TAYLOR, Terry 1952-

(Terry Lynn Taylor)

PERSONAL: Born 1952.

ADDRESSES: Office—Lark Books, 67 Broadway, Asheville, NC 28801. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Sterling Publishing Company, 387 Park Ave. S., New York, NY 10016.

CAREER: Writer, editor, and illustrator. Lark Books, New York, NY, editor and project coordinator.

WRITINGS:

(Illustrator) Andrea Posner, Let's Eat! (juvenile; "Shaped Little Nugget Book" series), Golden Books (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Janice Eaton Kilby and Deborah Morgenthal) The Book of Wizard Craft: In Which the Apprentice Finds Spells, Potions, Fantastic Tales, and Fifty Enchanting Things to Make, illustrated by Lindy Burnett, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Decorating Candles, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Janice Eaton Kilby) The Book of Wizard Parties: In Which the Wizard Shares the Secrets of Creating Enchanted Gatherings, illustrated by Marla Baggetta, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Janice Eaton Kilby) The Book of Wizard Magic: In Which the Apprentice Finds Marvelous Magic Tricks, Mystifying Illusions, and Astonishing Tales, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Creative Candlescaping: Seventy Bright Ideas for Home and Garden, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Paper Crafting: Twenty Projects to Fold, Cut, Mold, Weave, and Pierce, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Joanne O'Sullivan) The New Napkin Folding: Fresh Ideas for a Well-dressed Table, Hearst Books (New York, NY), 2004.

(With others) Encyclopedia of Projects for the Weekend Crafter, Sterling Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards, and More, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

The Artful Egg: Six Dozen Extraordinary Ways to Decorate an Egg, Lark Books (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: As a project coordinator and editor with Lark Books, Terry Taylor has been involved with a number of craft books for adult and younger readers, some as sole author, and some in collaboration with others. The first of the "Wizard" books, The Book of Wizard Craft: In Which the Apprentice Finds Spells, Potions, Fantastic Tales, and Fifty Enchanting Things to Make, is written for children who can experiment with creating "Shrunken Mandrake Heads" and "Kraken Slime." Readers are warned against drinking or eating any of their concoctions, and a spider graphic is added to projects that require adult supervision. "Written as though an old wizard dictated the projects to his scribes, the book will delight readers," commented Elaine Baran Black in School Library Journal.

In The Book of Wizard Parties: In Which the Wizard Shares the Secrets of Creating Enchanted Gatherings, the ancient narrator instructs readers on how to create eight themed and seasonal celebrations with such touches as "Dragon's Blood Potion," which changes color. Booklist critic John Peters felt that "the contents are both inventive and practical enough to keep young alchemists and faerie folk spellbound."

In The Book of Wizard Magic: In Which the Apprentice Finds Marvelous Magic Tricks, Mystifying Illusions, and Astonishing Tales, the six-hundred-year-old wizard provides instructions on how to perform illusions and sleights of hand that include a disappearing ring, levitating salt shaker, and rising card. Readers also learn how to make a magic wand, stage table, clothing, and props, and about settings, timing and interaction with an audience. School Library Journal contributor Cynde Suite commented on the fact that the authors "are very clear on the point that magic is a physical art and does not involve the supernatural."

Other books by Taylor offer instructions on being creative with candles and crafting with paper. The New Napkin Folding: Fresh Ideas for a Well-dressed Table is a primer on fabrics used for napkins, the etiquette of using a napkin, stain removal and washing tips, and instructions for forty different folds. The book was written in collaboration with Victoria magazine.

Encyclopedia of Projects for the Weekend Crafter collects six titles from the "Weekend Crafter" series in one large volume. Topics covered are paper crafting, dried flower crafting, quilting, macrame, decorative finishes, and metal embossing. Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards, and More offers ideas and projects for creating art from ordinary objects. Altered art requires a degree of imagination but not specific skills such as drawing, since each piece begins with an object to which others are added. The volume includes colorful instructional photographs to accompany the text that starts with basic techniques and goes on to finished projects. Booklist contributor Brad Hooper wrote that "no self-respecting crafter will be able to resist plunging straight in.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 2002, John Peters, review of The Book of Wizard Parties: In Which the Wizard Shares the Secrets of Creating Enchanted Gatherings, p. 1953; April 1, 2004, Barbara Jacobs, review of The New Napkin Folding: Fresh Ideas for a Well-dressed Table, p. 1340; December 15, 2004, Brad Hooper, review of Altered Art: Techniques for Creating Altered Books, Boxes, Cards, and More, p. 704.

Library Journal, June 15, 2003, Constance Ashmore Fairchild, review of Paper Crafting: Twenty Projects to Fold, Cut, Mold, Weave, and Pierce, p. 71; June 15, 2004, Connie Ashmore Fairchild, review of Encyclopedia of Projects for the Weekend Crafter, p. 69.

Publishers Weekly, August 25, 2003, review of The Book of Wizard Magic: In Which the Apprentice Finds Marvelous Magic Tricks, Mystifying Illusions, and Astonishing Tales, p. 67.

School Library Journal, June, 2001, Elaine Baran Black, review of The Book of Wizard Craft: In Which the Apprentice Finds Spells, Potions, Fantastic Tales, and Fifty Enchanting Things to Make, p. 175; September, 2002, Cathie Reed, review of The Book of Wizard Parties, p. 246; November, 2003, Cynde Suite, review of The Book of Wizard Magic, p. 161.