Though Carolyn Taylor resides outside of Newton County, her impact on the local community has been evident for years.

Those unfamiliar with Taylor's activities at Murray C.M.E. Church might have seen one of her plays performed in local arenas including Eastside High School and Newton High School among others.

In December, a nearly packed house witnessed the first performance of her latest play, "Dealing with My Past." The play deals with the emotional issue of child abuse and its effects on one woman throughout her life. Reaction was so strong to the performance a second showing is now in the works.

"I write plays that touch people's lives," Taylor said. "They are real."

"Dealing with My Past" is based in part on conversations Taylor had with a woman who was sexually abused as a child by a variety of family members.

"I get the ideas for my plays from people that I meet," Taylor said. "Some people come to me and sometimes I'm just talking to somebody and ideas come to me."

Sometimes these conversations result in entire pieces of work while others add names and titles to an already existing idea. Taylor, a part-time substitute teacher who will soon open the Heaven Sent day care center, decided to write her third play, "Sweet Mama," after a student at school told her that her sweet mama had died.

 "I know that God brings them into my pathway," she said.

A childcare professional by trade, Taylor first began seriously writing in 2002 after some urging from a friend.

"I always wanted to write, but fear held me back," Taylor said. "But then a friend finally pushed me and prodded me until I went for it."

In that time, Taylor has written five plays, a book titled "Over My Broken Heart" and is nearly finished her work on a children's book called "Run Jr. and the Timeout Chair" which she hopes will be the first in a series.

"God blessed me with this gift," she said. "I can write a play in a day or two and I believe that is because of God."

Taylor is happy to give ample due to God, whom she believes plays an extremely important role in every aspect of her life. She is also more than willing to share the limelight with the actors she directs in the plays.

"If you are dedicated and have the desire, I can work with you," Taylor said of her actors. "I challenge all my actors to do their best and when they get up on the stage, I want the spotlight on them, too."

Neither Taylor nor the actors make any profit from the plays, so all involved have to really love the process and truly commit themselves.

"I just get joy from the experience," she said. "I want this to go big. I want to travel with my plays and I think the sky is the limit. I'm looking to be found."

Taylor hopes her next release, "Men on Fire," will catch someone's eye and catapult her career to the next level. Her latest work concerns the significance of men's involvement with their children.

"It's about men that don't realize the Devil will start with them to destroy their children," Taylor said. "It stresses how important men are in their children's lives."

The play will be performed in June and those interested in tickets or auditioning can contact Taylor via e-mail at mytaylorproduction@yahoo.com.