Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Couple of Nukes. As always, I'm your host, Mr. Whiskey, and for those of you listening, not watching on YouTube, One, you should check out the YouTube sometime, but two, I am sitting here in the middle of an empty railroad track, in the green screen world.I, it would be pretty brave to, uh, sit in the middle of a real railroad track if I'm not too sure if it's abandoned, but that's all. It's just a little Easter egg, a little teaser, some foreshadowing to today's topic, to the book that we will be discussing. We have the author here with us to discuss, uh, Writing, resilience, the power of creativity, and ultimately, we all have things in life that we want to do, that we want to pursue, but maybe we're not at the level we need to be in order to do it, so what can we do to get there, what are some of the obstacles that come with that, especially us, and our frustration and frustration.Being the biggest roadblock sometimes. So we're here with Rhonda Parker Taylor She is the author of crossroads and we're going to be talking about that today and she's going to tell us all about how she struggled as a child with english and writing and Reading but she wanted to be an author and she loved reading and so she didn't let that stop her And now she is here today with a best selling book You And we're going to talk all about how good it is.So Ms. Parker Taylor, could you please introduce yourself for us? I would love to. First of all, I want to say thank you for having me. It's a pleasure. You know, we got to, um, talk a little bit before we got started and getting equated with each other. And all of you out there listening, what I hope you get from us today is how to unearth your truth.Because one story at a time that we start creating our authentic self And it's all the decisions that we make that makes that possible So for me My story of success has kind of been a journey That's gone from several different tracks, and that's where the railroad tracks comes. We're talking about Crossroads, my best selling novel.It's a suspense thriller based out of Indianapolis, but we're also talking about moving ourself from self doubt to self discovery, because that's what happened to me as I learned not only about the process of writing, But learned about who I was through that process because I had to go through the journey of authoring before I was ready to actually be an author.And that's why the railroad tracks are so important. We hit crossroads all the time and we have to challenge our norms, our thoughts and our thinking to be able to find The true self. So I'm excited to be here. I really thank you for having me. Um, I think that's, um, Why we're here and that is to bring connect social connections and compassion together so that we can dive deep and become stronger in our eyes.For sure. I think we should just go back to the train station, so to speak, where all began because Like I said, this is something that you've wanted since your youth, so tell us about, a little bit about how you grew up and those factors that contributed to you wanting to be a writer. Sure. So I'm from the small town of Nopalesville in Indiana.So we're in the middle of the country. Outside, the largest city is Indianapolis, but it's outside of that. It's about 30 minutes outside of the Indianapolis area. And when I was growing up, it really was what they would call a one light wonder. Because there was very Would pass through it, you'd see the town hall, and then you'd be right back out on the other side.Now today, it's bred and has, um, more, um, culture and more, you know, population than it did when, when I was raised. But back then, there was probably more cows. pigs and sheep, then there were actual population. But what I loved about that is it allowed me to have a real childhood where I could develop my imagination.And of course, being from a small town, you wanted to be in the big city. You wanted to explore the world. So that took me to reading. And then the reading developed where, okay, now I was in school and I'm not so good at it, and I came, I, I realized that, you know, yes, I liked the pictures, yes, I enjoyed the storytelling, but, you know, I struggled with the concepts and the phonetic, and the, the, the language and the structure, and it took me getting a mentor and a tutor.To actually improve my writing skills to where I was even academically strong enough to go to college. So, you know, mentors, I, I'm a firm believer in anybody that's struggling, find that help, you know, find the right person that you connect with and let that let your soul and the new skills develop so that you can, um, Not only accept to your weakness there, because you have to accept it to improve it, but then also so you can have a profound transformation to what you're intended to be.Yeah, when it comes to tutorship and mentorship, it requires a certain level of humility. So could you speak on that? Because there's a lot of people who want to do something and they're not good at it, but they don't. Want to get help. They don't want to accept that weakness. They don't want to be seen by others or themselves a certain way.What can you speak on that? And when it came to your personal experience with getting a tutor, I mean, were there hesitations there for any reason? Oh, yes. So for me academically, um, I would never have asked for help personally because I would maybe pride. I also hid behind the fact that I was social. And I could say, Oh, I'm social.They don't require me to be, you know, academically strong in that area. I don't want to compete with my brother. That's great in math and science. And, you know, it was, it was heading to Rose Holman as an engineer student that had, you know, the, the great grades. And so it allowed me to take a step back, but it took actually in my case, the The teacher realized that I was struggling and said, you know what, I would like to tutor you over the summer so that you pass your proficiency test to graduate.And when she showed that interest, so she kind of picked me in this case, I was able to open myself up and redefine my worth. Based on the fact that she felt like I could