The following is an interview with writer Lori Roy regarding the upcoming release of the haunting novel, The Final Episode, through Thomas & Mercer. In this interview, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief Barbra Dillon chats with Roy about her creative process in bringing the thrilling story and its characters to life on the page, the themes that she hopes will resonate with readers, and more!
Barbra Dillon, Fanbase Press Editor-in-Chief: Congratulations on the upcoming release of The Final Episode! For those who may be unfamiliar, what can you share with us about the premise of this thrilling, true crime-inspired mystery?
Lori Roy: Thank you, and it’s a pleasure to join you here on Fanbase Press.
Twenty years ago, a young girl disappeared in south Florida, and 11-year-old Jenny Jones’ father ended up in prison. Two decades later, a hit true crime TV series known for solving the unsolvable is recreating the tragic events that destroyed Jenny’s life and so many others.
As Jenny watches the series, increasingly afraid of what the final episode will reveal, she discovers that someone from that long-ago summer, someone seeking revenge, is watching her.
To protect herself and her family, Jennifer must come to terms with who her father is . . . and what that makes her.
BD: How would you describe your creative process in crafting this mystery? I would imagine that crafting the narrative and staying 3 steps ahead of your reader is quite the challenge!
LR: The creative process is hard to nail down, and I worry that trying to articulate it might ruin what makes it magical. And I say that having once been a tax accountant.
What I do feel about the creative process…the first draft should be driven by characters, and the internal editor should be silenced as much as possible. The second draft and the third and fourth and so on are where the writer begins to pull the levers and smooth out the plot points that hopefully result in a suspenseful story.
BD: What makes Thomas & Mercer the perfect home for this story?
LR: The people who make up Thomas & Mercer are what make the organization the perfect home for my books. Everyone I’ve interacted with across all the different departments has taken great care to respect the voice of my work while simultaneously making it stronger.
BD: At Fanbase Press, our #StoriesMatter initiative endeavors to highlight the impact that stories can have on audiences of various mediums. How do you feel that Jennifer’s story may connect with and impact readers?
LR: Jennifer is an underdog. She has many strikes against her before she reaches her eleventh birthday. And because she finds a way to thrive, she proves her resilience and her strength. I think that’s a story many readers, women in particular, can relate to for different reasons. As Jennifer learned at a young age, life is not fair. She was not one of the lucky ones, and yet when she claws her way out of a dark place, she becomes one of the strong ones.
BD: Are there any projects – past or current – that you would like to highlight for our readers?
LR: Lake County was my first novel with Thomas & Mercer. It came out last summer, and from the moment I started writing it, I couldn’t type fast enough. Set in a dusty 1950s small Florida town, it tells the story of three women, each hungry for something more.
Addie Anne is seventeen, restless, and desperate to escape her hometown for a life in Hollywood. Her plan to get there? She’ll follow the path of her glamorous aunt Jean—known to the rest of the world as Marilyn Monroe. And the third woman is Addie’s mother, who is content with her quiet life. To Addie, that means her mother’s life is small, and she wants no part of that.
When Addie’s boyfriend threatens her plan to escape to a new life, she tells a small lie to protect her dreams. Instead, she catapults the three women into a night of terror. All three will be tested, and all three will demonstrate that strength comes in many different packages, and sometimes it doesn’t show up until it’s almost too late.
BD: Lastly, what is the best way for our readers to find more information about The Final Episode?
LR: I have a website, LoriRoy.com, that is a good place to keep up with events and all the goings-on with all my work. I’m also on social media, so a quick Google will find you just about anything you might want to know.
