The Word for Writers

Best of the Best Interview 2026 Jack Taylor

by Michael Edwards 
06/29/26
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Best of the Best Interview - Jack Taylor

I may come back with followup questions, based on answers.

Shari: Congratulations again, Jack, on winning Best of the Best for your entry Mateo for the topic Elect. For those who haven’t read it yet, you can find it here: https://www.faithwriters.com/wc-article-level4.php?id=65118

What was your inspiration for the story?

Jack: Mateo is an orphan who has given up on being chosen. My parents were missionaries in Ecuador and then on the Texas/Mexico border, where I met orphans. I worked in Kenya for 18 years and encountered orphans frequently in our work. My daughter founded a ministry in Uganda for street boys and orphans who would never be chosen. My son adopted an orphan from Rwanda, where he worked. My nephew adopted an orphan from Haiti. Orphans have been an important part of our family outreach and lifeblood. When the theme was election, I immediately thought of how God adopts orphans like us into his family. No one else may want us, but we have a Father who chooses us for his own.

Shari: That is quite a lot of inspiration and a great testimony, too. It was a great story. It was a great picture of what God does for us.

Jack: That’s one thing I appreciate about Faithwriters. It gives us the opportunity to find creative ways to share what God has done for us.

Shari: What was your first thought/reaction when you found out you won?

Jack: I like to place high in the editor’s choice awards as a confirmation that God has gifted me in this area, as I bring the power of words to life. Winning Best of the Best came at a great time. I had been trying to build something out of wood and realized that was not my gifting. My wife prayed over dinner that I would gain a boost of encouragement in what I could do. 5 minutes later, the text came in that I had won. I raised my arms and cheered. I said, “Thank you, Jesus.” And then I had to tell my wife her prayer had been answered.

Shari: God’s timing is good. I’m happy to know I (and FW) played a small part in your getting some encouragement. I know reading your entries has been a blessing to me, and I’m sure it has been to our other members.

Jack: This is another good thing about Faithwriters. You get to read how other members see the same theme and yet come up with so many creative alternatives. I’m a hopeless poet, but I appreciate others' talent in that area.

Shari: This isn’t your first time showing up in the Best of the Best list.
You placed 1st and 2nd in 2021, and 2nd in 2023. You’ve also placed multiple times in the Editor's Choice. Do you have a favorite entry from over the years?

Jack: Every story I write (now several hundred) becomes my new favorite. I tend to really like the ones where I can take a biblical character and bring them to a richer reality. I like the story of the widow who gave her last two coins. That was an emotional one for me. I like the story of the man who is watching Jesus with the children on his lap and wishing for a moment that he could be one of those children.

Shari: Biblical fiction is an enjoyable thing to read and write. I’ve tried my hand at it a few times. It can be tricky, though, not to stray too far from what is Biblical. You have mastered that fine line quite well. I always enjoy your entries.

Jack: I’m glad others are enjoying these.  I’ve spent many years looking at biblical stories through my novels, preaching, teaching, and devotions with my children. Biblical characters experienced life in its fullness, and I find it helpful to see the bigger picture.

Shari: Tell us a little about yourself and your non-FaithWriters’ life.

Jack: I’m married to Gayle - now in our 50th year. I have 11 grandchildren. I was a missionary in Kenya for 18 years and a pastor for 25 years. I just retired and moved to a new city. We see bears every day out behind our new place. I have my PhD in counseling and do marriage counseling. I’ve written 30 books (mostly historical fiction, but also parenting, marriage, retirement - see jackataylor.com). I raise tropical fish as a hobby. I have helped start 9 non-profits, including New Hope Community Services, which has helped 931 refugees through our housing program. I’m on the board or leadership team for 4 different organizations. I teach leadership to 60 leaders from 19 African countries (for Trinity Western University and Kurumbuka Leadership Solutions) and spend my Februarys in Rwanda in person (the rest of the year is online).

Shari: Congratulations on 50 years and a large family! That is a blessing for sure. I’m glad you have time in your busy schedule to find time to write for FW.

Jack: It’s something I put on my calendar each week when a theme is posted. I live by my lists, so I don’t think about bed until my story is done.

Shari: When did you start writing?What is your favorite thing to write?

Jack: I started writing before high school, and my favorite genre is historical fiction based on little known biblical characters. My first book came after arriving back from Kenya and debriefing with my daughters on what life was like for them in the land of their birth (Kenya). We had to leave earlier than planned because I had tic fever and malaria. I started writing out our adventures and then wondered what would be challenging. I decided that if I wrote a contemporary novel of my adventures through the eyes of a character based on my daughters (first-person, present, female), that would work. I entered it into a contest and was a finalist in the romance category. Others, who read the book, told me I couldn’t stop there. They needed to know what came next. I’ve been writing ever since. I won Word Guild’s historical novel of the year in 2020. And the manuscript of the year for Castle Quay in 2021. My sister alerted me to Faithwriters, and I started writing stories for fun.

Shari: I see you’ve been a member of FaithWriters since 2007 (and placed 1st in beginners with your first Challenge entry). How did you find FaithWriters? How has it helped you in your writing journey?

Jack: My sister alerted me to Faithwriters, and the idea of short stories appeals to me. You take a scene and try to fill it with enough sensory detail, description, emotion, and action to bring it to life for readers. Faithwriters has helped me especially with editing. There is an outline of what is expected in a story, and I write out my story until it is done. It’s usually about 1100-1400 words. Then I have to go back and cut whole sections, words, and phrases that put me above the word count. I try to write every story so it is exactly 750 words.

Shari: Editing is sometimes the hardest part of writing. To cut your entries by nearly half is quite a lot of editing. But it also shows how important good editing is to maintain the integrity of the story.

Jack: I’m not as good at editing with my novels. I’m always surprised by how you can keep the key elements of your story after chopping so much. I had two good scenes in Mateo that I twisted myself up over editing out. It seems the story was still effective enough for others who read it.

Shari: Other than the Bible, what books/authors inspire you?

Jack: I like Lynn Austin, John Grisham, Francine Rivers, Colleen Noble, Lynette Eason, Dee Henderson, and a ton of others…

Shari: What advice would you give other writers?

Jack: Write every day in as many genres as you can. I write for magazines, novels, theological treatises, parents, marriages, policies for non-profits, memoirs, and of course, short-stories for Faithwriters. Each area brings out a different way of stretching my brain to reach people wherever they are. Bringing the power of words to life is my tag line.

Shari: Honestly, that’s counter to a lot of writing advice we tend to hear: Write what you know. What has been the most difficult genre for you to write?

Jack: Yes, writing what you know is best if you’re planning to market your work. I’m a terrible marketer. I write in different spheres because I’m involved in many groups, and each requires a different communication style. I do try to stretch myself. I just finished a 300-page catechism for a denominational group, going over in detail all that was believed. That was a challenge. Writing academic papers is a challenge because I prefer to freestyle, letting my creative juices flow from within. Poetry is mind-numbing for me.

Shari: Do you have anything else you’d like to share?

Jack: Sometimes I spend too long on my computer banging out words. I get absorbed in my story, letting my characters tell me what is happening next. I cry, I laugh, and I feel terrible when I have to cut out some good scenes. I’m learning to write for my readers instead of for myself. I’ve never taken any official writing courses, but learned to write by reading and practicing.

Shari: Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to share a little look into your life with our FaithWriters family. I know I’m thankful you found us.