Let’s give a big Self-Rescue Princess welcome to Rory Anderson. She’s joining us at the start of this holiday season to share a little bit about herself.
Please tell us a little bit about what is currently going on in your life?
Christmas is my favorite time of year. I love attending the events around Vista Beach where I live like the pier lighting ceremony and school concert. This year my BFF, Liz Dexter, and I had a booth at the local craft fair so we worked on painting ornaments to sell at it for months beforehand. I also helped my parents out with the annual sand-snowman contest. But Christmas didn’t turn out to be as fun as I expected. When developers tore down the house across the street from mine, they found a decades old skeleton. A skeleton! It didn’t take long for the police to identify it as someone my father knew in high school. When he was implicated in the crime, I just had to prove that he was innocent.
What made you decide to take on such a risky endeavor?
Concern for my dad. I know he’d never kill anyone, but everything seemed to point to him as the culprit. I just had to get involved and prove he was innocent before it completely ruined his career and his life.
Did you ever imagine yourself being involved in fighting crime?
No, never in my wildest dreams did I expect to have anything to do with murder and now I’ve been involved in five investigations!
Who would you say is the least pleased about your additional career choice of amateur sleuthing? Or is detective work your only career?
That would be my boyfriend, Martin Green. He’s a detective in the Vista Beach police department. He’s not thrilled when I investigate on my own. He’s afraid I’ll get hurt. No, detective work isn’t my normal career. I’m a freelance computer programmer. I write apps, put together websites, that sort of thing.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
My willingness to drop everything and help out friends and family. I’m persistent and a good problem solver. I’m also a bit analytical, which I think helps in investigations. But, sometimes I’m too concerned about what others think of me.
Describe what being a self-rescue princess (a strong, confident woman) means to you.
A strong, confident woman tries to solve her own problems. At the same time, she knows she can’t always do everything by herself so she knows when it’s time to ask for help.
What one advice/wisdom would you like to pass onto young women?
Don’t let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams. Persistence pays off.
What was one lesson you learned during this challenging time in your life?
Life can take surprising turns but, no matter what happens, I know I’ll get through it with the help of my family and friends.
If your story or life had a theme song, what would it be?
The Gloria Gaynor song, “I Will Survive.” I’ve been involved in quite a few murder investigations now and have even been suspected myself. I’ve survived it all.
Do you plan on dabbling in amateur sleuthing in the future, or have you hung up your detective hat?
I’ve said before that I hope I never see another dead body in my life. But I keep on being drawn into investigations. I have the uneasy feeling that it’s going to happen to me again, and soon.
The Self-Rescue Princess 