Mark Okrant
Spinning Tourism and Travel Tales into Murder Mysteries
Over the course of 42 years Mark Okrant has evolved from academic to tourism research guru to murder mystery author.
Mark Okrant has spent the past 42 years in New Hampshire teaching Tourism Management and establishing and then maintaining the mantle of "Tourism Research Guru" for the State of New Hampshire.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Mark came to New Hampshire in 1979 when he was hired by Plymouth State in response to a search for an individual to help establish the state of New Hampshire's first academic tourism program.
One of the grand benefits of all this was that many, perhaps all of the most interesting and majestic tourist attractions in the State of New Hampshire would roll out the red carpet for him and share with him the comfort of their accommodations and - now and then - a secret or two.
At some point Mark began to craft the idea of writing a murder mystery and staging it at one of the famous resorts in New Hampshire. Then a conversation with Steve Barba, an icon in New Hampshire tourism and owner of the Balsams Resort in Dixville Notch unleashed the dam. Mark had asked if Steve would be open to having him write a murder mystery about a crime at the Balsams. Not only did Steve say yes, he opened his doors and staff to the project. That conversation sparked a life-long friendship and Okrant's first novel "A Last Resort".
Nine mysteries, and one non-fiction book later, Okrant is still going strong and continues to write, though he is winding up his teaching career.
I caught up with Mark recently to talk about coming to New Hampshire, his academic and research career and writing novels.
Listen here:
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About Mark Okrant
Mark Okrant is an author and professor emeritus of tourism management at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. He has conducted tourism research in New Hampshire, Maine, South Dakota, Alaska, Canada, Romania, and Puerto Rico, and is past president of a leading global organization for tourism researchers, the Travel and Tourism Research Association. Mark has been a guest contributor for El Coqui, a tourism magazine in western Puerto Rico, and provided a bi-weekly NH Travel Guru column for InDepthNH.org. Presently, he writes a weekly column for The Laker (thelaker.com).
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What reviewers are saying:
“Okrant’s writing style is crisp and quick. Kary Turnell and the police may become bogged down once in a while, but his writing never does. Add to this his research, and putting down (his books) will prove hard to do. Okrant is as painstaking a researcher as Turnell.”
—Christina Van Horn, former editor at Concord Monitor, Associated Press, Boston Globe
“Mark Okrant does an outstanding job of creating a mystery that takes place at an actual resort . . . his books blend quality writing, believable characters, proficient plot building . . . not to mention the scenery.”
—J.L. Campbell, author and humorist
From the author:
“My niche in the world of mystery writing is to place my lead character, investigator Kary Turnell, in a position to work crime scenes at historic resort hotels, attractions, and communities. As an author, having the opportunity to be a guest at all four of New Hampshire’s grand hotels, and at popular destinations in New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Nunavut, and Puerto Rico has enabled me to add an actual sense of being-there to my Kary Turnell and Commissioner Kary Turnell mystery series.
Visit the Kary Turnell Mystery Tour page (click here).
Links
NH Tourism
Granite State Ambassadors
https://www.visitnh.gov/attraction/15240/granite-state-ambassadors
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