Your destination for gripping narratives that will keep you on the edge of your seat. From heart-pounding mysteries to pulse-quickening thrillers, explore the darker alleys of crime and dive into the world of suspense. With a blend of mainstream appeal, Rouge River promises to captivate tales that will challenge and thrill.
Publisher
Staci Troilo
Staci Troilo is the Executive Vice President and Publisher of Roan & Weatherford’s Rogue River Imprint.
Born and raised in Western Pennsylvania, she chose to stay in the area she loved through her college career, receiving a B.A. in Professional Writing and Creative Writing from Carnegie Mellon University. Upon earning a scholarship to continue her education, she achieved an M.A. in Professional Writing from her alma mater in two semesters. She worked in development for a nonprofit organization before accepting a marketing position at an engineering firm. After the birth of her second child, she traded in full-time office work for at-home freelance jobs in order to spend more time with her family. A few years later, she began working as a private tutor then took on the role of adjunct writing professor at a local college.
In 2010, she moved to Arkansas, where she continued freelance writing and editing. She joined Roan & Weatherford in 2014 and, after a brief departure during which she moved back to her hometown to be near her extended family, she returned to Arkansas and the company in 2022.
Staci has worked as a writer and editor for over thirty years, more than fifteen of which were spent editing for independent publishers. She is currently searching for exceptional mystery/suspense/thriller/horror manuscripts.
Wishlist
I’m looking for complex (not convoluted) plots that immerse me in the protagonists’ perils and the villains’ depravities. I want innovative situations—secrets hidden under layers of riddles wrapped in an enigmatic shroud. Stories with throat-gripping beginnings, pulse-pounding middles, and jaw-dropping endings, especially mash-ups with other genres seldom or never before seen. Something to revitalize standard, tired tropes while retaining the core darkness of these genres that readers enjoy. Bonus points for snippets of humor to give the characters time to catch their breath before plunging them back into danger.
I want these to be strong, unique characters who leap off the page to become my best friend or worst enemy. Villains who inspire terror and dread. Victims targeted for fascinating reasons and tormented to their breaking point or beyond. Heroes from all walks of life who find a way to rise above their fright to face their fears and mount herculean defenses.
Hannibal Lecter set the standard. If your villain makes him look like a choir boy, I want to meet him. (On the page, of course. He’s the last person I want to bump into in a dark alley—or anywhere else.)
