Nice book review of "Fresh Frozen" and "Points of Origin"

Originally published as a simultaneuous review of both books on March 19, 2011, by Dew on the Kudzu.
The review is reproduced below but the link to the website review is:

http://dewbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html


As reviewed by Dew on the Kudzu (dewonthekudzu.com):

Darden North Medical Thrillers



Saturday, March 19, 2011



Points of Origin and Fresh Frozen


Author: Darden North      Publisher: Ponder House Press





Darden North is a Mississippi author who also happens to be a practicing MD, which leads to a true sense of realism in his books. His writing has been described : "Finally a doctor whose writing you can read." This is true. The writing is straight forward, containing healthcare issues, but not so filled with the jargon that you lose interest after trying to decipher the medical jargon.

 The plot of Points of Origin centers around Sher Foxworth, a young man who has every intention of becoming a doctor until a strange twist of fate heads him in the direction of firefighting and stopping an arsonist whose methods can only be described as bizarre but effective. Not your standard "medical drama."



The second book, Fresh Frozen, is more along the lines of medical thriller. It involves families struggling to conceive and a clinic that has no problem using unorthodox ways to make sure the money paid to them leads to the wanted results..... no matter what.



Nice, escapist books that won't have you running for the dictionary every three minutes.

----- Dew on the Kudzu
       March 19, 2011

http://dewbookreviews.blogspot.com/2011_03_01_archive.html

Mixing fact and fiction ... but still keeping them separate

Sometimes we mix fact with fiction in pursuing our careers.

If, like I, you're writing medical thrillers and murder mysteries while still practicing medicine fulltime, it's certainly important to keep the two separate.

In an interview article in the April 2011 E-Blizzard published by District VII of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, I candidly answer questions about my work in the ob/gyn field as it relates to my literary career.

Here is a link to the article; however, with permission from the author, the text is reproduced below the link:
http://www.acog.org/departments/dept_notice.cfm?recno=51&bulletin=5562

From medical practice to medical thrillers: The E-Blizzard interviews novelist Dr. Darden H. North


When attempting to become a novelist, it is said: “Write what you know.” For Darden H. North, MD, of Jackson, MS, that meant reaching beyond 24 years of general ob-gyn practice to delve into cut-throat medical politics, sexual discrimination, arson, stolen frozen human embryos, multiple murder scenarios (some with a mistaken identity twist), and most recently, international terrorism.

Author of three nationally-awarded novels—House Call (2005), Points of Origin (2006), and Fresh Frozen (2008)—Dr. North is near completion of his fourth book Wiggle Room (working title). His most notable book award was an Independent Book Publishers Award in Southern fiction for Points of Origin. Fresh Frozen was adapted as a screenplay, and the film is set for production this summer.

Dr. North has presented at various book festivals and recently taught writing composition and book marketing at the Southern Expressions Authors Conference. He continues to make personal appearances at book clubs and signings and updates readers on his website http://www.dardennorth.com/, Facebook page www.facebook.com/dardennorth, and Twitter account  http://twitter.com/dardennorth about his writing.

The E-Blizzard recently sat down with Dr. North to talk about his second career as an author. Here is what he had to say:

You were active in ACOG in your “younger” days. Tell us about that.

I served as Junior Fellow College Advisory Council (JFCAC) chair (1987–89) after working my way up from representing the Mississippi Section at the District VII Junior Fellow meeting in Wichita, KS, as a third-year resident. Frank O. Page, MD, was chief resident at the University of Mississippi at the time, and he started me on that climb to national office, capitalizing on my taste for politics leftover from my years at the university. Early in my private practice, I was the Mississippi Section secretary-treasurer, and I also served a very short stint as the Fellow advisor to the JFCAC. I met some wonderful peers throughout the Southeast and the US through my work as an ACOG officer. I could not have served without the tireless efforts of Mary Behneman, ACOG director of district and section activities. Incidentally, one of the prerequisites for serving as JFCAC chair was that one could spell “Behneman.”


You donated several items related to your novels to The Pete and Weesie Hollis Educational Endowment Fund auction at the 2009 District VII Annual Meeting. What motivated you to do this?

