#COOKING WITH CLORIS--MYSTERY AUTHOR MELISSA YI OFFERS UP STOCKHOLM SYNDROME WITH A SIDE OF PAIN AU CHOCOLAT

Melissa Yi is an emergency physician with an active practice and an award-winning writing career. Learn more about her and her books at her website. 

What if you were kidnapped for Christmas?

Dr. Hope Sze, resident doctor on call, runs through the obstetric ward amid tinsel and fake candy canes. One minute, she's arguing with the senior resident over who gets to deliver the next baby. The next minute, a killer presses a gun to Hope's temple.

 

Stockholm Syndrome had two major inspirations. First of all, I'm an ER doctor, and after an incident with a prisoner who escaped police custody, where I could have been injured or killed, I started researching hostage takings at hospitals.

 

The first hit was the crisis at the Budyonnovsk hospital in Russia, where Chechen rebels took 1500 or more people hostage.

 

The second hit was the hostage taking at the Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah. A man entered the hospital with a revolver, a shotgun, and dynamite, intent on killing the gynecologist who had performed a tubal ligation on the man's wife. Unable to find the doctor, the man focused on another roomful of hostages: a woman giving birth, her family, and two nurses.

 

Boom. That was my second real-life inspiration. I knew that when Hope stepped on the OB ward, she'd get swept into nightmare scenario #2 at her hospital in Montreal, Canada. But how could I possibly write her out again, let alone the woman in labor, a newborn baby, or any other innocent people?

 

I hope you enjoy reading Stockholm Syndrome as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here’s a recipe to keep your stomach from growling as you turn the pages!

 

Dr. Hope Sze’s Quick and Dirty Pain au Chocolat

 

Ingredients:

1 good quality baguette

an ample amount of excellent chocolate (whatever and however much that means to you.)

 

Cut the bread in half lengthwise. Layer the chocolate inside the bread and put it back together, so that it’s a chocolate submarine sandwich. Wrap the baguette well, put it in your backpack, and either go hiking or, if you’re me, hunt down some murderers. The heat from your body melts the chocolate into the bread, and voilà!

 

Please note that I first heard this recipe on CBC Radio, but I can’t remember which cookbook it’s from. I apologize to the authors.

 

Also, once I brought the bread and chocolate to a potluck, and we baked it in the oven instead of running around with backpacks, and the women wouldn’t eat it. Too scared of carbs and chocolate. But I ate it, because life is short, killers make it even shorter, and dark chocolate contains flavonoids.

 

Bon appétit.

 

Stockholm Syndrome

A Hope Sze Medical Mystery, Book 4

 

A killer infiltrates the obstetrics ward of a Montreal hospital, taking one pregnant woman and one resident doctor hostage at gunpoint. Dr. Hope Sze struggles to deliver her patient’s baby with blood on the floor and death in the air. And when Dr. Tucker tries to rescue their tiny crew, only to end up hostage material alongside them, Hope’s heart just might break, even before the kidnapper drills a bullet through her skull.

 

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GUEST AUTHOR STACI TROILO ON HOW A MEDICAL LAB ERROR LED TO A SUSPENSE SERIES

Staci Troilo loves getting lost in sci-fi battles, fantasy realms, horror worlds, suspenseful intrigues, and romantic entanglements, both in her reading and her writing. Learn more about her and her books at her website. stacitroilo.com

Bad Agents and Erroneous Lab Results Make for Great Fiction

I have to say, I’m a bit late for this birthday bash. December is the month three of my novels celebrate their publication anniversaries. All three—Type and Cross, Out and About, and Pride and Fall—comprise the Cathedral Lake series. While I missed the official celebration dates, I’m still in a festive mood about the novels, and I thought I’d share how they came to be.

Once upon a time, I had an agent who was shopping my first romance novel around New York. I assumed I was supposed to continue working on the series, so I dove into book two before book one was purchased. Halfway through, my agent chastised me and told me I should be writing in a different genre, because the romance genre was glutted and hard to sell.

