About Alan

Background

Alan Orloff is one of a rare breed—a native Washingtonian. Born in D.C. and raised in the Maryland suburbs, he received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maryland (GO TERPS!) before hitting the road to work for General Electric.

After a few years touring the country (Syracuse, NY; Tewksbury, MA; Richmond, VA; Newport News, VA; Louisville, KY:), he decided engineering wasn’t his thing and attended business school, earning an MBA at MIT/Sloan (GO BEAVERS!). Upon graduation, he returned to the Washington area and made the arduous trek across the Potomac River into the Virginia suburbs. Recently, he moved to Florida, where the weather is always warm.

Throughout his eclectic career, Alan has worked on nuclear submarines, supervised assembly workers in factories, and stacked washing machines three high in a warehouse with a forklift. He worked at a newspaper company (The Washington Post), for a marketing research firm (Arbitron), and at a hardware/software systems developer (Odin). He even started his own newsletter business, educating the public about the benefits of recycling and waste reduction (GO EARTH!).

Years later, though, he decided business wasn’t really his thing either. Buoyed by the support of his wife, he started writing fiction. Miraculously, he didn’t get bored; in fact, he actually enjoyed writing. This would have made his late father, a former English teacher, very proud.

Alan is a member of Mystery Writers of America (MWA), International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime.

He is happily married, with two sons, and enjoys a host of hobbies, not least of which is bragging about his adult children. He likes to play golf and read a lot, too. He also runs and swims, but he doesn’t much like doing either.