About author Kathryn Orzech, writing dark suspense thrillers.

Kathryn Orzech, AuthorAuthor Kathryn Orzech is a seasoned world traveler writing mystery, suspense, and thrillers set in “New England and other exotic locations.” Vivid descriptions and well-defined characters take readers on a realistic, believable, and wild ride. Having visited more than thirty countries (she’s logged the miles to prove it), Kathryn is anxious to share her “exotic” travel experiences and put them to work.

Her strong female protagonists face heart-pounding situations, flirt with romance, and brush with the supernatural. Characters discover their strength when dire circumstance disrupts routine—like real life.

An avid film fan (she insisted we list her favorites) and self-proclaimed news nerd, other interests include history and geopolitics, society and culture; archaeology, psychology and science; and parapsychology, leaving few subjects off her literary table—and adding a depth to her characters that resonates with readers.

Working on a new novel in her Connecticut home often begins before dawn. When she’s not writing, she’s likely viewing movies or binge-watching a favorite TV drama on the DVR, Criminal Minds, Downton Abbey, Madam Secretary, NCIS, and The Americans come to mind, though the list is long.

Iconic New England jewelry company plays prominent role in suspense thriller, Asylum.

Fresh out of art school, this Connecticut native found her dream job at The Napier Company designing costume jewelry. This first out-of-art-school real work experience left a lasting impression, finding its way back in history c.1900, and eventually forming the basis for a fictional business of the prominent Northeast industrialist, albeit ill-fated, Delito family, and their dark suspense saga, Asylum.

An ad agency career yields more than a paycheck.

Transitioning from a small blue-collar town to Hartford’s Constitution Plaza took more than a slight adjustment—a thirty-minute commute, pay parking! elevators to her 11th floor office, panoramic views of the Connecticut River, and the chic G. Fox & Company close enough to browse fashion trends, shop, and grab lunch. During her forty years as part of Connecticut’s (and beyond) ad community, the author learned a little about a lot of things: banking products and services, blasting caps, electric razors, fast-food service, fitness centers, hand tools, healthcare products, housewares, insurance, machine parts, military, restaurants, senior living, sports equipment, taps and dies, toys, and utilities. And let’s not forget wines, spirits and specialty drinks.

Every day presented new opportunity to expand an eclectic knowledge base. She loved the job, the company, her quirky creative co-workers, the city, even the commute’s downtime—time enough to study the annual pattern of spring thaw and flooding between the interstate and the river. Who knew that insignificant observation would one day contribute to a novel’s sense of time and place?

Who knew tennis racket “catgut” strings were made from animal intestines? Who knew test driving a tank would be so loud and bumpy? Or that she’d be invited to a submarine launch? “You want me to go fishing for bluefish with a client? In a boat?” When people ask, where do you get your ideas? She says, “Look around and start with what you know.” For Kathryn, it turns out to be a big, big pool.

More than a hobby. A mission?

A lifelong interest in psychic phenomena resulted in DreamWatch.com, true paranormal experiences of everyday people, online since 1997 with visitors from every state and at least 50 countries. We list them on our Worldwide page. The idea for the site came in a dream.

DreamWatch, true paranormal experiences of ordinary people

An early incarnation of DreamWatch online

Now and then as story submissions came in, Kathryn would notice patterns: a week of cat ghost stories, or graveyard hauntings, or premonitions of a grandparent’s death. She wondered: “What if premonitions from around the world predicted the same catastrophic event? What would I do? Who would I tell? Who would believe me?” She mentally listed her six degrees of separation from someone in a position to intervene.

The idea formed the basic plot line for her psychic thriller Premonition of Terror.

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Dreamwatch® is a Registered Trademark of Kathryn Orzech.