Q&A with Chris Orcutt discussion
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Chris Orcutt
Welcome & Introductions
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I'm Dick Peterson, author of By the Light: A Novel of Serial Homicide. I call myself a Kansan by residence, a Missourian by employment, a Louisianan by birth, a Southerner by the grace of God, and a Tybee Islander at heart.My dream of writing a novel started in childhood when my very smart cousin, who was two years my senior, showed me his WIP, a sequel to Baum's Oz books. When I finally completed my manuscript, I sent an e-mail to Richard inviting him to be one of my beta readers. Before he responded, he was killed in a house fire. My aunt told me he had mentioned to her that he was touched that his inspiration got me there and that I wanted to share the process with him.
The experience of writing my book, seeking representation from literary agents, discovering the e-book explosion through my Kindle, and finally publishing By the Light through Amazon Digital Services has been, and I know this dates me, like an E-ticket ride at Disneyland. One of the highpoints of that journey was a chance encounter with Chris Orcutt on the web a few years back. His blogs and the traffic of messages that have flowed between us have been enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring.
To Chris' credit, his Nick Chase's Great Escape is the only print book I've read since getting my Kindle two Februaries ago. Now, I'm in the middle of the pleasurable experience of enjoying A Real Piece of Work on my Kindle. As a bonus, he's blogging again, so the enlightenment and entertainment is back on track.
I look forward to meeting and commenting with other Orcutt readers here. I also look forward to the next Dakota Stevens release. And finally, I must say that it improves my looks being pictured next to the lovely and brilliant Alexas in the Q&A membership mug shots ... nice pose.
Mod
As always that was an incredibly generous post. I think we're both a little taken aback at the transition from print to ebooks. I know I am. And I have to say, the empowerment of the ebook platform is marvelous. (For the record, Dick was one of the first writers to encourage me to publish on Kindle.)
In addition to the Dakota series, I've written a lot of short stories and memoir over the past few years and plan on releasing Kindle collections of them this year.
This isn't to say that I've given up on traditional/mainstream publication, because I haven't. It's just nice to know that there's a legitimate (and potentially more lucrative) option available to me and other writers now.
I've been reluctant to invite people to this forum, Dick, because I feel they could perceive it as purely self-serving. Maybe you'd be willing to get the word out to any of your dozens of reader-writer friends?
In case we don't hear from each other beforehand, I wish you and yours a Happy New Year. May 2012 be filled with health and prosperity for you and the whole Peterson clan.
Sincerely,
Chris
Mod
Initially Shay was meant simply to come off as an unstable, sexy artist, but then, before my very eyes, she became manipulative. Combining this behavior with her "dangerous" red hair (a small obsession I share with Dakota) turns Dakota into putty.
In essence, you hit upon exactly what I was going for in Shay Connolly--sexy, overconfident, manipulative--the kind of woman guys get sucked into and decent women hate. I wanted the reader, as s/he sees Dakota falling for her, be like, "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"
It's clear from your post that we share a mutual admiration of Chandler for the language. In A Real Piece of Work, I wanted to do an homage to Chandler, but I also wanted the book and the voice to be its own. My feeling is that just as Robert Ludlum (Bourne) doesn't have a monopoly on writing engaging action sequences, Chandler doesn't get to have a monopoly on literate narration with interesting language and smart analogies, etc.
I'm so gratified that you, a fellow mystery writer, enjoyed it as much as you did. Now if only sales would rise to meet the reviews! I raised the price from its original $2.99 because several marketing people I respect, as well as fellow author Dick Peterson, thought it best for me to get out of that very crowded price point. Ultimately I think it was the right decision.
I imagine I don't even have to ask you this, but it would help me a lot if you told all of your GR friends about the book. I'm finding that the only "advertising" worth a damn is word-of-mouth. Period.
Thank you again for your praise and encouragement. I wish you the best with the Bella Street series!
—Chris
My name is Chris Orcutt, and I have been a professional writer for 20 years. Recently I published my mystery novel, A REAL PIECE OF WORK, on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing, and it's receiving rave reviews from readers.
My short fiction has appeared in literary journals including Potomac Review, The Griffin, Timber Creek Review, Snake Nation Review, The MOTA 3 Anthology, and the 2003 Dan River Anthology. Published stories include “The Bootlegger,” “Whose Van is That On Fire Out There,” “Descent,” “Security Guard,” “All the Young Fellas Are Linin’ Up” and many more.
As a playwright, I have had some plays performed, including the following done as staged readings with the Penobscot Theatre Company:
+ Dark and Stormy Night
+ Microbrew
+ Kansas City, This Is Former Air Force One
In 1992, I received a New York Press Association award, and in 2002 I won both the 55 Fiction World’s Shortest Stories competition and placed second in the MOTA 3 Emerging Writers contest. My nonfiction has appeared in several magazines and online publications including Writer’s Digest.
My writing day jobs have been many and varied:
+ Newspaper reporter (my first love)
+ College writing instructor
+ Technical writer
+ Corporate scriptwriter
+ Web content author/editor
+ Speechwriter (a fascinating world, seriously)
Currently I don’t have a day job, choosing instead to focus all of my energies on 1) becoming the best writer I can and 2) going after the top fiction markets.
I write most first drafts in pencil or on a typewriter, then I scan the pages or retype them, and finally edit them on a Mac. Every writer has his own process. Mine is laborious, but it works for me.
I live in Upstate New York with my brilliant wife, Alexas.
Thank you for visiting.
— Chris Orcutt
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Now, who are you? Introduce yourself!