I was born in New York City on June 1, 1961. After about a year, my family moved to Boulder, Colorado. When I was about four years old, we moved to Tucson, Arizona, where we lived for about eight years. I attended the state school for the deaf and blind for about five and a half years before being mainstreamed into a public school. In 1973, we moved to Sheridan, Wyoming, and I continued to attend public schools.

After graduating from Sheridan High School in 1980, I went to Sheridan College for two years and received an AA degree in music. I then transferred to Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana, where I received a BA in music two and a half years later. After that, I studied music therapy at Montana State University in Billings for two years but received no degree. I then completed a six-month internship at a nursing home in Fargo, North Dakota and returned to Sheridan in 1988. Soon after that, I became registered as a music therapist.

About six months later, I started working at a nursing home and was employed there for fifteen years. During that time, I volunteered at other senior facilities, led a support group for blind and visually impaired adults, taught Braille, and served on the advisory board to a trust fund that allowed blind and visually impaired people to purchase adaptive equipment. I joined the YMCA and a women’s singing group. In 2005 when I married my late husband Bill, I quit my job and other volunteer obligations to write full time.

My work has appeared in various publications including The Weekly Avocet and Magnets and Ladders. I’m the author of three novels, two poetry collections, and a memoir. All my books are available from Amazon and other online sources, but if you’d like to purchase an autographed copy from me, please use the contact form.

Bill and I made our home here in Sheridan. After we were married, Bill suffered two strokes: one in 2006 and one in 2007, leaving him unable to use his left arm and leg, and I cared for him at home for six years. In September of 2012, I was forced to move him to a nursing home because he was losing strength and getting harder to lift. A month later, he passed.

Thank you for stopping by. You can also visit my blog and Facebook page as well as my Amazon, Goodreads, and Smashwords pages to learn more about me and my writing and buy my books.

 

New! Why Grandma Doesn’t Know Me

Copyright 2021 by Abbie Johnson Taylor.

Independently published with the help of DLD Books.

The cover of the book features an older woman sitting in a wicker chair facing a window. The world beyond the window is bright, and several plants are visible on the terrace. Behind the woman’s chair is another plant, with a tall stalk and wide rounded leaves. The woman has short, white hair, glasses, a red sweater, and tan pants. The border of the picture is a taupe color and reads "Why Grandma Doesn't Know Me" above the photo and "Abbie Johnson Taylor" below it.

 

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

Sixteen-year-old Natalie’s grandmother, suffering from dementia and confined to a wheelchair, lives in a nursing home and rarely recognizes Natalie. But one Halloween night, she tells her a shocking secret that only she and Natalie’s mother know. Natalie is the product of a one-night stand between her mother, who is a college English teacher, and another professor.

After some research, Natalie learns that people with dementia often have vivid memories of past events. Still not wanting to believe what her grandmother has told her, she finds her biological father online. The resemblance between them is undeniable. Not knowing what else to do, she shows his photo and website to her parents.

Natalie realizes she has some growing up to do. Scared and confused, she reaches out to her biological father, and they start corresponding.

Her younger sister, Sarah, senses their parents’ marital difficulties. At Thanksgiving, when she has an opportunity to see Santa Claus, she asks him to bring them together again. Can the jolly old elf grant her request?

 

Click here to learn more and get your copy.

 

Abbie wears a blue and white V-neck top with different shades of blue from sky to navy that swirl together with the white. She has short, brown hair and rosy cheeks and smiles at the camera against a black background.

Photo Courtesy of Tess Anderson Photography

Photo Resize and Description

by Two Pentacles Publishing

If you haven’t already done so, please subscribe to my email list to receive my twice-yearly newsletter and other announcements. This is a one-way announcements list, meaning the only messages you’ll receive will come from me. So, you can rest assured that this list is low-traffic. Send a blank email to:  newsfrommycorner+subscribe@groups.io  You’ll receive a confirmation email. Reply to that with another blank message, and you should be good to go.