Why, then, did she offer to represent me to begin with?

I couldn’t figure it out, but I dove into my idea file to look for something in a different genre. Turned out, though, almost all my story concepts were for the romance genre. Various sub-genres, but still, they were all romances.

All but one.

A few years earlier, my husband had blood work done. It was nothing serious, just routine. But when he got his lab report, he was puzzled about his blood type. Both of his parents were O+, so he just assumed he would be, too. But he wasn’t. So he talked to his parents about it. He wanted to be sure he knew his parents’ correct blood types, in case there was ever a medical emergency.

Turns out, he was right about the types—his parents were both O+.

Turns out he was wrong to ask his parents about it—his father freaked out.

I, by nature, am a curious person. And I avoid conflict like the plague when I can. When this all hit the fan, I did what came naturally to me. I researched how blood types are determined.

It’s a fascinating subject. Each person, despite having one “type” (or Rh factor) stated, actually has two determinates—one from the mother and one from the father. So anyone with a positive blood type could actually have one positive antigen and one negative antigen. Because there’s even one positive, that person will state their blood type as positive. But that negative antigen is still there, and it can be passed on to offspring. That means that two blood type positive parents could actually have one positive and one negative antigen each, and both the mother and the father could pass on the negative, not the positive, antigen, resulting in a child with two negative antigens. In other words, a child with a negative blood type.

I was thrilled that I’d discovered the mystery behind my husband’s blood type. I wanted to calm everyone’s anxieties. Turns out, I didn’t need to. The blood lab contacted my husband and reported their error. I don’t know what made them review their results—but it was good that they did. The family relaxed, secure in the knowledge that all was as it should be.

But I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Not only was the Rh factor information fascinating, the A, B, O research was compelling, too. I mulled things over for a while, and the seeds of a medical drama sprouted and grew into the Kellers, a dysfunctional family who lives in Cathedral Lake, a fictional town in Western Pennsylvania. They are deliciously complex, and the pages of their stories pretty much wrote themselves.

I was halfway through the first novel in that series when my agent told me mainstream fiction—which is what she categorized the series as—were the hardest novels to sell.

That made two series she didn’t want to promote. And she offered next to no guidance in what I should do next.

Left to my own devices, I did what I think any frustrated new author would do. I fired her and signed both series—the romance and the mainstream—with a smaller publisher. It was a relief to find a company who was as excited about my work as I was. And the Cathedral Lake series was quickly finished and is now a completed trilogy.

It might be a belated celebration, but I’m still commemorating the novels’ birthdays. Type and Cross details one family’s journey from devastation to redemption, Out and About chronicles the merits and miseries of freedoms denied and gained, and Pride and Fall is a story of healing and personal growth.

Without a little serendipity and a lot of luck, the Cathedral Lake series might never have come to fruition.

Type and Cross, Book 1 of the Cathedral Lake Series

Blood defines family. Blood reveals betrayal.

Dr. Royce Keller is no stranger to blood. As Chief of Emergency Medicine at Oakland Regional Hospital, it’s his job, his calling. To Royce, it is the very essence of life—what ties his family, his career, and his world together. Until he learns everything he believes is wrong.

Vanessa Keller has a secret she has kept hidden for almost two decades. It’s her burden, her cross to bear. To Vanessa, the truth is a choice—something best forgotten for the greater good of her family and their future. Until the day it comes back to haunt her. 

A tale of family dysfunction, betrayal, heroism, and loss, Type and Cross is the story of one family’s journey from devastation to redemption.

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HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--GUEST AUTHOR J.L. GREGER

J.L. Greger, a professor emerita of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, enjoys putting tidbits of science into her novels. Today she talks about Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight, her newest mystery/suspense release, and offers some nutrition and weight loss advice. Learn more about J.L. and her books at her website. -- AP

A Big Portion of Murder

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates one-third of American adults are obese; one-third are overweight.

WOW! That means there should be a big market for my new novel Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight.

