Darden North, MD

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

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 03:09:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:28:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:10:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:03:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 04:01:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:14:00 +0000

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?

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:21:00 +0000

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/

I'm breaking my rule, sort of ...

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:19:00 +0000

Although I have been happy to sign a book for one of my much appreciated ob/gyn patients, my policy has been to keep my medical practice and writing novels separate. While my novels are mysteries and medical thrillers, I do not render professional medical treatment or address personal medical concerns through my author's website or my Facebook listing. (I use Facebook as a combined fan and personal venue.) However, Melanie Calvert Benton recently asked me to contribute an article about nutrition to her blog Fat Kat. Since I was able to work in a little book promotion into the piece (cleverly, I hope), I decided to share it here as an example of taking the opportunity to slide in a bit of free book marketing.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.fatkat.us/Darden_North_MD.htm

Darden North, MD

www.dardennorth.com

award-winning fiction available in print and ebook

Jackson/Hinds Library System Presents Author Darden North

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:29:00 +0000

http://www.jhlibrary.com/SEPT%202010%20APPLAUSE.pdf

APPLAUSE ...
MISSISSIPPI WRITING AT ITS BEST

Thursday,September 23, 2010
Eudora Welty Library Meeting Room
300 North State Street
Jackson MS 39201
Noon
Free Admission

Light refreshments will be served.

Operation Warrior Library

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:52:00 +0000

I was glad to learn about "Operation Warrior Library," where authors can donate their work to interested troops overseas. A case of Points of Origin, my second novel, is headed to them now.

The link to the organization's site and updates is:
http://www.facebook.com/dardennorth#!/pages/Operation-Warrior-Library/173775762919?ref=ts

Darden North and other Mississippi writers are interviewed by author Joe Lee for article in MSDigitalDaily.com: "The Rise of Downloadable Books"

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 02:48:00 +0000

http://www.msdigitaldaily.com/3/Business/CAT2/The%20rise%20of%20downloadable%20books/2972/default.aspx

Darden North's three contemporary mystery novels now available as ebooks

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 02:42:00 +0000

Mystery and suspense novelist Darden North announces that his three novels to date are now available as ebooks for purchase and download to several electronic reader venues through Smashwords.com.

The links for Darden North's novels as ebooks are listed below with the option available to sample first:

FRESH FROZEN http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/16905

POINTS OF ORIGIN http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17079
HOUSE CALL http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17078

Author Extravaganza Mainstreet Books - Hattiesburg, MS - December 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:06:00 +0000

Mystery Author Darden North to Sign Novels at Mississippi Picnic in NYC

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Wed, 12 May 2010 03:08:00 +0000

____________________________________

Date: 6/5/2010
Time: Noon til Dusk
Location: Central Park East Meadow between 5th Avenue and 97th Street

Darden North will join other native Mississippi authors and artists at the 2010 Mississippi Picnic in Central Park East Meadow in the Mississippi Authors tent. Copies of Norths three novels will be available for purchase and signing.

The New York Mississippi Picnic was started in 1979 as the brainchild of a handful of native Mississippians living in New York City. The group joined together to create an event to highlight Mississippi’s attributes. The first picnic attracted some 500 individuals, and that number has steadily increased over the years; the 2010 picnic is expected to attract more than 2,000 picnic-goers! In addition to the picnic and live music, there will be a Mississippi Authors Tent where mystery and suspense author Darden North and others will have their work available for purchase and autographing.

For more info ... http://www.nymspicnic.com/about_2009.html

Some information above reproduced from the NY Mississippi Picnic website designed and maintained by Coopwood Communications of Cleveland, MS.

Brief synopsis of Novels by Darden North, MD ...

HOUSE CALL While Dr. Knox Chamblee struggles to build a medical practice in Mississippi, an attractive nurse is found floating in a bloody bathtub and a doctor falls to his frozen death from a deer stand. The police suspect Dr. Aslyn Hawes, Chamblee’s female partner and nemesis, whose jealousy of the victims cloaks her in suspicion. As the investigation unfolds in House Call and a psychotic killer is to strike again, Chamblee’s career is sabotaged by reverse sexual discrimination.