do it and sometimes the opposite, the, the one that needs the mentoring has to go find the resources. In my case, she kind of picked me, empowered me through the summer by sitting on the floor, getting to know me, you know, and, you know, tutoring me.And then when it came time for me to settle up my bill, because I'd gone and got a job at Arby's. I asked her, what do I owe you? And she said, just pass the test. Wow. And so she had spent her fell and being kind You know, she dedicated kindness, compassion, empathy to this young girl that was 17 that struggled academically.And I had been rewarded all the way down the board for my, my lack of knowledge. And what I mean by that is I had a fear of reading in front of people. So when it was time to read and I knew it was coming up in English. You know, because of my nerves, I'd get a stomach ache, I'd go to the nurse, they would send me home, and then I never had to read in front of the classroom.So, um, you know, you have to look for those key clues that there's something more going on than just the ability. Sometimes it's not the ability, it's the emotions that are involved in it. And for me, I didn't have the ability to navigate my emotions at a younger age, To make me successful. I had to empower my own mind and with words to heal myself and allow myself to be vulnerable to others and start asking for the help.Yeah, well, first of all, just the shock that, uh, over the kindness of that woman. That's not something you, See too often especially time is the biggest investment any of us can make and it's the one thing We can't get back. So to dedicate all that time to you and see that potential in you and I relate a lot to what you're saying because about the emotional part because like As I was telling you before we started recording here i'd like I really want to be a singer I've got the the lyrics down and everything but my vocals aren't good and The longer i'm singing and the more upset I get Though the worse it becomes like from the start of when i'm recording To the end of the day.It's just getting worse and worse because i'm getting More and more frustrated and upset And I think what's great about having a tutor or a mentor Like if I were to get a singing coach, which I might have to do I might have to you know, accept my own advice of being, you know, humble and and get one Is that they'll hold you accountable in terms of your emotions saying like hey, mr Look you got it Because, especially for singing, when you get emotional, now your voice is tense, or you're not relaxed.And same with if you're trying to read something, but you're frustrated, now you're seeing the words, but you're not following the plot. You're just reading, and it's just like going in one ear and out the other. Or writing, or whatever it may be, uh, for any academic or creative purpose, so. I totally understand that.And so we understand your interest from the reading and writing perspective as far as the plot, a suspense novel, crime, what got you into that? Because I've published, I got my 10th book coming out soon, which is pretty exciting, but I haven't done murder mystery or thriller. And part of that is because Um, that's not easy to write, especially, you know, there's, there's some big names out there like Agatha Christie who, you know, made some amazing mystery novels.And for me, it's like, I don't think I'm at that level of writing yet. And um, so to create something where, you know, people don't see it coming, where people are like, wouldn't have never expected that. And then to set it near your hometown, what kind of contributed to that, those themes and plot that you created?Well, first, you know, let's, let's talk about the development of that thought when I first started writing it, I was working in a community project that was overseeing the court system to see. You know, whether the verdicts were being just or unjust and, you know, writing summaries of cases and in that I started seeing patterns where there were flaws in the legal system and I started singing, seeing where people weren't being treated equal and just.And I thought that the whole novel, that was what it was going to focus on. I wanted it to be in Indianapolis because it was an area that I knew. I knew areas that were, you know, were engaging and the readers probably never heard about, like the monument circle and the city county building and the mayor's office.And, and so these are things that I, Experienced from this, this community project, but I saw it through the eyes of a novice. I wasn't a legal scholar. I wasn't, you know, I was just watching it. But what I realized in that plot is as I got deeper and deeper into the injustice, the characters started showing as I was writing them.They're, they're authentic. And and of behavior. So I took each one of the characters and I developed further by a medical soap note, which gave me their whole history. A medical soap note is your entire history of medically your family's history, your, you know, everything that's happened, your mental health challenges, you're learning.And so I had this description of them. So then if I got him into the room and they were showing the autopsy photos, I knew how each one would feel, how they would react. If, you know, if I got him into a room when there was some tension, maybe the jury room or. You know, there was something going wrong that I knew that, you know, the person with the emphysema is going to cough and the person with anxiety is going to feel like their chest is collapsing on them.And so then they started taking over and it's then that's where that Agatha Christie kind of twist and turns could happen because I realized I had created people that were believable. But it's different, but they all had the same problem because they all have a life balance problem. The main character, Paris Pennington, she was a workaholic.She, all she cared about is getting back to work. The, um, the co defendant, he, all he cared about is One is family and his relationship with this with the defendant and whether he that he'd known all his life and whether he was going to turn state on him and what would happen to him if if he didn't turn state, what would happen to him?So his. His natural worries were something totally different than the workaholic, but they're still in the same room. The, um, the bailiff was a southern gentleman that had moved from the north and had, you know, the, the, uh, different ways of communicating and dealing with the, the tension and the problem.Then maybe the mother, That was glad to be away from her kids for the day and thought this was just all a great thrill. But what ended up happening is as they took it over, then I had a secondary plot that thickened and it was up to IPD to figure out why people were getting sick and dying. And that's why the crossroads in the railroad tracks are so important.Most people don't know that Indianapolis is known as the crossroads of America. Because the railroad tracks all came through Indiana to go to all other areas of the country. So this is actually the railroad tracks behind Lafayette Square in Indianapolis on 38th and Guyon. And what I realized is every one of the characters were at a crossroads, as they had to make decisions that were life altering for all of them.And when I published it, after I got through, you know, the, the, you know, Musing of the writing and the life balance and I got it all put together as I had to realize that I also was transforming and writing it. I was going from the, the caterpillar to the butterfly. Because had I not gone through and analyzed the inner voices of each one of those characters, I would not have been prepared to go through the publishing aspect.So writing is just the first step. And a lot of artists, like you said, The easiest step sometimes. The writing is, they think that's the end. Well, you know, you can write a song or you can write a book, but that is far from being perfect. And it took me years to take that volun that, that, um, Voluntarily, you know, to try to get it published because of the fear of vulnerability and being exposed.And a lot of people get what they call imposter syndrome, where you feel like, okay, I've written it, but I'm not a writer or I'm not a singer. And so that's where you need another mentor to help you through the next thing. And that's what I did. I got a mentor to help me get published. Yeah. So I want to ask, because I feel like you, you explained it, but I just want clarification.So, the title came from the plot, not the plot from the title. Because I know, sometimes I have the title first, and then the plot. Which doesn't make sense to some people, because they're like, How do you have the name of the piece, but you don't have the plot? But, I mean, I'll have parts of the plot, but like, It sounds like almost the title came from the plot in your case, But I just wanted to know which came first.I would say that's a chicken or an egg question. Mm. Because when you're writing, you kind of know the message. Yeah, exactly. That you want, but you may not have all the details. You know, and when you get into the details, it confirms it. You know, it confirms it. Yes, that's the right title or, you know, and the journey is, is thriving beyond your own limits.So if it changes, that's okay. Because I have a, a second novel called chosen right now, but there has been this little voice in me. Is it really chosen or is it the something more like hope's journey or a journey for hope. Because in that, that novel, this young woman is chosen for different types of things that are not To her best interest.So I was looking at it from the predator standpoint that they were choosing her And that she was the chosen one But then i'm like or is it a jerk? Hope's journey and her because her name is hope And it's her journey To learning, learning not to be a victim to so it could go either direction. I'm not really sure on that one, which way it's going to go because it's like I know what the message is.Yeah, I want people to learn from it. And I know that, you know what, I want them to come out with the feeling of, but, you know, um, turning fear into fuel is, is kind of the. Premise of the whole book, you know, pain to purpose view, you know, and, but which one's the better title that I, I, I, maybe I need to do a social media question to everybody and feels to you most and, and do a poll or something because I'm kind of stuck on that.So I think it's a chicken or an egg. Once you know, you know, but then when you're questioning it, it changes the message a little bit too. Yeah. I know I have a couple of different books I'm working on right now and uh, some of them have Had five different titles, you know as as i've worked on them and then there are other uh books i'm working on it's like That's the title and that's it.That's it. That's the one that's staying and I I haven't, you know started writing any of it, but What i'm interested just because I as from author to author i'm curious and for everyone writing out there. I'm sure it's something they think about the way I write It tends to be ironically uh Some of the beginning The entire ending and then kind of fill in the middle which doesn't sound like it makes sense But for some reason I always I always know where we're starting and I always know where we're ending And in between there's going to be this that happens that that happens this that happens But um how it all connects and what else so i'm just curious in your case with crossroads Especially being a mystery in a in a suspense thriller.Was it like the ending was first when you started writing? Well, you know, that's kind of funny because when I first wrote Crossroads, I put the the the chapter that's chapter one now was at the, you know, like the middle. Okay. And I went to the conference and they said, oh, you know, with this being a mystery and, you know, suspense, you need to have more power at the beginning.Hmm. When I do a, do a book signing, you know, I'll be standing there going to know about the book or whatever. And I say, you know, well, you, it's based out of Indianapolis and I tell them the sites that are there. And then I said, and then the dead bodies dropped on 38th and guy in on the railroad tracks.And they're like, well, you just gave away the story. I said, no, that's chapter 1. And then they kind of laugh because