#39 - What's it Like to Write Fiction as a Physician - Debra Blaine, MD

I've always been fascinated with writers including the likes of Michael Crichton, John Grisham, and others. Those who have seemed to leverage their background, expertise, and their love for words to weave a highly engaging and educational storyline. I have found that writing is highly creative and only takes time, solitude, and a laptop.  In today's podcast episode, I interview Dr. Debra Blaine, who is a physician, and author of two fiction bestsellers: Code Blue: The Other End of the Stethoscope (2019) and Undue Influences (2021) In this highly fascinating interview, we discuss: 1. Dr. Blaine's background and what drew her to write fiction 2. The benefits of writing including narrative, story telling, catharsis, therapy, as well as a platform to highlight important social issues of today 3. Important influences on her writing 4. How to get started And much more.  Join us in this highly engaging interview, and as always, give us a like, follow, comment, and share. About: Debra E. Blaine was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, New York. With a passion for the humanities, she received her BA with concentrations in Philosophy and Hebrew as part of the Plan II Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin, before going on for graduate studies in Comparative Religion at Temple University. She ultimately changed paths and attended Baylor College of Medicine to earn her MD in 1987. She returned to New York for post-graduate training and has practiced Family and Urgent Care Medicine on Long Island and Queens for over thirty years. In 2019, the changing face of medicine, which reflects the changing attitudes of Western society, inspired her to publish her first book, CODE BLUE: The Other End of the Stethoscope. Her hope was to expose in fictional form the effects of corporate greed on the American healthcare system. In the process, she discovered that she loves writing thrillers––much more than practicing medicine. For Blaine, writing fiction provides an opportunity to influence our world from the gentler platform of entertainment, rather than to actively contribute to the “crisis fatigue” that has been ravaging our culture for the last span of years. Her newest book, Undue Influences, continues her campaign against greed, and argues for the practice of integrity. That, along with gratitude and kindness, should be our primary values. As a Certified Professional Coach, Master Trainer, and Certified Group Leader, she also works with clients who are either struggling to navigate the corporate world or those who themselves wish to write and publish. This week's episode is sponsored by City Vest