POINTS OF ORIGIN In Points of Origin the death of a young woman costs Dr. Dan Foxworth his plastic surgery dynasty and his life. A medical school reject, Foxworth’s son Sher becomes a fireman, pitting him against an arsonist hired to torch the mansion of the same malpractice attorney who ruined his father. When the lawyer’s house explodes, the origin of the flames does not rest alone with the arsonist. Fierce retribution is unleashed as Sher Foxworth avenges his family’s destruction.

FRESH FROZEN After movie star Allyn Saxton survives a string of broken relationships, she enters a reproduction center to have a baby. Her plans of seclusion are misguided when an Internet spy breaks through the center’s security to steal her frozen embryos. But there is competition. A nearly-bankrupt policeman and his tormented wife are also patients, the wife so desperate for pregnancy that she plans to kill. Human reproductive tissue becomes a fatal commodity in Fresh Frozen.

BLOG JOG DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Fri, 07 May 2010 23:31:00 +0000

Thanks for stopping by Recent Musings on www.dardennorth.com. While here, please explore my website which includes the book trailer for my third novel Fresh Frozen. When you're ready, jog on over to http://www.thegoldenpathway.blogspot.com/. If you would like to visit a different Blog in the jog, go to http://blogjogday.blogspot.com. Enjoy! Darden North

Today I was the lucky author interviewed by fellow author Susan Whitfield on her Guest Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:48:00 +0000

http://www.susanwhitfield.blogspot.com/

Through her popular blog, North Carolina mystery writer, Susan Whitfield, interviews and showcases other writers from around the globe as they discuss the writing process On May 5, 2010, I was lucky that she interviewed me. Whitfield's published books include Genesis Beach, Just North of Luck, and Hell Swamp." Killer Recipes,a cookbook by mystery writers, will be released in August. Sin Creek will be released in late Fall. For more information, go to www.susanwhitfieldonline.com.

The following is a reprint of Susan Whitfield's Guest Blog of May 5, 2010:

My special guest today is Dr. Darden North, a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist physician and the author of three mystery/suspense/medical thriller novels published in hardcover: House Call (2005), Points of Origin (2006), and Fresh Frozen (2008). All three works have been awarded nationally, most notably Points of Origin for southern fiction by the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY). He is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters among other organizations. While having served on numerous author seminar panels, Darden North is writing a fourth novel and maintains an active, full-time medical practice. He lives in Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife, two children, and three dogs and also enjoys walking and gardening.

Whitfield: Whew! Apparently you don't sleep.What are your writing goals?

North: My goal as an author is to continue to enjoy writing commercial fiction. Watching my reader base expand amazes me, and I am grateful. Also, I have no intention of giving up the practice of medicine while I write.

Whitfield: Is there a message in your writing you want readers to grasp?

North: I want my readers to enjoy a unique, fast-paced story with a never-saw-it-comin’ ending and then race back for more.

Whitfield: That's what I'm taking about! What’s the hook for your latest published book?

North: Fresh Frozen (October 2008) -- Can selling human eggs and embryos lead to fame and fortune? Two doctors have competition when everyone wants a piece of movie star Allyn Saxton --- not her career, not her autograph, not a one-night stand, but her frozen embryos.

Whitfield: Okay. I'm hooked. Tell us more about Fresh Frozen.

North: Mega-movie star Allyn Saxton survives the thumb of her conniving mother as she grows from a popular child actress into an international celebrity. However, when a string of broken relationships and marriages leave her childless, Saxton slips down to Mississippi and the secluded, state-of-the-art Van Deman Reproduction Center in hopes of having a baby. Secluded, it’s not, when someone hires Internet spy Tinker Murtagh to break through the Center’s security system and steal Saxton’s frozen embryos. Even Murtagh is unaware that in the facility’s next exam room his camera catches the competition for the prize. There, a nearly-bankrupt policeman and his tormented wife are also being treated by Dr. Van Deman, so desperate is the cop’s wife for pregnancy that she is willing to kill for it. Human reproductive tissue becomes a fatal commodity in Fresh Frozen.

