March 20, 2025 • 33 mins
Rhonda Parker Taylor, a distinguished author, joins us to discuss her debut novel, "Crossroads," a suspenseful narrative released in February 2023. The book, which has garnered endorsements from notable figures such as bestselling author J.J. Herbert and Golden Globe-nominated actress Muriel Hemingway, intricately weaves a tale set in Indianapolis during the 2000s. Throughout our conversation, we delve into the profound themes explored within the narrative, including the complexities of personal identity and the moral dilemmas faced by the characters. Taylor articulates the significance of mentorship in her journey as a writer and reflects upon the life lessons that influenced her storytelling. Through this episode, we illuminate the emotional landscapes that underpin "Crossroads," inviting listeners to contemplate the intricate balance of life and the human experience.
The dialogue features an insightful discussion with Rhonda Parker Taylor, an accomplished author whose recent work, 'Crossroads', has garnered notable attention. Rhonda's journey began with a fashion merchandising program, which ultimately led her back to her roots in Indiana, where she discovered her passion for writing. Her debut novel, released in February 2023, is characterized as a suspenseful masterpiece, receiving endorsements from acclaimed personalities such as bestselling author JJ Herbert and Golden Globe-nominated actress Muriel Hemingway. The podcast delves into Rhonda's writing process, the thematic elements of her novel, and the personal experiences that shaped her storytelling. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the intricate balance of emotions portrayed in 'Crossroads', particularly how the characters navigate through personal and societal challenges. Rhonda articulates the profound impact of mentorship throughout her life, emphasizing the importance of supportive figures who have guided her along her creative path. This episode serves as a compelling exploration of artistic inspiration and the transformative power of literature.
Takeaways:
- Rhonda Parker Taylor's debut novel, Crossroads, released in February 2023, explores complex themes of crime and personal struggle.
- The endorsement of her novel by notable figures such as JJ Herbert and Muriel Hemingway enhances its credibility and appeal.
- Throughout the episode, Rhonda emphasizes the significance of mentorship in personal and professional development.
- The discussion highlights the protagonist Paris Pennington's struggles with work-life balance, reflecting broader societal challenges.
- Rhonda articulates the notion that personal experiences shape one's perspective on justice, as illustrated by her own life events.
- The conversation underscores the importance of resilience and self-acceptance in navigating life's adversities and emotional turmoil.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Barter College
- JJ Herbert
- Muriel Hemingway
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:59):
My guest today, Rhonda Parker Taylor.
After completing a fashionmerchandising program at Barter College
in Arlington, Texas, Rhondareturned to Indiana where she eventually
found her passion for writing.
Her debut novel, Crossroads, asuspenseful masterpiece, was released
in February 2023.
Endorsed by best sellingauthor JJ Herbert and Globe Golden
(01:23):
Globe nominated actress MurielHemingway, the novel has been hailed
as a captivating crime duelthat keeps readers intrigued from
start to finish.
We welcome her to the podcast.
Well, Rhonda, welcome to the podcast.
How you doing today?
Good, good.
(01:44):
I just love that littleintroduction music while you're,
while you're starting to record.
It's been so long since I'vebeen around a piano.
So it's like, and we had tohave a little suspense music because,
because you're in book there.
So yeah, just kind of fell outof me and I was ready to keep on
going with the concert.
(02:06):
There you go.
That's, that's our goal, is torelax the guests so that we can ask
him tough questions and throwthem off.
So I love to ask my gueststhis question.
What's the best piece ofadvice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice I, Ilearned in school.
And you know, typically I golean on some things that either my
(02:30):
mother or my father said, butthis one I really think lately has
kind of risen to the top.
And that is trust in the Lordwith all your heart and lean not
into your own understanding asI've seasoned.
And I realized that sometimesmy choices aren't the right choices.
(02:56):
Sometimes life hits andsometimes you don't understand why
life hits.
And you might sometimes wantto challenge those, those feelings.
And you know, you, I, Isometimes say I have an inner beast
in me when I want to get courage.
But sometimes that inner beastis that negative thought process
(03:20):
that comes along with thequestioning of why.
So in today's thought processespecially, I've been really reflecting
on what's in my power tochange, what's not in my power to
change, and who really has my back.
(03:42):
And most of the time it's inthose quiet moments when you say,
hey Lord, either thank you fora wonderful day.
Hey Lord, thank you for aterrible day.
You feel my heart, whatever itmight be.
And it can be insurmountablesometimes, whether it's for success
(04:04):
that you've had or whetherit's failures that you've had or
whether it's a heartbreak, itdoesn't really matter.
All of them require some kindof understanding.
And you know, I went to aprivate Christian School.
And sometimes I don't give itthe credit that I need.
(04:26):
Yes, definitely, to have that teaching.
I might give an individualcredit, I might give, you know, this
education credit.
But I don't really sometimestalk about the fearlessness, the,
you know, or the fierce livesthat supported me during that process.
(04:49):
And I can even say today, youknow, just recently I went to a friend's
mother's funeral and Ikiddingly nudged one of my friends
that I grew up with since, youknow, pre kindergarten and another
Winston's Junior High School.
And I said, do you realizewe're 60 years old and Mr.
(05:12):
Limbach is still standing,sitting behind us?
And this was the dean, youknow, the dean that, that all of
our lives that you had fear ofbecause they were the authority figure
at every major event, you seehim walking in the door.
Wow.
(05:34):
Yeah, those stories and thoseimpacts are so neat.
Speaking of people who'veimpacted our lives, as you think
about your journey in life,who are some people who served as
an inspiration for you ormaybe a mentor along the way?
I am a firm believer in mentors.
When I, my first real mentorwas in my junior year of high school
(05:58):
and I had to pass a Englishproficiency test, believe it or not,
I'm a best selling author andI couldn't pass the English proficiency
test.
