‘Taylor returns with a roller coaster ride that pitches author against reader, with bloody consequences’

Taylor Adams had a huge hit with No Exit (2107) with it being published in 32 languages around the world and being adapted for TV in a Hulu Original film.

The book became a phenomenon with TikTok playing its part in spreading the word as No Exit was picked up by followers of BookTok, which has also fuelled the rise of Colleen Hoover to multi-million copy bestseller.

Taylor has returned with another roller coaster ride for readers with The Last Word which pitches the author against the reviewer with bloody consequences.

Speaking to The Book Insider, Taylor explains how he keeps control of his adrenaline when writing such a fast paced story.

How do you keep yourself in check so that you don’t get carried away?

Taylor told us: “It’s a delicate balance, and it takes me numerous rewrites to feel the story’s pace out. Excessive action can be numbing and even tedious, so I’m very careful about how and when I dole it out.

“Action and suspense are opposites in a way, so I try to map the story out with long stretches of uncertainty and delayed conflict (suspense), occasionally interrupted by sharp jolts of resolving conflict (action).

“It’s the quiet moments that build true suspense and if that groundwork is there, a story can feel action-packed – even if it’s just a few characters and a beach house.”

After having such a huge success with No Exit, there was one of two ways that it could have gone for Taylor – pressure to repeat its popularity or to throw off the shackles with the knowledge that a bestseller was in the bank.

Taylor said: “There has certainly been pressure, but I think it’s largely self-imposed. I’ve tried to learn the right lessons from No Exit’s success without falling into the trap of repeating myself.

“Hopefully with The Last Word I’ve delivered on the things readers enjoyed in my past work while also leaning into the wildness and meta humor that makes this particular tale so appealing to me.”

Taylor continued to explain: “A few years ago an author I admire once gave me some great advice – to simply try to make each book the best version of itself that it can be – and that’s what I aim to do each time.”

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With TikTok expected to be influential on the sales of The Last Word, as it was with No Exit, Taylor said that the social media site is a great way for people to discover a love of reading.

Speaking about its growing influence, Taylor said: “I think any way that books can reach readers is well worth engaging with, especially nowadays when we all have so many options for our entertainment.

TikTok and other social media platforms have made it much easier for positive word of mouth to spread, which can really help authors ‘break out’.”

There was a word of warning though, with Taylor admitting: “Of course, negativity spreads just as rapidly, so I’d encourage readers to not let the echo chamber talk them out of picking up a book they might love.

“Some of my absolute favourite reads lately have been quite polarising on the internet!”

Buy The Last Word by clicking HERE.