Dr. Richard L. Mabry's
Although Code Blue is his first published novel, it's not Dr. Mabry's first book. After the death of his first wife, he used journaling as a coping tool after the loss, and that became the core of his nonfiction book The Tender Scar: Life After The Death Of A Spouse, released March, 2006 by Kregel Publishers. The book offers a profound ministry to those who have lost a loved one, and Dr. Mabry continues to speak to groups about grief and loss.
Richard has an interesting past. He played semi-pro baseball while in college. As an Air Force Captain, he served as Deputy Commander of the USAF Hospital in the Azores, and was decorated for saving the life of a local child. He is an ordained Deacon in the Baptist Church, and has been a Sunday school teacher and choir soloist.
When Richard is not writing, he's busy being a husband and grandfather, working on his golf game, and 101 other things that retired people do. He is busier now than he ever was while in practice or teaching--and loving it. He says: "Like most authors, I served a long apprenticeship, honing my craft, and now my efforts have been rewarded. Yes I thought I was retiring. Instead, I've just shifted gears, and I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for me in the future."
Richard, for those of us not so enlightened, what is a Code Blue?
That's the name often used to indicate a cardiac arrest--a true medical emergency.
You're now a full-blown novelist. When did you find your path to writing? How were you influenced by your experience as a physician and your status as a practicing Christian? Would you say the loss of your first wife was a turning point to a new path, or maybe more of a major milestone along a path that had been developing for a long time?
Before Cynthia's death, my writing was all in the medical area: over one hundred journal articles authored and eight textbooks written or edited. After her death, I felt a strong leading to use my journal entries to help others who were struggling with the same loss I'd experienced. It was at this time, as I attended conferences and tried to learn more about the craft of writing, that authors James Scott Bell and Alton Gansky challenged me to try my hand at fiction.
I have chosen to write in the genre of Christian fiction, but in truth, all this means is that my work contains no profanity or overt sex, and is written from a Christian worldview. There are no conversion scenes or evangelistic appeals. I simply want my writing to be an extension of the way I try to live out my life.
Your first book was the nonfiction, inspirational The Tender Scar: Life After the Death of a Spouse (Kregel, 2006). This was based on your actual day-by-day journal of coping with deep grief in a most personal way. Can you tell us a little bit about it from the emotional and spiritual ground zero of this profound life event?
Cynthia and I were married for forty years. As we were about to retire, she suffered a massive episode of intracranial bleeding and passed away within a few days. I was devastated. My life, including my relationship with God, was at low ebb. It was only after I passed through this period of depression that I thought about trying to use my experience to help others. As I wrote the book, I incorporated a brief passage from the Bible in each chapter, along with a few sentences of prayer. During the process, I came to realize that God hadn't caused this tragedy, but could use it to minister to others. That's just what The Tender Scar has done for thousands of people since.
You have published some short works over the past years. What sorts of writing were they? Fiction or nonfiction? What did you discover about yourself as a writer and a person as you worked on these?
My published short works are mainly connected to the grief ministry I conducted after Cynthia's death. It's impossible to be involved in speaking to groups about grief and loss without encountering a number of questions common to individuals who have suffered the death of a loved one. I dealt with these in several articles written for Christian periodicals, most notably In Touch. I also began to write short devotionals that were published in The Upper Room devotional guide. Unfortunately, none of this helped me with my fiction, but all of it made me a more complete person and helped speed my own healing.
You mention having paid your dues and honed your craft for a long time before being rewarded with publication. During your learning curve as a writer, what were the main discoveries and points of learning?
I have three unpublished novels languishing on my hard drive. As I look at them, I see that the universal shortcoming in my early writing was failing to have a strong "so what?" factor in the story. By this, I mean, what does the hero want/need and what terrible thing will occur if he/she doesn't get it? I've also learned to avoid a dump of backstory early in the plot, to use beats instead of speaker attributions when possible, and to resist the urge to explain or expand. Of course, a writer never masters every nuance of the craft, so we can never stop studying and honing our skills.
What do you aim for in your fiction writing? What grips you as a reader, and what do you expect your readers to take away from your fiction thriller Code Blue?