And it was a teacher, Mrs.
Donnelly, that said, come tomy house this summer.
We'll work through the work,through the workbooks, we'll get
(06:19):
you up to speed and you'llpass it your senior year.
So that would be my first mentor.
But then through life, therehas always seemingly been somebody
that was there tormenting me.
It could have been my firstand I had no idea what I was doing
as a young woman in business.
(06:41):
It could have been my motheror my father another time where they
gave me words of wisdom that Ididn't really want to hear.
It could be J.J.
hibbert, which helped me getmy book out the door and gather an
endorser that everybody woulddream about with the Golden Globe
(07:02):
nominated actress Meryl Hemingway.
But I believe in the power of mentorship.
And I found that if I don'tlook for it, then what ends up happening
is I fall back because Ihaven't put that cocoon around me
of people that believe in me.
(07:24):
I love that.
So growing up in Noblesville,Indiana, what were some of the most
memorable experiences of your childhood?
Oh man.
The fact.
Well, one of them, I just dida, did a art, art collage on it.
And I kept thinking, how am Igoing to Present this to her.
But it was when I was a smallchild and one of my friends that
(07:47):
had her.
Her birthday the same day asmine and I, only she was two years
older.
We were out taking dandelionsand making a chain.
And we would make chains and,you know, sometimes we would do the
love me, love me not thingsthat you.
The simple pleasures of life.
And then we hear the bellbecause they would use a.
(08:10):
It's almost like a cowbellringing for dinner because we didn't
have street lights.
So there wasn't like, you haveto be in by dark.
But it was earlier than usual.
And we're looking aroundwondering why, and all of a sudden,
everything's changing.
And it was a tornado coming.
So here, two young girlsrunning to the house before it starts,
(08:33):
storming with their flowers ona chain that they had been working
on all day long.
And what that symbolizes to meis the simplicity that life can be
to making joy that cost nothing.
(08:54):
And there were things likethat everywhere in Noblesville.
It's almost nostalgic.
Sometimes people will say,well, let's turn on Hallmark or something
that's very loving and caring.
And I can literally say, Igrew up in Hallmark.
Yeah.
Because everybody's people,you know, every neighbor was in every
(09:17):
neighbor's business.
Every.
Everybody was, you know,having an up and down.
There was always a Christmas,you know, parade and Santa was on
skates, and there was always.
There was always somethingthat was joyous that required you,
nothing but for you to show up.
(09:38):
Yes, it was small.
Yes.
Opportunity, some people wouldsay, wasn't there, but we found the
opportunities and we were ableto grow up and realize that life
was.
Could be glorious if we wantedto make it that way.
(10:00):
You could make it somethingdifferent, but you know, it.
But if.
If we all behaved, everythingcould be okay.
We love that.
So what inspired you to setCrossroads, your new book, in Indianapolis,
Indiana, during the nightduring the 2000s?
Well, I.
I think it was twofold.
One, I was fearful of tryingto do it someplace else because the
(10:21):
reason, you know, I knewIndianapolis, so that was.
And it's not a place thatpeople write about a lot.
And there is a lot of charm in Indianapolis.
It's a simple.
It's like a big city, but it'sgot a small town feel.
And so I wanted to bring thathistory that we all love here.
(10:42):
And then I also wanted todevelop characters that had the same
roots and mentality that I wasraised with.
So, like, for instance, workis your identity.
Now.
A lot of people would Say,well, that's not healthy.
Well, that's kind of the wholepremise of Crossroads is everybody
(11:07):
in the book is imbalanced insome way and dedicated to something
that's not necessarily theright thing.
You have Paris Pennington,who's dedicated to her work.
She's a workaholic.
You have Dave that's dedicatedto law and order.
That's the defense or theprosecutor of.
(11:29):
Of the CR.
In the.
In the legal system.
You have Billy Knuckles, who'sdedicated to his friendship so much
that he gets involved in acrime because he.
He's not aware enough to stay.
Stay.
Keep his butt at home, youknow, and so you have all these people
with life balance issues, andit allowed me to explore that and
(11:56):
the emotions that go alongwith putting people in a room that
have balance issues.
So you have them exploring theemotions of anger, fury, and envy.
And in Proverbs it says angeris cruel, fury is overwhelming.
(12:17):
But who can stand before jealousy?
Envy makes the bones rot.
Right.
So you mentioned Paris Pennington.
She seems to be a complex character.
What makes her personality socompelling as a protagonist?
The fact.
(12:37):
Well, first of all, she'sbased off of a lot of the women that
I knew in business that werejust so lovely of leaders that you
could.
You wanted to hate them, butyou can't.
Now that is kind of likelooking at Hallmark or something
else.
And you have all thesebeautiful people, and they're wonderful
and they're doing things right.
(12:58):
So they seem.
But then they just can't keepit together.
Right.
You know, And Case, what makesher compelling is the fact that she's
trying.
And it's like the wind.
Like she's running the 440 andshe's hitting that fourth corn curve,
and that wind is, you know,going against her, and it's like
(13:21):
she's on a treadmill.
Everything she does starts islike water going through her hands.
Wow.
So who are some other keysupporting characters you want to
kind of talk about in yourbook Crossroads?
So.
Well, Dave is the prosecutor,and he is the first, the kind of
(13:43):
person that we see in thelegal system all the time that dedicates
themselves.
They.
You know, there's something in their.
In their past that makes thembelieve in the system and they.
They really feel like they'redoing all the right things.
And in his case, it's his grandfather.
So he's very history and lawand constitution, institutional oriented.
(14:06):
But he's lonely.
And how many of us out thereare doing things?
And we think we're doing theright things, but because we're dedicated
to something that's aninanimate object, we're making mistakes
in our own lives.
It could be.
It could be the Constitution.
(14:27):
It could be politics.
