Authorpreneur Dashboard – Linda OConnor
Perfectly Honest (Perfectly Series Book 1)
Romance
You never know where your words will take you… When Mikaela Finn agreed to be Sam’s “fiancée” for a weekend, she probably should have told him that she’s a doctor. Sam O’Brien, aka “Dr. Eye Candy,” is trying to shed his playboy reputation and convince a small town hospital that he’s ready to settle down. But when his “fiancée” helps deliver a baby in the middle of the meet and greet, it’s a bit of a shock. If he’d known the whole truth, he might have done things a little differently because somehow his “fiancée” ends up stealing his job and his heart. Not exactly the change he wanted. Lies and deceit – it’s a match made in heaven!
Book Bubbles from Perfectly Honest (Perfectly Series Book 1)
One little white lie...
Have you ever told a little white lie thinking it was harmless? Mikaela inadvertently gets herself in trouble when she pretends to be Sam's fiancee. Seems harmless, right? Nope. Sam is applying for hospital privileges at a small-town hospital. Turns out, the hospital needs an obstetrician more than they need an ophthalmologist, and the coveted privileges are offered to Mikaela instead. Oops! She was happy where she was and this might just upend her entire career path. It was just one little white lie, but you never know where your words will take you!
Funny how it all works out.
"Funny how it all works out, isn't it?" That is my favourite line of the excerpt. Even though it doesn't seem like a good change at the time, it turns out that what happens to Mikaela changes her life...for the better. She probably would never had initiated change like this, but once it is put into motion, one thing leads to another and the opportunity turns out to be just what she needed. Making the best of a bad situation seems to be a theme around the world right now. I hope you can find the silver lining to whatever situation you are in...and look to grow and change in a positive way. Because, you know, it's funny how it all works out.
On-call 24 hours a day
A physician's work is never truly done. In Perfectly Honest, Dr. Mikaela Finn helps deliver a baby in the middle of a hotel foyer. I had this idea because, as a physician, I’ve helped sick patients on an airplane, in church, at the beach, at the gym- medicine is rarely nine to five. I also delivered my nephew – unexpectedly, but luckily at a hospital – when the obstetrician didn’t show up on time. It was a fast delivery. My nephew is kind, smart, friendly, outgoing – he’s wonderful really – and I take credit. It’s all in the delivery, right? :D
Keep busy!
I'm a family doctor, so it's hectic at work, but there's a whole new routine at home. My advice? Keep busy! Here's how: Establish a new routine and embrace the change. Exercise for an hour every day. Gardening, stretching, dancing - or follow along an online video. Do something creative every day. Draw, colour, or try a new recipe. Ree Drummond is my personal fav. My sons like Matty Matheson. Laugh every day. Check out the funny hashtags onTwitter. Watch Jimmy Fallon's at-home edition. It's sure to make you laugh. Each day check the latest guidelines from your local public health unit and then turn off the news. Stay in touch by text, telephone (for the Boomers :D) and video conferencing. Acknowledge that adjusting to this new normal is challenging, but don't stop there. Find the positive in your life and embrace the change as a chance to grow. Be a good role model to others in your world - maybe you'll learn something about yourself! (Like how resilient you can be. :D) In Perfectly Honest, Mikaela fears change, and - as it always does - change happens whether she wants it or not. A little white lie spirals out of control, but as it turns out, falling for the person you're pretending to love can still turn out...perfectly!
Writing Medical Romantic Comedies
I’m a physician, and I started writing because I wanted to find a fun way to weave the best parts of medicine into a story. It's also a great way to to educate and empower readers to take ownership of their health. Targeting a female audience with romance novels seemed like a good idea because women are usually the ones who see a doctor. (Males typically go only when a girlfriend/partner/mom encourages them to do so. :D) My characters are usually doctors, and it's easy to make the dialogue and descriptions of their lifestyle realistic. In Perfectly Honest, Mikaela is an obstetrician, and Sam is an ophthalmologist. They get into trouble after telling a white lie. I love reading and writing romantic comedies because I love being in a fun headspace when I’m writing. I think laughter is essential to great health. My prescription for you - a dose of love and laughter!
Making Characters Unique!
In every book I write, I give the main character, especially the heroine, her own quirky characteristic. Whether it’s playing with black as a sexy favorite color, setting tables as a hobby, messing up song lyrics, or associating driver characteristics with the color of the car, each heroine has a fun uniqueness that adds to the story. In Perfectly Honest, Mikaela reads three horoscopes each day and picks the one that most closely predicts how she wants her day to go. I thought it’d be fun to use the horoscopes as a bit of foreshadowing, so each chapter begins with Mikaela’s favourite.
