Edna Taylor – författare

Edna Taylor’s second book of short stories is about a scarecrow, a dog and a cat, a UFO and dreams. Brief encounters and an anonymous gift, plus strange happenings which can turn one’s life onto unexpected pathways and into a completely new direction. Which only goes to prove that ordinary can turn into extraordinary in the blink of an eye

Edna Taylor has always enjoyed writing but it wasn’t until much later in life she really became interested in the craft of penmanship, especially in the form of short story writing. Readers of her two previous collections of stories will recognise some of the characters who have seemingly taken on a life of their own and made their way into this third book. The stories in The Attic are works of fiction, apart from ‘The Dust Storm’, which is an account of one of the eventful happenings experienced by the author’s family when living on an isolated outback farm in the wild South Australian bush.

An empty chair can mean many things. Symbolic perhaps – a memorial for a loved one now gone. Or it can be welcoming and comfortable, waiting for someone to sit and relax. There again, it could be so uncomfortable that no one wants to sit in it anyway! Sometimes people are defined by their chair. My grandfather, for instance, had a wooden rocking chair, which no one else was ever allowed to sit in, and my only memories of him were rocking in his chair. So perhaps you have a favourite chair – empty and waiting for you to sit down with a cuppa or a glass of cheer – where for a little while you can enjoy my latest book of short stories.

“Edna Taylor is a real storyteller. Whether the stories are of the supernatural or the domestic, she writes with a natural realism that allows the reader to be drawn in to her diverse worlds. She often links characters from book to book and there is generally a gentle twist or ‘ah-ha’ moment that leaves you satisfied and eager to read more. Edna has such a lively imagination, whether writing about themes from personal experience, comedy vignettes or bizarre tails of strange goings-on. Her use of language is very sophisticated but at the same time direct and understated. There’s an economy of words and meaning so that you are quickly drawn into the situation or dilemma. Classic short stories have an immediate momentum taking us directly to the action or the issue. They have an economy of time and place and a sudden resolution. Edna Taylor’s short stores are indeed such classics.” - Dr Michael Liddle