Paige Taylor’s book may be titled “Secrets Wrought in Blood,” but with her face and the book’s cover displayed on a billboard in New York’s Times Square, it may not be secret for much longer.
The Bracebridge author entered the “Four Seasons Books Awards” through her publisher Atlas Elite Publishing. She placed second, which earned her the honour of her book being promoted on a billboard in Times Square.
She, along with family and friends, travelled to New York to see the billboard in person on Tuesday.
“I got the call, and I didn’t know what it was going to be about,” remembers Taylor.
She says she knew she was a finalist for the award, but didn’t expect to win. She shares how she was overcome with emotion and immediately ran downstairs to tell her parents the good news.
Taylor’s mom Caroline says she’s proud of her daughter for writing not one, but three books, and doing it all before graduating high school.
“We’re so excited to see where she takes this,” she continues.
The book featured on the billboard is the first of three in the “Blood Blade” trilogy. It was released in late 2022, with the second book published last year. Taylor says she’s about halfway done with the last novel.
“I really like the history side of things, so I try to incorporate all of that,” explains Taylor, adding she took a lot of inspiration from the Lord of the Rings books.
Her mom laughs and says she’s never been the biggest fan of the fantasy genre, but that hasn’t stopped her from always being the first person to read her daughter’s finished books.
“I’m the one that sits with her after finishing the book, reads through, and makes sure everything makes sense,” she adds.
Taylor still has a year of high school left and plans to work for a year after graduating. “I definitely want to keep going with being an author,” she adds. However, she’s thinking of working in the culinary industry and continuing to write on the side.
