Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After a long career as a comercial artist and muralist, after raising three children, after a bout with arthritis, I turned to writing. Writing was my second love after painting, until I wrote my first novel in 2008, Secure the Ranch. Once I completed my first book I was hooked. I write murder mysteries one after the other, in first person, G-rated but with plenty of adventure and suspence. My protagonist, Josephine Stuart, drives a red truck similar to mine, lives in Aromas, California and paints murals for a living. Like Jessica Fletcher, wherever her newest mural job is, someone is murdered. Josephine is quick to judge, makes mistakes, but is willing to put herself in harms way in the name of justice. The books feature serious investigations with a light side.
My second book in the Josephine Stuart Mystery Series is “Read My Lipstick.” The third book is “Shaking in Her Flip Flops.”
My fourth book, “Cuckoo Clock Caper” was recently published by Cozy Cat Press.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
As we speak, my fifth book in the Josephine series is about to be published. “Beetles in the Boxcar” will be available sometime in November 2013. Like my other books, it is a murder mystery. This story is my favorite because
four different love-stories evolve and bloom as Josephine searches out Joey Gianelli’s murderer.
I live near Coastal California agriculture (salad bowl of the world) and drive by lines of vacant boxcars everyday. I won’t tell you what goes on with those cars, but my book will tell you.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual my habits are, they just happened. I attended creative writing classes where the teacher recommended writing an outline before jumping into the writing pit. I tried and tried to do the right thing, write that stupid outline, but like Josephine, I had to do it my way. My method of writing is to sit down at the computer and write a sentence and then expand on that sentence for 60,000 to 100,000 words. It works for me–not to say that it is easy. The fun part is that I don’t know what is going to happen or who dun it until it happens. I think I keep my readers guessing as well.
Typically, I clean, shop and garden my brains out during the day until I am exhausted. Then I sit down at the computer for a couple hours, at least six days a week.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
As a dyslexic hyper-active child I didn’t read much until I was twelve. At that point I discovered Nancy Drew and read every one in the library. I like JA Jance mysteries and many others.
About ten years ago I read Janet Evanovich’s books. What a hoot! I discovered that mysteries could be fun.
Josephine is somewhere between Nancy and Janet.
What are you working on now?
I am ninety three pages into my next Josephine mystery. She is painting a mural at the roller rink when a car crashes through the wall, smashing into the front office plus the man sitting at his desk. Everyone including the police think it was a senior who hit the gas instead of the break. Josephine was the only witness. She knows that it took great skill to hit, run and disapear in the wink of an eye. Not a senior trait.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I have a blog where I promote my books, other authors and artists and causes I care about. I use lots of pictures and not too, too many words. I know that people are busy and looking for “short and sweet.” I love posting interviews because people are so interesting. It’s a wonderful way to get to know them better.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
If you write one page a day–in one year you will have a book. Once I figured that out, I was able to write my first novel. I think persistence is the key to sucsess. It helps to know how to spell–but I’ve done pretty well so far with spell-check. Write about what you know and write often, but only if you enjoy writing.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
If you love what you are doing you will never work a day in your life.
What is your favorite book of all time?
I can’t decide between To Kill A Mocking Bird, and The Thorn Birds–in both cases, nothing about actual birds, both wonderful stories.
Author Websites and Profiles
Joyce Oroz Website
Joyce Oroz Amazon Profile
Joyce Oroz’s Social Media Links
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