When I began writing, there was a good bit of controversy over whether fiction should be character-driven or plot-driven. I try to do it both ways. I craft interesting characters involved in a plot that holds the attention of the reader. I write medical fiction because I know medicine and people seem to enjoy reading about it, although I have to be very careful not to get too technical or too graphic with my scenes. Each of my books has a central theme, but readers may not realize that I also designate one word to characterize the plot. For Code Blue, it's "deliverance." Cathy is caught in a situation that seems to worsen with each passing day, with no apparent way out. I hope that the final message of Code Blue is "there's always a way."
Who are your favorite authors of fiction, especially in the suspense and thriller related genres? How about in the mainstream?
My favorite author is the late Robert B. Parker, because he had such an easy writing style. His work always held my interest, but I didn't have to sleep with the light on. Late in life, he branched out from the Spenser series to books dealing with an alcoholic police chief, a troubled female private detective, and some tough but tender cowboys--I loved them all.
I read lots of thrillers, including medical suspense, especially the work of my cyber-friend, Dr. Michael Palmer. I enjoy the work of my friend and mentor, James Scott Bell, especially his new Ty Buchanan series. I've read everything written by John Grisham and Lawrence Block I can hardly wait for each new Lee Child book to come out. Robert Crais and Harlan Coben keep me reading after midnight. The list is endless.
One of the things I think a writer must do is read; read good stuff, to know what makes it good, and bad stuff, to know what to avoid. By the way, all the books I've mentioned come under the "good stuff" heading.
What are your favorite movies that may contribute to your characterization, plotting, atmosphere, or other characteristics of your fiction?
Here's a confession: Kay and I may go to the movies once or twice a year. We watch DVD's at home, and generally these are romantic comedies or musicals. Frankly, most of my plotting comes from my past experience and a too-fertile imagination. The same goes for characters.
If you had to write the premise of Code Blue on the back of a business card, what would you write?
Dr. Cathy Sewell finds that you can't go home again...because small towns have long memories.
I'm going to partially quote from the product description online, which outlines an intriguing development of plot and characters:
"In the first book of the Prescription for Trouble series, Code Blue means more to Dr. Cathy Sewell than the cardiac emergency she has to face. ... Cathy returns to her hometown seeking healing after a broken relationship, but discovers that among her friends and acquaintances is someone who wants her out of town...or dead. Lawyer Will Kennedy, her high school sweetheart, offers help, but does it carry a price tag? Is hospital chief of staff Dr. Marcus Bell really on her side in her fight to get hospital privileges? Is Will's father, Pastor Matthew Kennedy, interested in advising her or just trying to get her back to the church she left years ago? When one of Cathy s prescriptions almost kills the town banker, it sets the stage for a malpractice suit that could end her time in town, if not her career. It's soon clear that this return home is a prescription for trouble."
Richard, that's a nice mix of people and motives, with a promise of skullduggery and conflict. Can you add anything to how you see the individual characters as fictional human beings, without spoiling the plot for us? What kind of person is Cathy? Do we learn something about her broken relationship, or does she not look much in the rear view mirror?
We learn early in the book that Cathy retreats to her hometown after her fiancé betrays her with another woman. Her high school sweetheart, now an attorney, would like nothing better than to rekindle old flames, but her past experience has left Cathy unwilling to trust any man. So, as her problems keep piling up, she feels more and more alone.
Do you have any parting thoughts for us? What are the plans for the next book in the Prescription For Trouble series? Will we see more of the same characters? Thanks for taking time to respond to this interview.
Each book in the series will stand alone, but starting with book three there will be interconnection of characters and to a lesser extent the settings. Book two, Medical Error, takes place in a large medical center, where a female surgeon finds that, although identity theft isn't usually fatal, it can be.
Thanks for this opportunity. I'm enjoying my membership in ITW and look forward to connecting with other thriller writers and readers.
John T. Cullen writes fiction and nonfiction. He is the author of A WALK IN ANCIENT ROME, Revised Second Edition (Sep 2009; nonfiction/ancient history); LETHAL JOURNEY (Sep 2009, dark thriller based on a true 1892 crime/ghost story); UMNITSA (WW2 espionage thriller); THE GENERALS OF OCTOBER (suspense: what if we had a Second Constitutional Convention?); and nearly two dozen other books. Visit http://www.johntcullen.com/.