There is no finer, more sincere physician dedicated to education than Richard “Pete” Hollis, MD. It was my honor to donate some of my novels and the opportunity for a reader to have his or her name used for a character in my upcoming fourth novel. Diana Bratton, a new reader of my novels, was the winner of that item. Most of the character names for this novel are actually derived from auctions at charity fundraisers. However, the similarity between each character and his or her name stops at the name itself. Remember, I’m writing fictional novels with both good and very bad characters.

As a full-time physician, how did you get interested in writing fiction?

Although the state of Mississippi is thought of as illiterate in some circles, we have produced a lot of authors, some extremely well-known. About 20 years ago, I started collecting and reading signed first-edition novels by Mississippians, such as John Grisham, Greg Iles, Martin Hegwood, Donna Tartt, and Nevada Barr. I saw a scarcity of physicians writing fiction, particularly practicing physicians, and none of them were Southern.

We doctors think a lot of ourselves, and I’m no different. First, I decided I could write. Then, my family and friends egged me on. And finally, the 8,000 people who bought my first novel were a sign to keep going. So, I continue to write medical thrillers and mysteries set in the South.


Who most encouraged you to be a writer?

My wife Sally encouraged me the most and, of course, my mother Evelyn. Additionally, I’m encouraged by readers who say, “Can’t wait for your next book!”


With a full-time ob-gyn practice, how do you find time to write, publish, and travel for book signings and conferences?

Fortunately, I am a full-time partner in a soon-to-be 16-member, single specialty ob-gyn group. The physicians I work with all have families and varied outside interests. Everyone likes and gets time off, facilitating call switches and vacations. But instead of playing golf, I go to book signings and teach writing conferences. I still save plenty of time for my family. To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, Sally and I travelled in Italy. While abroad, I stole minutes to research and visit bookstores carrying English titles. Being a writer, I can always turn a trip into research, and with a laptop and an iPhone, I can write and make notes anytime.

Do you enjoy book signings and other promotional events?

Writers must network more these days to promote themselves. Authors need to meet their readers and get to know them. Just like a doctor needs to have a great bedside manner, so too does an author need to be personable and likeable, as well as professional and talented. Promotional book events have opened up new avenues for me.

How do your patients and your fellow doctors feel about you writing murder mysteries and medical thrillers?

They know I’m writing fiction and seem very supportive. They read my books and give them as gifts. I think everyone has a book in his or her heart, so when they meet or know someone who has actually written one, there is a desire to become part of the adventure. Also, I cannot ignore that my patient base has given me a jump start with book sales, and I am thankful.

What authors’ writings compare with yours?

James Patterson, Greg Iles, Stuart Woods, and Robin Cook.

Are your three published books meant as a series, or does each novel stand alone?

Each novel has a stand-alone plot, although there are several reoccurring characters in them. Knox Chamblee is one character who has grown throughout each. In House Call, Knox begins as a gullible, attractive, male ob-gyn, who is the victim of sexual discrimination and a potential murder suspect. He then becomes a mentor to a pre-med student in Points of Origin and is a partner in a dubious reproductive medicine clinic in Fresh Frozen. While some readers crave series novels, I think it’s better to have a few central characters that I can tweak and twist without confining the story line. That keeps the writing fresh.

Do you think that readers are drawn to Southern writers?

Some say that Mississippi has produced so many writers because we have so much to explain. Maybe that’s true, but I try to focus on the contemporary South. The wonderful, congenial, loving people who are my friends, family members, patients, and fellow citizens have fought a lot of demons down here and still do. But we try to focus on the positive. Southern culture represents intrigue for those who don’t really know us, and Southern authors can capitalize on this impression—particularly, when you mix in medical drama as I have done.

What’s next for you in your career? Will ACOG be part of a mystery in any of your future novels?

