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Doreen Orion is a psychiatrist and award-winning author. Her humorous travel memoir, Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own, has been called, “Eat, Pray, Love – without the depression,” went to 6th printing after three months and was chosen as a Borders Featured Book Club pick.

Still, she considers her greatest accomplishment to be that her bus was the centerfold of Bus Conversions magazine, thus fulfilling a life-long ambition to be a Miss September. You can find Doreen on Facebook, follow her on Twitter and invite her to call in to your book club, as well as see pictures and videos of her life-changing trip on her website.

Thank you Doreen for taking the time to answer some questions for us!  Please tell us about your latest project.
 
My humorous travel memoir, Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own was published by Broadway Books, an imprint of Random House last year. My husband came home one day and announced he wanted to “chuck it all” and travel the country in a converted bus. I demanded to know, “Why can’t you be like a normal husband in a midlife crisis and have an affair or buy a Corvette?” We’re both psychiatrists, but he’s obviously a much better shrink, as we did do the trip.
 
How has your education, profession or background helped you in your writing career? Or conversely, how has you writing success helped you in your  profession?
 
We met so many fascinating people on our trip – from a danger-prone Alaskan I dubbed “the Candide of the North” to the inspiring woman who founded the Underground Railroad Museum in Memphis. I like to think that my as a psychiatrist, I had unique insights into the people we met and wrote about. Then again, it didn’t help me dissuade my husband when he suggested we go to a nudist RV park.
 
Psychiatrists aren’t supposed to talk about themselves. What was it like to disclose so much in a memoir?

It wasn’t easy. But, I really, really wanted to write this book - even if no one else ever read it. And, if someone actually did, I wanted to share how life-changing the experience was. That’s why I dedicated Queen of the Road to anyone searching for his or her inner bus. It doesn't have to be as dramatic as taking a whole year off; we all have some "other thing" to experience, to shake up our lives, and help us focus on what's important.

What did you write about that might be inspirational for readers and other writers?

There are a lot of memoirs about some terrible catalyst that forces the author to change his or her life. Our case was different because we volunteered for this experience. (Fine. If you insist on getting technical, I had to be dragged kicking and screaming. Geez.) It doesn’t have to take a tragedy to change our lives. Tim and I are living proof that we don't have to wait. We can make the choice NOW to live our best lives.

The most important thing we learned is that all that really matters is to be with the people you love. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Yet, that’s not how most of us spend our time. And, while it’s true that in traveling around the country we met incredibly diverse and unique people, we also found we all have one thing in common: Wanting to love and be loved.

The “bus thing” taught us how crucial it is to downsize and simplify our lives so that we don’t end up supporting a lifestyle filled with things instead of people. And, that… GULP… even includes shoes.

Have you been able to continue to apply those lessons since your return and what has been the effect on your writing?

It hasn’t been easy. It’s something we work at every day. That’s why we decided we no longer wanted to support a lifestyle, and instead, are selling our home to live in the bus, so we can do the things we love to do: travel and be together. I’m also looking forward to having more time to write. Unfortunately though, I’ve recently caught my husband surfing the net on sailboat sites. Why can’t I have a normal husband who just surfs for porn?

What does a typical work day look like for you?
 
I usually wake up at the crack of 9. Then, I check email, pick up phone messages, make a few calls and do some cases for my insurance review work. By then, it’s after 11 and time to get out of bed. Since I work at home, I’m in my pajamas all day. Tim finds that “slovenly.” I can’t be bothered to care.
 
With all that went into the book, how did you decide to put what where? Do you outline?

Do you really think a woman who stays in her pajamas all day outlines?

I knew the book would be structured the way our trip was. So, I just gathered all my notes and started from the beginning – when Tim first broached the whole “bus thing” – and eventually came to the end with our return home. Wherever tidbits from our pasts seemed to fit, I’d put include them, along with stories about the remarkable people we met, the fascinating histories of the places we visited, or how the trip was changing us.

I don’t mean to make it sound easy. It’s just that I’ve been to so many writing workshops where writers complain about how tortuous the process is. Oh, please. I doubt they’d rather become ditch diggers. Now there’s a tough job. Anyone who has the opportunity to write should feel privileged, in my opinion.

What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published?
 
My first book, I KNOW YOU REALLY LOVE ME was published my Macmillan in 1997. Since then, I’ve written screenplays and have had several optioned. I haven’t written one based on QUEEN OF THE ROAD. Since obviously, Angelina Jolie is the only one who can possibly play me, I figure I’ll let her do the script any way she wants.
 
Did writing screenplays help in writing your book?
 
Definitely. I think having written scripts really helps anytime I write, especially dialogue. Also, I use a tip I learned in a screenwriting class with any writing I do. That is, I read the whole thing out loud, in character. It’s amazing what you pick up on that doesn’t work. Of course, you have to be careful who overhears. I know there were plenty of times Tim gave me strange looks before I told him what I was doing.
 
What will your next project be?
 
Unfortunately, I’ve discovered the drawback to being a travel memoirist – you have to travel. Since that’s not in the cards for us right now, I’m doing some freelance articles and working on another book – a novel based on one of my romantic comedy screenplays.
 
What type of work is the most rewarding or satisfying for you?

So many of us work hard for so many years, wake up one day and ask, “Is this all there is?” Tim and I hadn’t realized how routine our lives had become – lacking a certain spark.

We actually ended up being grateful for all the disasters we experienced on the trip (fire, flood armed robbery, my developing a bus phobia and yes, even finding ourselves in a nudist RV park, to name just a few), because ultimately, they taught us the importance of stretching and challenging ourselves, as well as helped us get our priorities in order. So now, as I’m tackling a new form of writing for me – a novel – I’m enjoying doing something different and out of my comfort zone.

What can you recommend for writers who are just getting started and are trying to make a name for themselves?
 
I actually have a link on my website, So, You Wanna Be An Author?

Thank you Doreen for a fun and insightful interview! We're looking forward to more on-the-road stories and a novel!