It could be, you know, heck,it could even be church if you're
not careful, you know, when you.
When.
When it's an institutionthat's preventing you from your own
real purpose and your own humanity.
So he is actually the one, andhe has a desire for more, but he
(14:50):
won't step out of it to create.
And he even longs for it.
Throughout the book, BillyKnuckles is the one that just goes
along with the crowd.
And he gets in the car, andnow he's in a pickle because now
he's got to decide whetherhe's going to turn his friend in
(15:11):
or is he going to take the charge.
And that's a terrible place.
But how many of us have gottenin the car, especially in our youth,
or did something that maybe weshould have gotten caught at, or
maybe we did get caught at andthat we've had the same.
Same scenarios, or our friendsdid something stupid, whether they
(15:31):
were drinking, whether theywere doing drugs, whether they were
doing something that theyshouldn't have been.
And you get in this middle ofit, and how do you get out?
There is no good way out.
So he represents all of thosetimes that we made the decision to
do something that ourconscious told us, our parents told
(15:53):
us, told us, everybody toldus, don't do that.
Leave them alone.
You're gonna get in troubleone day.
You're gonna get burnt.
He's that guy, right?
And that's Billy Knuckles.
Because we can say we've allbeen a knucklehead at some point,
right?
Is that we gave him the name Knuckle.
(16:14):
I love that.
So, you know, in your bookCrossways, you have.
Paris has run into someharrowing events that kind of turn
her life upside down.
How did you, as a.
Someone who's like, maybewants to get into writing more, how
did you begin to develop theplot and events that make this a
suspenseful, suspenseful engagement?
(16:35):
Well, the first thing that Idid is when I started doing writing
crosswrites.
I really wanted to show howthe legal system puts everybody in
a room, and nobody's going tobe a winner.
Because it doesn't matterwhether you're the jury, it doesn't
matter whether you're thejudge, it doesn't matter whether
(16:57):
you're the defense.
It doesn't matter whetheryou're, you know, on the prosecution
sides, you're all losing something.
So I wanted to show that thesystem, no matter how perfect we
want to think it is, it's veryimperfect and it's.
And there is no winner orloser in it.
(17:17):
Everybody's really a loser.
But as I developed thecharacters, they started getting
these little edges about them.
I took a soap note, which isfor the medical community, is how
they track our history.
Whether we broke an ankle,whether we smoked, at some point,
we got emphysema, whatever itmight be.
(17:38):
And I defined each person bytheir physical and their mental health,
where they were at in theirbehaviors, where were they at in
their learning cycles, wherewere they at and what we would normally
say about ourselves if we weregoing to be analyzed our, our friends,
(17:59):
our loved ones, and say, okay,now let's put them through this process.
And what I thought was gonnahappen and who I thought was going
to be the, the, the completevillain and the lesson, I realized
that the characters broughtmore of attention by their actions
(18:22):
then.
And that's where they startedfalling into line to a more of an
Agatha Christie kind of clue.
You have the, the crime, butthen you have all these behaviors
and people doing thingsbecause they're out of balance.
They're not acting as if theywere grounded solid normal, you know,
(18:46):
every day.
This is their, you know, theirlife for excellence.
Instead they, they have their issues.
And then I realized that I, Ihad a bigger meaning in that and,
and a bigger thought processprocess in that.
And that is when you're out ofbalance and you're not grounded in
reality and you don't haveyour 13 dimensions of life in some
(19:10):
kind of order, something canhappen to you too.
And it doesn't mean it just islife hitting moment.
People can, can plot on youpeople, you can betray yourself.
All these things can happen to you.
If you've ever watchedwildlife, I have a, a hawk I've been
(19:32):
watching lately.
And you know, you talk aboutpredators and how they groom.
Did you ever think hawk groomstheir prey?
No.
You would think that theywould come down and swoop and, you
know, off goes the squirrel orthe rabbit or whatever.
No, they will sit at the tableand eat with you just like Judas
(19:56):
did with, with Jesus.
And then they'll, they'll comeback when they're hungry and when
the, when the other one's notpaying them any attention because
they're already used to themcoming to the dinner team.
Right.
I'm curious.
You wrote about the legalsystem in this book.
(20:18):
How much.
How do you balance making sureyou explain or have an authentic
legal system in your bookwithout being so legalistic that
you lose people.
Because I get to find balance.
Right.
I used more of.
So there's two things that arethree things that I did.
One, at the time.
(20:39):
Time I was doing a crime watchover the legal system to see that
it was fair and just and doingreports on that.
So I got to see the system.
And you're right.
I didn't want it to be like aGrisham or a Patterson, where all
the legal.
Lisa.
I wanted it to be about thebehaviors, but I knew the structure
(21:03):
that needed to be there.
And then the second thing is I.
I rode with the police, andthey knew what I was doing.
And so I got a chance to seehow they interacted when there was,
you know, a crime and how theyhelped each other.
Almost like a football team,you know, members would be to make
(21:25):
sure that they get through the.
The site, you know, especiallyif it's.
There's someone new that'snever, you know, gone through the
process.
And the third was I focused onthe characters.
I wanted it to be about howthey perceived the legal system and
(21:47):
their life based on what theywere experiencing and seeing.
So you picked a murder trialto be.
The way you talked aboutissues of justice and betrayal and
personal transformation.
You could have picked anyparticular kind of trial.
Why'd you pick a murder trial?
I.
Well, I think one.
(22:07):
One of them is.
I do like to watch the crimethrillers like that, but.
But I wanted to explore, andthis is just very deep and personal
to me, what would.
Would happen if it was me whenI was 17.
I guess I was 16 when it happened.
(22:28):
In 17, when we went to court,a man did come into my job and held
me at knife point.
Wow.
And I called on the name ofJesus for help.
And then something in my mindtold me, tell them.
Tell them you're 15.
And I did that.
