Elaine L. Orr

I am the author of the ten-book Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series, set at the Jersey shore. Behind the Walls was a finalist for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards.

The first book in my River's Edge cozy mystery series, From Newsprint to Footprints, debuted in late fall 2015, followed by Demise of a Devious Neighbor. The fictional South County sits along the Des Moines River in Southeast Iowa. I lived near there for many years, and love that river. South County is similar to Iowa's Van Buren County, though more populous.

In 2016 I issued Tip a Hat to Murder, first in the Logland mystery series. Set in small-town Illinois, its protagonist is a police chief rather than an amateur sleuth. I wanted to start a new series that featured someone in law enforcement but didn't include graphic violence -- and used humor.

I also write plays and novellas, including the one-act, Common Ground and Permission to Hope, which was part of the Bethesda, MD Plays in Progress series in 1989. My novella, Biding Time, was one of five finalists in the National Press Club's first fiction contest, in 1993. 

The most recent novella, Falling Into Place, has been called "a very gentle story about some of life's most difficult moments."  I worked on the book more off than on over ten years. I wanted to get the voice of the main character (Everett) just right.

I conduct presentations on electronic publishing and other writing-related topics. Nonfiction includes Words to Write By: Getting Your Thoughts on Paper and Writing in Retirement: Putting New Year's Resolutions to Work.

I also conduct online courses on writing and publishing on the Teachable platform as http://lifelong-dreams.teachable.com/. I've been lucky to have some success as a largely self-published author, so these courses (free or low-cost) are my way of sharing what I've learned.

Though I dabbled earlier,  I came to publishing after careers in the public and nonprofit sectors. Writing is more fun.