Whitfield: Do you think your writing has improved since your first attempt? In what way? How do you determine voice in your writing?

North: Only the most narcissistic of artists would claim that his/her craft needs no improvement. Certainly, that skill refinement proceeds faster for some. The secret in writing fiction, I believe, is never to peak, and I would hope that my effort is far from that. Real-life doctors are brimming with self-confidence; their patients count on it. It’s that self-assurance that plunges many in my profession into writing novels. (When I joined the fray, I was surprised at the number of successful physician novelists as well as authors of non-fiction.) Realizing the value of getting professional critiques of one’s writing is the leap to improvement – attending writing seminars and networking sort of separates the “real” physician authors from the interns. The International Thriller Writers Conference and the SEAK Advanced Writing Seminar were my first national conferences. I have met a great editor by attending these events and have begun to understand what contemporary agents and publishers are looking for. In addition, since my first novel, House Call, I have begun to understand the clarity of voice in character exchange and development.

Whitfield: How do you develop characters?

North: Inventing characters and naming them is part of what makes this journey fun for me. I enjoy writing dialogue and have been told by reviewers that I’m good at it. Maybe I’m a frustrated screenplay writer. A great promotional tool has been to donate character names at charity functions in which the winner gets his/her name used in one of my upcoming novels. Somebody contributed 350 bucks for that privilege! And they’re getting their money’s worth for sure in my work-in-progress, Wiggle Room. Regarding setting, I generally use places that I’m familiar with although I utilize the Internet as a setting research tool. Wiggle Room begins in 2006 war-torn Iraq. Since I have no personal military experience, I have interviewed several who do. From what I’ve learned from my research in developing my fourth novel, I hope to draw readers deep into a twisted murder mystery.

Whitfield: What are your protagonist’s strengths? Flaws?

North: Dr. Knox Chamblee is the protagonist in my first and third novels, House Call and Fresh Frozen, respectively. Chamblee appears briefly in my second, Points of Origin. (Readers seemed to like him so much that I realized I needed to keep him. In fact, a reader told me that the young guy was getting sexier with each book.) Chamblee’s flaw is that he’s too trusting of others. He fails to see the bad guy. Maybe that will change.

Whitfield: How does your environment/upbringing color your writing?

North: I was born and raised in the Deep South – Mississippi breeds writers. You might be surprised, but I did not grow up immersed in prejudice or racial discrimination, so I don’t write about that. My choice has been to depict the contemporary South in my work: a place full of talented, congenial, inventive people.

Whitfield: And we appreciate that. I'm from North Carolina. How do you promote yourself online and off?

North: The center of my online presence is a website professionally-designed for me by a fantastic graphic artist. My website www.dardennorth.com receives a growing number of monthly hits, topping 20,000. I also maintain an active site on AuthorsDen, which allows me to list my author events, news, and book releases and quickly makes the information available through Internet search engines. I get another approximate 5000 hits per month through that site. Participating on several author listserves, guest blogging, and offering Internet interviews (both audio and written) have been invaluable in introducing my three novels to a much wider audience. I schedule as many physical book signings as possible, combining business trips and vacations with book signings. Libraries, book and community service-oriented clubs, as well as other organizations, seem to enjoy my presentations.

Whitfield: Tell us a little about the work-in-progress.

North: My work-in-progress is tentatively titled Wiggle Room. Serving four months in Iraq, Dr. Brad Cummins fails to save an injured soldier even as he mends the GI’s attacker. Once back in the U.S., still blaming himself for returning the insurgent to the killing fields, Cummins discovers his look-alike brother shot to death and soon realizes that he is the intended target.

