Dorriah Rogers was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in the rural Southern California area described in her memoir, Twine. From a very young age she read voraciously, drawn to such authors as John Irving, Stephen King, Amy Tan, Elizabeth Strout, Pat Conroy, and many others. It was upon reading Irving’s famous line in The World According to Garp when describing a particularly gangling antelope – “its flanks spindly and beshitted” – that her love of words was sparked. As a child, she traveled back and forth to the local library on numerous occasions, ultimately winning the coveted Camino Real reading award in the third grade. She is always reading a book even today, and one of her favorite things to do is settle in with a good story, a cold glass of Coke and some sunflower seeds.

She and her daughter have always been drawn to both the outdoors and animals, spending countless hours among horses, dogs, cats, and any living creature they can find. They both ride dressage competitively and love the time spent with their horses.

Throughout middle and high school, Rogers wrote avidly, submitting to the school newspapers, the yearbook and creative writing contests. She dreamed of one day becoming a writer, and at one point during her decidedly non-writer professional career, joined a creative writing seminar at the local Learning Annex for fun. It was there that she was encouraged by her soon-to-become mentor to formally submit her works rather than simply write for fun. Rogers wrote several stories and manuscripts for practice before submitting both Decide to Profit and Twine.

She attended both the University of California, Riverside where she earned her bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Political Science and the University of California, Davis where she ultimately earned her Ph.D. Rogers has spent the majority of her career in the technology, consulting and engineering disciplines, as both an entrepreneur and executive. She has always found time on nights and weekends to continue to pursue her love of writing.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW WITH DORRIAH ROGERS:

Joining LitPick for an author interview today is Dorriah Rogers. Her memoir, Twine, has received the LitPick Top Choice Book Review Award.

“Twine is a perfect memoir, as compelling as any celebrity’s and as well-written as one from any bestselling author.” -LitPick book reviewer

"Twine is a poignant memoir centered around Dorriah Rogers as she shares the most honest and eye-opening moments in her life.” -LitPick book reviewer

Read the complete reviews at LitPick: https://litpick.com/books/twine-memoir

***How did you get started writing?  

I have always read voraciously from a very young age. I spent much of my childhood traveling back and forth to the local library and always had a pile of books stacked in my bedroom. It was when I read John Irving's famous line in The World According to Garp when describing a particularly gangling antelope - "its flanks spindly and beshitted" that my love of words was sparked. I distinctively remember wondering to myself how he even thought of that, how visual it was, and how wonderful it made me feel to be in awe of his mastery of language. Like my favorite authors, I wanted to be able to describe things in ways that evoked a visceral feeling, not just an emotional one.  

***Who influenced you?

John Irving, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, Pat Conroy, Elizabeth Strout, David Wroblewski, Anthony Doerr, Donna Tartt, and Stephen King, to name a few. I also found Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and Stephen King's On Writing to be very influential in my approach to the discipline of writing.  

***Do you have a favorite book/subject/character/setting?

 The World According to Garp is my all-time favorite. All of its characters, the setting, the writing, everything.

***What advice do you have for someone who wants to be an author?

Writing takes an interesting mix of creativity, discipline, and patience: creativity on the page, discipline staying in the chair, and patience with rejection. And not all of those attributes will show up on the same day.   

***Where is your favorite place to write?

It is not so much of a "where" for me but a state of mind. I can write anywhere, as long as I am in the mental writing "zone."  If I am, the words come easily. And I may be at home, on an airplane, or at a Starbucks. If the zone appears, I immediately start writing. I have stopped mid-sentence on occasion. My friends laugh, but strangers sometimes find me odd.  

***What else would you like to tell us?

The part I love the most about writing is talking to readers after they have read my book. I love to hear how it made them feel, which chapters resonated the most and why. To hear someone share with me how the book impacted them personally is a very fulfilling thing and makes me want to keep writing!  

I am also currently working on my next book: The White Shepherd. It is a work of fiction, and I am excited to see how the story develops.

***Dorriah, thank you very much for stopping by to share about all the things that have inspired you as an author. Your vulnerability in Twine: A Memoir is impacting the lives of many people, and we look forward to hearing more about The White Shepherd.