Welcome to another Poisoned Rationality Special Edition! Today we have the author team of Taylor Keating joining us to discuss their Guardian trilogy!


First things first! Fair Game is the final book in the Guardian trilogy, so I'll make this easy - can you describe the series in three sentences or less?

It all started out with the idea of a very smart heroine who unwittingly taps into a parallel dimension via cutting edge technology. We tossed in some magic, some bad guys, a sexy, strong hero who is literally adrift, his body safe at home while his astral traveling spirit is enslaved by our heroine’s (and the world’s) worst enemy. Then we added a sidekick who sometimes steals the show.

Writing as a team, how does that work for you both? Do you both outline the novel and then
develop certain parts independently or do you trade ideas back and forth constantly?

When we start a new story we create a story board and break everything down into chapters and turning points. We use different color sticky notes for each character and another one for world building. We don’t always follow it exactly but it is a guideline as we are writing. As for the actual process when we’re deep into a story we talk on the phone almost every day. I will write for a couple days a week, and then hand the work over to her. She’ll edit what I wrote (she’s the grammar queen) and then she’ll add new pages. After she passes it back to me, I’ll reread, and we’ll discuss direction, trade ideas back and forth, etc before I add my new pages. It’s a pretty good partnership, especially considering my weaknesses are her strengths and vice versa. Although I must say, we’re both learning from each other and overcoming our weaknesses.

What's next now that the Guardian books are over?

We just finished putting the touches on a shiny new proposal and our agent is sending it out for us now. The waiting to hear is always so hard!

Who came up with the story of River and Hawk? Did it undergo a lot of changes from original
concept to finished product?

Cathryn actually came up with the idea, then asked Paula if she wanted to co write it. Once Paula got her hands on it, the world grew and became something spectacular. I’m a concept girl and she’s the ‘big picture’ thinker.

Was there any special research you did for River's job? Do you enjoy video games? (obviously for Hawk that must have been easy--who doesn't have a hot Fae Guardian in their address book ready to dish on his life?)

Neither of us are gamers! But our sons are. You can’t imagine how many hours we had to spend watching them play. They were thrilled to get to be the authorities in our relationships for a change.

As for additional research, Paula was working for an aerospace company at the time and a friend of hers was a computer systems analyst and developer. Paula would ask her all kinds of questions as to what would work, or at least sound plausible to the reader. Then we’d add magic.

The hardest question of them all--I have a piece of cake, the most delicious cake there ever was
or will be, who gets it?

I’d like to say we’d share it, but that’s just not going to happen. When chocolate and Paula come together, I duck! LOL