Meet Sue Alcon O’Connor | Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sue Alcon O’Connor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sue, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am a Colorado native and grew up in West Denver. I now live in Littleton with my husband and my very sketchy chihuahuas, Kevin and Karen. I’ve written off and on for most of my life, but never felt confident enough to pursue my hobby on a professional level until disaster struck our family. In 2021 we lost our eldest son, Marshall to cancer. It left us devastated and broken. Not long after this happened, I met an editor who asked to see some of my work. The world was on its head, nothing really mattered, so confidence be damned, I sent him off about 3,000 words of a story I’d had percolating around in my head for a few years. I was beyond worrying about having confidence in my writing abilities. He came back to me with two thoughts: good news and bad news. The good news was that he loved the premise of my story outline. The bad news was that it wasn’t a short story. It needed to be a novel. I dove in headfirst. While I was writing The Bone Shelter I was in a world without cancer and dead sons, quite the opposite, the world inside the pages was bright and happy – and just what I needed. The Bone Shelter is a lighthearted murder mystery. I had found something to give me purpose, and who doesn’t feel better after a few jokes and a murder or two, right?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Bone Shelter is a different kind of murder mystery. It’s filled with jokes, outrageous situations, family, ex-army guys, murder and a hefty splattering of curse words. It was hard to categorize. Is it a comedy? Yes. Is it a murder mystery? Yes. Does it have ghosts? Yes. Does it have renegade twelve-year-old boys? Yes. Is it for adults? Yes. Is it for young adults? Yes. Can your grandma read it? Yes, she can make the print large on her Kindle. Is it for your strait-laced aunt that lives most of her life in church? Probably not, the main character’s mother writes (steamy romance) mommy. Aw what the hell, let her read it too.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a flat lander friend that was coming to visit I would not let them go to the mountains on the first day and drink whisky. Trust me, this can result in a happy- fun ambulance ride. I’d take them to a ballgame, I’d take them to our museums and cultural centers. I’d hope they have little kids so we could go to the Butterfly Museum and the Children’s Museum – because I’m a big kid and I like the Butterfly Museum and the Children’s Museum. After a few days I’m sure we’d venture up to Estes Park and stay at the Stanley Hotel and take day trips into Rocky Mountain National Park. I had a friend visit from Australia once. The first thing she wanted to do was go to a dispensary and have her picture taken in front of a pile of black, dirty snow in the Walmart parking lot. Her kids were going to be so jealous that she got to see snow. She held up her little Native Roots bag while I took the photo. It was a good day.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a shoutout to my editor, Dario Ciriello. Without his initial encouragement and cheerleading I never would have started writing The Bone Shelter. He gave me that little push that I needed to clear my head and have purpose after tragedy. I’m not an English major, I’m a story teller, and let me tell you, I *need* a good editor. My family was behind me 100% and my poor husband Mark, looked at the back side of a computer for months. People don’t really take you seriously as a writer until you can say, “Hey guys! I have 80,000 words of an actual 300 page novel – and it’s going to be published.” That’s when you get a few raised eyebrows and the occasional, “hrrrm?”

Website: www.TheBoneShelter.com

Other: https://www.amazon.com/Bone-Shelter-Sue-Alcon-OConnor/dp/B0BJGV4QMV/ref=monarch_sidesheet