Martha A. Taylor

My writing career has been, until the last few years, one of those “don’t quit your day job arrangements”. Having made my living as a tax professional, I found early on that my creative writing skills came in handy when I had to write client letters to the IRS.

 

As a child growing up in Memphis I could not have known that the Boyd family, the main characters in In the Land of Cotton, would have such a haunting effect on me. Last fall, their indelible personas became overwhelming. They were all I could think about. I sat down one afternoon and the book began to flow to paper.

 

About the Book: In 1976, Alex Haley's Roots completely reshaped the way the world understood the history of slavery. Now, author Martha A. Taylor is doing the same thing for America's civil rights movement. 

Immerse yourself in this highly anticipated political docu-drama set in the Deep South amidst the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement.

Martha was a young white girl living in the Deep South, inundated with the racist sentiments of the times. But Martha’s natural curiosity and generous heart led her to question this racial divide. When she discovered a primitive Negro family living deep in the woods near her house, everyone’s life changed forever.

Take the journey of a lifetime alongside Martha as she forges relationships that lead to self discovery and a clearer understanding of the world around her. In the Land of Cotton provides an outstanding snapshot of life in the South during those troubled times—a snapshot everyone should take a close look at, regardless of era or color.

PageOneLit.com: Where did you grow up and was reading and writing a part of your life? Who were your earliest influences and why?

Martha A. Taylor: As a child, I grew up in Memphis Tennessee. Reading was not a part of my daily life. I was too busy exploring the life around me. I was blessed with a vivid imagination so a tree top became a view from a castle, the trips on my bike in the storm canals became the Tour de France and a bus ride home from school became a trip to some exotic country. My earliest influence, someone I believed in and wanted to "be like" would have been Lucy Boyd; hands down. She was the first person I ever listened to and believed what they were saying.

PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?

Martha A. Taylor: I write because the stories inside me are screaming to get out and onto paper. I feel compelled to share them. I want people to "see" what I see, "hear" what I hear and "feel" what I feel.

 

PageOneLit.com: Briefly discuss your new book IN THE LAND OF COTTON? Where did the inspiration for this book come from?

Martha A. Taylor: The inspiration came from the many indelible memories I have held since childhood about the Boyd family and Silas.

 

PageOneLit.com: IN THE LAND OF COTTON is many things, historical, political, biographical -- Is that what you set out to write?

Martha A. Taylor: I could not have known it when I began the book, but Cotton was exactly the book in my heart.

In 10 words or less, describe this book as you see it now after writing and publishing it.
 

 

Martha A. Taylor: A powerful snapshot of American History the way I remember.

PageOneLit.com: IN HE LAND OF COTTON you discuss finding your 'purpose in life.' Explain.

Martha A. Taylor: When you reach my age you begin to evaluate your accomplishments. I strongly believe the lessons I learned from the Boyd's helped mold who I am as a person. I held the first printed copy of Cotton that arrived in my author's box. I knew that sharing this wonderful family with the world was my legacy.

 

PageOneLit.com: IN THE LAND OF COTTON you discuss Martin Luther King - How old were you when you first heard an M.L.K speech?Do you remember your thoughts/feelings at that time?

Martha A. Taylor: The first speech I heard was most probably the first speech most of white America heard. It was the "I Have a Dream" speech delivered from the Lincoln Memorial steps during the Freedom March in Washington DC in the summer of 1963, I was sixteen. When I saw a tear on my bigoted father's cheek, I finally understood that civil rights for Black Americans was huge. I knew there could be no more "fence sitters". You were either for it or against it.
 

 

PageOneLit.com: IN THE LAND OF COTTON you relay a speech from JFK that in 40 years we would have an African American as a President - And almost to the year , he was correct. Do you remember the thoughts and feelings from that speech then?

Martha A. Taylor: The speech was actually one Robert Kennedy made in August of 1968 right before his assassination. I honestly don't think very many people took RFK's speech to heart until Obama's candidacy became a viable possibility. In 1968, the idea of a black man becoming president would have been so far beyond the realms of imagination I would have never believed it possible in my lifetime.

 

PageOneLit.com: What do you hope to achieve with IN THE LAND OF COTTON?

Martha A. Taylor: Better understanding of the events of the past fifty years and how those events affected real people. We can only mold the future if we understand the past.
 

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What's next?

Martha A. Taylor: My next book, "Dixieland", will be a prequel to Cotton. It will begin in 1840 when Kissy first came to the Boyd Plantation. Cotton was told from my point of view; Dixieland will be from Kissy's.

 

 

PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?

Martha A. Taylor: The Audacity of Hope

 

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Martha A. Taylor: Gardening allows me not only to immerse myself in the earth but it allows my mind to wander; photography keeps me grounded to the past and reminds me of those persons or things to keep close to my heart.