Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Leah Taylor

Leah Taylor Jefferson is the author of “Horses of the Presidents” as well as co-author of two travel guides on Africa. She is working on her next book, “The Adventures of Oreo and Algonquin – Civil War Horse Tails.” Leah lives with her husband Steve in West Virginia with their dogs Alice and Shadow, their three cats Attitude, Milly and Gabriel. The real Oreo lives on a nearby farm, and will make an appearance at the Festival

Where do you find inspiration?
As corny as it sounds I find inspiration in nature, the way sunshine looks after a big snowstorm, or the different colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains where I live. I love to kayak and just sitting without any sounds around you but the sound of the river and the birds tweeting. That is inspiration for sure to me.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
Find something unique to write about. A story that nobody has told quite the way you do. Explore every possibility.

What’s your favorite opening line from a book?
From “Fahrenheit 451” – It grabs you right from the start and makes you wonder what this character is all about. “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things, blackened and changed.”

What book has inspired or affected you in some way?
The book “First Ladies” written by Carl Anthony really is a wonderful walk through history that inspired me to write about something I loved in history, horses!

If you could sit down at dinner with three other authors, living or dead, which three authors would you choose, and why?
Nevil Shute, Agatha Christie, and Benjamin Franklin.