Loretta Ross

Profile Information:

Hometown:
Clinton, Missouri, USA
About Me:
Hi! I'm a mystery writer from Missouri. My first novel is about to go out to publishers, so I'm pretty much a basket case about now. Okay, so maybe I'm pretty much a basket case all the time, but now I have an EXCUSE!

I work in the produce department at the Warsaw, Missouri Walmart, so when I'm not thinking about how to kill people I'm stocking bananas. Actually, I tend to do both at the same time. Funny how nervous people get when the woman stocking bananas is smiling and muttering about frozen fish sticks making such a good murder weapon.

I heard about this site from my agent and decided to join because she suggested it.
I Am A:
Reader, Writer
Website:
http://www.lorettasueross.com
Books And Authors I Like:
Terry Pratchett, especially anything with the Watch; Allingham's Campion books; Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter mysteries; most of the Miss Seeton books; Sue Grafton's alphabet series; Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum books; the futuristic crime novels that Nora Roberts writes as J.D. Robb; boys' adventure series from about 1910 to about 1970 (such as early Hardy Boys, Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators, Ken Holt, Dave Dawson, Rick Brant, Mike Mars, etc. etc.); this list could go on forever!
Movies And TV Shows I Like:
I haven't actually watched TV for the last five or six years, though I do watch old favorites on DVD when I can get them. My all-time favorites were a show called Emergency! from the 1970s and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a spy show from the sixties. As for movies, Clue (love Tim Curry, but I hate to see a favorite actor play the villain, so that limits that!), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Princess Bride, the old Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Road pictures, Cary Grant movies, Fred Astaire musicals. Again, I haven't seen many recent movies. I did enjoy The Incredibles and Sky High. I saw Spiderman (the first one) over Christmas and thought it was basically well done, but you know that scene where the apartment building's on fire and the woman comes running up screaming, "my baby! my baby!"? Why was her baby home alone???

Comment Wall:

  • Darren Laws

    Hi Loretta, thanks for your comment. Fortunately, thanks to the comments from Crimespacers I have been able to track down a problem I never knew exiseted with my website. Allowing Active x to run solves the issue but not everyone likes this form of script. I note that you are from Missouri, this is partially the setting for my new novel Turtle Island. Nice to talk to a native Missourian.

    Jan 8, 2008

  • Darren Laws

    I invented a fictitious island 'Turtle Island' and made parts of the surrounding area the backdrop. I chose Missouri because I wanted a southern state that did not have such a cliche image as New Orleans or Texas. It also has a mystique which I like. Here in the UK we have some (wrongly and rightly) preconceived ideas of certain areas in the US and I did not want these to distract from the story. Choosing Missouri helped me combat these notions. My main character, Georgina O'Neil will be with me for three novels and I want her and the stories to explore different areas in the states as she helps solve crime. Btw, I love the idea of your novel, it sounds intriguing.

    Jan 8, 2008

  • Darren Laws

    Yes, my site can be a bit of a problem with certain web browsers and with dial up. I appologise.

    Research was carried out like all reasearch when one doesn't have access to the actual place, object or person, using every available medium including talking to a very helpful person from Missouri who was at the time living in the UK. The rest is imagination, hence the main setting on a fictitious island.

    Jan 10, 2008

  • Kim Smith

    Crossing fingers for you Loretta. Congrats on getting such a top notch agent :)

    Jan 11, 2008

  • Kim Smith

    Loretta, I sooo understand the picture thing. Why couldn't I have been born beautiful instead of brilliant???

    Jan 11, 2008

  • helen black

    Congratulations and good luck.
    I just got published two weeks ago and it's incredibly exciting though I'm under the cosh to get the draft for number two to my editor by the end of Feb. AAAAHHHH

    Jan 18, 2008