Janice Roach, of Elbridge, has long been a writer.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
In Elbridge resident Janice Roach's first novel, “Bear Signs,” she blends her interests in nature, humans and animals.
In Elbridge resident Janice Roach's first novel, “Bear Signs,” she blends her interests in nature, humans and animals.
Until recently the largest part of her work has focused on poetry, which has garnered Roach a bit of success as a writer.
“I've done a lot of writing,” Roach said. “I've won a few poetry contests, and I've had things published in the newspapers and magazines, like Poet's Corner Magazine, some anthologies, things like that.”
Roach said that a lot of her work has dealt with nature and philosophical ideas like humanity and the place of people and animals in nature.
Roach has combined her love for writing with her interests in topics like nature, humans and animals in her first published prose effort, a book titled “Bear Signs,” which is set in the Adirondacks.
The novel, which Roach said will be available through Red Led Press and Amazon.com at the end of October or the beginning of November, is a horror/fantasy novel, the idea for which Roach began to formulate years ago.
“I started working on it in 2003,” Roach said. “And then other things came up, and I put it aside for a while.”
Roach said that she was initially inspired by a news story about some campers that had killed some bears, and given her interest in nature and the role of all creatures in that bigger picture, Roach was inspired to look at the idea from the bear's perspective.
“It is a different glance at the world around us,” Roach said. “It is just looking at things from a different perspective.”
Roach is a woman of many talents. As well as writing, she is also an active oil painter, who has passed on her love for all things artistic to her children.
Her son, Neal Fancher, is a freelance artist, and her daughter, Dione Morrison, along with her husband, Owen, recently published their first novel, “Tanglewood Forest.”
Dione said that her mother is a natural talent and that she encouraged her mother to pick up her 2003 manuscript and get the book finished.
Once she had set her mind to it, Roach said the 250 page novel didn't take long to complete.
The horror genre is one that Roach may be oddly inclined towards. Along with her own interest in the subject, she also owns a 300-year-old historic home in Elbridge that has often been sighted as a haunted house and has been used as tours for groups like the Weedsport Historical Society.
“I've always been interested in horror, fantasy, paranormal and hauntings,” Roach said. “I really like to stick with the fantasy side of it. There is too much real horror in the world. I don't want to read about all the real horror, that is why I like the fantasy kind.”
Not that “Bear Signs” is intended to be a dark, serious kind of horror novel that will keep readers awake at night.
“I didn't want it to be too serious,” Roach said. “It is the kind of book you read for the fun of it. It isn't supposed to be challenging literature.”
In addition to Amazon.com, Roach also hopes to have the book available in some of the local book stores in the area, and she is hard at work putting the finishing touches on her next book, “Ashes.”
“It is basically completed,” Roach said. “I still need to do the editing and smooth it out. I haven't submitted it yet or anything.”
But right now, much of her focus is on getting “Bear Signs” out to the reading public.
“It is meant to be read just to enjoy reading,” Roach said. “It is something different, something a little unusual, a different flavor, but it is for fun and for the sake of reading.”
“I've done a lot of writing,” Roach said. “I've won a few poetry contests, and I've had things published in the newspapers and magazines, like Poet's Corner Magazine, some anthologies, things like that.”
Roach said that a lot of her work has dealt with nature and philosophical ideas like humanity and the place of people and animals in nature.
Roach has combined her love for writing with her interests in topics like nature, humans and animals in her first published prose effort, a book titled “Bear Signs,” which is set in the Adirondacks.
The novel, which Roach said will be available through Red Led Press and Amazon.com at the end of October or the beginning of November, is a horror/fantasy novel, the idea for which Roach began to formulate years ago.
“I started working on it in 2003,” Roach said. “And then other things came up, and I put it aside for a while.”
Roach said that she was initially inspired by a news story about some campers that had killed some bears, and given her interest in nature and the role of all creatures in that bigger picture, Roach was inspired to look at the idea from the bear's perspective.
“It is a different glance at the world around us,” Roach said. “It is just looking at things from a different perspective.”
Roach is a woman of many talents. As well as writing, she is also an active oil painter, who has passed on her love for all things artistic to her children.
Her son, Neal Fancher, is a freelance artist, and her daughter, Dione Morrison, along with her husband, Owen, recently published their first novel, “Tanglewood Forest.”
Dione said that her mother is a natural talent and that she encouraged her mother to pick up her 2003 manuscript and get the book finished.
Once she had set her mind to it, Roach said the 250 page novel didn't take long to complete.
The horror genre is one that Roach may be oddly inclined towards. Along with her own interest in the subject, she also owns a 300-year-old historic home in Elbridge that has often been sighted as a haunted house and has been used as tours for groups like the Weedsport Historical Society.
“I've always been interested in horror, fantasy, paranormal and hauntings,” Roach said. “I really like to stick with the fantasy side of it. There is too much real horror in the world. I don't want to read about all the real horror, that is why I like the fantasy kind.”
Not that “Bear Signs” is intended to be a dark, serious kind of horror novel that will keep readers awake at night.
“I didn't want it to be too serious,” Roach said. “It is the kind of book you read for the fun of it. It isn't supposed to be challenging literature.”
In addition to Amazon.com, Roach also hopes to have the book available in some of the local book stores in the area, and she is hard at work putting the finishing touches on her next book, “Ashes.”
“It is basically completed,” Roach said. “I still need to do the editing and smooth it out. I haven't submitted it yet or anything.”
But right now, much of her focus is on getting “Bear Signs” out to the reading public.
“It is meant to be read just to enjoy reading,” Roach said. “It is something different, something a little unusual, a different flavor, but it is for fun and for the sake of reading.”
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CryinRyan wrote on Oct 5, 2008 4:07 PM: