Q&A With Lori Roy

A Q&A to start off the month of June is with author Lori Roy. Lori Roy is the author of Bent Road, Let Me Die In His Footsteps, Gone Too Long, Until She Comes Home, The Disappearing & her recent release which I recently read, Lake County. I was very lucky to read an early copy of Lake County & I’m excited about doing this Q&A with her. Lori’s work has been named twice in New York Times Notable Crime Book & been included on various “best of” lists! 

Q: Lori, would you like to give a brief description of Lake County & where the idea for the story came from? What made you choose to be an author?

A: LAKE COUNTY, set in the 1950s in a small Florida town, is the story of 18-year-old Addie Anne Buckley. Desperate to flee small-town life, Addie has plans to follow her famous aunt, Aunt Jean, to a career in the movies. To the rest of the world, Aunt Jean is known as Marilyn Monroe.  When Addie’s dream of a new life is threatened, she tells a lie in hopes of protecting it and instead, catapults her entire family into a night of terror, and puts the man she loves on a collision course with the Tampa mob. 

The idea for LAKE COUNTY began with the setting. I was intrigued by a small town where the orange blossoms were just coming into bloom, and a young woman with a world-famous aunt was desperate to find a bigger, better life. 

As to becoming an author, I’d say it was a second career. Right out of college and for several years after, I was a tax accountant. When I started a family and chose to stay home, I wanted to build a second career. That’s when I began studying the craft of writing. 

Q: In The Acknowledgements Section you mentioned that writing a book about Ybor City in the 1950s with the organized crime era was outside of your comfort zone. What made you choose to go outside your comfort zone?

A:I didn’t plan to go outside my comfort zone, but when the characters and storyline began to emerge, I knew there would have to be a showdown with a mob boss. I also believe going outside your comfort zone is a big part of continuing to develop as a writer. I suppose that applies to many things in life. 

Q: How long did it take you to research & write Lake County? 

A: I’ve long read biographies and history from the 1950s era. This included books about Marilyn Monroe, other entertainers from that time, organized crime figures, and politicians. When I sat down to write this book, I drew on that broad knowledge and filled it in or refreshed it as needed with additional research. 

The first draft of the novel took about six months, which is unusually fast for me. The characters drove the story and were eager to tell it to me. Other drafts followed. I also worked with incredible editors at my publisher who helped pull the story together. 

Q: Your book Let Me Die In His Footsteps was included among the top fiction of 2015 by Books A Million & named one of the best fifteen mystery novels of 2015 by Oline Cogdill. Gone Too Long was named a People Magazine Book Of The Week, Best Book of Summer 2019 & was excerpted by O, Oprah Magazine. What is it like that your books have been rated so highly by all of them? 

A: Getting great coverage and feedback on a book is always terrific, and hopefully it leads to the book finding it footing. I’ve had the privilege of many great readers devoting time and energy to my work and then sharing their thoughts and insights though reviews. This is always appreciated and always exciting to see as a book makes its way into the world. 

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to your work now? The entertainment industry needs original content again. 

A: The rights to LAKE COUNTY haven’t been picked up. Yet. Hopefully, that’ll change. 

Q: If it’s not too early, can you reveal any details about the book you are currently writing right now? 

A: My next novel is titled THE FINAL EPISODE, and it’s scheduled to come out in June of 2025. It’ll be another thriller, and though I’m not ready to share much at this point, I can share that THE FINAL EPISODE is set in the present day, again features a gritty setting, and strong women drive the story.