Taylor Jenkins Reid

Determination and raw talent and rarely come into alignment, but when they do the results speak for themselves. Take the case of Taylor Jenkins Reid, the 39 year old author of eight novels, several making it to screen. Raised in Boston, Taylor attended Emerson College before moving to Los Angeles to become a casting assistant, where she married a screenwriter and began writing novels. With Alex Reid’s support, she steadily grew her audience as she found her voice, and the result can now be seen on the Amazon Prime show Daisy Jones and the Six, co-produced by Reese Witherspoon. Her latest book, CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, tells the story of a 37 year old tennis star coming out of retirement determined to establish her record against a formidable opponent.

Lowe) One doesn’t have to be a tennis fan to enjoy this book, but I wonder what inspired you to write such a thrilling tennis story? Do you play the game?

REID) I have played tennis once or twice, but the real inspiration came from wanting to write about ambition and human excellence — to write about those few people in any given generation who stand above the rest. What does it mean to be the greatest in the world? And what does it feel like?

Lowe) The father-daughter relationship is strong here. Did your dad inspire you to excel?

REID) Despite having never been an athlete myself, I was very drawn to the specifics of the father/daughter coach/player relationship. It's a complicated one for Carrie and Javier. And I wanted to render something that didn't gloss over the complexity of what can happen when your father is your coach, but also showed the beauty of their connection as father and daughter. 

Lowe) You’ve said your own goals were “embarrassingly big.” What did you mean by that, and what famous women have inspired you to write about people like them in fiction?

REID) I think I've always found my belief in myself to be a little embarrassing. After all, when I was starting out, that's all it was. Belief with no real evidence. But I've read a lot of success stories over the years. Naturally, their themes find their way into my work. Whether it's an actress mid-century like Rita Hayworth, or a 70s rock star like Linda Rondstadt, or an 80s model like Brooke Shields, I'm always reading their stories and trying to glean what I can as both a writer and a person. For Carrie Soto, I looked to women like the Williams sisters and Steffi Graf and Naomi Osaka.