OUT OF THE BOX, FOREVER!
by
Rolynn Anderson
Truth is, I’m not sure what it feels like to be ‘in’ a box…all my life I’ve roamed outside the cardboard confines. In fact, I was hired to open a brand new out-of-the-box high school, to become the first female principal in a big conservative school district. Oh boy, do I have stories to tell about that experience!
I spend four months out of the year on our trawler exploring the Northwest’s Inside Passage with my DH. Knots of stories on those cruises-very OOTB!
I ‘became’ a writer in 2001. Published by the famous Wild Rose Press in 2011. Soon to be published by TWRP for the second time in 2012. Will self-publish in 2012. Eight more novels ready for prime time. Still climbing all around the box.
But let me tell you some specific out-of-the-box experiences with my first published novel, LAST RESORT. Here’s the OOTB list:
1. Never wrote a thriller…LAST RESORT is one.
2. Hadn’t used more than three POV’s…LAST RESORT has five!
3. Wanted to add a non-hibernating grizzly to my British Columbia setting…my research (and a cool story about grizzlies that swim long distances) told me I could.
4. Thought I couldn’t show a sympathetic side of a terrorist…readers tell me I did.
5. Heard a rumor in Big Bay, B.C. that helicopters were taking a TV crew back and forth from a B.C. resort to the Olympic Games in Whistler. Worked that rumor into a truth and a framework for a terrorist event.
6. Didn’t know anything about helicopters…now I do.
7. Wanted a punk party girl in my novel…got my nieces and nephews to help me build her language.
8. Canadian and American undercover intelligence agencies working together? How in the world would that happen? Found out. Made it happen.
9. What does a corporate fixer do? Learned about the career…made up the rest. My heroine is fabulous at her job!
10. Thought about selling LAST RESORT in marinas surrounding the real-life setting for my novel. Marina managers bought dozens of my novels and sold them to boaters cruising up and down the Inside Passage. Want a ‘no way’ shiver up your spine? A Big Bay marina manager I pitched to…runs a small fishing camp called…LAST RESORT! Here’s another coincidence goose-bumper...she met and married a fishing guide, just like my heroine!
Can’t wait to hear all the OOTB experiences from my writing buddies. We stand together on seeing and crafting worlds in new ways!
SUSPENSE SPIKED WITH ROMANCE
LAST RESORT on sale now, print & download
Wild Rose Press: http://tinyurl.com/682vwgv
FB: http://tinyurl.com/63vsnmt
Rolynn Anderson is a retired Washington State high school principal (and English teacher) who now spends four months on her trawler, INTREPID, cruising up and down the Inside Passage to Alaska, and the other eight months on the Central Coast of California.
 |
| The Last Resort |
Hi Rolynn! Thank you so much for entering the contest. Now how did I know you were a "think outside the box" type of person? lol.
ReplyDeleteReading this post was VERY eye-opening. Writing outside the box sounds exactly like what thousands of readers might want. I know "I" get tired of reading some of my favorite author's books because I know what's going to happen and how it's going to end - boring. You guys rock!
ReplyDeletePatti
Thanks, Karen and Patricia. When I take those personality surveys, I test as the one who's comfortable with intangilbles and chaos. Wouldn't you know I married a man who is the exact opposite? Right now I'm writing a double murder, one which took place in 1932; one which is recent. I have no clue how they'll parallel, but I can't wait to make that happen! Rolynn
ReplyDeleteRoblynn -- I really enjoyed your blog post, and your books sounds great! It was interesting hearing about your OOTB writing experience. And I really think that #10, your OOTB marketing idea, is a Great idea! You reached a niche market particularly interested in your book, thanks to specific elements within your book. Very cool! -- Marcia James ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun read. Thank you Rolynn. I enjoyed this article and got some great ideas.
ReplyDelete