(22:49):
And he let me go.
So I knew that I was lucky.
I knew that it could have been worse.
I knew I could have ended upthe girl on the tracks.
But I had never owned up tothat experience from that way of
(23:12):
what would have happened had Inot been taught to call on the name
of Jesus.
Yeah.
Wow.
So I was able.
They allowed me to explore it.
What would happen?
What would the police do?
How would it happen?
And.
And realizing that.
That.
That there would be peoplethat had emotions, but really it
(23:35):
became part of the process.
Nobody wins.
Nobody wins.
It becomes a process of thenext thing this person has lost.
Now we have to Find theperson, do it, that did it, and that
person loses.
And then you go through.
And it also made me realizethat, hey, because, you know, I'd
(23:55):
often wondered, well, whatwould have made a difference?
Why me saying, other than mesaying, calling on the name of Jesus,
what really made thedifference and the age made the difference
to him.
That's where his moralboundary was.
God revealed to me what hismoral boundaries was.
And because I was a minor, helet me go.
(24:19):
So this sounds like a reallyinteresting book.
So what do you hope readerstake away from reading your book?
That you enjoy your purpose,that you enjoy the life you've been
given.
Don't second guess it.
Don't.
Don't go to a place where envyis your, your mode of operations,
(24:41):
where you can't.
You've.
That you're disintegratingyour own life by looking on social
media, seeing that everybodyelse has a perceived perfect life,
that, that people look at thefact that anger can destroy your
own mode of operations anddestroy relationships.
That you can look at fury,that it can take you to a place that
(25:04):
you don't want to ever go, andthat these are three emotions that
were warned about thatdestroys your, your own purpose and
how you're supposed to behavein society.
Society.
We're in a violent time in our society.
And if we don't start teachingourselves not only how to be resilient
(25:26):
when things happen and notbecome that anger person, angry person,
but also how do we not become,you know, one of these people that
are furious and running arounddestroying others, and how do we
stop comparing our lives toothers and realizing that, hey, surround
yourself with what you love.
(25:49):
Don't buy into the fact thatyou're supposed to have the mansion
in the historical district,that you know that and everybody
knows your name.
And it doesn't work like that,you know, it just doesn't work that
way.
No, it doesn't.
So you talked about someincredible endorsements you got.
(26:09):
What other kind of feedbackyou're getting on the book?
I've had everything from A to Z.
So obviously Meryl Hemingway,when, when I got the YouTube video
called Merrill Hemingwaypraises Rhonda Parker Taylor's Crossroads.
And I, you know, for, for me,that's like the cream of the crop.
Someone asked me if anybodywere gonna pay play Paris Bennington
(26:32):
knew what you wanted to be andshe would be perfect.
The reason being is she, she.
Not only is she a.
A good actress, but she hasthat purity in image, you know, and
so I was probably the firstone Thousand views.
I swear I was.
(26:52):
Because I was like, the back,you know, it was the pat on the back
that I'd always wanted, right?
To see somebody say, this was great.
But then I've had other ones, too.
I've had a few that told meways that I could have improved it
that I had even thought of.
And then I'm like, oh, I coulddo that with my.
(27:13):
You know, because I haveanother one that's ready.
And I.
So I've gone back and I'vetried to, you know, to address those.
Those issues.
And then I've had some thatjust said, you know, this is wonderful
to have Indianapolis in it andhave the history.
You just never see that.
So I've had all over thespectrum, and I think that the fact
(27:37):
that.
That I've been able to reachpeople, even when I'm at a book signing
and it's not their genre andthey stop to talk to me, it's like
the most wonderful gift I canhave that day.
I look forward to every booksigning, listening to every person's
story, no matter what agegroup it is, because I learn that
(28:01):
the connections of people thatgo in when they're going into bookstores
is all the same.
They may not even like thegenre that you're.
That I write.
They might be only, you know,reading Christian literature, or
maybe they're only doinghistorical or whatever.
You know, maybe they're intoacademics or, you know, or statistics
(28:24):
or whatever the.
But it's always the samemission to find the book that takes
them to where they want to be.
I love that.
So I love to ask my guest this question.
What do you want your legacyto be?
To be known as kind and compassionate.
(28:48):
And the writing aspect of mylegacy, I want it to be help people
realize that no matter wherethey go or how they.
How they communicate in thisworld or what connections they have,
they can always, always haveresilience, and they can always find
(29:14):
a balance that brings them out.
It doesn't require for us todo anything but accept the experiences
that we have and accept ourauthentic life for us to be happy.
(29:37):
And if I can guide people torealizing that being a human being
isn't always a human doing, wecan relax.
And that's very hard for meand books.
Books can help us do that.
But if we can lead withkindness, have a superpower of empathy,
(30:01):
and end the day with somecompassion, we have a legacy that
hopefully everybody willalways remember, because they'll
remember that you were the onewith the kind words.
You were the one thatunderstood when nobody else did,
even if you didn't agree with it.
(30:21):
And you were the one thatshowed compassion when they were
hurting.
Wow, that's neat.
You kind of gave us a glimpseof something you're working on.
What's your next project?
Well, the next one coming out.
So I took all the characters.
I can kind of see it.
It's a workbook.
It's a self help on the 13dimensions of life balance.
(30:43):
It takes the characters and ifyou identify with it, you can go
through and you can go throughthe 13 dimensions which include physical
health, mental health,spiritual health, emotional health,
financial health.
There's 13 of them and we canwork through it.
And the very first step todoing that is creating your own vision.
(31:07):
What you want for you, yourfamily, your loved ones and what
does that look like.
And then when you look downand do the exercises, you realize
you're not doing most of it.
And then we recreate what doesthat list that look like the things
that you should be doing tobring you happiness.
Example for me is I lovepuzzles, I love reading, I love music.
(31:31):
Television is about the 25thone, right?
Every every year, every singletime I realign myself to my vision,
I have to admit thattelevision is the 25th one.
Why am I spending so much timein front of it?
And you realize that you, youcan create the life you want.
(31:52):
And then after that there's apoem and a 31 days to resilience
poem and reflection bookthat's coming out and then then another
fiction one and it's calledthe Journey of Hope.
Oh, I love it.
Where can people find your book?
Crossroads that connect withyou on social media.
(32:13):
Rhonda Parker taylor.com Tryto make it easy.
That's my website, that's mostof my social socials and I'm on most
of the, the big ones at least.
Twitter, Tick tock, Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn.
Trying to maybe do a few more.
I've been thinking about that lately.
(32:33):
Okay.
You know, I'm probably missinga few people out there by just sticking
to the regular ones.
Right.
We want to thank so much fortaking the time and sharing an in
depth look at your book with us.
And may people go out and giveit a review on Amazon.
It helps it get more, morelikes and more views and buy the
book and maybe give it a giftto your friends.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you forhaving me.
(32:54):
I enjoyed everybody.
Everybody have a great day.
And if it's meant to be, it'sup to you.
That's right.
Thanks so much, Rhonda.
My guest today, Rhonda Parker Taylor.
After completing a fashionmerchandising program at Barter College
in Arlington, Texas, Rhondareturned to Indiana where she eventually
found her passion for writing.
Her debut novel, Crossroads, asuspenseful masterpiece, was released
in February 2023.
Endorsed by best sellingauthor JJ Herbert and Globe Golden
(01:23):
Globe nominated actress MurielHemingway, the novel has been hailed
as a captivating crime duelthat keeps readers intrigued from
start to finish.
We welcome her to the podcast.
Well, Rhonda, welcome to the podcast.
How you doing today?
Good, good.
(01:44):
I just love that littleintroduction music while you're,
while you're starting to record.
It's been so long since I'vebeen around a piano.
So it's like, and we had tohave a little suspense music because,
because you're in book there.
So yeah, just kind of fell outof me and I was ready to keep on
going with the concert.
(02:06):
There you go.
That's, that's our goal, is torelax the guests so that we can ask
him tough questions and throwthem off.
So I love to ask my gueststhis question.
What's the best piece ofadvice you've ever received?
The best piece of advice I, Ilearned in school.
And you know, typically I golean on some things that either my
(02:30):
mother or my father said, butthis one I really think lately has
kind of risen to the top.
And that is trust in the Lordwith all your heart and lean not
into your own understanding asI've seasoned.
And I realized that sometimesmy choices aren't the right choices.
(02:56):
Sometimes life hits andsometimes you don't understand why
life hits.
And you might sometimes wantto challenge those, those feelings.
And you know, you, I, Isometimes say I have an inner beast
in me when I want to get courage.
But sometimes that inner beastis that negative thought process
(03:20):
that comes along with thequestioning of why.
So in today's thought processespecially, I've been really reflecting
on what's in my power tochange, what's not in my power to
change, and who really has my back.
(03:42):
And most of the time it's inthose quiet moments when you say,
hey Lord, either thank you fora wonderful day.
Hey Lord, thank you for aterrible day.
You feel my heart, whatever itmight be.
And it can be insurmountablesometimes, whether it's for success
(04:04):
that you've had or whetherit's failures that you've had or
whether it's a heartbreak, itdoesn't really matter.
All of them require some kindof understanding.
And you know, I went to aprivate Christian School.
And sometimes I don't give itthe credit that I need.
(04:26):
Yes, definitely, to have that teaching.
I might give an individualcredit, I might give, you know, this
education credit.
But I don't really sometimestalk about the fearlessness, the,
you know, or the fierce livesthat supported me during that process.
(04:49):
And I can even say today, youknow, just recently I went to a friend's
mother's funeral and Ikiddingly nudged one of my friends
that I grew up with since, youknow, pre kindergarten and another
Winston's Junior High School.
And I said, do you realizewe're 60 years old and Mr.
(05:12):
Limbach is still standing,sitting behind us?
And this was the dean, youknow, the dean that, that all of
our lives that you had fear ofbecause they were the authority figure
at every major event, you seehim walking in the door.
Wow.
(05:34):
Yeah, those stories and thoseimpacts are so neat.
Speaking of people who'veimpacted our lives, as you think
about your journey in life,who are some people who served as
an inspiration for you ormaybe a mentor along the way?
I am a firm believer in mentors.
When I, my first real mentorwas in my junior year of high school
(05:58):
and I had to pass a Englishproficiency test, believe it or not,
I'm a best selling author andI couldn't pass the English proficiency
test.
And it was a teacher, Mrs.
Donnelly, that said, come tomy house this summer.
We'll work through the work,through the workbooks, we'll get
(06:19):
you up to speed and you'llpass it your senior year.
So that would be my first mentor.
But then through life, therehas always seemingly been somebody
that was there tormenting me.
It could have been my firstand I had no idea what I was doing
as a young woman in business.
(06:41):
It could have been my motheror my father another time where they
gave me words of wisdom that Ididn't really want to hear.
It could be J.J.
hibbert, which helped me getmy book out the door and gather an
endorser that everybody woulddream about with the Golden Globe
(07:02):
nominated actress Meryl Hemingway.
But I believe in the power of mentorship.
And I found that if I don'tlook for it, then what ends up happening
is I fall back because Ihaven't put that cocoon around me
of people that believe in me.
(07:24):
I love that.
So growing up in Noblesville,Indiana, what were some of the most
memorable experiences of your childhood?
Oh man.
The fact.
Well, one of them, I just dida, did a art, art collage on it.
And I kept thinking, how am Igoing to Present this to her.
But it was when I was a smallchild and one of my friends that
(07:47):
had her.
Her birthday the same day asmine and I, only she was two years
older.