Whitfield: Where can folks learn more about your books and events?

North: Please check out my website http://www.dardennorth.com/ , which is updated frequently. I do blog on my site occasionally. The book trailer for my third novel, Fresh Frozen, is posted on the website. Each book has its own page there as well as a “Buy It” link to online and physical bookstores, many offering signed copies. My novels are available wherever books are sold and will soon be available as e-books through Kindle, Smashwords, and other electronic media.

Whitfield: Darden, it has been my pleasure to interview you. Continued success not only in your writing but also your thriving medical practice.

----- Susan Whitfield

Strong Female Characters

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:14:00 +0000

When I attended the International Thriller Writers' Conference in New York City during the Summer of 2009, those who registered for the AgentFest portion of the event were allowed to pitch themselves and their work one-on-one, face-to-face with literary agents.

As I courageously pitched my current fiction manuscript, Wiggle Room, to a beautiful female Manhattan agent, she asked, "Do you have any strong female characters in your manuscript?"

Suddenly, I was struck by what many agents, publishers, and readers are seeking ... strong female characters. I answered the agent truthfully, "No, but I can fix that!"

Luckily, I was recently able to pose my own question to freelance editor and author Helen Ginger on The Blood-Red Pencil blog . I asked Can you define a strong female character?

Ginger's detailed answer and the comments to follow have been enlightening. I invite you to the link:

http://bloodredpencil.blogspot.com/ The specific blog post written by Helen Ginger is reprinted below:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010 Ask the Editor: Strong Female Characters

Darden North, MD, sent in this question:

It seems that some agents and publishers are looking for fictional works that feature strong female characters. Can you define a strong female character?

Hi Darden.

Not only are publishers looking for strong female leads, readers (both women and men) are as well. Readers today tend to want characters they can relate to and who are realistic. Of course, we’re not talking fantasy, erotica, or other genres where characters, both female and male are intentionally “over the top.”

A “strong female character” can be different things. There are many characteristics, but no one character would have them all. If you want your female lead or supporting character to be “strong,” then see if you can incorporate some of these (in no particular order):

Intelligent
Quick witted
Sense of self
Decision maker
Not perfect, has flaws
Strong in her femininity
Not rigid
Doesn’t do stupid things
Doesn’t belittle others
Spunky
Multi-dimensional
Can have a tragic weakness
Not black or white, but shadows of gray
Can change and grow
May or may not be in a committed relationship
Will most likely have women friends
Has a backbone
Look around at the women in your life - at home, at work, your neighbors, in your extended family - and decide what it is about each one that you like. Find a woman whose judgment you trust and ask her to look at the women in her life and tell you what she admires or respects about each.

Keep in mind that situations you put your characters in can change the way she behaves. Let’s say, your female character is asleep. She’s awakened by a strange noise. Her heart quickens. She eases down the hallway until she locates the source of the noise - the basement. Easing open the door, she reaches for the light switch, but it doesn’t work.

What does a woman do?

If she’s in the movies, she tiptoes down the stairs and gets clobbered over the head by an axe toting serial killer.

If she’s a strong, realistic, female character, she may whip out her cell and call the police. She may divert to the kitchen for a flashlight, especially since she’s probably already tried to turn on lights and thus knows the electricity is out. Or she may hesitate, pondering her options, hear the voice of her four-year-old crying, “Help me, Mommy,” and she forgets all caution and thunders down into the darkness.

Being a strong female doesn’t mean she free of weaknesses. Just like any character, to be believable she must have a flaw or two.

The strength of a female character seldom comes via muscles. It comes from within.

Thank you, Darden, for your question.

Darden North writes medical thrillers and murder mysteries. To date, he has authored and published three novels, which have been awarded nationally. In his third and current novel, Fresh Frozen (October 2008, hardcover), someone wants to steal a movie star’s embryos as the boundary between good and evil medicine blurs and reality replaces science fiction. Under the eye of an Internet voyeur, a policeman and his tormented wife discover that human reproductive tissue can lead to murder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Helen Ginger is an author and freelance editor. You can visit her website and blog, "Straight From Hel," follow her on Twitter, or subscribe to her free newsletter, "Doing It Write," now in its eleventh year of publication.

