by Cyrus WebbI was first introduced to author Janet Taylor-Perry in 2017, and it's been great watching her shine over the years.
She's not just another talented Mississippi author who has made a name for herself. While she is promoting her book BONE DRY and her other titles, she is also actively involved in pouring into other authors and helping them to shine as well.
One of my first author events of 2026 was because of Janet and the Central Mississippi Chapter of the Mississippi Writers Guild. It was great to be around authors who love what they do and help to celebrate each other. Janet definitely takes the lead in that effort.
Enjoy our conversation.
Janet, thanks for spending some time with us. Your latest book BONE DRY has been receiving a lot of great attention. What has it been like for you to see the way that readers have been responding to it?
Those who have bought the book from me and read it have become emotional over the content. Many ask me how hard it was to write the abuse scenes—HARD. I stopped and cried myself. I'm donating 20% of all proceeds from the book to the Tim Tebow Foundation for his continued mission to rescue children who are being trafficked.
I’ve read a few of your books over the years, and each one is so different. Is that part of the fun for you as a storyteller, to create a variety of worlds for readers?
Everything I write has some real-life inspiration, even my fantasy stories. I write in the hope of connecting to readers on a personal level and touching some emotion in them—joy, sorrow, rage (as I would hope Bone Dry would rouse). I want to make readers laugh, cry, get angry, maybe work out some of their own issues through my characters. That's exactly what I did with the first book I ever wrote, King Satin's Realm. That book helped me deal with a traumatic time in my life.
When did you know that storytelling was something you were interested in pursuing?
When I was a child living in the housing projects in Laurel, Mississippi, I wrote a play called The Kidnapper. The kids in the neighborhood took turns playing the different roles. We had our victim, our antagonist (the bad kidnapper), parents of the victim, and our wonderful protagonist, the cop who rescues the victim and arrests the villain. I think I was about 10 years old when I wrote that. (I'm laughing at the memories.) We used freshly cut grass or raked leaves to outline the different buildings—the family's home, the villain's hideout, and the police station. When there were more kids wanting to play, I would add parts, like the newsperson on TV. Then, in high school, my creative writing and journalism teacher, Betty Maugh (now O'Brien) encouraged me to write. She is, perhaps, one of the biggest influences on my writing career.
In the state of Mississippi, you are known not just as an author. You’re also an advocate for other creatives as well. Why has that been so important to you?
When I first started trying to get published, I had no clue where to begin. Once I found a path (with many stumbling blocks), I realized how much others needed to have guidance. A few people helped along the way (such as my friend, editor, and mentor, Lottie Brent Boggan), and helping others is one way for me to pay it forward.
You also have helped other authors share their stories with the world. How does that feel to know that you’re helping others find their own readers with their published work?
Luke 12:48 says, "For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required…" God gave me a talent to use, more than one actually. He has given me much, and I am required to do something with that. It feels as if I'm obeying my Heavenly Father when I help others who struggle. This is my niche for furthering God's Kingdom. Because of the struggle, I formed my own publishing company, Dragon Breath Press. I did have doubts that I was pursuing what God wanted me to do. Then, I went to church just after my 4th novel came out, Whatever It Takes (last book in The Raiford Chronicles), and the pastor's sermon was entitled "Whatever It Takes." He preached on the parable of the talents and emphasized using the talents God gives to further the Gospel. That solidified my course.
Going back to BONE DRY, it’s a book that touches on a lot of relevant topics of the day. What was the spark that brought this title to life?The title itself? I'm not sure. All of the Laura Beth Copeland Misadventures have her finding a body part. In the first book, Headcount, she discovered a decapitated head while performing census work. That gave new meaning to counting heads. In Bone Dry, her dog brings up a human femur. Many "dry" bones are eventually discovered, so that title just sort of made sense. The story, on the other hand, came from a much darker place.
When I worked at the CARES School in Jackson, I dealt with a number of young people who had been victims of sex trafficking. One particular child's story tore my heart out. Her own father had sold her for sex and filmed it and put it on the internet. She was in residence at the school before a foster family took her, and her biggest fear was having to testify against her own father. I encouraged her to write her own story as fiction, using a different setting and fake names and ending with a positive outcome for the victim.
We submitted it to the Faulkner Competition as a "story by a high-school student" (she was 15), and it was a semifinalist. Putting that part of her life into a story helped her heal, just like my writing King Satin's Realm. And then seeing so much in the news about sex trafficking of both females and males, made this a "must-tell" story.
You are a Mississippi-based author, but you have readers around the world. How does that feel to know you’re touching readers you’ve never met?
Amazing! Whenever I'm in contact with readers from Germany, New Zealand, Canada, England, Demark (where Lucky Thirteen was in the top 100 reads), I'm actually humbled and thankful for any success.
For aspiring authors out there, what advice do you have for them when it comes to pursuing their goals and dreams of storytelling?
Write the story! Don't worry about how "bad" it might be. Get it on paper. Finish it! The "vomit" draft isn't expected to be good. Join a critique group if there's one near you. If not, I recommend thenextbigwriter.com for an outstanding online critique group. Get some beta readers—not your best friend who might not want to hurt your feelings, although one of my biggest critics was my daughter.
Grow a thick skin, because you will get your feelings hurt. Then, PLEASE find an editor. I edit for others, but I also have an editor. Just remember that the only person you pay up front before you get published is your editor. Then, when it's 99% ready (or strive for that) you can try to find an agent or look for small publishers that will take submission. IF YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET PUBLISHED or are required to buy 1000 books, it's a scam.
• Thanks again for your time, Janet. How can our readers stay connected with you?
janettaylorperry@gmail.com
http://janettaylor-perry.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/janettaylorperrybooks/
Instagram: @janettaylorperry & @jtaylorperry
X: Janet Taylor-Perry— @mom5kidz421
dragonbreathpress.com