In this mystery/suspense novel, Linda Almquist is investigating Dr. Richard Varegos, a "diet doctor," for recklessly endangering the lives of his obese research subjects. He is convinced he’s found an easy way for obese subjects to lose weight - just alter their gut flora. Sounds strange to you? Actually it is an active area of research on weight control.

In this blog, I’m going to focus on more mundane aspects of weight control – ways to eat fewer calories. I’ll try not to sound like a retired professor of nutrition that I am. Obviously, exercising more is also important, but cutting calories is enough bad news for today.

Keep track of what you eat. Every time you eat or drink (I mean every time.) for 3 days, write it down.

SURPRISE! Bet you ate and drank more than you thought. Now analyze your behavior considering the next two points.

Decrease portion size. When I was a teen (before the introduction of the quarter pounder and supersizing - Oh dear, now you can guess my age.), I might have selected a small cheeseburger (300 calories) and small fries (230 calories) for lunch. Now you might select a double quarter pounder with cheese (750 calories) and large fries (500 calories.) The difference is 720 calories (3,600 calories per week).

You could lose a pound of weight a week if you substituted a small cheeseburger and small fries for a quarter pounder with cheese and large fries for lunch every weekday. Of course, that assumes you won’t increase what you eat at other meals and snacks or decrease your activity. I know that’s easier said than done. No wonder “diet doctors” jazz up their basic advice.

Decrease fat, sugar, and alcohol intake. Let’s just look at beverages today. Those are really sneaky sources of calories. Most sweet iced teas, iced coffees, fruit juices, and regular sodas (16 oz.) contain 130-190 calories and many fruits smoothies (12 oz.) provide 200-250 calories, while the unsweetened tea, black coffee, and diet sodas contain no calories. And it’s easy to drink three (probably more) glasses in a day.

You do the math. The calories add up quickly.

Decide to follow this unpalatable advice. Some find it easier to live with their decisions to eat smaller portions if they chew gum between meals or drink at least one glass of water before each meal. Seasoning mixes can add flavor to foods that otherwise might be bland when fat is removed.

Did you learn anything new on weight control? Probably not. You already knew the basics of dieting. You, like me, just don’t follow the advice.

That’s why so many researchers study obesity. Meet several of them when you read Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight. It just might make you decide dieting isn’t so hard after all. 

Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight

Someone in a southwestern medical school doesn’t like women. Two have been murdered already. Linda Almquist suspects the deaths are related to her investigation of Dr. Richard Varegos, a “diet doctor.” He is alleged to be recklessly endangering the lives of his obese research subjects. Maybe she’s wrong. The murders might be related to something in the past – something involving her boss, the Dean. While Linda fears for her job, the police fear for her life.

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Coming Flu (the prequel to Murder: A New Way to Lose Weight)

When a mysterious flu breaks out in La Bendita, an upscale gated community near the Rio Grande, the lives of its residents change radically --and instantly. The few who are fortunate enough to avoid the killer flu become virtual prisoners in their homes when a quarantine is imposed. One resident, Sara Almquist, a medical epidemiologist, is compelled by habit and training to examine the elements of the epidemic, even when it means she pries into her neighbors’ lives. Sara finds promising clues--maybe too many.

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THIS WEEK'S BOOK WINNER

Thanks to all who stopped by this week at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers. We hope you'll come back often and also tell your friends about us. We have lots of exciting posts and guests planned for the months ahead. I’d also like to thank CJ Lyons for being our Book Club Friday guest and offering a copy of URGENT CARE to one of our readers who posted a comment this week. The winner this week is Nancy Adams. Nancy, please email your mailing address to me at anastasiapollack@gmail.com. I’ll forward the information to CJ, and she’ll mail your book to you. Happy reading! -- Anastasia

BOOK CLUB FRIDAY -- GUEST AUTHOR CJ LYONS

Our Book Club Friday guest today is medical suspense author CJ Lyons. As a pediatric ER doctor, CJ Lyons has lived the life she writes about.  In addition to being an award-winning medical suspense author, CJ is a nationally known presenter and keynote speaker. 