My goal in writing my fourth novel is to construct a non-stop thriller. The male protagonist, Brad Cummins, is a young surgeon who returns from his deployment in Iraq to face a killer. When his look-alike surgeon brother is murdered and other bodies start to pile up around him, Cummins suspects that he is the intended target. Literary agents and publishers are looking for strong female characters in novels, something an ob-gyn writer should be able to produce. Dominate female characters in this novel—such as Diana Bratton, the newest physician in the Cummins’ practice, and Elizabeth Cossar, a nurse who witnesses some incriminating events in Iraq—are at the root of Brad Cummins’ dilemma.

Regarding a future ACOG mystery, maybe Knox Chamblee will become president of ACOG and discover aliens in the national office basement in Washington, DC, or maybe he’ll foil a terrorist plot to assassinate the President. The wheels are turning.

My ebooks on sale this week at Smashwords.com to celebrate ebook week

http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=darden+north

The ebook format of my three novels is on sale 50% off the week of March 6 -12, 2011, only at http://www.smashwrds.com/.

This is the link to my listing on Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/search?query=darden+north

My novels are also available on iPad, Kindle, Sony eReader, Kobo, Nook, and others.

Fresh Frozen
Someone wants to steal a movie star’s frozen embryos as the boundaries between good and evil medicine are blurred, and reality replaces science fiction. Under the eye of an Internet voyeur, a naïve policeman and his tormented wife discover that human reproductive tissue can become a fatal commodity.

Points of Origin
Set in a contemporary southern town, the death of patient Flowers Ridley costs Dr. Dan Foxworth his plastic surgery dynasty and his own life. While several families are consumed with retribution against a conniving lawyer and the overly ambitious doctor, an arsonist plans the ultimate revenge … only to lose the race to someone else.

House Call
A police investigation into the murder of a young hospital nurse weaves through a southern community rife with self-indulgence; reverse sexual discrimination; cut-throat medical politics; and diverse, almost comical, characters. Before a psychopath can be stopped, another will die.

My third novel FRESH FROZEN hosts "Kindle Nation Daily" 11-01-2010

http://bit.ly/dckFdV


And my first novel HOUSE CALL is featured on "Kindle Nation Shorts"
10-30-2010
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=rbehgxcab&v=001gZhKK2h2Be-IlP06uqYHkAVly9TfY1FaW-YnLoe23M0e5zI0Q_GSkIJjrE_eyHORYu7V3MBPYPnyVxMvkqFggXv-Rjxwoy7903BdXqgpVao%3D

Darden North talks writing at the Eudora Welty Library - September 23, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/user/dardennorth#p/a/u/0/zq4ZIVFIvBg


Recently I was asked to be the featured speaker at my local library to kick-off the annual membership drive for the Friends of the Jackson (MS) Library held at the downtown Eudora Welty Library. At the last minute, I handed my digital camera to a friend and asked her to take a few pictures. My presentation included a discussion of my writing career balanced with being a doctor and then was followed by a reading from my third novel FRESH FROZEN. I also threw in an excerpt of my work-in-progress, planned fourth novel, WIGGLE ROOM.

My friend had the insight to use the video feature of the camera and recorded the majority of the talk, even though handicapped by the absence of a tripod or HD camera features.

I took my "free" video and had it professionally edited by Leslie LaCour of Hazel House Marketing for an hourly fee and then posted it on YouTube. I think it turned out to be a nice piece, suitable for inclusion on my website blog and in other promotional avenues. Leslie worked wonders with the video, editing it to just under ten minutes while including some other promotional artwork that I supplied.

I am sharing the video with you as an example of seizing the moment and not wasting a chance to market oneself later as an author, especially if you're wearing a new sports jacket, you've lost twenty pounds, your hair is combed, and the audience seems to like you.

The value of the piece ... well, you be the judge.
http://www.youtube.com/user/dardennorth#p/a/u/0/zq4ZIVFIvBg

Thanks,
Darden North
mystery, suspense, medical thrillers
www.dardennorth.com

Sometimes it's OK to brag

A nice bit of fan email from D.B., who lives down the road a piece from Jackson:

Hi, Dr. North! I finally read all of your books and I loved them! I had actually read Points of Origin first which was a few years ago. Then I purchased House Call and Fresh Frozen at this year's Mistletoe. I loved all the twists of House Call! And the end was so unexpected!!