it's like, they thought that, you know, that they had the hook to give away. But that is, it ended up being that I moved. That chapter from about, you know, midway to the end of the book, you know, to the beginning, because people, it gave the road path, it gave what had happened.And, um, so yes, I think I know the ending, but you know, at least what I think is going to be the ending, but the characters, like I said, kind of take over too. Yeah, yeah. You have to build the, the transformation through it and I knew that I wanted to explore the people, not the crime all the way. It wasn't just about the crime.Right, right, yeah. To the front of the book made sense, sense at that point. I completely agree. Sometimes these books I feel like write themselves almost because it's like, Yeah, but you know, you're doing something with a character and then you're like, oh, you know This kind of lines up and we can add this and that and I agree I like you you just going back to what you said earlier What's so great about your book is you have so many different people different backgrounds with different motives and a lot of times with mystery You know, there's a couple layers of those motives because you think their motive is this but really it's it's that and I think that's so Interesting to write so you've talked to us about You know, how you got interested in writing this book.You know, the development of the plot, the title, what it's about. Who should really read this book and what can they get from it because obviously it's entertaining but I know a lot of authors also there's a couple messages throughout it that we can take away from an educational perspective as well or just, uh, thinking about something differently, so who should really read this other than, you know, the title.suspense thriller, you know, enthusiast, and what can we get from it. Sure. So I would say 18 and older. It's okay. There's no, there's no horror or anything that anything that someone under them that, but I would say the majority of the people to read it or 18 to 65 male or female suspense, enthusiast. Or people that like reflection, so it's endorsed by Meryl Hemingway.A lot of people ask me, why would she have endorsed and put it in your her book club? Like I said, I use a medical snow soap note for mental health. So there's a lot of reflection. It's a journey. And that takes the reader not only through the character's lives, but my hope is that it's making you reflect on your own life, your own crossroads that you've passed maybe in the past or that you're in right now.And that it's transforming you to action in not only wanting to know more about the characters lives and how they handled those crossroads, but in their in in your own life. And that's 1 of the reasons why it was endorsed. It is a crime thriller that keeps you intrigued, but it also is more of a complicated journey of self.So my goal is, every one of the characters is out of balance in some way. I've taken those characters and I've made them case studies for a self help book that's coming out after Christmas. Journey to life balance where people can work through their issues if they identified with the characters. Let's let's work it out Let's start working on your Wow.Okay, your mental health your emotional health your spiritual connections your social connections Let's get them all in there together and get you where you have more quality life and in doing that that journey is not only for Entertainment, which is why I love books Because it helps us escape, it's much like sports, they help us escape for a second and we can root on our own team, right?It does the same thing, a powerful read that intrigues us and makes us want to know a little bit more about each character. So then, after they've done the workbook, they can pick up My 2025, um, book, which is coming out, which we've talked, it's chosen or the journey of hope and, um, it's takes one of the characters from the book and you get to explore her life and her, her journey.And then each one of them has its own book and then its own self help. So if you identify With the characters and their problems or their issues or their journey Then you can go and then and do do the work for it. Awesome. That's really cool. That's uh, I think a unique way of uh Making something else out of your book because usually it's you know T shirts and figurines, but this is something very different very unique So I really like that and it's something very beneficial to people In a way to connect uh fiction and education and self improvement all together So that's really awesome and we're going to have your website in the description below where you have Your book more information about it a blog and then also for the events.That's where you'll be hosting book signings. Is that correct? That's correct. The events are, um, it's, um, most of them are Barnes and Noble, Indiana right now, um, throughout the holiday. It's called the Thrill Tour. If you're available, if not, if you're not available to come to one of the events, feel free to visit one of the Barnes and Nobles and pick up your copy.It's also on Amazon and BAM. Um, Websites, I'd be glad, you know, I'll be glad to go to my website or go to my social media. All of them are ronda parker taylor. com And you know chime in love to hear what you think about the titles Maybe you can give me some insights and you know, and I love to engage with readers I just love to hear what they have to say awesome.Yeah, so ladies and gentlemen, I hope you found today's episode Beneficial and hopefully you found something new to read. I encourage you all to read I feel like the newer generations don't read as much unless You know, they're playing video games or something, but it's good to, to read because you're being entertained.You're learning and you're reflecting, especially in this case. So Ms. Parker Taylor, thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing your novel with us. And I look forward to hopefully having you back when your next one comes out. I would love to come back and thank you. I feel blessed to be here.Everybody have a great day. Make it, make it a great holiday and enjoy yourself.