We were out taking dandelionsand making a chain.
And we would make chains and,you know, sometimes we would do the
love me, love me not thingsthat you.
The simple pleasures of life.
And then we hear the bellbecause they would use a.
(08:10):
It's almost like a cowbellringing for dinner because we didn't
have street lights.
So there wasn't like, you haveto be in by dark.
But it was earlier than usual.
And we're looking aroundwondering why, and all of a sudden,
everything's changing.
And it was a tornado coming.
So here, two young girlsrunning to the house before it starts,
(08:33):
storming with their flowers ona chain that they had been working
on all day long.
And what that symbolizes to meis the simplicity that life can be
to making joy that cost nothing.
(08:54):
And there were things likethat everywhere in Noblesville.
It's almost nostalgic.
Sometimes people will say,well, let's turn on Hallmark or something
that's very loving and caring.
And I can literally say, Igrew up in Hallmark.
Yeah.
Because everybody's people,you know, every neighbor was in every
(09:17):
neighbor's business.
Every.
Everybody was, you know,having an up and down.
There was always a Christmas,you know, parade and Santa was on
skates, and there was always.
There was always somethingthat was joyous that required you,
nothing but for you to show up.
(09:38):
Yes, it was small.
Yes.
Opportunity, some people wouldsay, wasn't there, but we found the
opportunities and we were ableto grow up and realize that life
was.
Could be glorious if we wantedto make it that way.
(10:00):
You could make it somethingdifferent, but you know, it.
But if.
If we all behaved, everythingcould be okay.
We love that.
So what inspired you to setCrossroads, your new book, in Indianapolis,
Indiana, during the nightduring the 2000s?
Well, I.
I think it was twofold.
One, I was fearful of tryingto do it someplace else because the
(10:21):
reason, you know, I knewIndianapolis, so that was.
And it's not a place thatpeople write about a lot.
And there is a lot of charm in Indianapolis.
It's a simple.
It's like a big city, but it'sgot a small town feel.
And so I wanted to bring thathistory that we all love here.
(10:42):
And then I also wanted todevelop characters that had the same
roots and mentality that I wasraised with.
So, like, for instance, workis your identity.
Now.
A lot of people would Say,well, that's not healthy.
Well, that's kind of the wholepremise of Crossroads is everybody
(11:07):
in the book is imbalanced insome way and dedicated to something
that's not necessarily theright thing.
You have Paris Pennington,who's dedicated to her work.
She's a workaholic.
You have Dave that's dedicatedto law and order.
That's the defense or theprosecutor of.
(11:29):
Of the CR.
In the.
In the legal system.
You have Billy Knuckles, who'sdedicated to his friendship so much
that he gets involved in acrime because he.
He's not aware enough to stay.
Stay.
Keep his butt at home, youknow, and so you have all these people
with life balance issues, andit allowed me to explore that and
(11:56):
the emotions that go alongwith putting people in a room that
have balance issues.
So you have them exploring theemotions of anger, fury, and envy.
And in Proverbs it says angeris cruel, fury is overwhelming.
(12:17):
But who can stand before jealousy?
Envy makes the bones rot.
Right.
So you mentioned Paris Pennington.
She seems to be a complex character.
What makes her personality socompelling as a protagonist?
The fact.
(12:37):
Well, first of all, she'sbased off of a lot of the women that
I knew in business that werejust so lovely of leaders that you
could.
You wanted to hate them, butyou can't.
Now that is kind of likelooking at Hallmark or something
else.
And you have all thesebeautiful people, and they're wonderful
and they're doing things right.
(12:58):
So they seem.
But then they just can't keepit together.
Right.
You know, And Case, what makesher compelling is the fact that she's
trying.
And it's like the wind.
Like she's running the 440 andshe's hitting that fourth corn curve,
and that wind is, you know,going against her, and it's like
(13:21):
she's on a treadmill.
Everything she does starts islike water going through her hands.
Wow.
So who are some other keysupporting characters you want to
kind of talk about in yourbook Crossroads?
So.
Well, Dave is the prosecutor,and he is the first, the kind of
(13:43):
person that we see in thelegal system all the time that dedicates
themselves.
They.
You know, there's something in their.
In their past that makes thembelieve in the system and they.
They really feel like they'redoing all the right things.
And in his case, it's his grandfather.
So he's very history and lawand constitution, institutional oriented.
(14:06):
But he's lonely.
And how many of us out thereare doing things?
And we think we're doing theright things, but because we're dedicated
to something that's aninanimate object, we're making mistakes
in our own lives.
It could be.
It could be the Constitution.
(14:27):
It could be politics.
It could be, you know, heck,it could even be church if you're
not careful, you know, when you.
When.
When it's an institutionthat's preventing you from your own
real purpose and your own humanity.
So he is actually the one, andhe has a desire for more, but he
(14:50):
won't step out of it to create.
And he even longs for it.
Throughout the book, BillyKnuckles is the one that just goes
along with the crowd.
And he gets in the car, andnow he's in a pickle because now
he's got to decide whetherhe's going to turn his friend in
(15:11):
or is he going to take the charge.
And that's a terrible place.
But how many of us have gottenin the car, especially in our youth,
or did something that maybe weshould have gotten caught at, or
maybe we did get caught at andthat we've had the same.
Same scenarios, or our friendsdid something stupid, whether they
(15:31):
were drinking, whether theywere doing drugs, whether they were
doing something that theyshouldn't have been.
And you get in this middle ofit, and how do you get out?
There is no good way out.
So he represents all of thosetimes that we made the decision to
do something that ourconscious told us, our parents told
(15:53):
us, told us, everybody toldus, don't do that.
Leave them alone.
You're gonna get in troubleone day.
You're gonna get burnt.
He's that guy, right?
And that's Billy Knuckles.
