INTERVIEW WITH Dr. RICHARD MABRY

Patricia Bradley here and I'm so excited to interview Dr. Richard Mabry, a former Suspense Sister contributor. I've always enjoyed Richard's books and was really excited to learn when he decided to write another one. 

Richard and his wife live in North Texas. In addition to occasional efforts (thus far without results) to improve his golf game, he tries to convince his family that sitting at his desk staring into space does indeed represent work. 

I decided to ask him a few questions about that work.

Patricia: You’ve been published for several years now. What has being published taught you?

Richard: When I got that first phone call from my agent, I was understandably thrilled, but I soon learned that, even though my manuscript was accepted, it was not ready for publication. I then was introduced to the “editorial letter,” otherwise known as “why authors contemplate suicide.” Pretty quickly, I accepted the fact that novels may be written by one person, but it truly takes a village of people to complete them. And with every novel since, whether under contract by a recognized house or independently published, I’ve learned that one person does not publish a novel.

Patricia: That is so right and I love your description of the "editorial letter." What is your favorite part about writing. Least favorite.

Richard: Least favorite: coming up with plot points to keep things going. Most favorite: editing (believe it or not), because by and large the plot is set, and I just have to improve it.

Patricia: I knew we thought alike. Editing is my favorite part, too. Are you a Panster or Plotter?

Richard: Mainly pantser. I have a single idea, populate the story, come up with a great (I hope) ending, and then let the characters take over.

Patricia: You do! What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies?

Richard: I used to play golf, but some hip bursitis has minimized that lately. So I read and re-read some of my favorite mystery and detective stories.

Patricia: Golf has never been one of my vices. lol Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Richard: Initially, it energizes me and gives me a reason to get going in the morning. But occasionally it’s exhausting—especially if I’ve written myself into a corner.

Patricia: I know those corners well! You do a lot of research. Where is your favorite place to research?

Richard: Since I write stories built around medicine, and it’s been quite a while since I was in active practice, I have to be up on the latest things (many of which we didn’t have while was in practice). My computer is the best way to do that—it’s much faster than looking for something written in a library (and much more up-to-date).

Patricia: I really appreciate your diligence in making sure what you write is correct. What would you like readers to know about your story/characters?

Richard: All my characters are flawed, in one way or another. But, as I’ve often said, God uses us despite our flaws—otherwise, He’d have no one to use.

Patricia: I love that! What is the most valuable piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

Richard: Make everything you produce better than the last. Don’t give up. It’s often being in the right place at the right time, rather than just producing a novel.

Patricia: I agree 100%. What’s next from you?

Richard: I thought I was through with this by now, but my wife convinced me otherwise. Now I’m toying with a novel about a doctor who failed at baseball…or did he fail there?

Patricia: That sounds intriguing! You can purchase here.

Dr. Mabry is giving away a digital copy of Medical Mystery to someone who leaves a comment. Be sure to leave you contact email in the comment-- i.e. you at your email address dot com 

And be sure to check out my blog (www.ptbradley.com/blog) Friday for my review of Medical Mystery! 

When her phone rang, Diane Macklin wondered what her sister wanted now. Then, she heard that their mother was in the Emergency Room with a heart problem.

The doctor tending to her mother was Dr. Joe Adams, who was far from Diane’s idea of the family doctor. He had been alone since his first wife had died, and was apparently heaven-sent as a mate for Diane, if she could only get past the trauma of her previous near-miss at the altar.

The heart problem was hard to solve initially, the subsequent difficulty turned out to be murder, and affected the lives of both Diane and Joe.

***

Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, author of “medical mysteries with heart.” He is the author of one non-fiction book, seven novellas, and twelve published novels. His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel, finalists for the ACFW Carol Award, Inspirational Reader’s Choice, and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice and Reviewer’s Choice Awards, as well as winner of the Selah Award and the 2017 Christian Retailers Best.