Today’s guest is Judith
Lucci, creator and administrator of Author 911: The Authors’ Writing & Medical Academy, an online resource for writing medical scenes. Judith brings a
wealth of knowledge and decades of experience to this website. She’s a registered
nurse and has worked in the ICU, ER, neurology, medical & surgery, home
health, and public health nursing. She’s also a professor of nursing at a large
university in the South and holds graduate and doctoral degrees from Virginia
Commonwealth University and the University of Virginia. Judith has authored
textbooks, research studies, theoretical articles, policies and just about
anything needed in a clinical or educational environment. She is also the
author of the Alex Destephano Medical Thriller Series, which currently includes
three titles: Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center, The Imposter, and Viral
Intent. Welcome to Adventures in Publishing, Judith! Please tell us about
Author 911.
Thanks for inviting me
to speak to your readers, Marianne. Author 911: The Authors & Writers’ Medical Academy is my latest project to help authors write medical scenes
correctly. The site includes interviews with experts in a variety of areas in
healthcare and medicine, links to educational websites on the workings of the
human body, a tutorial on ballistics and gunshots, and information on poisons
and fight scenes. There’s also writing tips and author spotlights. It’s all new
and under development and I hope it allows writers to create believable,
realistic stories.
Your Alex Destephano
medical series has gotten outstanding reviews. Please tell us about them.
My Alex Destephano
novels are a compilation of my very active imagination, my years as a clinical
nurse, and current events in the news.
The main characters are Alexandra Destephano, a nurse attorney who is
legal counsel for Crescent City Medical Center, and Jack Francoise, a
dedicated, gnarly, unyielding New Orleans police commander who covers the 8th
Precinct and the French Quarter, where in the deepest, sleazy and sordid areas
copious crime occurs. Add in dashing surgeon Robert Bonnet, Alex's ex-husband,
and psychiatrist Monique Desmonde, her best friend, and the cast is complete.
Crescent City Medical is intent on offering the best care in the world but is
constantly challenged by competition, health care reform, incompetent
management, psychopaths, murder and viral disease outbreaks, not to mention bad
guys intent on doing the hospital harm. Chaos at Crescent City Medical Center,
The Imposter, Viral Intent and Toxic New Year (release date Winter 2015) are
fast-paced, riveting medical thrillers that offer readers believable drama and
memorable characters and allows them to escape into the complex, often
mysterious world of health care.
What are your goals as a
writer?
I have three goals when
I write: to engage the reader to keep them reading, to entertain the reader
and to educate them. I have been a college professor and clinician for many
years, and each of my books has underlying themes. In Chaos I talk about the changes
in health care based on the Affordable Care Act. The Imposter highlights the
dismal state of psychiatric medicine in the US. Viral Intent highlights
ethical and political issues currently in society.
What is the time span
in your novel?
Chaos takes place over
a week, The Imposter a week as well, and Viral Intent only four days. Toxic New
Year spans several months.
How much research goes
into your writing?
There is a ton of
research in all of my books. I know a lot about medicine and health care but
not so much about explosives, AK47s, drones and counterterrorism.
When, why, and how did
you start writing?
I have been writing
ever since I can remember. For many years, as an academician I wrote research
reports, theoretical articles, and textbooks, and I only returned to fiction
writing in recent years. I love
writing…It allows me to continue to teach and educate my readers as well as
entertain them. Writing allows me a
‘work through’ and rights the wrongs that I have experienced in clinical
practice.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by my
readers. There is nothing more exciting for me than to receive an email from
one of them or a great review. They
energize me and propel me forward.
Where do you get your
ideas?
My plot lines come from
copious research, my experience, a TV show, the newspaper, almost
everywhere. An ongoing plot line in all
of my novels came from the New Orleans Police Department website for unsolved
crimes.
How much do you read?
Which genres?
I read incessantly. I
love thrillers, literary fiction, suspense, historical fiction, just about
everything. I am amazed by people who
say to me “I never read. I don’t have
any time.” I have learned about people
and the world by reading. I cannot imagine a life without books.
Can you tell us what
you’re working on now?
I am currently working
on the fourth Alex book, Toxic New Year, which I hope to release in a few
months. I also have another series, Michaela McPherson, Private Eye. Mic is a retired homicide detective in
Richmond, VA who, no matter how hard she tries, cannot retire. These
will be shorter books but just as exciting as the Alex series.
What advice do you have
for beginning authors?
My advice would be to
read, revise, write, read, revise, write, revise and get a great editor. It is impossible for many authors, myself
included, to edit ourselves and find simple errors that don’t stand out to us.
Thank you, Judith. Best
wishes on Author 911 and your medical series.
Judith loves to connect
with readers. You can visit her blog or contact her via email at judithlucciwrites@gmail.com.
Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and her new website Author911.
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