A Conversation with Terry Odell

June 25, 12:29 PMTampa Books ExaminerJulianne Draper

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   When Danger Calls/Five Star publishing

 Once again, I’ve found something interesting for you: stumbling about the bookshelves I ran across another intriguing up and coming author. Hailing from Orlando, Florida, Terry Odell writes Romantic suspense (something something) and she graciously agreed to a little chat. So without further ado, we happily present …

 A Conversation with Terry Odell

Thanks for speaking with us today, Terry. So tell us, how did you first come to write Romance? What prompted your interest in Romantic suspense?

Actually, I thought I was writing a mystery when I started my first novel. My daughters were reading the early drafts, and they said, "Mom, it's a romance! Look at page 10. She notices his brown eyes are flecked with hazel. That's a romance." Since I'd never read a romance to that point, I started researching the genre. Because my first love was mystery, romantic suspense seemed the natural choice, although my training ground was Highlander fan fiction.

There does seem to be a blurring of the lines between the genres now and then, so I can see how that could happen, easily. So once your research and writing was solidified, where did you go from there? I mean to say, what was your first published story, and when did that take place?

My first published story was a short-short for The Wild Rose Press, Words. It was more a dual point of view vignette than a true story, and it was their first contracted work, released in 2006. They've changed their guidelines, and now it's too short, so it's out of print, but I have several longer ones still available. My first novel was Finding Sarah, with Cerridwen Press.

Sorry to hear it’s unavailable, but you have plenty else for readers to enjoy, for sure. You’re very prolific, from what I’ve seen; by what authors would you say you are influenced?

Since I was a mystery reader, my first would probably be Conan Doyle, because the Sherlock Holmes stories were the first mystery books I read, followed by Agatha Christie. When I was starting, Sandra McDonald was a big influence—in the fan fiction world, although she's now writing for Tor. In mystery, the late Barbara Parker encouraged me to keep going. As far as influencing my writing, I've only been writing for a relatively short time, and only recently discovered romance. I'm always finding authors who turn on those light bulbs – Suzanne Brockmann, JD Robb, Allison Brennan, Roxanne St. Claire to name just a few.

And what inspired you to write your latest, When Danger Calls?

I wanted something very different from my other romantic suspense novels, Finding Sarah, What's in a Name? and Hidden Fire. I wanted something more action-adventure with the possibility of series potential, and since I love taking characters out of their comfort zone, I approached it from the angle of "put a covert ops guy into civilization, give him a problem, but strip him of all his normal tools." I also like the idea of escalating danger. I dump characters in a pot of lukewarm water, then crank up the heat, until by the end, they're doing things they never thought they'd be capable of, which is what happens to Frankie in When Danger Calls.

When Danger Calls seems very detailed from what I’ve read; how much research went into the novel?

Lots. I took the local Civilian Police Academy course, did a ride along with a deputy, went to the shooting range, found military contacts, police contacts—I wanted everything to be realistic and based in truth. I'll research which constellations would be visible at the time and location the story takes place if I need them. I don't want readers who know more about any particular subject in my book to be able to say, "that's not how it works." In When Danger Calls, I did draw on some of my own photographic experiences, so I felt comfortable there. But much of the rest I owe to the real 'experts.'

In terms of your career, what are you most proud of?

Just finding out I love to write, and that other people enjoy what I've written. I'm not one of those people who's known she's wanted to be a writer since she could walk. I'm very new to the game, at least insofar as putting the stories in my head down on paper (or up on the computer monitor).

Seems the bug has you now, then! ;) That being the case, what can longtime fans expect from you next?

I'm still waiting to see if Five Star is going to pick up the sequel to When Danger Calls. I'm working on a straight mystery, seeing if I can get it 'right' this time. And I've got a short story, The Other Side of the Page, in the works at Cerridwen Press. It's a humorous look at what goes on behind the scenes of a writer's life. It'll be a free read, so I hope people will look for it. I don't have the release date yet, but keep an eye on my website, www.terryodell.com, and I'll let everyone know as soon as I do.

We’ll be keeping an eye out for that; I hope our readers will too.

If you weren’t a writer, what career might you have pursued instead?

I was a teacher for a lot of years. I especially enjoyed running an Outreach Program for the Zoological Society in Miami. I still 'dabble' in teaching as a volunteer for the Adult Literacy League in Orlando.

Very cool. What advice do you have for aspiring Romance authors?

Read. Write. Write some more. Submit. Read some more. Write some more. Join a critique group, or see if there's a local Romance Writers of America chapter near you. Write because you love it, not for a moneymaking career potential. Write. If you're a writer, you'll have to, no matter what. The business side is an entirely different game. You have to love the writing.

I have to agree with you there. Like the ole Nike commercial said, “just do it,” right? ;) Thanks for your time, Ms. Odell; it’s been a pleasure corresponding with you. Best of luck with When Danger Calls! Before we go, do you have any final thoughts for my readers?

Thanks so much for having me. I'm happy to answer questions, and if anyone belongs to a book club, Five Star, the publisher will discount When Danger Calls. Also, I'd like to point out the publisher targets the library market, so if hard cover prices are outside your budgetary comfort zone, please ask your library to carry it. My Cerridwen Press books are available both in digital and trade paperback.

I'd also like to invite readers to visit me at my website, www.terryodell.com where you can read the first chapter of all my books, as well as get some behind-the-scenes peeks at how they came to be. Also, drop by Terry's Place, where I chat about a variety of topics, along with some special guests. Some are reading related, some writing related, and some just plain "isn't life crazy" related. One favorite guest is a homicide detective from the Orange County Sheriff's Office who shares his case files with me every Friday.

There you have it, folks. Do go check Terry out--you can find her books at Cerridwen Press or Wild Rose Press or even Amazon. Oh, yes. And on June 27, if you're in the Maitland area, Terry will be signing books at the Maitland Public Library 501 S. Maitland Ave. Maitland, FL 32751 from 2:00 - 3:30 PM. You can call 407-647-7700 for direction. and once again, we hope you’ve enjoyed this latest look into a writer’s life. Until next time, keep turning those pages! :)

   Terry Odell at Mystery Writers of America

   Terry Odell at Author's Den