Darden North

www.dardennorth.com

Also, many thanks to Morgan Mandel.

Darden North's "Points of Origin"-January's feature on Booktown Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:29:00 +0000

The featured novel on the Booktown Contest Giveaway for January 2010 is Points of Origin by Darden North, MD. The winner of the autographed 377 page hardbound novel will be named Februaruy 1, 2010, on the Book Town Myspace page.

http://booktown.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

Points of Origin was awarded in Southern Fiction by the Independent Book Publishers Awards (IPPY).

In Points of Origin Sher Foxworth, the wayward son of a plastic surgeon, recounts his father’s destruction by attorney Cordell Pixler as the result of a medical malpractice case. Losing his parents when his father crashes their private plane, Foxworth is left to the whims of his still wealthy grandfather, who resents his grandson’s failure to become a doctor almost as much as he does the actions of the conniving attorney.

Nevertheless, there are others remaining in the small, affluent town of Larkspur, Mississippi, who seek the attorney’s ruin. The litigious family of the teenage girl who dies at the hand of the plastic surgeon believes that Pixler has swindled them out of their share of the medical malpractice judgment. The attorney’s sensual, social-climbing, third wife suspects correctly that her husband is having an affair even as Pixler jilts his current lover. Furthermore, the attorney’s obsessive-compulsive, personal architect believes his own career is jeopardized by the lawyer’s gaudy mockery of his design work. However, an arsonist, hired by Cordell’s jilted lover, plans the ultimate revenge during an elaborate gala at the Pixler mansion … only to lose the race to someone else.

2009 Southern Independent Book Association - Darden North signs with other authors

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Excerpt from the SIBA Blog (http://www.wanda.sibaweb.com/?p=858):

"Authors went on the auction block Saturday night (September 26, 2009) to raise buckets of money for the local Greenville charity Loaves & Fishes. Authors “Tweeted” their answers to questions in an attempt to whet the appetite of bookstore owners who “bought” them for the evening to have dinner and chat at local restaurants. The brave authors featured were those whose books were nominated for 2009 SIBA Book of the Year Award.

Brave authors ( and their novels) who participated:

Gigi Amateau Chauncy of the Maury River

Raymond Atkins The Front Porch Prophet

Gene Fehler Beanball

Susan Gregg Gilmore Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen

Alan Gratz Something Wicked

Patricia Harman The Blue Cotton Gown: A Midwife’s Memoir

N. M. Kelby Murder at the Bad Girl’s Bar and Grill

Howard Lee The Courage to Lead

Ed Madden Signals

William McKinney Holy Smoke: The Big book of North Carolina Barbecue

Mary Alice Monroe Time is a River

Darden North Fresh Frozen

Kate Salley Palmer Almost Invisible: Black Patriots of the American Revolution

Gin Phillips The Well and the Mine

Ron Rash Serena

Nicole Seitz One Hundred Years of Happiness

John Thompson Armaggedon Conspiracy

Shellie Tomlinson Suck Your Stomach in and Put Some Color On

Beth Webb Hart The Wedding Machine

Karen White The House on Tradd Street

Allan Wolf More Than Friends: Poems from Him and Her

Darden North to sign at the Sisters-In-Crime/SE Chapter of Mystery Writers of America Booth at the Southern Independent Book Association Trade Show

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:13:00 +0000

Date: Saturday, 9/26/2009 Time: 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Location: Booth W42 - Carolina Center - Greenville, SC Southern Independent Book Association Trade Show Mystery and medical thriller author Darden North to be featured at the book signing booth co-sponsored by Sisters-In-Crime and the Southeast Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, scheduled in conjunction with the 2009 Southern Independent Book Association Trade Show. For more info: http://www.sibaweb.com/trade-show

Author Darden North interviewed on ijustfinished.com

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Interview of mystery, suspense, and medical thriller author Darden North, MD, posted 08/10/2009 on ijustfinished.com .

