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Q & A
Let's begin with the subject of writing. Tell us about your early influences, how you came to be a writer? Like most writers, I've always loved a good story. This was evident at an early age, when my older brother and I would jump into my parents' bed at four-thirty each morning and demand a story from our father, who—remarkably—usually obliged. Unfortunately, dad would soon fall back asleep and I often had to finish the story for myself (which, I suppose, was good training for a future novelist). These early experiences undoubtedly contributed to my later affinity for books, and eventually, writing. Of course, being half-Irish, I also have a genetic predisposition to make stuff up.
Are there persons who have had a special influence on your writing? It seems that every writer has one teacher—mine was Mr. William Barnett, the high school English teacher who ignited my passion for literature and taught me how to write a decent sentence. The writers who have influenced my storytelling and prose are simply too numerous to list and include writers as diverse as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Alistair MacLean, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, Thomas H. Cook, John Lescroart, and James Lee Burke.
How would you describe your debut novel, STIGMA? Why might people want to read it? First and foremost, I hope and trust that STIGMA will entertain readers while introducing them to characters they'll care about. As I like to say, STIGMA is a thriller with heart. My novel also explores certain moral dilemmas that remain unresolved even as medical technology races forward in ways that will allow us to alter virtually any life form. Implicitly, this story asks the question: As science makes possible previously unimaginable medical interventions, where is the boundary beyond which we should not travel? Finally, STIGMA is a story of inner as well as outer conflicts. My protagonist, Luke McKenna, is an enigma who has walked very different paths during his life—first as a covert special ops commando, and later as a pediatrician. I really like the juxtaposition of two such vastly different endeavors, and the conflicts that arise from his disparate identities. At the same time, the conflicts that Luke McKenna grapples with are really amplified renderings of the issues that all of us struggle with in our daily lives. It's this latter element that I hope will allow readers to identify with Luke.
You're a pediatrician—a profession not commonly associated with commando raids and covert operations. Is Luke McKenna your alter ego? I've been threatened by a knife-wielding man in a hospital emergency room, twice accosted by armed gunmen on the streets of Los Angeles, and once fired upon! Each of these had only to do with random chance, and my red belt in Tae Kwon Do didn't once prove useful. Only in my boyish imaginings were there high-stakes global issues at play in these events. In other words, I have to rely on my overactive imagination—and not personal experience—when writing my stories.
What is your process for writing a novel? Where do you get your inspiration? Novelist and screenwriter, Gene Fowler, offered the best answer to these questions when he wrote, "Writing is simple. You sit and stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." The longer answer is this: I begin with a premise and a character, and little else. When I begin writing, I have virtually no idea how the story will end. My stories seem to write themselves in my subconscious, and I rarely see more than a few scenes ahead. This is nerve-wracking at times, but I ultimately give myself over to the creative process and dive into the story. Wondering what is going to happen next is an irresistible force that motivates my writing. I have to know how the story ends!
How do you create the characters in your stories? This is a fascinating subject, and one for which I can offer only a glimmer of insight because I'm not certain where my characters come from. Many authors, it seems, take a very disciplined and organized approach to developing characters, creating detailed physical descriptions and backstory for every character before beginning to write the story. I am not one of them. Rather, my characters emerge from my subconscious and often just a moment or two before they enter the story. Of course, there are exceptions to this but my characters usually take shape only as I write about them.
Jonathan Kellerman describes your writing as "rich with authenticity." How much research did you have to do for STIGMA? Most of the topics I investigated while writing STIGMA fell into one of three categories: medical research, military special operations, and Central American rain forests. The medical topics were relatively easy to explore, largely because I'm a physician and have ready access to experts in virtually every subject I might wish to examine. The military topics—weapons, special ops tactics, surveillance techniques, etc.—required more effort and time because I have no personal experience to draw on, though I'll quickly add that, as one of eight children born to an Irish mother whose favorite word is "chore," I am quite adept at moving around in a stealthy manner. The sites, sounds, and texture of my characters' travels in Central America are a reflection of my own experience working among Mayan Indian tribes in the Guatemalan rain forests. Happily, and unlike the characters in STIGMA, I had no harrowing moments while working in the rain forests; my brief time working among Mayan tribes was a wonderfully tranquil and serene experience.
Any advice for aspiring novelists? The best advice I've heard is, write every day and read good books. Beyond that simple counsel, I'm not certain there are any universal truths. As Somerset Maugham once said, "There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are."  |