"A good writer can describe something and allow the reader to picture it in their minds eye. A great writer can describe something and allow the reader to experience it. Fulks is a great writer."
- Reviewed by Anne B. for Readers Favorite. Awarded 5 stars.

"My Prison Without Bars is well-written and gives a good look into the lives of those who have been sexually attacked and marred in some way both physically and emotionally for life."
- Reviewed by Alice D. for Readers Favorite. Awarded 5 stars.

People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. the people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them...make them. ~ G.B. Shaw, Mrs.Warren's Profession, 1893

There's something to be said for determination and perseverance. I am living, breathing proof of that. I think it actually all boils down to attitude! Like when you buy a smart-phone. A teenager sees the newest phone out there with all the bells and whistles, apps and widgets, buttons and gizmos and says, "this totally rocks!" Whereas, a tech-virgin like myself sees one of these beasts and panics saying, "how in the hell am I going to learn how to use this?" See, it's all about attitude.

Over the last eighteen months, I have had a complete attitude adjustment. There is nothing I can't do if I put my mind to it. If you dream it, put in the work, do the research, and combine all of that with sheer determination and perseverance...you can do anything! I know this to be true because I started out with a pen and paper (literally--I bought a computer months later) and a story, and now, I'm about to launch my first novel, My Prison Without Bars...The Journey of a Damaged Woman to Someplace Normal on December 17, 2012 on Amazon.com and Amazon Kindle.

Never think that God's delays are God's denials. Hold on; hold fast; hold out. Patience is genius! ~Georges-Louis Leclere

I have learned so much over the last year and a half from authors and bloggers more than willing to share their knowledge and expertise, to guide new writers through the mazes of the publishing industry....for free! So now, I want to do my part to help others. I do not presume to be an expert by any means, but I have done quite a bit of research over the last year. I have stumbled and fallen several times--cried and told myself I couldn't do this...it's too hard! But I did it anyway! And so can you!

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Just a thought...encompasses my journey through the jungle of self-publishing. I want to offer websites, blog sites, self-pub and standard pub sites, links to editing and better utilization of social networking, etc...that hopefully will guide others toward and easier path than I had. Essentially, guide you toward help. Just a doodle...is a place to rant (occasionally) or post a great read, movie, video, or song...or just a place to chat.

It's not about the destination...it's about the journey that get's you there. ~Author unknown.

So again, I say welcome to Taylor-Made Thoughts & Doodles. You can subscribe or just visit now and then. Thank you in advance for being a part of this journey.

~Taylor~     The rest of my life will be the best of my life.

About my novel...

Ever had a secret? A really bad secret? Something hidden so far in the back of your mind, that you question whether it's real...or a dream.

Alone in a strange city, pommeled by a raging thunderstorm, Taylor Faulkner's hotel room is steeped in darkness, broken sporadically by violent flashes of light, that outline the heavens and vaguely illuminate and silhouette the streets far below. The lines between her shameful past and her present reality begin to merge--threatening to collide and literally end her life.

After leaving town under the pretense of business, Taylor struggles to make some sense of her life, as it hopelessly crumbles around her; an unfaithful, unrepentant husband, several unconscionable revelations from her selfish, controlling mother and finally, the resurrection of nightmares and ghosts from her childhood. Solace eludes her. Instead, she is stalked, overpowered, and imprisoned in her own suite by a dark, sadistic stranger hell bent on torturing her because of the mirrored past they share...linked by the same monster hiding under the bed.

Fighting for her life, trying to remain conscious, Taylor succumbs to an otherworldly flashback...startlingly real and graphic; reliving the horrific nightmare that was her childhood, and the subsequent collateral damage leftover from those experiences that plague her still.

Bleeding...beaten mercilessly, Taylor recognizes the grim reality of her situation--this time around, she must fight for her life in order to survive the monster from under the bed...or die, forever locked in her prison without bars.

You can read an excerpt by clicking on Prologue and Chapter 1...Enjoy!