AUTHOR
PRESS KIT
MARGARET OF THIBODAUX
Margaret of Thibodaux
full-length book description
{ 205 words }
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It is 1974, the last carefree, sultry Louisiana summer before high school begins when Margaret Thibodeaux’s world collapses: her daddy asks hometown doctor Muriel to marry him. It's been six years since her mama mysteriously died, and Margaret is convinced that the closer Muriel gets, the less she'll receive bedside visits from her mother—and the more she will fade from their lives.
Set on rejecting Muriel’s kindnesses, Margaret grapples with everyone’s delight over the engagement, including her two best friends, Honey and Robert, who think Muriel is nothing short of an angel. But when Margaret visits her mama’s grave for the first time and finds a poem left there—not in her daddy’s handwriting—the mystery of her mother’s death escalates. It isn't until she befriends the local recluse, Jezebel, who has spiritual gifts akin to her own, that Margaret begins to unravel her assumptions, reconcile her grief, and discover a shocking revelation about her mama from across the veil.
At once humorous and heartbreaking, Margaret of Thibodaux is a captivating Southern story of longing and self-discovery, told from the perspective of a feisty and determined yet vulnerable teenage girl as she learns that love and nurturing can come in the most unexpected packages.
Margaret of Thibodaux
short book description
{ 107 words }
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Self-focused and emotional 14-year-old Margaret can't imagine her deceased mama being erased from their home for good―or how her daddy could replace her with another woman. It will take coming to terms with her own humility and accountability as surprising truths come to light, and as unexpected events show her that life, and what she holds dear, can change in an instant.
At once humorous and heartbreaking, Margaret of Thibodaux is a captivating Southern story of longing and self-discovery, told from the perspective of a feisty and determined yet vulnerable teenage girl as she learns that love and nurturing can come in the most unexpected packages.
Margaret of Thibodaux
tagline
{ 29 words }
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A captivating Southern story of longing and self-discovery, told from the perspective of a feisty and determined yet vulnerable teenage girl as she learns that love and nurturing can come in the most unexpected packages.
Jo Taylor
full-length bio
{ 123 words }
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Jo Taylor is an obstreperous, retired ER Nurse who is likely an obstreperous writer too. She grew up with three stepmothers (not at the same time) and is a pragmatic psychic/medium, fascinated by everything woo. She's lived on a boat and traced her genealogy back to the year 310 (maybe, probably, you know how genealogy is). She's been married for thirty-three years and all her hero characters are based on her husband, a hero in real life. Her first book, Postcards: Collected Poems and Short Stories came out in July 2024. Margaret of Thibodaux is her first novel. Follow Jo’s Substack, Characteristically Speaking, at https://jotaylorauthor.substack.com, or connect with her online at: jotaylorauthor.com and x.com/jotaylorauthor.
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Jo Taylor
short bio
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Jo Taylor is the author of Postcards: Collected Poems and Short Stories. Margaret of Thibodaux is her first novel. She lives in Daphne, Alabama. www.jotaylorauthor.com
POSTCARDS
Postcards
full-length book description
{ 199 words }
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Faith, or lack thereof. Love, or something like it. Death in the world of medicine. The impact of childhood memories.
In this universal yet intimate collection, Jo Taylor applies her skilled and gentle hand to pen deeply lyrical verses, offering poignant observations of everything from relationships that weren’t meant to be, to sentiments on the meaning of faith, from an ode to a cherished baseball glove, to her years navigating life, death, and grief as an ER nurse. In her short stories, we are inspired by a blind artist, touched by a serendipitous pocket angel; our emotions are tapped as an elderly woman embraces her mortality, as a husband grapples with the eternal resting place of his young wife’s ashes. Filled with the tender wisdom of a writer who has experienced the fragility of life, each installment in this collection is visceral and stirring, provoking questions and honest reflection through the author’s candid yet compassionate lens.
Symmetry is beauty
found in flower, nautilus, and human face . . .
Beauty is in the familiar and the divine,
So, too, we find in faces the match to self or God.
And, so too, such beauty sparks thoughtful interpretation on every page of Postcards.
Postcards
short book description
{ 98 words }
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In this universal yet intimate collection, Jo Taylor applies her skilled and gentle hand to pen deeply lyrical verses and compelling short stories, offering poignant observations of everything from relationships that weren’t meant to be, to sentiments on the meaning of faith, from an ode to a cherished baseball glove, to her years navigating life, death, and grief as an ER nurse.
Filled with the tender wisdom of a writer who has experienced the fragility of life, each installment in this collection is visceral and stirring, provoking questions and honest reflection through the author’s candid yet compassionate lens.
Postcards
tagline
{ 22 words }
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Observational poetry harmonizes with slice-of-life short stories in this captivating collection that provokes questions and honest reflection through the author’s candid yet compassionate lens.
Jo Taylor
full-length bio
{ 155 words }
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Jo Taylor is a retired ER nurse who grew up with three stepmothers (not at the same time), has lived on a boat in Santa Barbara Harbor with her husband and her dog, and can trace her genealogy to the year 310. A writer at heart all her life, Jo dove into the endeavors of poetry and short story writing to develop craft and style. Her first story won Honorable Mention for Glimmer Train in 2009, and a handful of poems and short stories have since been published in literary magazines. Postcards is the result of her desire to have a collection of her work in hand, if only to prove to herself that her literary labors are tangible. Jo has been married for thirty-three years and has one grown son. She currently lives in Daphne, Alabama.
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Jo Taylor
short bio
{ 58 words }
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Jo Taylor has been a writer at heart all her life. Postcards is the result of her desire to have a collection of her work in hand, if only to prove to herself that her literary labors are tangible. Jo has been married for thirty-three years and has one grown son. She currently lives in Daphne, Alabama.