Lori Roy
Author Interview - Lori Roy
Author of Lake County
Set in the 1950s, this Southern Gothic thriller by two-time Edgar Award–winning author Lori Roy reimagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, tying her fate to a dreamy teenager whose boyfriend runs afoul of the mob.
Desperate to break free of small-town Florida, Addie Anne Buckley dreams of following in the path of her glamorous aunt Jean—known to the world as Marilyn Monroe. When Aunt Jean plans a trip to Hollywood for Addie’s eighteenth birthday, Addie sees her chance to escape.
One thing stands in her way: her boyfriend. Truitt Holt is Addie’s first and only love and will be joining her in California. But days before Addie’s due to leave, Truitt does an about-face and gives her a painful ultimatum: stay and marry him, or they’re through. Addie chooses her dream.
Hurt and angry, Truitt unwittingly exposes the illegal bolita game he’s been running in mob territory. Now the Tampa mafia is after him, and he has until midnight to cut a deal that will save his life and Addie’s. What he doesn’t know…his trouble with the mob has already found Addie and her family. She’s already in a fight for her life.
Author Interview - Lori Roy
Author I draw inspiration from:
I love to turn to Pat Conroy when I'm looking for inspiration. THE PRINCE OF TIDES is one of my all time favorites.
Author Interview - Lori Roy | Author I Draw Inspiration From
Favorite place to read a book:
I love to sit outside in our backyard to read. Living in Florida, I'm lucky enough to be able to do that most days.
Book character I’d like to be stuck in an elevator with:
I'd love to be stuck on an elevator with Atticus Finch - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I'd like to his childhood stories and his thoughts on the world then versus the world now. He had such a dignity that I admire, and I'd be curious to how Atticus became Atticus.
Author Interview - Lori Roy | Book Character I’d Like to be Stuck in an Elevator With
The moment I knew I wanted to become an author:
I first toyed with the idea at about the age of 10, but my family was full of mathematicians and IT people. It never occurred to me that I could pursue writing as a career. Instead, after college, I became a tax accountant for many years. When I decided to stay home with my kids, I began writing in hopes of building a new career during those years.
Hardback, paperback, ebook or audiobook:
Hardback - love them but they're tough to carry along when you travel.
Paperback - a little easier for travel but I miss the feel of the hard cover.
E-book - I can have as many as I like and never have to worry about needing more bookcases. I used to miss the feel of turning a page, but I've adapted.
Audiobooks - I don't listen to many audiobooks, but as I often read before bed, I sometimes fall asleep and the audiobook keeps playing.
The last book I read:
The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni
I loved this book,. When I'm going to love a book, I often know from the first few sentences, and this book was no exception. It had the unique combination of a plot that was brilliantly structured, well-rounded characters, engaging prose, and fully formed themes. Often, a reader only gets one or two of these in a book. This author had full command of them all.
Author Interview - Lori Roy | The Last Book I Read
Pen & paper or computer:
My writing process is largely chaotic for the first several months. When I near the final act of a book, it all starts to click into place. At this point, I will begin outlining what I've already written in order to get a handle on the structure. This is when I feel I truly know my characters and they are telling me how the story should go.
Book character I think I’d be best friends with:
I'll go back to To Kill a Mockingbird as it's on my mind. I think I'd be friends with Jean Louise (Scout) Finch. She was fearless and compassionate, and wasn't afraid to go against the grain. Even at a young age, she understood the importance of believing in and fighting for things that were larger than herself. These are traits I greatly respect, and I'd count myself lucky to have her as a friend.
If I weren’t an author, I’d be a:
I'm a pretty practical person, so I'll go with the career I had before. I'd likely be working in corporate America in some sort of financial / accounting role.
Favorite decade in fashion history:
I've written a few books set in the 1950s. One was set in Detroit, and my most recent is set in central Florida. For both books, I used a 1950s Sears catalog in my research and would often find myself shopping the pages. I love the shoes and the clothes, though being a writer who works from home, I wouldn't have anyplace to wear either.
Place I’d most like to travel:
I have Italy on my bucket list, but I haven't done enough research yet to be any more specific.
My signature drink:
Woodford is my go to drink - neat.
Favorite artist:
Jimmy Buffet has been a favorite since college.
Number one on my bucket list:
Making that trip to Italy.
Anything else you'd like to add:
Below are some early blurbs that have come in for Lake County
“Lake County is a unique and imaginative page-turner that examines the difference between power and strength. In this thriller that races toward the end, Lori Roy's voice is so entrancing you can almost smell the orange blossoms and blood. I loved it.”
—Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author
Lake County is an irresistible slice of Florida Noir fashioned of great American mythmaking. James M. Cain meets Harper Lee. The story excels as both an exciting crime novel and a fine example of Southern literature.
—Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Don't Let the Devil Ride
“Suspenseful, atmospheric, and surprising, Lake County pulls you and slowly ups the tension until you’re holding your breath. Another remarkable crime novel from Lori Roy.”
—Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"LAKE COUNTY is the best book yet in Lori Roy's remarkable career, a beautifully written blend of suspense and heartache, where Hollywood longings intersect with Florida crime syndicates in an ever-intensifying squeeze. An atmospheric, haunting read."
-- Michael Koryta, New York Times bestselling author of An Honest Man
Find more from the author:
https://www.loriroy.com/
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https://www.facebook.com/LoriRoyAuthor/ Author FB
https://twitter.com/LORIROYauthor
@lori_roy_author Tik Tok
@lori_roy_author Threads
About Lori Roy:
Lori Roy’s debut novel, Bent Road, was awarded the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel by an American Author. Her work has been twice named a New York Times Notable Crime Book and has been included on various “best of” and summer reading lists. Until She Comes Home was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel.
Let Me Die in His Footsteps was included among the top fiction of 2015 by Books-A-Million and named one of the best fifteen mystery novels of 2015 by Oline Cogdill. The novel also received the 2016 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel, making Roy the first woman to receive an Edgar Award for both Best First Novel and Best Novel—and only the third person ever to have done so. Gone Too Long was named a People magazine Book of the Week, was named one of the Best Books of Summer 2019, and was excerpted by Oprah magazine.
Lake County, Lori's latest work, will hit stores June 2024.
Lori lives with her family in west-central Florida.
