What makes Elaine’s fiction different from other traditional mysteries? Some might say the dry humor (only a few say lame), but she thinks it is the empathy her characters show to others. Fiction can’t ‘lecture’ readers. But it can contain people whose paths we cross every day — whether we know it or not. The bright colleague or grouchy neighbor who’s actually in severe emotional pain, the families struggling to provide enough food for their children, the vet with PTSD. While characters solve crimes or plan silly fundraisers, they can tacitly let us know there is a world beyond those activities. And maybe they can make it a little better.

Elaine L. Orr has published five mystery series. The newest is the Shore Shenanigans series, featuring a PI at the Jersey Shore. During COVID, she began the Family History Mystery Series, set in the mountains of Western Maryland. “The Unscheduled Murder Trip” received an Indie B.R.A.G. Medallion in 2022. A fifth series, the Shore Shenanigans series, will premier in late July 2025.

The Jolie Gentil cozy mystery series, set at the Jersey shore, includes “Behind the Walls,” which was a finalist for the 2014 Chanticleer Mystery and Mayhem Awards. In the River’s Edge mystery series, Iowa nice meets murder. “Demise of a Devious Neighbor” was a 2017 Chanticleer finalist. “Tip a Hat to Murder,” the first in the Logland mystery series, opens the door to Logland, Illinois. It’s the first of the three-book police procedurals with a cozy feel. 

Elaine also writes plays and novellas, including the one-act, “Common Ground,” published in 2015. Her novella, “Biding Time,” was one of five finalists in the National Press Club’s first fiction contest, in 1993. “Falling into Place” is a novella about family strength as a World War II veteran rises to the toughest occasion. “In the Shadow of Light” brings the tragedies of the U.S. Mexico border to life through the eyes of children and their parents.

 Nonfiction includes “Words to Write By: Getting Your Thoughts on Paper” and “Writing When Time is Scarce and Getting the Work Published.” Elaine does presentations on writing-related topics and is a member of Sisters in Crime. She grew up in Maryland and now lives in Central Illinois.

I’m one of five children and am still very close to my siblings. I feel lucky about that.  I worked in the public and nonprofit sectors for many years, and while I always wrote, I didn’t start publishing until my fifties. Don’t wait to go where your dreams direct you! I also continue to substitute teach, usually in a middle school. Most days I’m the oldest person in the building, and I enjoy it.