“I got one life. What do I want to leave behind? And I decided a failed writer was better than a successful attorney.” —Elena Taylor

Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning to fiction. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo. With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returns to her dramatic roots and brings readers much more serious and atmospheric novels. Elena is also a senior editor with Allegory Editing, where she works one-on-one with writers to shape and polish manuscripts, short stories, and plays.

Among other things, Elena and Carter discuss Elena’s path to becoming a playwright, the role of atmosphere in thrillers, and overcoming comparison within the writing community. At the end of their conversation, they make up an incredible story using a line from Mailan Doquan’s Ceylon Sapphires.