MFRW Author Rolynn Anderson talks about her writing process and the release of LIE CATCHERS, a Mainstream Suspense, with WILD ROSE PRESS.
Scandinavian, Army Brat, English Teacher, High School Principal, Golfer, Boater, World Traveler, Author... Rolynn Anderson is all of these things. Now add a competitive nature and a love for ‘makeovers.’ As a principal, Rolynn Anderson and the staff she hired, opened a cutting-edge high school; as co-captain with her husband on INTREPID, she cruises from Washington State to Alaska and back. As a writer, she delights in creating imperfect characters faced with extraordinary, transforming challenges. Her hope: You'll devour her ‘makeover’ suspense novels in the wee hours of the morning, because her stories, settings and characters, capture your imagination and your heart.
The books I love to read are action-packed contemporaries spiked with romance...so those are the books I write. Here’s how LIE CATCHERS emerged. It’s 2011 and we’re cruising from Washington State to Alaska on our trawler Intrepid. Never have we covered that distance, much less navigated such difficult stretches of water. But when we arrived in Petersburg, Alaska, all the strangeness of a scary virgin voyage fell away. Petersburg is FULL of Norwegians, just like my husband and me. The little fishing town felt like home to us…relaxing me to the point I began to enjoy our cruise rather than stress over it.
What’s more Petersburg came with an unsolved crime from 1932 and a rich history of Norwegians, Tlingit, Haida, Chinese and other folk trying hard to make a living centered on fishing.
I had a novel churning in my brain by the time I left the dock. When we returned to Petersburg on our way south, I had a plot in my mind and research to do. From then on, writing a suspense novel set in Petersburg, AK, became my new passion. For the fun of it, I used family Norwegian names for most of the characters in the novel.
By the time I returned to Alaska this year, I'd published LIE CATCHERS and enjoyed several book signings in Alaska! You can see setting, interesting people and a PERSONAL connection drives my stories!
I've been writing a book a year, choosing the hours from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. as my most creative. I have a supportive husband, family and friends, but none of them understand and appreciate what it takes to write, publish and market a novel. Truth is, they think I'm a little crazy...and I dream of a less messy process to 'produce' my novels.
For instance: We took our filthy car to the local ‘detailer’ yesterday; I’m deep into a tricky, tedious revision of my novel and have neither the time or the skill for the back-breaking job of cleaning our MDX . The poor thing needed an inside-and-out scouring badly; even more it was dying for a thorough waxing and buffing. We gave the cleaning magicians four hours and out came our car looking, feeling and smelling brand new. From shampooed carpets to gleaming dashboard to shining body, I’m once again proud to own and drive my car.
I was thinking: why not have my novel ‘detailed?’ Tomorrow morning, I drop off FEAR ITSELF, the normal paranormal suspense novel I’m revising. The rookie ‘detail’ crew grabs my book and within an hour, eliminates spelling, format and usage ‘dirt,’ and purifies the plot of implausibility. The second team washes my baby of repetition, tired phrases and dangling participles, then shines up the dialogue and freshens the descriptions. Next comes the GMC crew, sponging goal, motivation and conflict into every chapter, and polishing the hooks at the beginning and end of each scene.
The final ablution? The whole detail team gathers for an oral reading of FEAR LAND, making sure my voice is consistent, the prose is crisp and fresh and the dialogue feels real. I listen in awe to how clean and good my novel sounds, collect my shiny book, pay the crew handsomely and get ready to tell my editor she’s got a gem of a story coming her way…as soon as I polish it a little bit more. A couple of spots…one scene…a description…a hook. Sigh. Is a novel ever perfect?
Fourteen years. Fourteen novels. Six published by the beginning of 2015. That's me. Statistics give us a ballpark figure of eight books written or eight years of writing before we get published... I am the poster woman for that statistic.
LIE CATCHERS
Two unsolved murders will tear apart an Alaska fishing town unless a writer and a government agent
reveal their secret obsessions.
Treasury agent Parker Browne is working undercover in Petersburg, Alaska to investigate a money scam and a murder. His prime suspect, Liv Hanson, is a freelance writer struggling to save her family's business. Free spirited, full of life, and with a talent for catching liars, she fascinates Parker.
Trying to prove she's a legitimate writer who cares about Petersburg's issues, Liv pens a series of newspaper articles about an old, unsolved murder. When her cold case ties in with Parker's investigation, bullets start to fly.
Parker understands money trails, and Liv knows the town residents. But he gave up on love two years ago, and she trusts no one, especially with her carefully guarded secret. If they mesh their skills to find the killers, will they survive the fallout?
BUY LINKS
http://amzn.com/B00HJDS1LG
http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=244_235_236&products_id=5607
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lie-catchers/id858285715?mt=11"
REVIEWS
5.0 out of 5 stars A Rich, Intriguing Story December 27, 2013
By Roben
Format:Kindle Edition
I recieved an ARC of this book, and was thrilled to read it. I adored the setting, and the quirkiness of the characters in the small Alaska town. It made me want to go to Alaska. That kind of authenticity comes from an author who knows her setting, who understands its people, and can then convey that knowledge richly. Anderson does just that. Her mystery/suspense, is carefully woven with the right amount of history to engage the reader, and enough mystery to keep the reader guessing. This was my first novel by Rolynn Anderson, and I would definitely read this author again.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read, June 14, 2014
By Linda Greer - See all my reviews
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Lie Catchers (Kindle Edition)
Enjoyed this book tremendously. The author is very detailed and the storyline is certainly different from the norm. Highly recommended!
EXCERPT from LIE CATCHERS
Parker touched her shoulder. “May I have this dance?” Liv twirled to find him so close to her she could smell a hint of cologne and beer on his breath. Had he shaved before he came to the bar? Smiling at the thought he might have done that for her, she gave him her right hand and rested her left hand on his shirt collar, intent on finding a way to touch his chin to answer the shaving question. But the shave-or-not dilemma was a minor one. She’d already screwed up with one man tonight, would she make a wrong move with Parker, too? She drew her thumb along his chin and sighed at the silky smoothness. Forget the man’s mouthful of queries and his intense gaze. Just dance. While the singer’s lamented over loosing her mind, Liv’s body disappeared into Parker’s. Soothed, she was and aroused at the same time, stunned that Parker knew not to use words. A close shave and a close dance spoke volumes. She was the silent one, afraid to say the one word that might start an avalanche of sentences, lowering her guard, exposing too much to the wrong person at the worst time. This man who held her or who she was holding—she didn’t know which—was a detective and she was on a list of murder suspects. Even if Parker was unorthodox as an investigator, he still held the power of his profession. The reason for his offer to dance wasn’t clear, was it? The strumming ended, emptying the room of the singer’s piercing ballad. “Good night, Liv. And thank you for the dance.” He kissed her on the forehead, walked out the door and closed it quietly, taking with him all the unasked questions she would never answer.
CONNECT with Rolynn
http://rolynnanderson.com/
http://blog.rolynnanderson.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rolynn-Anderson/188767867821613
https://twitter.com/#!/rolynnanderson
