An Interview with author Vicki M. Taylor Conducted by Denise Fleischer       Vicki M. Taylor lives in Tampa, Florida with her husband, Greg, and their miniature American Eskimo, Pie. Greg's hobbies include photography, saltwater aquariums, remote control airplanes, and scuba diving. Vicki won't scuba dive with her husband but she loves to snorkel!     Vicki was born in the Upper Pennisula of Michigan in the early 1960's. She joined the United States Marine Corps in 1980 and later owned her own Technical Writing Consulting firm. Vicki enjoys listening to classical music while writing, especially Mozart. Her teddy bear collection numbers close to 400 bears and includes Steiff, Gund, porcelain, Coca-Cola collectibles, and Winnie-The-Pooh.      Denise: Your professional writing career actually began as a tech writer. When did you decide to explore your opportunities as a fiction writer? Vicki: It was by a fluke actually. I guess deep down I always thought that "some day" I'd write. I'd been tech writing for fifteen years. At the end of my career I was consulting. I would go into into companies to start documentation departments for them. I started with a new company, we bought a house, and then I got what I thought was the flu and I couldn't shake it. Lots of stress on top of a serious illness just pushed my body over the edge. I had what I thought was a heart attack although the doctor said it was Graves' Disease (Thyroiditis.) I ended up with 6 months of bed rest. My mind started working on what I really wanted to do. This was my wake up call. If I was ever going to pursue my fiction writing career now was the time. I talked it over with my husband and we put a plan together for me to gradually move away from tech writing and start writing fiction. The rest is, as we say, "history!" Denise: Tell us about your first novel "Forever Until We Meet." Who published it and what format is it available in? Vicki: Booklocker, Inc. published FOREVER UNTIL WE MEET in November 2001. It's a trade paperback with an absolutely beautiful cover designed by Judith Ward (http://www.judithsplace.net/)     I tell people that FOREVER UNTIL WE MEET is for anyone who ever thought they found their soul mate online. It's kind of a cyber-Cinderella story that doesn't quite fit the mold of most novels. However, I knew that going into it and knew that I would have to publish it outside the "traditional" houses.   Denise: What responsibilities do you have as the Vice President of the Florida Writers Association? What are the benefits of being a member? Vicki: Oh gosh, do you have a few weeks? Just kidding, sort of. <grin>  The Florida Writers Association is the only non-profit organization in the state of FL dedicated to helping writers of all genres, published or not. We realize that there are lots of writing organizations out there, but they were genre specific or only focused on one part of a writer's career. We help the writer with all aspects of their career from writing to publishing to promoting.   All of our Palm Group Leaders are published authors so they have the experience and knowledge to pass on to our members. Our Regional Directors, who oversee the Palm Groups in their area, also promote FWA and set up events such as book signings, panel discussions, etc. It's a fairly young organization. We officially started in May 2001 with the officers and one member. Me. <grin> Denise: Does your family support all your writing projects? Vicki: Absolutely. My husband plays a big part in all my decisions. We're in this together. Of course, he's expecting me to become a huge NY Times Bestseller so we can retire to the Florida Keys and he can pursue his hobbies of saltwater aquariums and diving on a daily basis.    Denise: You've written a novella titled "March Madness."  Your mystery focuses on college basketball finals. If that wasn't stressful enough, someone's killing the girls in the Bellair Landing apartment complex and leaving a mascot doll from the losing team. Who is Laurel and why does she go undercover to break the case? Vicki: Laurel is a young female police officer who wants to prove she's just as tough as the boys. Her captain is kind of a protective parent-figure and she's out to prove that she doesn't need protecting. She begged to be put on this case and desperately wants to break it by herself. Most of all she wants to put this guy away before he kills again. And she does, in her own special way, with a few complications of the "male" persuasion. Denise: How can we order a copy of your novella? Vicki: MARCH MADNESS is available from Diskus Publishing at http://www.diskuspublishing.com/ It's called a "Quick Pick" because you can download it for only $1.00. Or you can purchase a diskette copy for $4.00. Either way, it's a great deal. You can always go to my website at http://www.vickimtaylor.com/ and order any of my books. I'll be happy to autograph them and stick a few surprises in the package as well.   Denise: Tell us about your latest book, "Not Without Anna." Is this another mystery? Vicki: Yes, sort of. <grin> I know, I'm not used to just writing in one simple genre. I cross over. I guess you could say I write commercial fiction or women's fiction.   This is the one that I'm most proud of so far. Probably because it's the newest and we always pay a little more attention to our babies, right?   NOT WITHOUT ANNA tells the story of how a small, quiet, Florida town and its families become torn apart when one teenager dies of questionable circumstances and the other is held responsible and commits suicide. The story goes on to show how the town and families cope with the tragic deaths to become a closer, more involved community that truly cares enough about its children and their future to take control and fight back.   It's being published by Southern Charm Press, a small traditional publisher from Georgia. The release date is set for February 2003. I'm chomping at the bit to get started on my book signing tour. I'll be traveling from Tampa, FL to Philadelphia, PA to promote this book. My publicist, Christine Lindblom is working hard to prepare.   Denise: Any tips for beginning writers? Vicki: Write. Read. And write some more. Never give up. Write those queries, send them out, and collect your rejections so you can wear them like badges of honor. Don't try to write to please other people, write to please yourself. Write what's in your heart, always.   Find other authors to talk to and share experiences. Build your network and use it. There are some absolutely wonderful groups online, just like this one at Gotta Write Network.   Join a writers' organization that will help you build your career.  Pay attention to the other authors and ask for help when you need it. Denise: Thanks so much for you time, Vicki. Best of luck on all your future writing projects.