Interview Annie Taylor

by

Becky Gauger

Hi, I don't really know what your book is about, but neither do the readers, so this may help spark their interest. Here goes!

1) What is your book about?

Watcher of the Fifth Sun is the story of Phoebe, a woman who sacrifices immortality for the love of one man. Mankind is free to choose its own destiny, as short-sighted and foolish as those choices might be. As a Watcher, Phoebe is charged with recording human struggles throughout time, yet forbidden to interfere with "the great plan." But then, along came Jim Mitka...

2) What era or culture is it set in?

Watcher of the Fifth Sun is set in modern day Egypt and Black Mesa, Arizona , and is steeped in Egyptian and Native American culture.

3) Who are the heroes and what is special about them?

In my mind, Phoebe stands out as the hero. What good is living forever if it must be without love?

4) How is this book different from other books in its genre?

When I set out to write Watcher of the Fifth Sun, I was armed with a years of thinking about and reading everything I could about the Great Pyramids of Giza. In the beginning, like everyone else, I wondered how such a great feat, the building of those pyramids, was accomplished. After a while though, my question was not so much "how," but "why?" Loosely based on real science and full of references to actual artifacts, much of this book is devoted to answering that question. Why would young, vibrant kings spend their entire lifetimes building their own tombs? What secrets are buried inside?

5) Where did you get the idea for the story?

My fascination with the historical and factual inconsistencies of Giza smoldered inside me for years, then one day I was thinking about all the oil in that region. Oil comes from decay, as in the decay of plant life that you could expect in a very fertile area. Except, this oil is beneath a bone-dry desert.

6)How long did it take you to write it?

Anyone who knows me also knows that I write excruciatingly slowly. Each word must be the perfect choice; no formula novels for me! This particular book took two years to write.

7) What funny anecdotes can you tell about writing the book or getting it published?

What's funny is that this was my very first novel, and I didn't know what you weren't supposed to do. I broke every rule in those early days.

8) Do you plan any more books in the series?

For now, Phoebe will rest. But I never rule anything out. One day, she may come knocking at my subconscious again...

9) Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I was always a voracious reader, but didn't set out to be a writer. As a child, we moved often, and the books I found in school libraries were the familiar old friends I wished I'd had. I had tea with the March sisters, braved storms with Laura and Mary Ingalls, and often visited Where The Wild Things Are.

10) How did you get started writing?

Reading everything I could get my hands on, it was a natural transition.  I knew about proper sentence structure and story arcs before the training wheels came off my bike.

11) What is your favorite scene in your book and why?

I think my favorite scenes have to do with bumbling, stumbling Abu Jabar in the streets of Cairo. Through Abu, you can smell and taste and hear Egypt.

12) Is there anything you would do differently, either in the story or in writing in general, that you would do differently with what you know now?

I don't think so. Each mistake--and there have been plenty!--have brought me to this place, and have made me the sum of what I am today. And I'm satisfied with that.