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Christian Vega, Astoria Bookshop’s
event coordinator, called “The Paper
Girl of Paris” a “very good read that
blends elements of mystery, romance
and historical context into a dual narrative
that makes you keep turning the
page. I recommend it for those who
love historical fiction with dashes of romance,
especially for those who love
WWII history and Paris.”
Taylor also took a trip to Book Culture,
an independent bookstore in LIC,
to live out one of her dreams as a writer:
to see her book on the shelf. Book
Culture is the only bookstore in western
Queens allowing in-person shopping
with masks and social distancing.
Taylor highly recommends shopping
with independent bookstores like Astoria
Bookshop and Book Culture as
well as bookshop.org, which is helping
indie bookstores fulfill orders and stay
afloat during COVID-19.
Before moving to LIC a year and a
half ago, Taylor lived in Astoria close
to Astoria Bookshop for five years. She
spent much of her time enjoying the
sculptures and skyline view at Socrates
Park; the artwork at the Noguchi Museum;
and the nearby Wellington Court
Mural Project.
“What I love about the arts community
in western Queens is everything
is really intimate,” she said. “I
don’t know how other neighborhoods
compare, but I thoroughly
enjoy our art community.”
Like many writers, Taylor achieved
her best work at coffee shops. When
she lived in Astoria, she met her agent
at Kinship off of Steinway for writing
dates. Now that she calls LIC her
home, most of “The Paper Girl of Paris”
was written at Sweetleaf off Center
Boulevard.
Taylor completed her second YA
novel also through Harper Teen called
“Don’t Breathe a Word,” based off of
a school’s fallout shelter during the
Cold War, which is set to come out
next year. The main character faces a
secret society and a fascist sociological
experiment within the walls of her
boarding school. When Taylor is not
writing novels, she works as the deputy
editor of content at Men’s Health
magazine.
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
/bookshop.org
