DR. MILLICENT EIDSON BRINGS THE SOUTHWEST ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE, ALONG WITH ENCHANTMENT AND MYSTERY, TO HER DEBUT NOVEL

Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico

Dr. Millicent Eidson is a public health instructor previously with state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn more about Millie and her microbial mystery stories of zoonoses (diseases from animals) at her website.  

“Monuments” is an award-winning ten-minute play set in Santa Fe, New Mexico during the hot summer protests of 2020. The iconic city is also home base for new medical detective Dr. Maya Maguire in the MayaVerse, an alphabetical mystery series. A twenty-five-year-old veterinarian hired by the CDC for a prestigious two-year public health training program, Maya is over her head as she investigates disease outbreaks while attempting a personal life for the first time.

 

In the debut novel, Bacillus anthracis bacteria infect Texas livestock but are new to Arizona with the collapse of a teenage Hopi sheepherder. Maya’s fieldwork takes her to spectacular remote locations of Keams Canyon and wildlife refuges along the Mexican border. More anthrax infections and deaths emerge from a Christmas-themed petting zoo, a Native American Pow Wow, and the largest livestock show in Arizona. 

 

Maya’s chapters interchange with the mysterious diary of a young boy who fancies a veterinary career while he becomes indoctrinated into hatred of anyone different. As timelines collide, passions bloom in the ancient ruins of Bandelier National Monument and Chaco Canyon. Warm friendships are intensified in Santa Fe’s plaza and Canyon Road with the farolitos and Las Posadas of Christmas. Maya rejoices in her work placement immersed in the Southwestern landscapes and traditions of her Arizona childhood.

 

Physical challenges from horseback riding and rough jeep trails exacerbate panic and pain from metal pins inserted after a childhood accident. Maya is supported in her journey as a “fish out of water” Chinese American in the Southwest by her loving but intrusive adoptive family. She’s buoyed by furry cuddles with her grandma’s Persian cat and her veterinary colleague’s Labrador retriever. Her mental health challenges are counteracted by Broadway musicals, especially Hamilton. How fortunate that the intriguing physician working for the Indian Health Service resembles Lin-Manuel Miranda, the musical’s creator and star.

 

Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery launches Maya’s worldwide travels as a statistics nerd maturing into medical detective leadership with life-changing personal connections. Along with suspense and medical thriller aspects, each novel provides its readers a rewarding HFN—happy for now—conclusion with a hint of foreshadowing to the next disease threat.

 

As the veterinarian author of the MayaVerse, I share with readers the excitement and fascinating science of invisible microbes, a specialty during my epidemiology career. Expanding the medical detective world to veterinary public health provides enriching new fictional challenges, characters, and settings. One Health is the concept that humans, animals, and the environment are intricately tied together, and changes like weirding weather impact us all.

 

Like my character, I lived most of my life in the Southwest. My (and Maya’s) favorite Northern New Mexico cuisine includes blue corn green chile chicken enchiladas with sour cream. Regular corn wrappings will not do. They must be blue corn, grown that color and not dyed. The blue corn provides a rich nutty flavor. Ideally the chiles should be from Hatch, New Mexico, where fall roasting gives off fumes so strong your eyes will burn. Many consider green chiles to be the most flavorful, although you can also order “Christmas” at any time of the year, which is a mix of red and green chiles. To make your own blue corn enchiladas with red chile sauce, see https://www.sfshed.com/pages/video-recipes

 

The MayaVerse is an innovative mashup of Tess Gerritsen and Tony Hillerman with cozy mystery elements interrupted by bouts of terror. Please join Maya and me on her journey, including the free MayaVerse prequels and side stories available on my website. Those joining the Reader list will receive “Monuments” as a free ebook.

 

Anthracis: A Microbial Mystery

MayaVerse, Book 1

 

The spectacular southwestern desert is alive with Bacillus anthracis spores, and the summer is the hottest on record. As a new veterinary epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Maya Maguire confronts the largest, most complex anthrax outbreak in U.S. history.

 

Infections in persons of color and immigration activists resonate with Maya’s search, as a Chinese American adoptee, for a place in her American home. Younger than her fellow trainees and battling panic disorder from a horrific childhood accident, she struggles to solve an epidemic mystery in a physician-dominated public health world. From her home base in New Mexico, CDC sends her to join a federal team in Arizona, including provocative physician Dr. Manolo Miranda and tightlipped veterinarian Dr. Dave Schwartz.

 

The epidemic is linked to climate change—that’s the party line. But Homeland Security agents and the FBI are suspicious. Dave’s an anthrax expert and spores match his home Texas Triangle of Death.

 

An invisible enemy, team secrets, and romantic missteps may derail Maya’s confidence. If she can’t find the source, thousands could perish from anthrax-laced heroin and tainted milk. Anthracis takes us to the front lines with scientists betting their lives and relationships on the investigation outcome.