Because we can say we've allbeen a knucklehead at some point,
right?
Is that we gave him the name Knuckle.
(16:14):
I love that.
So, you know, in your bookCrossways, you have.
Paris has run into someharrowing events that kind of turn
her life upside down.
How did you, as a.
Someone who's like, maybewants to get into writing more, how
did you begin to develop theplot and events that make this a
suspenseful, suspenseful engagement?
(16:35):
Well, the first thing that Idid is when I started doing writing
crosswrites.
I really wanted to show howthe legal system puts everybody in
a room, and nobody's going tobe a winner.
Because it doesn't matterwhether you're the jury, it doesn't
matter whether you're thejudge, it doesn't matter whether
(16:57):
you're the defense.
It doesn't matter whetheryou're, you know, on the prosecution
sides, you're all losing something.
So I wanted to show that thesystem, no matter how perfect we
want to think it is, it's veryimperfect and it's.
And there is no winner orloser in it.
(17:17):
Everybody's really a loser.
But as I developed thecharacters, they started getting
these little edges about them.
I took a soap note, which isfor the medical community, is how
they track our history.
Whether we broke an ankle,whether we smoked, at some point,
we got emphysema, whatever itmight be.
(17:38):
And I defined each person bytheir physical and their mental health,
where they were at in theirbehaviors, where were they at in
their learning cycles, wherewere they at and what we would normally
say about ourselves if we weregoing to be analyzed our, our friends,
(17:59):
our loved ones, and say, okay,now let's put them through this process.
And what I thought was gonnahappen and who I thought was going
to be the, the, the completevillain and the lesson, I realized
that the characters broughtmore of attention by their actions
(18:22):
then.
And that's where they startedfalling into line to a more of an
Agatha Christie kind of clue.
You have the, the crime, butthen you have all these behaviors
and people doing thingsbecause they're out of balance.
They're not acting as if theywere grounded solid normal, you know,
(18:46):
every day.
This is their, you know, theirlife for excellence.
Instead they, they have their issues.
And then I realized that I, Ihad a bigger meaning in that and,
and a bigger thought processprocess in that.
And that is when you're out ofbalance and you're not grounded in
reality and you don't haveyour 13 dimensions of life in some
(19:10):
kind of order, something canhappen to you too.
And it doesn't mean it just islife hitting moment.
People can, can plot on youpeople, you can betray yourself.
All these things can happen to you.
If you've ever watchedwildlife, I have a, a hawk I've been
(19:32):
watching lately.
And you know, you talk aboutpredators and how they groom.
Did you ever think hawk groomstheir prey?
No.
You would think that theywould come down and swoop and, you
know, off goes the squirrel orthe rabbit or whatever.
No, they will sit at the tableand eat with you just like Judas
(19:56):
did with, with Jesus.
And then they'll, they'll comeback when they're hungry and when
the, when the other one's notpaying them any attention because
they're already used to themcoming to the dinner team.
Right.
I'm curious.
You wrote about the legalsystem in this book.
(20:18):
How much.
How do you balance making sureyou explain or have an authentic
legal system in your bookwithout being so legalistic that
you lose people.
Because I get to find balance.
Right.
I used more of.
So there's two things that arethree things that I did.
One, at the time.
(20:39):
Time I was doing a crime watchover the legal system to see that
it was fair and just and doingreports on that.
So I got to see the system.
And you're right.
I didn't want it to be like aGrisham or a Patterson, where all
the legal.
Lisa.
I wanted it to be about thebehaviors, but I knew the structure
(21:03):
that needed to be there.
And then the second thing is I.
I rode with the police, andthey knew what I was doing.
And so I got a chance to seehow they interacted when there was,
you know, a crime and how theyhelped each other.
Almost like a football team,you know, members would be to make
(21:25):
sure that they get through the.
The site, you know, especiallyif it's.
There's someone new that'snever, you know, gone through the
process.
And the third was I focused onthe characters.
I wanted it to be about howthey perceived the legal system and
(21:47):
their life based on what theywere experiencing and seeing.
So you picked a murder trialto be.
The way you talked aboutissues of justice and betrayal and
personal transformation.
You could have picked anyparticular kind of trial.
Why'd you pick a murder trial?
I.
Well, I think one.
(22:07):
One of them is.
I do like to watch the crimethrillers like that, but.
But I wanted to explore, andthis is just very deep and personal
to me, what would.
Would happen if it was me whenI was 17.
I guess I was 16 when it happened.
(22:28):
In 17, when we went to court,a man did come into my job and held
me at knife point.
Wow.
And I called on the name ofJesus for help.
And then something in my mindtold me, tell them.
Tell them you're 15.
And I did that.
(22:49):
And he let me go.
So I knew that I was lucky.
I knew that it could have been worse.
I knew I could have ended upthe girl on the tracks.
But I had never owned up tothat experience from that way of
(23:12):
what would have happened had Inot been taught to call on the name
of Jesus.
Yeah.
Wow.
So I was able.
They allowed me to explore it.
What would happen?
What would the police do?
How would it happen?
And.
And realizing that.
That.
That there would be peoplethat had emotions, but really it
(23:35):
became part of the process.
Nobody wins.
Nobody wins.
It becomes a process of thenext thing this person has lost.
Now we have to Find theperson, do it, that did it, and that
person loses.
And then you go through.
And it also made me realizethat, hey, because, you know, I'd
(23:55):
often wondered, well, whatwould have made a difference?
Why me saying, other than mesaying, calling on the name of Jesus,
what really made thedifference and the age made the difference
to him.
That's where his moralboundary was.
God revealed to me what hismoral boundaries was.
And because I was a minor, helet me go.
(24:19):
So this sounds like a reallyinteresting book.
So what do you hope readerstake away from reading your book?
That you enjoy your purpose,that you enjoy the life you've been
given.
Don't second guess it.
