with Lori Roy
We are delighted to welcome novelist Lori Roy to Omnimystery News today.
Lori, who won an Edgar Award for Best First Novel last year for Bent Road, has a new novel of suspense being published this week, Until She Comes Home (Dutton, June 2013 hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats).
We recently had the pleasure of talking to Lori about her new book.
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Omnimystery News: We introduced Until She Comes Home as a "novel of suspense". Would you agree with this description?
Photo provided courtesy of
Lori Roy
Lori Roy: I would classify my books as literary suspense, which I suppose puts them in the cross-over category. While writing my first novel, Bent Road, I gave no thought to where it would be shelved in a bookstore. Instead, I wrote the book I wanted to read. I followed this same guideline when writing Until She Comes Home. I want to read a book with fully developed characters and a setting that presses down on those characters in some way. I want to read a book with an engaging voice and one that explores significant struggles. And lastly, I want to read a book that makes me want to, have to, turn the pages. While the literary aspects of my work come more naturally to me, I work very hard to construct a plot that will hopefully compel readers to keep turning pages.
OMN: Tell us a little more about your writing process.
LR: I wish I could say that I outline. I wish I had binders full of character sketches, maps and a fully realized synopsis. I wish I was organized. This, however, is not the case. Until She Comes Home and Bent Road both started as short stories. I knew I liked the voice and characters that rose out of each story and that I was compelled to expand them into novels, but the plot emerged slowly as my characters became more fully formed. In an attempt to bring some order to my work, I did try to keep track of the various details and plot points as I made my way through each book, but my efforts were only mildly successful. This approach meant I wrote several drafts as I tried to find my way to a plot and cut many scenes and chapters along the way.
OMN: The story in Until She Comes Home takes place over 50 years ago. How did you do your research for that time period?
LR: Because I chose to set the novel in 1958 Detroit, I read a great deal about the era in general and about Detroit specifically. This included studying the politics — local, national and worldwide — the economy and the culture. The challenge became reflecting this knowledge in the behavior, thoughts and emotions of my characters. I also interviewed several people who lived in Detroit during the late 1950s. This is where I unearthed the most interesting details and facts. These interviews, in conjunction with a 1958 Sears catalog I bought off Ebay, were my favorite sources of research.
OMN: What is the best advice you've received as an author?
LR: One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was to write the book I wanted to read. This should not be confused with write the book you want to write. They are entirely different sentiments. Another great piece of advice was also my harshest criticism. I received it long before I wrote my first novel, Bent Road. That's nice writing, but who cares? I was told. This speaks directly to the significance of plot. Characters are most important to me and nothing defines a character as clearly or as fully as that character's actions. Without plot, there will likely be little conflict and in turn, little action.
OMN: What kinds of books did you read as a child?
LR: My first memories of books are the trips I took to the library as a child. Once a week during the summer, after spending several hours at the public swimming pool, my mom would dry us off and take my brother and me to the local library. There, I would load up on Beverly Cleary, Nancy Drew and whatever else caught my eye. Because I picked out so many books, my mom would make me double count them so we'd be sure to return the right number when next we visited the library.
Besides having to count the books in my stack, I remember re-reading the books I most loved. Over and over, I would read them. The voice is what drew me and kept me coming back. I think this fact, more than any one specific author, most influenced my work. It was a love for the voice of the work that I had then and still have today.
OMN: What's next for you?
LR: Beyond potty-training the new puppy that recently joined our family, I'm excited to be working on a novel set in northeastern Kentucky and loosely inspired by the last public hanging conducted in the United States.
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Lori Roy was born and raised in the Midwest, where she worked for years as a tax accountant before turning her focus to writing. Her work has appeared in the Chattahoochee Review and she is the recipient of the Ed Hirshberg Award for Excellence in Florida Writing. She lives with her family in Florida.
To learn more about Lori and her work, please visit her website at LoriRoy.com or find her on Facebook and Twitter.
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Until She Comes Home
Lori Roy
In 1958 Detroit, on Alder Avenue, neighbors struggle to care for neighbors amid a city ripe with conflicts that threaten their peaceful street.
Grace, Alder's only expectant mother, eagerly awaits her first born. Best friend Julia prepares to welcome twin nieces. And Malina sets the tone with her stylish dresses, tasteful home, and ironfisted stewardship of St. Alban's bake sale.
Life erupts when childlike Elizabeth disappears while in the care of Grace and Julia. All the ladies fear the recent murder of a black woman at the factory on Willingham Avenue where their husbands work may warn of what has become of Elizabeth, and they worry what is yet to become of Julia — the last to see Elizabeth alive.
The men mount an around-the-clock search, leaving their families vulnerable to sinister elements hidden in plain sight. Only Grace knows what happened, but her mother warns her not to tell. "No man wants to know this about his wife." Ashamed that her silence puts loved ones in harm's way, Grace gravitates toward the women of Willingham Avenue, who recognize her suffering as their own. Through their acceptance, Grace conquers her fear and dares to act.
On Alder Avenue, vicious secrets bind friends, neighbors, and spouses. For the wicked among them, the walk home will be long.
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