Keary Taylor is the cheerful mother of two toddlers.
She is also the author of young adult science fiction and fantasy books that delve into dark angels and the loss of humanity through technology.
“Those genres are mostly what I read, and now all I read is young adult stuff,” Taylor said. “I watched so many science fiction shows with my dad growing up: ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Star Wars,’ anything with a ‘star’ in it.”
Taylor has been self-publishing her books since 2009, and in the past few months her online sales have gone off the charts. In July, she sold 11,000 copies. Her books are available in paperback on Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com as well as downloadable to a Kindle or Nook.
“Ninety-five percent of my sales are digital copies,” she said. “In May of this year it jumped all of a sudden. I think electronic readers are becoming more popular. And as I start creeping up on the bestsellers list, it’s easier for people to find my books.”
Taylor and her husband Justin own Orcas Island Golf Course. Keary says she has always dabbled in writing – she penned a 200-page Harry Potter fan fiction in middle school – but she didn’t begin seriously pursuing the craft until moving to Orcas from Utah in 2008.
After finishing her first novel, entitled “Ever Burning,” she realized it wasn’t her best work, so she set it aside and started a new project: the Fall of Angels series. Keary completed the first installment, “Branded,” in late 2009. She was unable to find an agent or publisher, so she decided to self-publish. “Forsaken,” the second book in the series, was published last year. “Vindicated,” the third and final installment, will be released in early 2012. An Italian publisher has contacted Keary about translation rights for the Fall of Angels series.
Her dystopian novel “Eden” was released this June. It chronicles the aftermath of a world where human DNA is infused into cybernetic matter. It is dedicated to her father.
“Dystopian is my favorite genre to write right now,” Keary said. “But I also love the fantasy. I have an entire bookshelf of fantasy.”
Some of her influences include Stephanie Meyer, JK Rowling, Andrew Davidson, Dan Brown, Allie Condy, and Veronica Roth.
Keary creates all of the book covers herself, using the photography skills of her close friend and critique partner Jenni Merritt on San Juan Island. Keary puts her photoshop skills to good use in her other business: designing book covers for independent authors.
Keary is the mother of one-year-old Liam and three-year-old Makenzie. A typical day for her is waking up at six a.m., writing until the kids get up, sending Makenzie off to pre-school, and writing for as long as she can with Liam either napping or playing at her feet.
She maintains a blog and is connected to 300 other blogs. When Keary releases a book, she sends out review copies and does author interviews with online sites, particularly goodreads.com. She also takes out ads on Facebook.
“People are more aware of independent authors now and they want to support us,” Keary said.
While she has no plans to find an agent or publisher for her Fall of Angels series, she is considering locating an agent for “Eden.”
“I have dreams of a movie deal someday,” Keary said. “That would be awesome.”
Find out more
Visit www.kearytaylor.com to download books and read her blog.
