlett’s quest for the truth unravels, so too does her grip on reality as she’s always known it. Because there’s something strange going on in this little cove. A dead magpie circles the skies. A dead deer watches from the undergrowth. Hands glow with light. Warmth. Power.
What transpires is a summer of discovery. Of what it means to conquer fear. To fall in love. To choose life. To choose death.
To believe the impossible.

Author Bio:

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess fireman. 'Write, Megan,' her grandmother advised. So that's what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Megan writes the kinds of books she loves to read: young-adult paranormal romance fiction. Young adult, because it's the time of life that most embodies freedom and discovery and first love. Paranormal, because she's always believed that there are more things in heaven and on earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And romance, because she's a misty-eyed dreamer who lives for those 'life is so breathtakingly beautiful' moments.

Megan grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in Robin Hood's county, Nottingham. She lives with her husband, a proud Scot who occasionally kicks back in a kilt; her son, a budding artist with the soul of a paleontologist; and her baby daughter, a keen pan-and-spoon drummer who sings in her sleep. When she's not writing, you'll find her walking someplace green, reading by the fire, or creating carnage in the kitchen as she pursues her impossible dream: of baking something edible.