Books, Ballerinas, and Bravery: Author JeanAnn Taylor’s Journey to Live Authentically
Photo credit: Brooke Parker Photography
By Rebekah McCubbins
As a little girl, JeanAnn Taylor always wanted to be a writer. Today, she has authored eight published children’s books, with a ninth publishing soon. But her journey hasn’t been easy.
JeanAnn’s childhood was marked by negative messages. “I was emotionally beat up and found it easier to be quiet than to face rejection,” she says. “I retreated because it was less painful to hide than to feel inadequate.” She was taught at a young age not to use her voice or express her true feelings. She latched onto these messages, as any young girl would. People thought she was shy, but she wasn’t; she was hesitant to use her voice and risk criticism. “I always thought there was something wrong with me, because that’s what I was taught.”
JeanAnn eventually left her hometown near the beaches of Florida and moved to the North Carolina mountains with her two young children. But those negative messages didn’t stop in adulthood. She found that although she had left physically, she had not escaped the emotional abuse. After raising her kids as a stay-at-home mom, JeanAnn began her career at the age of 40. “My kids were older and it was time for me to get out into the world myself,” she shares.
As she began searching for a job, JeanAnn was met with skepticism from a world that couldn’t see past her quiet demeanor and lack of professional experience. “I was quiet, and kind of small, and nobody really thought I could do anything because I never had,” JeanAnn explains.
Eventually, she found a job selling ads for a local publication. Despite having no sales experience, she excelled. “I had learned to fake courage even when I was terrified,” she recalls. “So when I made cold calls, I took a deep breath, got out of my car, pretended to be brave, and walked confidently into the business.”
Her ambition led to more opportunities and continued success–and she was soon asked to start a local ladies' magazine—Sophie. “It was really that little sales associate job in the publication industry that opened the door for me to become an author,” says JeanAnn. “Through that career path, I finally realized what I was capable of doing, who I really am, and that what I was taught as a child was wrong.”
As she progressed in her career, JeanAnn rediscovered her love of writing. Working with other writers, she found a community of women who empowered her to succeed. Through that process, JeanAnn turned to her childhood for inspiration. “I always knew I wanted to write a book about a dancer,” she recalls. “So that was my first book: The Little Girl Who Loves to Twirl.”
JeanAnn’s love of dance began when she was young, starting with ballet. “In my heart and soul, I’m a dancer,” she explains. As time went on, she explored ballroom, eventually becoming a competitive country dancer. JeanAnn says country dance is like ballroom in boots. “‘Country’ is a partner dance. We do waltz and cha-cha like ballroom dancers, but we also have two-step and triple two. The thing I most love about country is the twirling. Spinning is a key element of country dancing, and it feeds my soul. Of course, I also love wearing my bright pink, full circle, competition skirt!”
JeanAnn’s hobbies don’t stop at dance. In addition to writing and illustrating, JeanAnn expresses her creativity with needles and thread. Having hand-made over 100 quilts as well as most of her clothes, home decor, and fabric accessories, she spends a lot of time in her sewing room. She loves to crochet and has made afghans, sweaters, dolls, and animals. Her current artistic interest is drawing wildflowers on fabric for original embroidery work. “I thrive on being creative,” she admits.
JeanAnn’s artistic inclinations led her to pursue illustrating her own stories. “I could barely draw a stick figure when I decided to do my own illustrations, so learning to draw and paint has been a long journey,” she says. “Now, I’ve fallen in love with watercolors. They are the perfect medium for my books.”
When asked how she finds inspiration for her stories, JeanAnn shares that she draws from her own experiences. “As a dancer, I feel comfortable writing about dancers, and I think I relate to mermaids because I absolutely love to swim,” she says. “The fundamental point of my books is about accepting and loving yourself, which has been my struggle my whole life. Whether the story is about a dandelion, a dancer, or a mermaid, my books are about trusting your journey and being true to who you are.”
JeanAnn also finds inspiration in nature. She got the idea for her book, What Does The Moon See? when she was looking at the moon one night and wondered what it could see. So, she wrote a story from the moon’s perspective. Nature inspired her similarly with her book, The Legend of Miren. “I was struggling with how Miren, in The Legend of Miren, would finally find her way back to her true self,” she remembers of writing her book. “Then on a waterfall hike, I looked up at the waterfall and immediately knew the answer, so I went home and finished the story.”
As for the future, JeanAnn plans to continue sharing stories about authenticity and bravery. “I’m still working on being who I am, but writing has allowed me to express myself in ways that are both healing and creative,” she says.
You can reach out to JeanAnn Taylor to find her books in local shops, or find them through online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Her next book, Be Brave, Alice!, will be available soon. To stay updated on her latest work, follow JeanAnn on Instagram at @twirlatale.