Don't.
Don't go to a place where envyis your, your mode of operations,
(24:41):
where you can't.
You've.
That you're disintegratingyour own life by looking on social
media, seeing that everybodyelse has a perceived perfect life,
that, that people look at thefact that anger can destroy your
own mode of operations anddestroy relationships.
That you can look at fury,that it can take you to a place that
(25:04):
you don't want to ever go, andthat these are three emotions that
were warned about thatdestroys your, your own purpose and
how you're supposed to behavein society.
Society.
We're in a violent time in our society.
And if we don't start teachingourselves not only how to be resilient
(25:26):
when things happen and notbecome that anger person, angry person,
but also how do we not become,you know, one of these people that
are furious and running arounddestroying others, and how do we
stop comparing our lives toothers and realizing that, hey, surround
yourself with what you love.
(25:49):
Don't buy into the fact thatyou're supposed to have the mansion
in the historical district,that you know that and everybody
knows your name.
And it doesn't work like that,you know, it just doesn't work that
way.
No, it doesn't.
So you talked about someincredible endorsements you got.
(26:09):
What other kind of feedbackyou're getting on the book?
I've had everything from A to Z.
So obviously Meryl Hemingway,when, when I got the YouTube video
called Merrill Hemingwaypraises Rhonda Parker Taylor's Crossroads.
And I, you know, for, for me,that's like the cream of the crop.
Someone asked me if anybodywere gonna pay play Paris Bennington
(26:32):
knew what you wanted to be andshe would be perfect.
The reason being is she, she.
Not only is she a.
A good actress, but she hasthat purity in image, you know, and
so I was probably the firstone Thousand views.
I swear I was.
(26:52):
Because I was like, the back,you know, it was the pat on the back
that I'd always wanted, right?
To see somebody say, this was great.
But then I've had other ones, too.
I've had a few that told meways that I could have improved it
that I had even thought of.
And then I'm like, oh, I coulddo that with my.
(27:13):
You know, because I haveanother one that's ready.
And I.
So I've gone back and I'vetried to, you know, to address those.
Those issues.
And then I've had some thatjust said, you know, this is wonderful
to have Indianapolis in it andhave the history.
You just never see that.
So I've had all over thespectrum, and I think that the fact
(27:37):
that.
That I've been able to reachpeople, even when I'm at a book signing
and it's not their genre andthey stop to talk to me, it's like
the most wonderful gift I canhave that day.
I look forward to every booksigning, listening to every person's
story, no matter what agegroup it is, because I learn that
(28:01):
the connections of people thatgo in when they're going into bookstores
is all the same.
They may not even like thegenre that you're.
That I write.
They might be only, you know,reading Christian literature, or
maybe they're only doinghistorical or whatever.
You know, maybe they're intoacademics or, you know, or statistics
(28:24):
or whatever the.
But it's always the samemission to find the book that takes
them to where they want to be.
I love that.
So I love to ask my guest this question.
What do you want your legacyto be?
To be known as kind and compassionate.
(28:48):
And the writing aspect of mylegacy, I want it to be help people
realize that no matter wherethey go or how they.
How they communicate in thisworld or what connections they have,
they can always, always haveresilience, and they can always find
(29:14):
a balance that brings them out.
It doesn't require for us todo anything but accept the experiences
that we have and accept ourauthentic life for us to be happy.
(29:37):
And if I can guide people torealizing that being a human being
isn't always a human doing, wecan relax.
And that's very hard for meand books.
Books can help us do that.
But if we can lead withkindness, have a superpower of empathy,
(30:01):
and end the day with somecompassion, we have a legacy that
hopefully everybody willalways remember, because they'll
remember that you were the onewith the kind words.
You were the one thatunderstood when nobody else did,
even if you didn't agree with it.
(30:21):
And you were the one thatshowed compassion when they were
hurting.
Wow, that's neat.
You kind of gave us a glimpseof something you're working on.
What's your next project?
Well, the next one coming out.
So I took all the characters.
I can kind of see it.
It's a workbook.
It's a self help on the 13dimensions of life balance.
(30:43):
It takes the characters and ifyou identify with it, you can go
through and you can go throughthe 13 dimensions which include physical
health, mental health,spiritual health, emotional health,
financial health.
There's 13 of them and we canwork through it.
And the very first step todoing that is creating your own vision.
(31:07):
What you want for you, yourfamily, your loved ones and what
does that look like.
And then when you look downand do the exercises, you realize
you're not doing most of it.
And then we recreate what doesthat list that look like the things
that you should be doing tobring you happiness.
Example for me is I lovepuzzles, I love reading, I love music.
(31:31):
Television is about the 25thone, right?
Every every year, every singletime I realign myself to my vision,
I have to admit thattelevision is the 25th one.
Why am I spending so much timein front of it?
And you realize that you, youcan create the life you want.
(31:52):
And then after that there's apoem and a 31 days to resilience
poem and reflection bookthat's coming out and then then another
fiction one and it's calledthe Journey of Hope.
Oh, I love it.
Where can people find your book?
Crossroads that connect withyou on social media.
(32:13):
Rhonda Parker taylor.com Tryto make it easy.
That's my website, that's mostof my social socials and I'm on most
of the, the big ones at least.
Twitter, Tick tock, Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn.
Trying to maybe do a few more.
I've been thinking about that lately.
(32:33):
Okay.
You know, I'm probably missinga few people out there by just sticking
to the regular ones.
Right.
We want to thank so much fortaking the time and sharing an in
depth look at your book with us.
And may people go out and giveit a review on Amazon.
It helps it get more, morelikes and more views and buy the
book and maybe give it a giftto your friends.
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you forhaving me.
(32:54):
I enjoyed everybody.
Everybody have a great day.
And if it's meant to be, it'sup to you.
That's right.
Thanks so much, Rhonda.
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