 

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AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR PATRICIA PRESTON'S ROMANCE HEROINE NATALIE LAYTON

Award-winning author Patricia Preston loves writing romances with picturesque settings and a host of unforgettable characters whose lives entwine in feel-good stories about life, love and finding happiness. She also writes short humorous stories and historicals.

Besides writing, she also works in a family medical clinic. Her favorite place to hang out is her writing cave where must-haves are iced tea and epic music. Learn more about Patricia and her books at her website. 

Everything His Heart Desires a single-title romance that reunites former high school adversaries. Brett “Hot Rod” Harris was from the wrong side of town and determined to make a success of his life no matter what. A wealthy senator’s daughter, Natalie Layton was considered the Cutest Girl in class and a total slacker, which annoyed Brett to no end, especially when he got stuck with her for a lab partner. Fifteen years later, Brett is a cardiologist and still driven to succeed. Natalie is a wartime photographer grappling with the losses in her life.

Natalie recently sat down with us for an interview:

Where are you from?

I grew up in Lafayette Falls, Tennessee but left after I graduated high school. I spent fifteen years abroad as a photographer until a bombing in Kabul ended my career and I reluctantly returned to my hometown.

Tell us a bit about Everything His Heart Desires.

My stubborn grandmother won’t see a doctor about her heart. My family concocts a scheme involving my old high school nemesis, Brett Harris, who, of all things, is a heart doctor now. This plot involves me inviting Brett over to Nana’s for dinner. He thinks charming an old lady will be easy. He is so wrong. Wait till he meets Nana’s thug cat, Pharaoh.

What did you think the first time you saw Brett?

That he hadn’t changed at all. He still has that “James Dean,” born on the wrong side of the tracks thing going. Still Type A, too, and he still has a low opinion of me.

What was your second thought?

That, despite everything, I still like him. And now I’m the key to his success. Karma!

Did you feel it was love at first sight? 

More like trouble at first sight.

What do you like most about him?

I like that he always believed in himself. Raised by his uncle, he had no parents and no money, but he never gave up and never settled for being less than the best.

How would you describe him?

He was our class valedictorian. Smart, sexy and sure of himself. So unlike me.

How would he describe you?

He always called me Slacker because I never worked hard in school. He resented that I came from a rich family and I grew up with everything he never had. But there were things about my life he didn’t know, and I am Type B totally, which gets on his nerves.

What made you choose photojournalism as a career?

I always loved photography. I thought I’d have a photography studio or maybe work for a home and garden magazine. All that changed when my husband died a violent death. I headed to the Middle East to take the kind of photographs no one wants to see.

What is your biggest fear?

I was fearless for a long time. Until I almost died in a bombing. Now I fear my future is in shambles.

What is the best piece of advice you ever received?

“It is in the small stories that we find our truth.” That came from my grandmother, who helped me find the truth when it comes to life and love.

Everything His Heart Desires

A Love Heals All Romance

Growing up in Lafayette Falls, senator’s daughter Natalie Layton hid her sorrows behind a bright smile that charmed everyone in high school—except Brett Harris. Hardworking and highly motivated, Brett dismissed Natalie as a slacker. Instead, she’s become an acclaimed photographer. And when Brett, now a successful cardiologist, needs her family’s help to secure a coveted position, Natalie’s more than happy to prescribe a little payback…

Hailing from the wrong side of the tracks, Brett believed he could never win the school’s popular princess. Now he’s intrigued by the complex and compassionate woman Natalie’s become. Gaining her grandmother’s goodwill is the key to becoming chief cardiologist—and Natalie has no intention of making it easy. But as mutual mistrust gives way to pure chemistry, there’s more at stake than either ever expected—and much more to learn about matters of the heart…

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#TRAVEL TO AUTHOR JACQUELINE DIAMOND'S FICTITIOUS TOWN OF SAFE HARBOR, CALIFORNIA

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.

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#CRAFTS WITH ANASTASIA--GUEST AUTHOR LAURIE RYAN TALKS CHRISTMAS TREES

Always a fan of happily-ever-after endings, romance was a natural genre for Laurie Ryan to gravitate to. She loves writing stories of stubborn, single-minded heroines who have to learn that everything is better when you’re not alone. Learn more about Laurie and her books at her website.

How Do You Decorate Your Tree?

Hi, everyone! And a mega-thank you to Lois Winston for having me here today. I understand it’s craft day, so I thought I’d chat a bit about Christmas trees. There’s no right or wrong way to decorate a tree from my perspective. And everyone does them a little differently. However, I’ve found there are basically two types of tree-decorators. Those who can put together a magical tree that is perfect in every way, like the amazing tree above my sister-in-law did last year. (I sure wish I had that kind of talent!)

