Deborah Goodrich Royce has built a career on reinvention — from actress to story editor to bestselling novelist of four thrillers, including this year’s Best Boy. At the seaside resort she restored with husband Chuck in Watch Hill, she curates and hosts the Ocean House Author Series in partnership with Martin House Books. The book tour must-stop has welcomed the likes of Katie Couric and Chris Bohjalian, among many others. On October 25, the series will hold its annual thriller panel. We caught up with Royce ahead of the event.
Hey Rhody: You came to fiction after careers as an actress and a film executive – what pulled you toward writing thrillers specifically, and toward the “identity thriller” territory your books all explore?
Deborah Goodrich Royce: After college, my path twisted from dance to acting to story editing at Miramax Films. I’m not the first to say that editing is excellent preparation for writing. I’m also not the first to say that life experience informs writing, and I’ve met some complicated characters along the way. Those themes make their way into my “identity thrillers,” where people are not always who they seem.
HR: The Ocean House Author Series you founded has become more than a seasonal can’t-miss event, and with good reason! What was the spark that led you to launch it?
DGR: In 2019, my first novel, Finding Mrs. Ford, came out. As did the books of several local friends. Each of us did an author talk at the Ocean House. Two years later, my second novel, Ruby Falls, was published. At that point, Susie Stangland, my social media guru, encouraged me to turn it into a series. It has continued to grow and evolve from there!
HR: Can you tell us a bit about the planning process? What goes into making this such a great program? And how do you approach selecting authors for the series each season?
DGR: I am proud to say that – in addition to events hosted by Robin Kall – we’ve become one of the go-to stops on a New England book tour. We begin in November with lists of books coming out in the coming year. Six years into it, we are often approached by publicists to host their authors in conversation.
HR: Next up is your annual Thriller Panel, which features writers like Diane Josefowicz (a RI local!) and Wendy Walker. What can attendees expect this time around? What do you hope people walk away with?
DGR: We have a stellar group of authors joining us for the Thriller Panel on Sunday, October 25. In addition to Diane and Wendy, we have Lauren Willig and Laura Zigman. I love all their novels, so readers will want to go home with all of them. Plus, we serve a delicious brunch.
HR: Readers want to know... what are you working on now?
DGR: After my mother died two years ago, I got an idea which I’m certain came from her. It’s a cozy-mother-daughter-murder-ghost-story set right here in Westerly! A middle-aged novelist, who is having a bad run of writer’s block, comes home to bury her mother. As she prepares the house for sale, her mom’s ghost appears in the middle of the night to get her to stop a crime. Hijinks, murder, and mother/daughter mayhem ensue!
Learn more about the Ocean House Author Series at OceanHouseRI.com
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