Graham Peter Taylor (born 1958 in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England), pen-name G. P. Taylor, is the author of the best-selling[1] novels Shadowmancer (which has been translated into 48 languages)[citation needed], Wormwood, and Tersias. Before taking up writing full-time, he was a police officer, motorcyclist and former rock band roadie turned Anglican vicar in the village of Cloughton, North Yorkshire. Taylor has three children and currently resides in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
G. P. Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Graham Peter Taylor 1958 (age 65–66) Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | English |
Biography edit
Taylor grew up in Yorkshire, but moved to London in the 1970s where he worked in the music industry with such bands as The Stranglers, Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, and Adam and the Ants. He became involved in the occult, and lived a life that was, in his own words "into all sorts of weird and wonderful things and wasn’t leading a godly life". He then turned to Christianity, and he later became a vicar with the Church of England.
Taylor completed the manuscript of his first book, Shadowmancer, which he self-published. Following its launch at Taylor's local bookshop, The Whitby Bookshop, the title garnered a publishing deal with Faber and Faber in the UK and G. P. Putnam's Sons in the United States[2] for a further six novels, following which he resigned his position as parish priest.
His second novel, Wormwood, was nominated for a Quill Award. His third novel, Tersias was published in the UK in 2005. In August 2006, Faber published a follow-up to Shadowmancer entitled The Curse of Salamander Street.
In October 2006, Taylor released The Tizzle Sisters & Erik through Markosia. A mixture of prose and graphic novel that he deemed an 'illustronovella', Taylor was joined on the book by collaborators Tony Lee, Dan Boultwood, and Harry Potter artist Cliff Wright.
He also contributed text to photographer Mark Denton's book on the Yorkshire coast.
Taylor announced his retirement from writing in October 2009 in order to care for his daughter, who suffers from Crohn's disease,[3] although he went on to publish three more books in the years that followed.
In 2010, the first book of Vampyre Labyrinth series, RedEye, was published. The story was based on young Jago, who is a evacuee from London in war with the Germans in 1940. He was sent to Whitby, where he discovered a series of secrets and mysteries of vampyres.
Mariah Mundi film edit
In 2008, Taylor signed a deal with film production company Entertainment Motion Pictures (E-Motion) to make a film based on the series. In March 2012, it was announced that the film would star Michael Sheen, Lena Headey, Sam Neill, Ioan Gruffudd, and Aneurin Barnard as Mariah Mundi. The title was changed to The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box and the film opened in the United States in January 2014 to generally negative reviews.[4]
Bibliography edit
Shadowmancer edit
- Shadowmancer (2003)
- Wormwood (2004)
- Tersias (2005)
- The Shadowmancer Returns: The Curse of Salamander Street (2006)
Mariah Mundi edit
- Mariah Mundi - The Midas Box (2007)
- Mariah Mundi and the Ghost Diamonds (2008)
- Mariah Mundi and the Ship of Fools (2009)
The Dopple Ganger Chronicles edit
- The First Escape (2008) (originally released as The Tizzle Sisters and Erik in 2006)
- The Secret of Indigo Moon (2009)
- The Great Mogul Diamond (2011)
Vampire Labyrinth edit
- Redeye (September 2010)
- Dust Blood (January 2011)
- Oracle (July 2011)
References edit
- ^ "A writer's new life of dreams and nightmares". Yorkshire Post. 27 September 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
Shadowmancer and Wormwood sold 475,000 copies alone, his third novel Tersias was a bestseller
- ^ Children's Writers' and Artists' Yearbook 2007, A&C Black, p.139
- ^ "Author GP Taylor quits to care for sick daughter". Yorkshire Post. 15 October 2009. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ^ Metacritic