Beautiful to look at and it makes me smile just staring at the picture. Then, there’s the rest of us, who’s trees tend to be mismatched, willy-nilly arrangements of memories and quirky projects. Here’s mine from a couple years ago.

Just like the other tree, my grin is wide as I sit and stare at it. None of my ornaments match, but each one has a memory attached to it. Like the ones below, all of which are handmade. (Just not by me.) A treasured memory of seeing the Northern Lights, gifts from my husband’s grange and one from our grandson, as well as a beloved trip to Mt. Rainier.

Every year, it’s like visiting with old friends as each ornament comes out of the box. Do you feel that same way? I hope so. I’ve never tried to make my own ornaments. That kind of craft is not easy for me, and I envy those who can design three-dimensional crafts like that. Me, I scrapbook and write. Thank goodness for Pinterest, because if it’s not flat, I probably can’t imagine it. I can certainly enjoy it, though. And I do. At home, at my sister-in-law’s, in our local town center. And in the windows of the many houses I drive by at night.

Healing Love

Nicole Milbourne is committed to a cause–eradicating the deadly disease that stole her mother’s life. One man is determined to show her a world larger than her single-minded focus. Adrift for Christmas, Nicole’s favorite holiday, she accepts the lifeline Damien Reed tosses her; Christmas with his family. Will an unexpected Christmas fill Nicole’s lonely heart and show her the healing power of love?

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HEALTHY LIVING WITH GUEST AUTHOR LINDA O'CONNOR

Linda O’Connor started writing a few years ago when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at the local home décor store. It turns out she loves writing romantic comedies and has a few more stories to tell. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic (well, even when she is writing she’s a physician, and it shows up in her stories :D ). Learn more about Linda and her books at her website. 

Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Perfectly Honest is book 1 in the Perfectly Series – 6 fun romantic comedies! Perfectly Honest features Dr. Sam O’Brien a.k.a. “Dr. Eye Candy”. He’s an ophthalmologist (an eye physician and surgeon), so I thought I’d bust a few myths about eyes!

1. Sitting too close to the television or computer screen will damage your vision.

Not true. Your eyes may feel more tired, but you can fix that by giving them a rest. Nothing harmful to your vision.

2. Reading in the dark will weaken your eyesight.

Another myth. It may be harder to see, but it won’t weaken your eyes.

3. Children don’t need an eye exam until they start school.

False. Children can have eye problems such as near-sightedness or far-sightedness, crossed eyes (strabismus) where the eyes don’t line up with each other or look in the same direction, or lazy eyes (amblyopia) where one eye doesn’t see as well as the other. These need treatment as early as possible so that a child doesn’t end up with lifelong vision problems.

At birth to 3 months, the red reflex should be checked, alignment noted at 6-12 months, and visual acuity measured with an eye chart at 3-5 years. But don't wait if you have a concern. As a side note, sitting close to the TV isn’t harmful, but it may be a sign that a child needs glasses.

4. Eyeglasses can be used as safety glasses.

No, big no. You tend to turn your head as a reflex to an object flying toward you, and eyeglasses don’t protect the sides. Wear proper eye protection with home repairs, yard work, and sports. High risks are baseball, basketball, boxing, and racquet sports (tiny ball the size of the eye). In baseball, ice hockey, and lacrosse, a helmet with a polycarbonate facemask should be worn. In the USA, fishing was the number one cause of sport-related eye injury. All those flying hooks! And safety first when you’re celebrating the win—cover the top of the champagne bottle with a towel so the cork doesn’t fly into an eye.

5. I can wet my contact lenses with a bit of saliva.

Nope, not sterile. Don’t do it.

6. Water is clean enough to store contact lenses in a pinch.

Not true. Contact lenses should not be rinsed or stored in water. You should remove lenses before going swimming or getting into a hot tub, too.

7. Costume lenses are dangerous.

Yes! Contact lenses are medical devices that need to be measured for a proper fit to avoid (potentially irreversible) damage to the cornea. Costume lenses that cover the whole eye don’t allow enough oxygen to the tissues—big problem.

8. What’s the most common cause of vision loss in the world?

Near and far-sightedness. Donate your old glasses to be re-used in countries where eyeglasses aren’t affordable.

Be active and have fun—but protect your eyes!

Perfectly Honest

You never know where your words will take you …

When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s ‘fiancée’ for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor. Sam O’Brien, a.k.a. “Dr. Eye Candy”, is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down.  But when his “fiancée” helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, he might have done things a little differently because somehow his “fiancée” ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted. Lies and deceit – it’s a match made in heaven!

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GUEST AUTHOR JACQUELINE DIAMOND ON #SURROGACY

USA Today bestselling author Jacqueline Diamond is known for her mysteries, romantic comedies, medical romances and Regency romances—102 titles as of 2017. A former Associated Press reporter, Jackie received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. She currently writes the Safe Harbor Medical Mysteries and is reissuing her classic romantic comedies. Learn more about Jacqueline and her books at her website. 

