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"I love this author." - Jen Lancaster, bestselling author.
"Eat, Pray, Love - without the depression - meets Confessions of a Shopaholic - without the ditz." - Denver Magazine.
"... the best of Bill Bryson and David Sedaris... unique voice of a gifted memoirist." - Jonathan Kellerman, bestselling author.
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Background
Information
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Growing up in Great Neck, NY (as my husband says, a “princess from the Island of Long”), I loved to write and could always be counted on to take creative license where none was called for. (To whit, the Ode to Geometry I foisted on my eighth grade math teacher.) It just never occurred to me to try to make a living at it. So, what was a Jewish only child to do? Why, go to medical school, of course.
I didn’t write for years (thus sparing my medical school classmates and instructors Ode to Diseases of the Bowel). After graduation from George Washington University Medical School in D.C., I moved with my then husband to Tucson, AZ. (He wanted to be an archeologist and put his studies on hold so I could finish my medical training. In return, I told him I’d do my residency wherever he chose to get his Ph.D., not for one moment thinking he’d pick a city with no Nordstrom.) We divorced soon after and I vowed not to marry again for a long, long while.
A year later, Tim (a fellow psychiatric resident), tricked me into going on a date. We’ve been together ever since, progressing through the all important M’s -- Monogamy, Moving in, Mortgage and Matrimony. And now, unfortunately, Motor home. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
We moved to Boulder, CO in 1993 and several years later, my first book, I Know You Really Love Me, on stalking, was published. It won the Colorado Author’s League Top Hand Award for Nonfiction and became a bestseller on Amazon. I made numerous appearances in the media as a psychiatric expert including Larry King Live, 48 Hours, Good Morning America, The Discovery Channel, People Magazine, The New York Times, NPR and many others. I also traveled around the country for speaking engagements to forensic and law enforcement groups. Since all this exposure involved beefing up my wardrobe, I was happy to do it. Still, to this day, I count among my greatest accomplishments that our bus was featured as the centerfold of Bus Conversions magazine, thus fulfilling my lifelong ambition of becoming a Miss September. But, I’m getting ahead of myself, again.
My literary agent suggested I write a screenplay based on I Know You Really Love Me and I found that I immensely liked that form, so much so, I wrote many more and even had a few optioned. I cut down on my practice to write. I was quite content. Tim, still practicing psychiatry 60 hours a week, was not. His solution was to take a midlife career break (who knew my husband was such a trend-setter?) and live in a converted bus for a year, traveling the country.
“Why can’t you be like a normal husband in a midlife crisis and have an affair or buy a Corvette?” I demanded. “I will never, ever, EVER live in a bus.”
He’s obviously the better shrink.
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Accomplishments
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Here are some of the wonderful reviews I've been fortunate to have gotten for QUEEN OF THE ROAD:
"Beneath its fun and frothy exterior, you'll find in this wild ride across America's highways and byways a lovely portrait of a marriage that treats its ups and downs with humor and grace." - Elle Magazine
A charming, insightful and - most important - hilarious book that evokes the best of Bill Bryson and David Sedaris, but spotlights the unique voice of a gifted memoirist. - Jonathan Kellerman, New York Times Bestselling Novelist
"Orion has every good travel writer's ability to make readers feel they are there, to capture the telling details of places, and to present the account in a witty, accessible way. Reading the book makes you want to hit the road and have some of your own grand adventures. This is a fun read that will make just about anyone start itching for a road trip. Grade 'A.'"–Rocky Mountain News
"A Charles Kuralt-Albert Brooks-style romp where they meet up with nudists, robbers and more. Required Reading." - New York Post
"Hot Summer Read." - Chicago Tribune
"The author's charm, intelligence and wit make this multi-faceted memoir a must-read. Eat, Pray, Love - without the depression - meets Confessions of a Shopaholic - without the ditz." - Denver Magazine.
"Queen of the Road is basically what would happen if you took me, gave me a modicum of maturity and a better education, and then tricked me into living on a (very nice) bus with my husband and pets for a year. I loved this book and I love this author." - Jen Lancaster, bestselling author of Bright Lights, Big Ass, Bitter is the New Black and Such a Pretty Fat.
"Two psychiatrists driving a motor home around America, and you're still wondering whether to buy this book? Step on the gas and go straight to the register." –Jeff Arch, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, Sleepless In Seattle.
"Doreen Orion has a fresh, wry voice that's all her own and she works it like a rodeo rider in her light-hearted and yet tender new memoir, Queen of the Road." – Jacquelyn Mitchard, New York Times bestselling author of The Deep End of the Ocean.
“His dream — he’s always wanted to see America in a converted bus — and her nightmare — she has a bus phobia — and their mid-life crisis on wheels, make for a hilarious reading adventure.”
–Mary-Lou Weisman, author of Traveling While Married.
"Doreen Orion and her handyman husband Tim prove, with abundant laughs and martini shaker in hand, that sometimes the best way to enrich home-life is to leave the home...or, better yet, just put it on wheels." – Franz Wisner, New York Times bestselling author of Honeymoon with My Brother.
"You will never look at a psychiatrist the same way again. And you will never take a bus driver for granted, either." –John Elder Robison, New York Times bestselling author of Look Me in the Eye.
“The ultimate fantasy road trip.” - Quick & Simple Magazine.
“You can’t go wrong with this book. Reading ‘Queen of the Road’ is just like welcoming a friend back from a fabulous vacation: You can’t wait to get comfortable and hear the inevitable stories from the road, and Doreen Orion has plenty. This book will make you snicker. You’ll see yourself and several friends in these pages. You’ll laugh out loud. You’ll say ‘Awwww’ and want to buy a bus to take a trip of your own. For you, ‘Queen of the Road’ is a royal treat.” - Terri Schlichenmeyer, syndicated book critic.
"Will take you away from whatever place you might be...find(s) the funny in the world around us." - Tulsa World
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Additional Information
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QUEEN OF THE ROAD went into 6th printing in September 2008, only three months since its publication date.
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Favorite Links
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QUEEN OF THE ROAD website
Humorous videos (including of the nudist RV park - now I have your attention), martini recipes (now I REALLY have your attention), pictures from the trip, the entire first chapter, my blog and tons of other fun stuff.
What Do You Want From Me? Medicinal Musings from a Mobile Shrink
Doreen Orion's blog.
Amazon Page for QUEEN OF THE ROAD
Invite Doreen to your Book Group!
I love book clubs. I've been in one with a fabulous group of women—all Queens in their own right—for over ten years. Even while writing Queen of the Road, I hoped it would find a particular place in the hearts of book club members. I hope it does in yours. To help spark your discussion, Tim and I came up with reading group questions over several (and I mean several) martini-filled happy hours. They're kinda deep... but really, what do you expect from two shrinks?
I hope what comes across in Queen of the Road is that this book has been a labor of love. After I wrote each chapter, Tim would read it and we’d reminisce about our travels. In a way then, it felt like our amazing trip was extended far beyond the one year. I like to think that even if I knew no one else would ever read it, I’d still have written Queen of the Road. But, once I had a publisher, I truly found myself waking up every day marveling, “I can’t believe I get to write this book!”
Thank you for reading it. Really. And, to really thank you, I'd love to be invited to your book group. (I just invited myself, didn't I? How rude! Just ignore me, if you like.) If I'm in the area, I'd love to attend in person. (Here I go, again.) If not, I'll attend by phone for 30 minutes or so. I love reader feedback and would be happy to answer any of your questions. Please fill out the form to arrange a visit or "visit" (and please put "book group" in the subject line).
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