Thursday, June 28, 2018

"Porch Swing Girl" by Taylor Bennett



The story behind the story...

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing one chilly February morning when I woke up with a yearning to write in my heart and a book title in my head. I’d been in a creative slump for months, bouncing between story ideas like a ping-pong ball and struggling to find an idea that felt like “The One.”

And then it happened: Porch Swing Girl.

Those words—a book title, I decided—were suddenly just … there. And they were begging me to make a story out of them.

So I did.

I took a walk in the brisk, cool air and pondered the words—when I heard them in my head, they had a sad sort of sound to them, a touch of wistfulness. I decided that this girl on the porch—my main character, whoever she was—must have recently gone through something terrible. Tragic. And she’d found solace while sitting on the porch swing. Or maybe she hadn’t. Not yet.

By the time my walk was over, I had a solid idea of how to begin my book.

But that wasn’t the end of it. No, not by a long shot. I was a fairly new, unseasoned writer when I started writing Porch Swing Girl. In fact, I’d only completed one half-baked attempt at a novel, several years ago.

Getting Porch Swing Girl ready for publication was an incredibly eye-opening experience for me. I was so new to the writing world that I struggled with the practicalities of plot for months before finally creating a book with enough tension in it to get a publisher interested.

And then, miracle of miracles, I was offered a contract with my dream publisher, a small press called Mountain Brook Ink. And they didn’t just want Porch Swing Girl. No, they wanted two more books that would round it out into a complete trilogy.

And now, I am incredibly thrilled to be able to introduce you to Book One of my trilogy: Porch Swing Girl.

(I rated it 4/5 stars.)


About Taylor...

Homeschooled since kindergarten, Taylor Bennett is the seventeen-year-old author of Porch Swing Girl, which was released by Mountain Brook Ink on May 1, 2018. When she’s not reading or writing, Taylor can be found playing her violin or taking walks in the beautiful Oregon countryside. She loves to connect with readers via her author website, as well as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (her favorite!), Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Where you can find Taylor online...


2 comments:

  1. Wow, a 17 year old author?! Congratulations to you Taylor! And for you to write 2 more books in the series is wonderful too. I'll be praying for you!

    And of course, thank you Leslie for showcasing Taylor!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, it's certainly impressive!

    You're very welcome. Happy to help :)

    ReplyDelete