Dear
Readers, I’ve known Richard Mabry for a long time, and as soon as he sold his
first novel, I fell in love with his writing. I eagerly await each new book. Critical Decision once again captured me
in his story. The story line is unique and kept me guessing. He always writes
relatable characters, and these quickly pulled me deep into the situation. You don’t
want to miss this book!
Welcome
back, Richard. Where do you write?
Unlike some
of my colleagues who like to take their laptop to various places (from their
living room to Starbucks), I do all my writing in my office. It seems like “going
to work” when I do this.
I’m with
you. Most, if not all, of my books are written in my office. And on a desktop
computer. When deciding on how to publish, what directed you to the route you
took?
I’ve
covered the waterfront, so to speak. My first four novels were published by a
house that was just getting started with Christian fiction, then I had an offer
from a large house that published my next three novels, and finally I went back
to my original publisher for three more. I’d probably still be working with a
traditional publisher, but financing problems intervened so I managed to use
agent-assisted publishing (sort of like indie, but with a bit of help from
them) for six novellas and three more novels. So, to answer the question, I
simply followed the route that opened in front of me, and so far it’s worked
out.
What kinds
of things do you like to do outside of writing?
I started
playing golf with a friend about 20 years ago, and we’ve tried to continue
that, although lately the weather has kept us off the links. My wife puts in
her time doing Grandma duty. Other than that, we’re mainly homebodies.
What kinds
of advice would you give to someone who wants to start writing?
Never stop learning. And never give up. It’s
disconcerting when you see how many new books are published each year, but I urge
you to keep on trying.
Very good
advice. What is your favorite book? Favorite author? Do you have an author that
inspired/inspires you to write?
My tastes
are varied, but mainly I read mysteries, thrillers, and detective stories. The
books and authors are too numerous to mention.
Where did you get the idea for Critical Decision?
My wife
(who is my biggest fan and severest critic) was brainstorming with me, and she
suggested a book that starts with a physician who finds a strange cell phone
delivered to her house. Then it rings, and a voice tells her that she’ll never
see her husband again unless she gives one of her patients a medication that
will probably kill him. I took the idea and ran with it, and Critical
Decision was the result.
From idea to final revision, how long did it
take to write?
Most of my
books are written in 6 to 8 months. This one took a bit longer—about 9 months.
Are you
working on anything now?
I’m fiddling
with a book, working title Medical
Mystery, featuring a woman taken to the ER with an unusual EKG and slow pulse,
her daughter who works as a nurse, and a family practice physician who has a
crush on the younger woman.
Please tell us about the story of Critical Decision.
The book
begins with a female physician who finds a package on her doorstep. It contains
a cell phone, which rings. She finally answers it, and a voice tells her that
unless she gives a patient a drug that will probably kill him, she won’t see
her husband again.
Please give us a peek at the first page of the
book for my readers.
Dr. Kathy
Hoover stood at the back door, but soon found that shouting “Go do your
business” to her canine companion had little effect. She was anxious to return to the office, but
the dog didn’t seem to understand. She really hadn’t wanted to take the time to
come home at lunch, but Darren was out of town, and Kathy forgot to let Archie
out this morning before she left. If she didn’t want to clean up a mess on her
return home, she figured it was best to go at lunch time and take care of that
chore.
Finally, patience
and the passage of time accomplished what she couldn’t manage by exhortations,
and the deed was done. The dog at the center of all this seemed to sense that
Kathy was leaving now. He whined to signal his disapproval. The master was at
home and Archie was ready for playtime.
She looked
down at the dog and shook her finger. “No time for play. I’ll be back this
evening. Now be good.” She wasn’t certain the golden retriever understood, but
when she turned toward the kitchen, the dog lay down quietly. Kathy headed for
the garage but didn’t quite make it before the doorbell stopped her.
Kathy
paused and listened to the door chime’s reverberation fade. The local TV news
had run a feature just yesterday about packages disappearing from porches. What
if… She sighed and reversed direction. It would only take another minute or two
for her to open the front door, check to see if FedEx or UPS had left a
package, and bring it in if one were there.
Kathy
looked through the pane of glass beside her front door and saw a panel van just
pulling away. It wasn’t the familiar dark brown of UPS, nor did it bear the
blue and orange logo of FedEx. And it didn’t look like a Postal Service
delivery truck. Didn’t she read that Amazon had their own delivery service in
some areas? Were those vehicles marked in some way? Whoever brought it, she
might as well look at what they’d left.
She
unlocked the door, took one step onto her front porch, and saw a small box lying
on the stoop. The package was about the dimensions of a shoebox, wrapped in
plain brown paper, with her name on a label. Otherwise, it bore no address, no
return data, nothing to indicate the carrier. Strange.
Kathy
reached down to pick up the box. Now that the dog was taken care of, she needed
to get back to the office. Then again, she couldn’t turn loose of the situation
with the box.
Where can my readers find you on the Internet?
You can
learn more about me at my website, and via
my blog and Facebook page. I also have a
presence on Goodreads.
Thank you, Richard, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me.
Readers, here’s a link
to the book.
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