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| Safe Harbor Medical Center |
Following a career as an Associated Press reporter, USA Today bestselling
author Jacqueline Diamond has sold more than 100 novels. She is especially
known for her 17-book Safe Harbor Medical romance series and is currently
writing the fourth book in the spin-off Safe Harbor Medical Mystery series.
Learn more about her and her books at her website.
My Town: Safe Harbor
No need to
bring an umbrella or put on sunscreen as we stroll along the harbor, linger
over a cup of tea at the Sea Star café, check out the latest paintings at the
Wine Arts Gallery, or adopt a pet at the Oahu Lane Animal Shelter. While you
won’t find it on Google Maps, the town of Safe Harbor, California, has become more
real to me than many places that actually exist.
We could also
take a floor-by-floor tour of Safe Harbor Medical Center and the adjoining
medical offices. There are up-to-the-minute laboratories, an extensive
fertility program with its own egg donor project, and that centerpiece of staff
gathering and gossip, the indoor-outdoor cafeteria.
Creating a
fictional town presents many advantages, but I never expected to develop one
with such depth. My file describing it runs to seventeen pages, while my desk
drawers contain half a dozen maps in varying degrees of detail.
What are the
advantages of constructing my own community? Real towns and cities pose
logistical problems. There isn’t always an appropriate bus service or school or
shop to fit fictional needs. Furthermore, if I stir up trouble at a police
department or a hospital, I could step on someone’s toes, perhaps even invite a
lawsuit. And as the years pass, towns change so that descriptions in novels may
no longer match reality. None of that is a problem when I “own” the place!
This isn’t the
first town I’ve dreamed up over the course of writing more than 100 books, but
it’s by far the most complete. Initially, I planned to write three books, but
minor characters kept demanding that I tell their stories. New staff arrived,
and the hospital’s personality evolved as it grew. If you watch Grey’s
Anatomy, you’ll know what I mean.
Although my
series is set in and around the medical center, my heroes and heroines
sometimes fall in love with people from the wider community, including police
officers, attorneys, and private detectives. My maps expanded; more supporting
characters sprang to life, and some insisted on finding love, as well. My file
of characters, with backgrounds and descriptions, has bloomed to more than 100
pages in its own right.
Does this mean
I achieved perfect consistency during the nearly ten years I’ve been writing
these books? Well, no. Occasionally, I find small glitches. Fortunately, I’ve
been able to reedit the earlier novels. While the series was originally
published by Harlequin, I have regained rights and reissued nine of the
romances under my K. Loren Wilson imprint. The mysteries—I’m currently working
on the fourth—are all self-published originals.
Each
book in the series can be read as a stand-alone, from the first romance, The
Would-Be Mommy, to the latest mystery, The Case of the
Desperate Doctor. In Safe Harbor, the welcome sign is always visible
on the main boulevard and the doors of the medical center are always open. Stop
by any time!
The Would-Be Mommy
A Safe Harbor Medical Romance, Book One
When reporter
Ian Martin stirs trouble with his story about a hospital welcoming abandoned
babies, he ignites a firestorm around public relations director Jennifer Serra.
Now she faces losing her heart to a baby she can’t keep, and losing her job due
to a scandalous secret. To help her, Ian must choose between his ambitions and
his unexpected love for her.
Buy Links
Thanks for reading my blog! FYI, The Would-Be Mommy is on sale for 99 cents on multiple sites, including Amazon, Kobo, B&N and iTunes.
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