Small Town (Big Fun) Romance!
In Perfectly Honest, Sam is applying for a new job at a small town hospital in Emerson. He takes Mikaela along as his “fiancée” to convince them he’s not the playboy they think he is. But the tables are turned when the hospital needs Mikaela’s specialty more than his. He’s offered the job but only if she goes too! I grew up in a small town in Ontario, and it became the inspiration for Emerson - with its warm sense of community and quirky characters. Of course, what's even better is that Sam owns a sexy gorgeous home with an indoor pool and a private tennis court. My kind of place!
Why I Write Medical Romantic Comedies
I’m a physician, and I started writing because I wanted to find a fun way to weave the best parts of medicine into a story. It's also a great way to to educate and empower readers to take ownership of their health. Targeting a female audience with romance novels seemed like a good idea because women are usually the ones who see a doctor. (Males typically go only when a girlfriend/partner/mom encourages them to do so. :D) My characters are usually doctors, and it's easy to make the dialogue and descriptions of their lifestyle realistic. In Perfectly Honest, Mikaela is an obstetrician, and Sam is an ophthalmologist. They get into trouble after telling a white lie. I love reading and writing romantic comedies because I love being in a fun headspace when I’m writing. I think laughter is essential to great health. My prescription for you - a dose of love and laughter!
It's Not a Coincidence!
In Perfectly Honest, Dr. Mikaela Finn jumps in and helps deliver a baby in the middle of a hotel foyer. I couldn’t write the scene without her using gloves, so she whips out a CPR keychain from her purse and voilà, she had a pair of gloves to use. One of the cardinal rules of writing is that things can’t happen by coincidence, so at the launch party for Perfectly Honest, I handed out CPR key chains to everyone. It wasn’t a coincidence that Mikaela carried a CPR keychain – everyone has one!
It's written in the stars!
I enjoy reading my horoscope each day and often find myself thinking about how the advice specifically applies to me. In Perfectly Honest, Mikaela reads three horoscopes each day and picks the one that most closely predicts how she wants her day to go. I thought it’d be fun to use the horoscopes as a bit of foreshadowing, so each chapter begins with Mikaela’s favourite. Sam’s mom, Marla, comes to visit and has her own idea about how Sam’s zodiac sign will help him find the perfect soul mate!
Didn't see that coming!
A scene that was influenced by a real life experience was when Mikaela’s specialty eclipses Sam’s. My husband is a surgeon and his specialty often garners more interest than mine when we meet someone new. Except once. In the midst of a family doctor shortage, we were at the bank and the two women helping us were so excited that I was a family doctor that my husband’s specialty never came up. I had to chuckle when he mentioned that he’d noticed. In Perfectly Honest, Sam is applying for a new job at a small town hospital. He takes Mikaela along as his “fiancée” to convince them he’s not the playboy they think he is. But the tables are turned when the hospital needs Mikaela’s specialty more than his and he’s offered the job only if she goes too.
Surprise, I'm a doctor!
In Perfectly Honest, Dr. Mikaela Finn helps deliver a baby in the middle of a hotel foyer. I had this idea because, as a physician, I’ve helped sick patients on an airplane, in church, at the beach, at the gym- medicine is rarely nine to five. I also delivered my nephew – unexpectedly, but luckily at a hospital – when the obstetrician didn’t show up on time. It was a fast delivery. My nephew is kind, smart, friendly, outgoing – he’s wonderful really – and I take credit. It’s all in the delivery, right? :D
Canadian, eh?
I wrote Perfectly Honest and I hadn’t realized how Canadian I was (with a British writing style) until I entered the manuscript into a writing contest in the United States. The main character, Mikaela, was tired at the end of a long day and agreed to do a favor for a friend, so she stopped on her way home for a double double. Two of the contest judges commented that they had no idea what that was. What?? Canadian babies’ first words are momma, dada and double double. How could you not know what that was? Haha. It’s a coffee – two creams, two sugars. Plus, Mikaela routinely went to the drive thru at Tim Horton’s (our most popular, one-on-every-corner, don’t drive anywhere until you’ve stopped there first, coffee and donut shop) to pick up the double double. One judge wrote, “Who is this Tim Horton? Need to develop his character.” I was going to write back that he’s a relative of Dunkin’!
