Greetings, everyone.
This month's newsletter is probably going to feel a little shorter than usual. For one thing, there is a special occasion that I'll be celebrating soon: my birthday. Also, it's a rather slow month when it comes to latest happenings with my work. Still, I do have a couple of things that you might appreciate hearing. So let's dive in, shall we? I promise I'll make it worth your while.
What's New:
Recap of Select Recent News
Because I don't really have any new news, I'll just take the time to recap two of the latest items from recent weeks that are still on my mind.
Toxic Minds, my second medical thriller novel, was named a Finalist in the 2026 Pacific Book Awards in the Best Thriller category. Basically, it won second place in that category, which is still remarkable when you consider that it had to stand out against a large number of thriller book entrants. See the full results here: https://www.pacificbookreview.com/winners-finalists-2026.
Paperback copies of all three of my novels are now sold in two bookstores via consignment: Barnes & Noble in Dublin, CA, and Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, CA. If you're in the vicinity of either, feel free to tell people you know who may be interested in my work to stop by and find my books there. Will I reach out to other bookstores for consignment opportunities down the line? We'll see. I'll keep my eyes open for now.
Coming Up:
Fourth Draft for Fourth Novel
I have finished editing the third draft of the fourth Mark Lin medical thriller. At this point, the backbone of the story feels pretty solid, so that my next focus is to really layer in emotions for each scene. It has to make the reader feel, not only think. That's what I try to aim for with each book I write. I want my novels to be plot-based medical thrillers on the surface while also being a character study of Mark, who in turn grounds the story in our real world through his commentary about the state of humanity and society.
I won't begin the fourth draft until the first week of July. That's because I am taking a break for the rest of this month.
The Medical Files of Dr. Mark Lin:
The FDA's Take on Dietary Supplements
My medical thriller Poison Pill takes on two kinds of medicine: pharmaceuticals and herbal supplements. I wanted to do this dual approach because many people may know about pharmaceuticals from traditional medical thrillers and real life, but not so much herbal supplements. There are things I had learned about the latter that fascinated me, yet may not be knowledgeable to the general public. Like my earlier novels, I wrote the book to be both entertaining and eye-opening for the reader.
If the topic of supplements interests you, you might appreciate this article on the website of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements. It may be broad and cover various types of supplements, not only herbal supplements, but certain contents do come into play in the events of Poison Pill. I enjoy grounding my medical thrillers in realism, so that they feel like they are happening in real life.
Inside the Mind of Anthony Lee:
Mark Lin's Birthday
One thing I never revealed about Mark Lin in my novels so far is his age. As a result, the reader has had the freedom to imagine the protagonist at whatever adult age they wish. I don't mind letting readers picture characters in their heads the way they want to. Still, when it comes to Mark, I have become increasingly mindful of how readers perceive how old Mark is. After all, there is a difference between a character in, say, his forties and a character in his fifties. At this point, I want to finally set the record straight by officially announcing how old Mark Lin is. To do this, I decided what this fictional character's fictional birthday is. Now, I am ready to reveal that to you.
Mark Lin was born on March 30, 1990.
This would make him 33 years old in Doctor Lucifer, which I imagined as being set in the beginning of 2024, before the end of March. Mark would then be around age 34 or 35 in Toxic Minds and 36 years old at the start of Poison Pill. Should I successfully achieve my goal of writing 24 novels in the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series, he will be in his sixties at the end. I do imagine this series to be a long-running saga where Mark has many adventures across major chapters of his life.
I chose March 30 as the birth month and date because it is designated as National Doctors Day in the United States. What better way to appreciate this character by having a birthday symbolically tied to that annual day? As for the birth year, I chose 1990 because that was a year in my childhood when my imagination really came alive. I became a lot more engrossed in stories, whether they were in TV shows, movies, video games, or books. Altogether, Mark's birthday signifies his career path and my imagination that has been blooming since I was a kid.
Fun Stuff:
My Birthday
Speaking of birthdays, my own birthday occurs this month. That's right. June is when I am completing another full orbit around the sun, having lived another great year of life characterized by joy, personal contentment, and inner peace. I will celebrate my birthday by taking much of the month of June off, during which I will do fun things like spending time with my mother, taking golf lessons, going to a few sporting events or otherwise watching them on TV, playing ice hockey, and hanging out at local spots while enjoying simple pleasures. As for birthday gifts, remember last month's newsletter where I talked about getting a new smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra? Well, that was actually an early birthday gift from my mother. No kidding. So, Mom, thank you so much for that. You didn't really have to do it.
Well, time for me to dive into my break. I will talk to you all again next month.
Anthony Lee
anthonyleebooks.com |