Greetings! This is Anthony Lee, author of the Dr. Mark Lin Medical Thrillers series of novels. I am here with the official debut issue of my monthly newsletter, Anthony Lee's Monthly Author Musings.
Once a month (or more if I feel like it), I take the time to talk about three things: updates on my work, insights into my writing, and other unrelated fun stuff. You'll receive the latest news about the books I write, learn more about my writing process and inspiration, and get to know more about me as a person. As this newsletter is just getting started, I might refine its content and style over time, so bear with me on that. My goal is to have this newsletter be a fun supplement to my website, to provide more content beyond the information about my books.
That being said, let me share what's new with me.
Preview of Third Medical Thriller Novel
After several months of work, I have completed the manuscript of my third medical thriller novel, to be released in early 2026. I have sent it to my editor.
I usually do not reveal the title of a new book until about two months before release. However, I am willing to share a tiny glimpse into what my latest medical thriller is about. To do that, here is a snippet of my draft blurb for the book:
"Dr. Mark Lin hates greedy drug companies, along with herbal supplements that do more harm than good. Two medical mysteries force him to confront both."
Basically, this medical thriller is structured as an intertwining of two plotlines. One is related to an herbal supplement and the other is related to a pharmaceutical drug. In both cases, Mark wonders if they have dangerous side effects not known to the public. As with any medical thriller in this series, Mark's medical investigation involves both the patients he sees on the job and various actions outside the hospital walls. Expect this story to tie in with issues related to both the herbaceutical industry and the pharmaceutical industry. I enjoyed writing this novel and I hope all of this satisfies your curiosity about it.
Remaining Steps for Book Three
Once my editor finishes with all revisions to my third novel, the next steps are as follows:
First, I will record the audiobook version of it. I always narrate my own books because they come from my own life experiences and observations of the world we live in. I do find it fun to bring the words to life in this medium as a once-a-year task.
After that, I will contact my cover designer to design the book cover. I do know how it will look. I just need to describe my ideas to him and let him create the cover based on my specifications.
Lastly, I will announce the title and reveal the cover, while contacting prominent book review sources for early reviews of the book. Should be fun.
By the way, I will begin the steps above sometime in November. For October, I'm taking a break from doing anything with book three. However, I will be brainstorming, researching, and outlining my fourth novel.
Where Do I Get My Story Ideas?
My medical thrillers mainly come from looking at two things: (1) major events going on in the world and (2) my concerns about flawed human behaviors, having grown up with a sense of discipline and responsibility. To help you understand, let me briefly illustrate them as applied to my books.
Doctor Lucifer, a medical thriller about a hacker harming patients by remotely vandalizing electronic medical records, is based on major cybersecurity breaches I've noticed over the years. Think of stolen personal information and ransomware hitting businesses, just to name a few examples. It also came at a time when I noticed medical facilities transitioning from patient charts on paper to digital records. Then, as a basis for the pessimistic perspective of Mark Lin, I layered in the general chaos of the world, which I feel stems from a multitude of human flaws.
Toxic Minds, a medical thriller centering on a cult oriented in medical disinformation, was inspired by the widespread problem of disinformation spreading in various contexts, like medicine and politics. It's especially troublesome when negative consequences have occurred as a result of acting on falsehoods. Such events often made me disgusted and sometimes angry about the apparently widespread lack of critical thinking and rational thought in society. All of this inspired the story so strongly that I urgently inserted this one into the series as the second entry, pushing the original planned second entry back to make that the third book instead. Yes, the one I just finished writing.
Mark Lin as a Version of Me
As an Asian American who had briefly been in the world of medicine, I couldn't help but notice how a lot of Asian Americans embarked on a medical career. Yet, such physicians are underrepresented in fiction, whether in books, movies, or television shows. When I designed the main character for my medical thrillers, I knew it had to be an Asian American character, as a way to provide much-needed Asian representation. But I also wanted to create a character who defied, not followed, stereotypes about Asian people.
The way I did this was simple: create Mark Lin based on parts of myself. Specifically, I looked back on the days when I was a medical student and resident and experienced so much stress, while questioning the value of taking care of people in the face of widespread human flaws and societal ills. That's who Mark is: an embodiment of the worst days of my life. That's not to say he's forever locked in that negativity. I also know that I have grown and changed for the better, and that's something I also include in Mark's life journey. The moments of redemption I include in my stories are a way to balance out the stories' prevailing darkness.
Fun Stuff: Basketball
One thing I enjoy outside of writing: sports. That includes basketball. As someone residing in the San Francisco Bay Area, I appreciate having two local professional basketball teams to cheer for. Recently, the Golden State Valkyries of the WNBA completed their incredible inaugural season, winning the most number of games for an expansion team plus being the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural year. As their offseason continues, the first NBA preseason game for the Golden State Warriors took place and makes me look forward to their season. I love how both Golden State teams collectively provide basketball excitement all year long. The Warriors have October to April and possibly as late as June, while the Valkyries have May to September and possibly as late as October.
Anyway, that's all for now. I hope you're looking forward to reading my books. Until next time, have a great October.
Anthony Lee
anthonyleebooks.com
|