A Few of L's Favorite Books

Hey everyone!


Today is #WorldBookDay! I've loved books since I was a child, and that love for stories is what led to me becoming a professional author (that's why you never see me here, I'm always hanging out on my author blog.)
But even though I spend much of my free time writing, the book lover in me will never disappear. So I thought, what better way to celebrate the day of books than to share some of my favorite stories with you all?

I'm not going to ramble, so in no particular order, here they are:

Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus by Barbara Park

Technically, I could put all the Junie B. Jones books here but this one holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the first books I remember reading as a kid and the humor mixed with the lessons the books taught were entertaining and moral at the same time. Too often in children's books, I felt like I was being preached to but the Stupid Smelly Bus was the first that didn't seem to talk down to the kids who read it. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Yes the SORCERER'S Stone, because I'm American and I can call the book whatever I want. I'll admit I never actually finished reading the Harry Potter series (will I ever get past Goblet of Fire?) because they got a bit too intense for me when I was younger but I don't think anything I say about Harry Potter will be anything new from what others have said in the past. The creativity and intricate world building from the series is something that is still mimicked in children's/YA fantasy books. The lasting impression it left on me as a writer is something that I'm proud of. 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My favorite classic! Reading this in high school lowered my enjoyment of the book initially. But over the next couple of years, I started thinking about it a lot and there were many things that it pointed out about society in the 20's that are still relevant in today's world and will be relevant for quite some time. It's true that everyone has that one classic novel that they don't hate as much as the others, but I think it's rare that a young person can find one that they actually like. I lucked out in being forced to read this by my annoying eleventh grade English teacher. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

I'm in the minority here but I actually like the PJO/Heroes of Olympus novels more than Harry Potter because even when things get dark, they're still fun and the books never take themselves too seriously. In a YA fiction world surrounded by doom and gloom, finding this series was like a breath of fresh air and reminded me that I could write and read the best of both worlds, and that there is still freshness to be found on bookshelves.

Epic by L. Taylor

I'm not saying this just because I'm the author (how self-centered would that be?)

I'm listing Epic because of all the things I've written, this (and the sequel, War) is the book that I can read over and over again and not get sick of seeing the same words constantly. The books that I've spent less time with (I've "known" 93% Chance I Don't Hate You for a year, I've "known TDKC for about two years) are technically newer to my ~reader self~ but Epic, which I've "known" for almost five years, is constantly gripping me and taking me on its rollercoaster ride even when I know what happens in the end. That's why I include it as one of my favorite books. 

Legend by Marie Lu

If you know me, you know I worship the ground Marie Lu walks on, because not to be extra, but she is the best YA author in the game right now. Legend was the first book of hers that I read and the entire trilogy was perfect from start to finish. The Legend books have a very cinematic quality to them, which is something I love. If it's easy for me to visualize a story like it's happening right in front of me, it's easier for the book to completely suck me in. Every page of the series makes it even more impossible to put down and I can't express how much I love it. 

Of course there are hundreds of books that I like but these are the ones that are at the top of the top for me. I want to read more than I have been in the past couple of years (guess who's way behind on her Goodreads goal) but balancing reading and writing is a struggle.

My own personal problems aside, if you haven't, I hope you give each of these books a chance and come to love them as much as I do.

Thanks for reading,

- L.

"Epic" is Almost Here

Eleven teenagers. Eight planets. Seven Keys. One wronged queen.

When Annabelle Garcia and her friends find themselves mysteriously on another planet, they learn that they may only return to Earth after retrieving seven magical Keys for queen Mayra of Eden, who has been stripped of her crown and accused of murdering her husband. With reluctance, Anna and her friends accept Mayra’s offer, but the secrets being kept threaten to tear them apart. An impossible mission, the odds are stacked against them in every way. If they aren’t careful, our heroes and heroines will be pushed to the limits of the psyche, become enemies of nature, and if they’re caught by anyone, they face the a high possibility of execution.
Danger lurks around every corner in the form of nightmares and monsters too vile for the worst of humans to endure. But with their combined skill and wit, and a little bit of luck, the crew just might be able to succeed and return home.
A highly imaginative novel that pushes the boundaries of fantasy, this is a tale that can only be described as epic.

Epic is a high fantasy young adult novel, and the first book of a duology. You can preorder it on Amazon, and it will be delivered to you on July 11, 2016. Many of you have waited YEARS to read this novel and we’re finally here. In less than a month, well… you’ll be able to swipe its pages on your ereader.

Make sure to preorder the novel, read and review it, as well as tell your friends if you enjoy it. Thank you so much for all the support you guys have given me over the years :)

As soon as I have more information about ordering a physical copy, I will let you guys know!

Okay now that I’ve gotten all the business stuff out of the way, I want to talk a bit more about the story. I’ve said a lot on my blog about Epic, about wanting to have a story full of imagination and all that jazz. But one of the biggest reasons that I’m proudest to finally have this book out into the world is that it means there’s one more book for LGBT+ youth and youth of color to see themselves in, as main characters and not sidekicks. When I was younger, I always wanted to read a story like this, and I feel that many readers want the same thing. So Epic is a book for me, for the reader I was who could never find the story she needed. But it’s mainly for the rest of the world, for people who have been told through fiction that they are always second rate to the majority. I’m sure that one day, I’ll end up writing thousands of words about what Epic means to me, and perhaps some day, I’ll receive letters and messages about what the story means to the readers. I’m looking forward to it.

- L