Today we’d like to introduce you to Taila Cantrell.
Taila, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always loved reading. My grandmother and my father cultivated the love of stories and books in me from a very, very young age. I read voraciously the moment I was able to read. The summer before I started high school in 2012 I read Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. This was one of the first books I truly saw myself in, the characters and story were so relatable to me. I will absolutely contribute a piece of my healing journey to that book. It awoke in me a desire to tell my own story, to build my own worlds. I’d always been creative and imaginative, but one day I woke up at 14 with my first story forming in my mind.
It never stopped from there. That first book is now a planned seven book series. Someday it will release into the world, but other books had to come first.
My debut novel was Code Red (Reclaiming Wonderland #1). I wrote the first draft in 5 months in 2017 when I was only 18 years old. Life happened, and unfortunately I lost my grandmother, so I took seven years to edit and polish it before it finally released on April 5, 2024.
Now I have written six novels so far, 4 of which will be releasing through 2025. Currently Code Red’s sequel, Blue Dreams is out. As well as my first foray into dark romance, One Bloody Night. I have two more novels coming this year in September and December.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I don’t think any author would tell you that writing and publishing is easy. Self-editing is one of the hardest pieces of it, but since I chose to indie publish learning how to market and use social media has certainly been a huge challenge.
. Truthfully, life can so easily get in the way. After the loss of my grandmother, I met my fiancée (we’ve now been together seven years and are finally getting married this October). Between my mental health and the usual trials of a person in their twenties, finding the discipline to truly focus on my passion took a lot of time.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an author. Primarily I write various kind of fantasy romance, but I also have delved into dystopian and more. World-building and character crafting is my very favorite part of the writing process. I think my passion for the craft, the growth I’ve made as I’ve continued to write and publish are what I’m proudest of.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I think the best piece of advice I was ever given was to write the first draft without ever editing. The act of looking back and perfecting the already written word can definitely get in the way of ever getting that first draft completed. I often tell people that perfectionism is the death of creativity.
I also think it’s important to find people that are truly in your corner. The support I’ve received is the only reason I’ve found success.
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