Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My Name is Alice Orr. I’ve spent most of my work life in publishing in one role or another. I was a book editor and a literary agent. I still lead workshops on writing and publishing and I’m a published author. I’m pleased to say I now live what has always been my dream and write full time – mostly romantic suspense novels because love and murder are my two favorite plot elements.
I’ve published thirteen novels, three novellas and a memoir so far. My nonfiction book, No More Rejections: 50 Secrets to Writing a Manuscript That Sells was published by Writers Digest Books. Amazon.com says, “This book has it all.”
My novel A Year of Summer Shadows – Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series Book 2 was recently published to enthusiastic reviews. Book ! of the series was A Wrong Way Home and Book 3 will be A Villain for Vanessa.
I’m married and I have two grown children and two perfect grandchildren. I live with my husband Jonathan in New York City.
To find out more email me at aliceorrbooks@gmail.com or check out my website at www.aliceorrbooks.com and visit my blog there too.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My latest published novel is A Year of Summer Shadows. It was inspired by overhearing my father talk about a dark family secret that involved a prestigious relative of ours – much more prestigious than we were. I was young at the time and my father’s story may or may not have been true. I also wasn’t supposed to be listening in, which made the tale even more unforgettable. It was bound to turn up in my writing sometime, and now it has.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I prefer to write first thing in the morning, but sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to keep myself from writing then – even though I know I should be sleeping. I find the pages I finish much more satisfying than a few more hours of shuteye. My husband doesn’t necessarily agree. Still he doesn’t say much other than to mutter that he thinks I’m a bit off in the head. I don’t respond because I believe that being off in the head is an asset for a writer.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
There are too many to list but I do tend to love authors who tell a good tight thriller-mystery – from Michael Connelly to Nora Roberts. with Stephen King thrown in when I feel like being scared to death. All of that began with Nancy Drew and reading under the covers late at night – as I suspect many of us book people did. Then I discovered the movies of Alfred Hitchcock and I was hooked. Murder and twisted motives with a conflicted romantic relationship in the mix. Those make my favorite cup of reading tea – right down to the leaves that predict how it all will end.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently working on Book 3 in my Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. It’s called A Villain for Vanessa. It is all about tangled roots, and that’s all I’m going to say.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m still sussing out the mysteries of book marketing. I tend to do what I’m most comfortable with doing. I make quite a few public appearances at writers’ events and generally attend as an individual speaker or panelist. I also enjoy blogging so I do quite a bit of that. My latest new marketing project was a newsletter. I was terrified by the prospect of it at first, but now I love it. A colleague suggests I should market on YouTube next. Now I’m terrified of that but – who knows – in a few months I may be loving that too.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
There is so much advice every author needs. I think the most important thing for all of us to hear – over and over again – is that nothing counts as much as the quality of the storytelling. You can be the most gifted marketing maven around but if the story is lacking – your career success will most likely be lacking too.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I’m currently re-reading Stephen King’s memoir of his writing life – On Writing. He says that a writer should just let the story happen. Let it grow naturally out of itself like an organic being with a life of its own that we – as authors – simply have to discover and record. I’m trying to do that more and more.
What are you reading now?
I’m reading several things at once – as usual. Several books about book marketing; a legal thriller by Michael Connelly; a novel by Greg Iles; a romantic suspense by Barbara Freethy and a biography of Pablo Picasso. Talk about tangled roots and conflicted motives – he had lots of those.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I seem to have fallen in love with series writing so I intend to keep on with the Riverton Road Romantic Suspense Series. That series is set in a small town in remote northern New York State – which happens to be where I grew up. But I’ve lived in New York City most of my adult life. Which means I wouldn’t be surprised if I started a second series set here someday – a series that understands New York to be not so much a big city as it is a collection of much smaller neighborhoods.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
My own books of course. So I could rewrite them over and over again – getting closer each time to what I really want to say.
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