Interview with CJ
CJ discusses the darkest hour in her medical career with AuthorLink:
Q: How did a nice pediatrician like you turn to writing crime fiction?
CJ: When I was younger I wrote science fiction and fantasy. But then came my internship. The hardest year of any doctor’s life. Except for the twelve interns in my class, things were about to get a whole lot tougher than your usual no sleep, stress filled year.
One of us was murdered. Murdered in a way that shows that real life is much, much worse than anything a writer can dream up in the safety of their imagination. And his death changed everything.
One of the ways I coped was by writing. I wrote my first suspense novel. But I realized when I compared it to my previous work that I really had just found another way to say the same thing.
All of my writing is about ordinary people caught up in events, about unsung heroes, and most importantly about finding the courage to get involved and make a difference.
I realized that I write for the same reason I went into pediatrics and then peds ER medicine: I wanted to change the world, to protect the little guys from the bullies and unfairness and bad things that life throws our way. Which is why, in my fictional world, no one is immune to danger.
But the nice thing about writing, unlike real life, is that I can give the good guys a chance to win.
Q: does your writing influence how you practice medicine and vice versa?
CJ: Being a writer and thus, fascinated with everything that goes into why people do what they do, has allowed me to be more objective with patients. And also, in a way, more empathetic. If I can understand the motivation behind what one of my badguys does in my fictional world then I can understand the motivation behind what happens in the families I treat.
It’s also taught me the art of storytelling, to listen and find the truths hidden beneath the surface.
Has being a doctor made me a better writer? Absolutely. Again, for all the reasons I just stated, but also because I’ve had the opportunity to witness courage and strength and wisdom and love first hand.
I’ve seen true heroes emerge from tragedy. And I’ve seen people break apart under pressure.
My patients have taught me more about medicine than any textbook ever could. And that’s the underlying theme of LIFELINES, my first medical suspense novel due out from Berkley March, 2008.
The thing to remember and what I keep coming back to both in real life and in my fiction is that it’s not medicine that saves lives but people.
Q: How did you come to write LIFELINES?
CJ: Berkley, my publisher, actually came to me. They wanted something new, something they weren’t seeing in books out there right now, a series that focused on the behind the scenes life of a medical center.
Basically they asked me to write a hybrid of women’s fiction and medical suspense, with added thriller and romantic elements. At first I was a bit overwhelmed. It’s a tall order and here they were putting their faith in me, a new writer.
But then as I began to write, I realized it was perfect for me-there were no rules because no one else is writing this kind of book right now. I could do anything I wanted.
The idea that sparked the first book, LIFELINES, actually came from an old Life Magazine photo. In it you see an elderly gentleman, his face kind and gentle like someone’s grandfather. He’s wearing a VFW hat, his shirt is covered with military medals and commendations.
Then you see what he’s holding. It’s a sign that reads: Freedom includes the Right to Hate.
Turns out this photo was taken after the murder of Matthew Shepherd at a gay rights protest.
It haunted me. A man who had spilled blood for my country, and in doing so deserved my respect even though he was a total stranger, yet he was advocating hatred.
And I got to wondering…always a dangerous thing in a writer, and that’s where the plot of LIFELINES was born.
Q: Do you use real life cases in LIFELINES?
CJ: I can’t help but be influenced by what I see around me. And believe me, in the ER you see it all. It’s truly amazing!
I do use real cases, some are mine, some from colleagues. But I’ve found that most of my real life experiences are too “over the top” to work in fiction. I actually have had to dilute the real life cases in order to make them believable.
What they say about the truth being stranger than fiction is absolutely correct.
Q: How difficult was it for you to get published?
CJ: Like most everything in my life, I didn’t exactly follow the rules when it came to publication. It’s been a long, hard road but the greatest joy has been the people I’ve encountered along the way. Fellow writers, both published and unpublished, have been my greatest advocates and supporters. Also booksellers, agents, editors and readers who have seen my work and offered their praise and encouragement.
Q: Any words of advice for aspiring authors?
CJ: Never surrender, never give up.
You need to recognize that most published authors write at least half a million words before they sell a novel. Don’t expect a homerun your first time out. Do expect to look at your work with a critical eye and be willing to make changes.
Always, always remember that if you’re writing for publication, you are no longer writing solely for your own pleasure but for your audience. Know what your readers want and give it to them-make it worth their while to spend their hard-earned money to enter the world you have created.
Q: As a pediatric ER doctor, you’ve dealt with horrendous cases like child abuse, rape and kids who are killed. How do you handle that?
CJ: I write. Through my writing I create a world similar to ours where no one is immune to danger, but because I am the creator I have the power to give my characters the courage and strength to overcome all the terrible things that happen to them.
I try to keep my characters as real as possible: they aren’t just dealing with life and death, there’s also humor and love and forgetting to do the laundry and wondering how to pay the bills.
And because they’ve chosen a life working on the front lines in the ER, violence does enter their lives and they have to learn how to deal with it. Random violence, senseless violence, violence that hits close to home.
Just like I had to learn to deal with the consequences after Jeff was murdered. I think for me writing was not only my way to do that, to handle those awful emotions and feelings, but it’s also a way to honor Jeff and all of the patients I’ve cared for who have been victims of violence.
I guess you could say that writing is my own Lifeline…