Thank you, D.B. A little bit of encouragement and praise go a long way.

----- Darden North

Was the Experiment a Success?

I recently conducted a little experiment in book marketing, placing an ad on FaceBook promoting the release of my three mystery/medical thriller novels as eBooks. The materials utilized for the experiment were no more than my laptop, a little electricity, a high speed cable Internet connection, and a credit card --- as well as some spare time that I did not have. (Perhaps I should have spent the minutes moving past page 100 of my work–in–progress, a fourth novel tentatively titled Wiggle Room.)

The results of my non-scientific experiment are detailed in this essay and presented in the guise of a blog entry on my author’s website. While it is meant primarily to interest other authors or maybe publishers, I hope the piece is clever enough for my book fans as well. I was intrigued when author Jeffrey Marks recently reported his own experience with advertising on FaceBook, publishing an article and follow-up piece in the Mystery Writers of America newsletter. I decided to see for myself. When I mentioned my plans on a couple of Internet list serves that cater predominately to writers, I was asked to share the results.

The social networking site FaceBook does not charge its subscribers, so I assume that Mr. Zuckerburg made his billions from the sale of advertising on the site. Maybe there are some other related sources of revenue for the young guy, and maybe the newly released movie on the subject, The Social Network, tells us. (I haven’t yet seen it … probably will catch it later on pay-for-view.)

The method of the experiment was to self-design the ad under the easy-to-follow format guidelines, wording the short copy to promote the release of House Call, Points of Origin, and Fresh Frozen as downloadable eBooks via Kindle, iPad, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo, and Diesel. I also mentioned that the books remained available in print in stores and online. I chose the color cover art for Fresh Frozen as the graphic with a link to my listing on Amazon once someone clicked on the advertisement. That listing offers all three novels as eBooks and in print.

I specified that I wanted to spend no more than $10 daily on the ad and ran it for six days (really five and a half) starting early one recent Saturday afternoon. The handy Ad Manager link provided near real-time results regarding exposure and response to the ad. I had not only specified the daily amount I would spend on the ad (conveniently and promptly charged to my credit card), but I also bid on the amount I would pay for each customer click on the ad. Apparently, if you select the high end of the range of suggested amount of bid, your ad appears more frequently. I bid $0.78 per click up to the $10 daily maximum. The demographics I chose in running the ad included USA FaceBook clients only and those eighteen and older.

I spent a total of $53.70 for my effort. During the ad’s near six-day run, FaceBook reported 320,717 impressions, defined as times the ad appeared on a unique FaceBook user’s page. Of course, there is no way to know if the user saw the ad at all (Ads appear in column arrangement at the far right margin of the page) unless he/she clicked on it. There were 33 clicks recorded during the ad’s run at an actual cost to me of $1.63 per click. As I said earlier, my understanding is that the higher one bids per click, the more unique subscriber impressions. My analogy of the benefit of $320,717 impressions of my ad is that if it had instead been a roadside billboard, then 320,717 vehicles containing only one passenger each would have passed by it during the almost six-day period. While I would hope that those drivers would not text the good news to their friends that Darden North’s novels were now available as eBooks or pick up their iPads or iPhones to order one or two copies while driving, maybe there was a subliminal marketing message.

I guess I should go ahead and end the suspense by revealing the results of my little experiment. One copy of House Call sold on Kindle during that time and my book distributor Atlas Books filled orders for a total of five print copies of two titles. There is no way to draw a clear parallel between those sales and the ad. I do hope that I gained some name recognition from the exposure, leading readers to bricks-and-mortar or cyber bookstores as well as to eBook downloads. I read somewhere that the average customer requires six retail exposures to a product before buying.

Once I was satisfied, I merely “paused” the ad’s run on my FaceBook Ad Manager site with plans to consider running it again in the future. Alternately, I might wait until my fourth book is released and try a newly designed advertisement with a revised expense threshold.

While I believe my experience mirrors that of other authors who have advertised on FaceBook, it was a fun experiment. I have certainly spent a lot more on other advertising venues that were not nearly as interesting for me.

------ Darden North
          http://www.dardennorth.com/