Her first novel, LIFELINES (Berkley, March 2008), received praise as a "breathtakingly fast-paced medical thriller" from Publishers Weekly, was reviewed favorably by the Baltimore Sun and Newsday, named a Top Pick by Romantic Times Book Review Magazine, and became a National Bestseller.  CRITICAL CONDITION, the final book in her award-winning, critically acclaimed Angels of Mercy series was just released.  CJ’s newest project is as co-author of a new suspense series with Erin Brockovich.  To learn more about CJ and her work, visit her website.

CJ has graciously offered a copy of URGENT CARE, the book that sets up CRITICAL CONDITION, to one of our readers who posts a comment to the blog this week. -- AP

STILETTO HEELS OR COMFY SLIPPERS?

The past  few years I've been privileged to judge several contests: the Ritas, Daphne published, the Golden Heart and the Thrillers. That adds up to almost 500 books I've read searching for excellence in fiction.

Did I find it?  Yes, but it was few and far between.

I don't think I'm an overly-harsh judge.  But maybe I've read too much?  So many of the books blend together—flat, cardboard characters following clichéd, over done plots to the point where I have to double check my score sheet.  Did I read this book already?

No, it's just like all the others is all…..

Many of these books are by multi-published best selling authors.  Some broke new ground with their early books but now continue to follow in their own footsteps. 

I can understand that—if you find what works for you and have a large following of fans wanting you to do the same old thing and paying you lots of money for it, who could resist?

And, many readers DO want the "same thing, just different". They demand it, complaining if "their" author tries a new direction. They like having expectations fulfilled, rather than being surprised.  Reading is a comfortable escape for them, not a challenge or adventure.

I confess, I'm more of a thrill-seeker when I choose my books.  Maybe because I now have so little time to read, every book I do finish must promise something new and exciting.  Many don't deliver on their initial promise and end up being unfinished, but that's fodder for another post! 

I think there's a time and place for both kinds of books.  And bravo to everyone who is reading instead of watching TV or living their lives on-line!!

But as a writer, it's scary to think about.  Your gut tells you to go one way, your brain tells you to stick to "what works", your heart wants to head in a totally other direction…what to do?

My last book in the Angels of Mercy series is out December 7^th.  With each book, I've upped the bar as far as intensity and giving the reader an adrenalin rush of a thrill ride.  Book #1, LIFELINES, was pretty much pure thriller with increasing stakes until the entire city of Pittsburgh was at risk.

Book #2, WARNING SIGNS,  was a different kind of challenge: combining a coming of age story about a medical student suffering from mysterious symptoms with the whodunnit mystery behind the deadly symptoms.

URGENT CARE, book #3, was a true book of my heart and the toughest to write--in it, I explore the psychological effects of surviving a trauma.  It's a dark, gritty suspense, very emotionally honest.

So for CRITICAL CONDITION, the finale of the Angels' quadrilogy, I wanted to go back to the intense pacing of the first book.  Only I set myself an even bigger challenge--instead of taking place over 4 days, this book takes place over four HOURS!

Yep, you got it--you'll pretty much read this book in real time--which means juggling not only four characters and their story arcs but down to the second timing between each scene.

Plus, after the dark intensity of URGENT CARE, I wanted to give readers a bit of a smile, so there are all sorts of unexpected happenings (unexpected even to me, lol!  Don't you love it when that happens; you're just writing along and you surprise even yourself?  Talk about chaos!) and fun twists and turns.

But….there's always a but, isn't there?...will CRITICAL CONDITION excite and satisfy my readers as much as it did me? It's fresh, different, pushing all the boundaries…but is that what readers want?

What do you want from a book?  A comfortable, familiar sweater that you know will fit perfectly? 

Or a snazzy, new dress that may itch at first but gives you that feeling of ohlala?

Thanks so much for stopping by, CJ! So readers, which are you? A comfortable sweater or a snazzy new dress? Don’t forget to post a comment to be entered in the drawing for URGENT CARE, and check back tomorrow to find out if you’re the lucky winner. -- AP