Choosing a Surrogate Mom: Friend or No?

When 29-year-old Cress learned she couldn’t conceive or carry a baby, she was thrilled by her best friend Tanya’s offer to serve as the surrogate. Her husband, Wes, was delighted by the chance to save money.

Although many parents choose commercial surrogates, and most such women are at least partly motivated by an altruistic desire to help complete a family, the cost can rise into the tens of thousands of dollars. And that’s in addition to medical expenses.

Cress’s obstetrician, Dr. Eric Darcy of Safe Harbor Medical Center, agreed to the arrangement as long as all parties signed a legal agreement protecting their rights. In California, where they all lived, surrogacy is well established medically and legally.

Cress and Tanya believed the experience would bring them closer. Instead, it had the opposite effect after someone murdered Cress’s husband. As the circle of suspects widened and evidence indicated Wes had been cheating on his wife—possibly with the surrogate—the pair began fighting about the future custody of the unborn baby, which had been conceived with Tanya’s own egg.

These women’s situation is fictional, but the issues are real. Often there’s a happy outcome when a friend or relative carries a baby, but complicated issues can arise. While these rarely involve murder or infidelity, unanticipated emotions and tensions can change a relationship.

The surrogacy process requires a long commitment by the birth mother, and is physically invasive. A volunteer, who has not undergone the rigorous screening of a commercial surrogate, may underestimate the impact on her.

Regardless of whether the surrogate is a friend or a stranger, medical professionals advise against using the surrogate’s own eggs. If the intended mother can’t provide viable eggs, these can be obtained from a separate donor—at a cost, of course. But this reduces the risk of the surrogate feeling as if she’s giving up her own child.

Also, everyone involved needs to consider how they’ll interact after the baby is born. What role will the friend/surrogate play? Are there expectations of greater closeness with the new baby’s family or will there be a power struggle?

In The Case of the Surly Surrogate, Cress and Tanya must sort out their issues under the glare of the media and mounting concern that whoever killed Wes may target one or both of them. Their obstetrician, Eric Darcy, proves a major source of support as he stands by them and risks his life to help catch the murderer—just as the baby makes her entrance into the world.

The Case of the Surly Surrogate

After Dr. Eric Darcy discovers the body of a patient’s husband, he lands in the midst of a murder investigation. Was the photographer killed because he was cheating on his wife, or was he using his photos in a blackmail plot? And how did he antagonize the surrogate mother about to give birth to his baby? The puzzle pieces snap together in a fast-paced climax that could cost Eric his life.

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#COOKING WITH CLORIS--GUEST AUTHOR J.M. MAURER AND NUTELLA TOFFEE PIE

J.M. Maurer is the author of the Emerging From Darkness trilogy—Seeking Love, Seeking Redemption, and Seeking Hope. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in nursing, she enjoys writing about health and wellness, infusing every emotion into her stories from laughter to tears. Learn more about J.M. and her books at her website and blog.

In the Emerging From Darkness trilogy, we meet Jessica Winters, the registered nurse who spends more time eating chocolate than making anything from it, and Matthew Moi, the sexy sex therapist who knows a great deal about the sexual benefits of cocoa, but prefers caramel. Throughout their growing relationship, the two are constantly waging a loving war, using each of their second loves—chocolate and caramel—to rile the other. So, it is only fitting that today we whip up something they both can enjoy:

Easy Nutella Toffee Pie

Ingredients:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

12 oz. Cool Whip

2/3 cup Nutella (Okay, I’ll be honest, I use a tad more)

1 cup toffee bits

1 graham cracker or Oreo cookie pie crust (I use Oreo, of course)

In an electric mixer, mix together cream cheese and Nutella. Add Cool Whip and mix on low until combined. Stir in 3/4 of the bits. Pour mixture into crust and top with the remaining bits. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Warning: This recipe works very well with strawberries—You get the idea. If not, Dr. Moi is accepting new patients. ;-)

Seeking Love

Every day, Jessica Winters does what she does best—bury herself in patient care within the walls of the neuro intensive care unit, keeping herself busy to escape the dark sadness that controls her life. But the day she sees Matthew Moi, the intriguing man seated at her new patient’s bedside, her shattered heart begins to frantically beat once again. 

As Matthew pins his mesmerizing gaze upon her, trying to distract her with his humorous and playful banter, she does her best to ignore him. Somehow he already knows a great deal about her, breaking down Jessica’s barriers and awakening her soul, drawing her out of the darkness and into his arms. 

When her painful past resurfaces, revealing truths that threaten her future, Jessica struggles through her issues and fights to stay on a healing path . . . seeking love.

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