Taylor Hale Interview - The Summer I Drowned ~ JeanBookNerd

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Taylor Hale was born in Southwestern Ontario in 1994 and started writing online in 2007, eventually finding her way to Wattpad in 2015. When she isn't writing, she can be found bartending at a live music venue and thinking up her next idea. THE SUMMER I DROWNED is her debut novel.

Tell us your latest news.
My latest news is that THE SUMMER I DROWNED is now out in stores - very excited!

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way?
I’ve been influenced by many things over the years - like video games, TV shows, and anime have inspired my writing in somewhat surprising ways. But in the ways of fiction, I’d say I find authors like Gillian Flynn and Kara Thomas to be very inspiring.

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
I think going to Toronto and meeting everyone at Wattpad was a really memorable experience for me. But the support from the community was also invaluable.

What do you hope for readers to be thinking when they read your novel?
I hope they find and enjoy some escapism!

What was the single worst distraction that kept you from writing this book?
Hmm, well it can be very tempting to work on other projects while trying to finish one :-)

Can you tell us when you started THE SUMMER I DROWNED, how that came about?
It started basically when I saw a candle by the name of SEA GLASS - which I thought would be a pretty name for a story set in a beach town. From there, the story evolved into something more mysterious - and of course, the title changed!

What was the most surprising thing you learned in creating Olivia?
I think I was surprised at how compassionate she ended up being in certain ways, as that wasn’t always intended.

TEN REASONS TO READ THE SUMMER I DROWNED

It has beaches!
It’s a psychological thriller,
but it has romance too.
It’s also about friendship.
And there is mental health rep, particularly PTSD.
It has a mystery that needs to be solved.
It’s over 90k words, so you can get lost in it, if you want to!
It’s set in summer, but you can read it all year round.
There are plenty of colourful descriptions.
It’s very much a coming of age story :-)

Best date you've ever had?
Some dates have been more “extravagant,” but the person I’m currently seeing took me mini putting and to a patio a few weeks ago, and it was really nice. So that sticks out in my recent memory. It’s not about the fanciness or how much money is spent; it’s about the quality of the time spent together.

If you could go back in time to one point in your life, where would you go?
There was this one summer I spent with my childhood friend Levi, where we went swimming and played video games all the time. I think I’d choose that summer.

If you wrote a journal entry today, what would it say?
Haha sadly I’m not even allowed to talk about any of today’s exciting news - but it would say that I’m making headway on a super secret project I hope to announce soon!

Which incident in your life that totally changed the way you think today?
Getting a publishing deal was definitely a game changer!

What is one unique thing are you afraid of?
Not sure how unique it is, but always afraid when crossing train tracks haha

What was the best memory you ever had as a writer?
It’s so hard to say. I think when I started one of my WIPs in 2018, which is currently offline - it felt like for the first time, I had a solid, fluid first draft going as I was actually writing it.

But I’m also very fond of my second year on Wattpad, when I started making friends and gaining a following.

The past always resurfaces...

Five years after almost drowning, Olivia Cathart returns home to Caldwell Beach determined to face her fears and take some risks―not just by swimming, but by opening her heart. Hoping to rekindle her friendships, she’s excited about a carefree summer with her best friends Keely and Miles. But life in the sleepy town has changed, and no one and nothing is as it seems.

When a series of startling crimes threaten Olivia’s fragile state, she is plunged into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Her only solace from the chaos is West, Miles’s disowned and ruggedly handsome brother, but even he can’t answer the question on everyone’s minds―is Olivia really in danger or is it simply all in her head?

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