I am so excited to welcome Elena Taylor to the blog today! If you have been around here for a while you already know how much I love The Haunting of Emily Grace, and getting to host Elena for a guest post felt like the perfect way to celebrate the paperback release. Pull up a chair, grab a coffee, and let her take you behind the scenes of a writer’s life that is anything but ordinary.
A writer’s life is so glamorous! The day starts with a dog sitting on my stomach because it’s time for breakfast. I get up and feed the three dogs. If it’s before 7am, I get a cup of coffee and read. I love to read early in the morning when I’m fresh and the house is quiet. But invariably 7am rolls around and I’m out to the barn and upper paddocks to feed the equines.
Currently I own two horses and a giant mule, but I also have two adorable donkeys and a third horse living on my property, so AM feeding takes me about twenty minutes.
Then it’s up to my office (with more coffee!) and usually a dog or two … or three … at my feet. Right now, I have Wyatt asleep under my desk and Schweitzer, the new puppy we think will hit 100 pounds, has his nose on my toes.
The cats usually wander through at some point during the day. Juni-purr, the cat who “found” me last year, is the most affectionate. She likes to climb around on my desk and sit in my lap, especially if I’m on a Zoom call. She is very, very helpful.
I work from 7:30 or so until 9, then I head to the barn to turn the equines out into the pasture. They are turned out from about 9am to 4pm depending on the weather and how green the spring grass is. Once they are out, I’m back at my desk to work until one.
At one o’clock, I feed the dogs lunch (yes, they get three small meals a day). Often this is when I take a break and go do barn/paddock chores, though sometimes I mix that up. For example, today I cleaned the barn stalls and runs and prepped dinner hay bags at 9am when I let the equines out. Later this afternoon I’ll take care of the upper paddocks.
Regardless of the timing, I’m back to work as soon as I’m finished, and stay at my desk until about 4pm when I bring the equines in.
Throughout the day, I take various dogs out for a walk and a pee, entertain the cats, and drink a lot more coffee.
Depending on my schedule, I may or may not be done at 4pm, though I rarely work past 7pm.
Mixed into all of that animal time, I work on my current work in progress, edit client projects, update my blog and social media, work with the equines, and do the daily errands and tasks to keep a busy household humming along.
There’s always something to do around here! With spring’s arrival there is a lot of mowing, trimming, and watering. I thoroughly enjoy the riding mower. It’s very peaceful to skim around the property on my EGO mower, the sun out, a light breeze, watching the equines grazing and playing or napping in the sun. I get some of my best ideas mowing acres of lawn.
Evenings I collapse. TV is about all I can manage. I’m especially fond of the British crime shows.
I feed the equines again at 7pm. I especially love doing that when it’s just getting dark. During the winter it’s dark at 4pm, and in the summer it’s light until almost 10pm. But for a few months out of the year, it’s perfect. Solar lights come on around the property, the animals are making soft, gentle noises eating their hay and grain. The coyotes call across the valleys and hills around my property, and the stars come out over my head.
That is my most serene time. I often pause at the top of the driveway, where I can look across the barn and pastures, and feel completely at peace.
Then the next morning rolls around, and there’s a dog on my stomach because it’s time for breakfast. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.
-Elena Taylor, author of The Haunting of Emily Grace
Is it just me or did reading this make you want to move to a farm, adopt three dogs, two donkeys, and a giant mule, and spend your mornings writing with coffee and animals at your feet? Because same, Elena. Same.
Thank you so much for sharing a peek into your daily life with us. There is something so grounding about the way you have built your world around the things and creatures that matter most to you, and I think it shows in your writing. The same care and attention you give to your animals and your land comes through in every page of The Haunting of Emily Grace.
If you have not read it yet, what are you waiting for? The paperback is out now and it is everything. You can find my full review right here on the blog and grab your copy through the link in my Linktree.
And Elena, you are welcome back on my blog any time. Preferably with more stories about Juni-purr sitting in on your Zoom calls.
Read my thoughts: Book Review & Giveaway
Shop The Book: Haunting of Emily Grace
Shop My Stack: 2026 Books Read
Synopsis:
An eerie suspense novel, in which a grieving woman takes a job at an isolated mansion only to become wrapped up in the curse that seems to have befallen its eccentric owner.
Emily Grace has endured the worst loss imaginable. But can she survive a remote manor haunted by more than just memories . . .?
Drowning in grief, Emily Grace has lost everything: her home, her friends, her career. Only one lifeline remains—a job working for an eccentric millionaire. Along with his wife, he’s been building a mansion on a secluded island surrounded by a harsh and unforgiving sea. But when she disappears under mysterious circumstances, Emily Grace is hired to finish the project.
Locals believe the house is cursed, but their warnings go unheeded as Emily Grace works to rebuild her life. After what she’s been through, nothing can scare her—except perhaps the attention of a handsome man offering more than friendship. And yet, there’s something strange about this solitary fortress. Accidents. Mishaps. Ghostly whispers through the surrounding forest, footsteps when she’s completely alone . . .
Is there truly a curse or is the ethereal specter in the window an omen of something more sinister?
This spooky standalone from phenomenal crime author Elena Taylor will have readers sleeping with the light on for weeks! With vibes of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, fans of Riley Sager and thrillers with light horror elements will love The Haunting of Emily Grace!
Book Details:
Genre: Suspense with a touch of light paranormal/horror
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: May 21, 2026
Number of Pages: 288 pages
Tour Participants:
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!
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Author Bio:
Elena Taylor spent several years working in theater as a playwright, director, designer, and educator before turning her storytelling skills to novels. Her first series, the Eddie Shoes Mysteries, written under Elena Hartwell, introduced a quirky mother/daughter crime fighting duo.
With the Sheriff Bet Rivers Mysteries, Elena returned to her dramatic roots to bring readers more serious and atmospheric novels. Located in her beloved Washington State, Elena uses her connection to the environment to produce tense and suspenseful investigations for a lone sheriff in an isolated community. The third in the series, Kill to Keep, launches summer 2026.
The Haunting of Emily Grace is Elena’s first standalone suspense novel.
Her favorite place to be is at Paradise, the property she lives on south of Spokane, Washington, with her equines, dogs, cats, and hubby.
Catch Up With Elena Taylor:
www.ElenaTaylorAuthor.com
TheMysteryOfWriting.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @ElenaTaylorAuthor
Instagram – @ElenaTaylorAuthor
X – @Elena_TaylorAut
Facebook – @ElenaTaylorAuthor
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Elena Taylor. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
The giveaway is for: $25 Amazon card and a copy of the printed book (US only)
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