Allen Taylor started Garden Gnome Publications, with contests and projects that allow writers to flex their literary muscles.
By Caryn Shaffer
York Daily Record/Sunday News
Allen Taylor is a seat-of-his-pants sort of writer. Once he has an idea about a theme or a character, he sits down and starts writing.
Late last year, he wanted to take his projects, mainly poetry and flash fiction, in a new direction. So, the 48-year-old York Springs man started Garden Gnome Publications, with contests and projects that allow writers to flex their literary muscles.
Taylor was inspired by biblical tales, mostly.
“The Bible’s full of interesting stories. A lot of them, on their face, are absurd,” Taylor said.
Taylor pieced together an anthology of short stories, poetry and more from writers in the York area and beyond. The first collection he titled “Garden of Eden.”
“I encouraged writers to think broadly, and a lot of the stories I got were satire,” he said.
Indeed, many of the stories in “Garden of Eden” range from the reverent to the cartoonish. The collection is available for free online.
In the second anthology, titled “Sulfurings: Tales From Sodom & Gomorrah,” Taylor wanted to focus more on apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic tales. The collection was published in July, but not without a few snags.
“I’m not necessarily looking for religious fiction,” Taylor said, “A lot of the stories I got for ‘Sulfurings’ were satiric in nature, as they were for ‘Garden of Eden,’ but that wasn’t what I was looking for and the writers readjusted. It was very important to me that I put together a quality anthology.”
Taylor is now seeking writers for his third anthology, “Deluge: Stories Of Survival & Tragedy.”
“I hope to get a diverse set of stories, maybe some personal essays or nonfiction from people who have survived floods,” Taylor said.
The deadline for submissions for “Deluge” is Aug. 23. The guidelines for submissions are on Taylor’s website, gardengnomepubs.com. Taylor says a writer’s best bet for getting his or her writing accepted into the anthology is to understand his guidelines, and to read both “Garden of Eden” and “Sulfurings” to know how they’re different from one another. Typically, Taylor said, he’ll give feedback, especially if the writer is close to what he’s looking for or if the writer has been published in the previous anthologies.
“I try to be encouraging and specific about what I don’t like and why,” Taylor said.
Advice for writers
While Taylor is in the business of self-publishing, he cautions writers who are looking in to publishing in a nontraditional manner.
For budding authors, he has three pieces of advice. First, he encourages writers to read broadly, read different genres and get a feel for how other authors express themselves. Second, he advises writers experiment with different styles. Lastly, Taylor warns writers not to seek publication too early.
“I’m excited about digital self-publishing because it’s an opportunity for writers who have talent to get directly to the reader. There are a lot of middlemen in publishing,” Taylor said, “On the other hand, if you’re a new writer and you’re not ready, you could hurt your career.”
Taylor encourages writers to publish their work in short form, such as essays or short stories, and to seek feedback before seeking publication.
“It’s important to get validation from others as a testament to your talent,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he gets all sorts of comments on his own writing.
“I’m not a mainstream writer, and my style isn’t for everyone,” Taylor said, “My wife thinks it’s weird… I intend to get weird sometimes.”
Taylor draw’s his inspiration from Kurt Vonnegut, C.S. Lewis’ nonfiction work, the poetry of T.S. Elliot and Edgar Allen Poe, and the writing of Dr. Seuss.
“I’m not a discerning reader,” Taylor said.
Meet the author
Name: Allen Taylor
Age: 48
Family: Wife Theresa, three adult children and three grandchildren
Occupation: Works from home freelance writing
Hobbies: Entertaining on his 52-acre farm, playing with grandchildren, board games, yard games, watching movies and reading. The last book he read was “The Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut.
Online: http://gardengnomepubs.com
To purchase: “Garden of Eden” is a free download. “Sulfurings” is $2.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords and the Garden Gnome Publications website.