FRESH FROZEN Receives First Honors for Cover Design in National Book Award Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Darden North to participate in The Writers' Block

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 14:06:00 +0000

Southern Independent Book Association (SIBA)Trade Show 2009
Greenville, SC
September 25-27, 2009

Darden North will be one of several book award authors "put on" The Writers’ Block - SIBA's first-ever Feed-an-Author Auction & Reception
Saturday, September 26, 2009, 6 - 7:30 p.m., SIBA 2009 Trade Show, Carolina First Center, Greenville, SC.

Reprinted from the Southern Independent Book Association (SIBA) website:

Bring your money and outbid your neighbor at this first ever SIBA FunRaiser! 2009 Book Award Authors will go on the block. You bid for the privilege of taking them out to dinner. Once the going, going, gones are announced the winning bidders and authors are off to dinner together. The minimum bid is $20 and must be raised in increments of at least one dollar. Shuttles will be available to take folks downtown to our sponsor Table 301’s family of restaurants. Every author package will include a restaurant gift card. A percentage of the proceed will got to Loaves & Fishes, an effort supported by Table 301 to feed Greenville (SC)’s hungry.

Photos from Recent Book Signings

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:20:00 +0000

POINTS OF ORIGIN reviewed by author Martha A. Cheves

noreply@blogger.com (Darden North) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:25:00 +0000

***** Points of Origin - Reviewed by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat July 14, 2009

"Great ending!"

'Cordell Pixler, Esquire, had a new wife, his fourth... Anyone who already knew the latest Mrs.Cordell Pixler, or subsequently met her, thought her more attractive and definitely much younger than her attorney husband. Much to his chagrin, Pixler had not been persuasive enough to coax his voluptuous bride to move permanently into the mortgage-free home, the one his third wife insisted he buy and remodel extensively several years before his third divorce... Rachel Pixler wanted a brand new house... Furthermore it would have to be located in the most exclusive area of Larkspur, that being Manorwood Heights.'

Cordell Pixler obtained his money through the destruction of others. When Flowers Ridley's mother Charity decided Flowers needed "adjustments" to bring her inner beauty to the surface she went to the best plastic surgeon around, Sheridan Smith Foxworth, Jr. And when her daughter later died from blood clots she again went to the best plaintiff’s lawyer who was Pixler. Unknown to Charity, her decision to sue Foxworth would end up causing a snowball effect destroying many. One person who feels the effects the most is Sheridan (Sher)Foxworth, III who will loose both of his parents and give up his dreams to follow in his father's footsteps by failing to become a doctor himself. Instead he becomes a firefighter.

Wayne Simmons was a high school classmate of Sher and he loves to "create" fires. But not just any kind of fire. His fires appear to be of natural or neglect causes. Plus he's for hire. So when a fire occurs in Manorwood Heights killing the owner, was it accidental or intentional? Was Simmons involved and if so who hired him? One thing for sure is that Pixler wasted no time in buying the property.

Hobby Dencil is one of the best architects around and will become involved in the "Pixler Snowball" as he designs the perfect house for Rachel. Just days before construction is to start Rachel makes a few changes of her own to the plans causing Hobby to start from scratch with his drawing with the ending being a structure he really didn't want his own name associated with.

In the process of building Rachel's "palace" Pixler ends up angering half the community. So when the house burns during a charity party, was it an accident or was it planned? Could the Real Estate agent undercut by Pixler in the purchase of the property have set something up? Or the female police officer who enjoyed going after the "rich and famous?" Or maybe even Sheridan Smith Foxworth, Sr. for destroying his family?

I will give you a clue. North has done it again.
The ending was a total shock to me.

Reviewer: Martha A. Cheves
Location: Charlotte, NC