Hi, everybody.
I've been so busy with writing the first draft of my fourth medical thriller novel that I almost forgot about the next edition of my author newsletter. The only reason I still remembered is that I have some personal plans this month and that, when I reviewed what needed to be finished, I realized that sending out the April 2026 issue of Anthony Lee's Monthly Author Musings is an important task to finish before then. So here I am. But don't worry. This is not a rushed newsletter. As you will see, I still have plenty to talk about.
What's New:
Poison Pill Reviews, Awards, and Consignment
Poison Pill has gotten a lot of positive reviews. Roughly twenty already, believe it or not. Reviewers have said various things about the book, but I am especially appreciative of those calling the book timely or relevant to today. For a roundup of reviews for this novel, visit the following page at my website: https://anthonyleebooks.com/books/poisonpill/reviews.htm.
Meanwhile, Poison Pill has received awards, both of which are runner-up honors. It has received the Literary Titan Silver Book Award, an honor given to select novels rated 4 out of 5 stars by that source. It has also received a Third Place honor in the BookFest Awards for the Spring of 2026 in two book categories: Mystery - Thriller and Thriller - Medical. You can see the list of awards at the following page at my website:: https://anthonyleebooks.com/books/poisonpill/awards.htm.
Lastly, Bookshop Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA) now has copies of Poison Pill for sale through consignment, alongside copies of Doctor Lucifer and Toxic Minds that are still available. If you are local to the Northern California beach town of Santa Cruz, feel free to stop by and pick up copies of those books. If you wish to order Poison Pill online from Bookshop Santa Cruz, you may do so here: https://bookshopsantacruz.com/book/9798348494827.
Coming Up:
First Draft of Book Four Almost Complete
I've been working many weeknights to write the first draft of the fourth novel of the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series. My original plan was to finish it this week. But because of unexpected moments where I needed a temporary break for one night or two, I will instead finish it later this month. I'll write three more chapters this week, take next week off, and churn out the remaining four chapters of the story.
As for how much I am enjoying the story I am creating here, I do feel good about it. This will be yet another story that is different from the previous ones I wrote. I have a personal philosophy when it comes to write novels in a series: "Never write the exact same story twice." I take originality and freshness for new stories very seriously. With this upcoming fourth novel, you will be reading about yet another new set of situations that Mark Lin has not encountered before. It may be challenging for me the author, but tackling it is hopefully what ultimately makes the book exciting for the reader.
The Medical Files of Dr. Mark Lin:
Cross-Cultural Communication in Medicine
Poison Pill incorporates multiple themes in the story. One such theme is cross-cultural communication. There is a scene in the novel where Mark has to communicate with a patient who only speaks Vietnamese. (Fun fact: I am Vietnamese American, but I grew up prioritizing English to fit into American society and not learning my family's Asian language.) Mark relies on a medical interpreter to communicate back and forth with the patient. In my novels, I like to incorporate unique moments of everyday healthcare into my medical thrillers, and this is one such example. I got the idea from seeing up close a hospital touchscreen tablet designed specifically to call up medical interpreters in any language.
If you're curious about the work of a medical interpreter, check out this blog post at https://thelanguagedoctors.org/blog/medical-interpreter-in-healthcare-communication, written by a company that is interestingly called The Language Doctors.
Inside the Mind of Anthony Lee:
Why Mark Doesn't Always Rely on Law Enforcement
In my medical thrillers, Mark gets tangled up in medical mysteries and crises that cross over into certain parts of society outside the hospital. They eventually put him in dangerous situations involving crime, which raises a question that sometimes comes up in readers' minds: why doesn't Mark just call the police? Well, there are several reasons for this.
First, the situations may be too unusual for law enforcement. In Doctor Lucifer, a computer hacker alters medical records of Mark's patients to harm them. How is a regular municipal police department going to handle this when its cybercrime unit is more geared toward more common threats like identity theft and ransomware? In Toxic Minds, there is already a police investigation into a clinic bombing, but Mark has information suggesting that authorities might be misled, not following the right path. And in Poison Pill, Mark's investigation is purely medical, and any signs of criminal elements involved might not manifest until it's too late.
Second, law enforcement acts on clear evidence, not gut instincts. It's not enough to report something and say you think this person did it just based on a gut feeling. You need to give them something concrete and solid to work on, like video footage showing the crime and the face of the perpetrator. In the case of Mark and his adventures, he's not going to call the police just to say he suspects a certain character based on flimsy circumstantial evidence. He respects law enforcement enough to not waste their time unless he knows for sure what he is dealing with. That's why Mark investigates something on his own. Not to substitute his work for police work, but to help them once the picture is clear.
Third, Mark is not the kind of person who is inclined to wait for others to do a job that needs to be done. This especially applies in a situation that impacts him directly. He's not, for example, going to sit around when the computer hacker in Doctor Lucifer targets him. This characteristic stems from my own dislike of waiting for other people to do something important if I myself can do it instead.
Even with the reasons above, there's one simple fact. If Mark calls the cops for everything and they can actually solve the same problems he faces in the stories, there wouldn't be any story at all. As the author, I want to write tales of a character plowing through difficulty to overcome adversity. So there.
Fun Stuff:
UCLA Women's College Basketball Championship
I like to watch professional sports. Yet, I don't follow college sports, largely because I've always been accustomed to seeing college and universities for what they're originally designed to be: institutions of higher learning, not sports franchises. That being said, I do make one exception. Because I attended and graduated from UCLA, I do take notice when any major college sports team from UCLA makes it to a championship game. I was thrilled to hear that the UCLA women's basketball team, featuring players like Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez, made it to the NCAA Championship women's basketball game against the University of South Carolina. I knew nothing about the dynasty of South Carolina and didn't care, because I just wanted my school to make history by winning their first-ever NCAA championship in women's basketball. And they did, beating South Carolina by a score of 79-51. I watched the game in a sports bar and enjoyed the exciting atmosphere plus the food I was eating during the game. Congratulations to my UCLA Bruins. Thanks for making my Sunday a great one.
And thanks to everyone for reading this newsletter. See you next month.
Anthony Lee
anthonyleebooks.com |