On occasion, I run a 6Ws feature to give fellow authors and their books a bit of promotion. Gregg Luke is the next. (With a nod to my former life as a journalist, I opted for the 6Ws of the business: who, what, when, where, why and how, which counts as it ends in W.) I will let Gregg tell you about his writing, including his latest, Premonitions.
Who is Gregg Luke?
I grew up in Santa Barbara, California where I developed a love for nature, reading, and writing at an early age. I pursued formal education in Biological Sciences at SBCC and UCSB, but still took time for creative writing courses. My initial sights were on marine biology, but I soon discovered physiology and the incredible complexity of the human body, and decided to pursue medicine. After some hardcore classes, I completed my schooling at the University of Utah, College of Pharmacy, including an informative rotation with the Utah Poison Control Center. I currently am a husband, a father, and a grandfather living in Utah.
What is your latest book?
My latest book is titled Premonitions. It was released Sept. 1. Because I like to stretch myself when writing fiction, most of my work is contemporary. But I have always been fascinated with 19th and 20th century medical practices (or lack thereof) and how new ideas were often treated with scorn and vitriol. Premonitions is set in 1928 London and encompasses much of the environment, mores, and medical ideology of that period.
Book Blurb: In 1928 London, Helen Clarke has only one goal: keep her eight-year-old daughter Peggy alive. But Peggy has contracted a disease that is almost certainly a death sentence, and Helen is single, homeless, and penniless. When her desperate attempts to save Peggy fail, she turns to St. Mary’s Hospital—and to a young doctor whose unconventional approach to healing may be Peggy’s only hope. While neither adult has any objective other than saving Peggy, their close association and combined efforts develop into an unexpected romance.
Amidst the turmoil, the one assurance Helen hangs on to is the powerful premonitions she’s had about Peggy’s future and her participation in something world changing. The question is whether those premonitions are an actual promise or simply the desperate hope of a mother determined to save her only child.
Note: All the medicine, locations, and historical facts in Premonitions are real and accurate!
When did you begin writing?
I began crafting stories around the age of five. My parents and teachers encouraged me to try drawing pictures using only words. That assignment quickly grew into a love of writing. By training, I’m a lover of all things science, particularly natural sciences, but my creative genes have never stopped nagging me to write. So in addition to being a clinical pharmacist, I also use my knowledge to write plausible, gritty medical thrillers. Over the past sixteen or so years I have published thirteen suspense novels and two suspense novellas.
Where do you write?
Everywhere. My mind is always open to gripping scenarios, unique turns of phrase, and ideas for new scenes and stories. It’s not uncommon to come home from a shift at the pharmacy with a pocket full of prescription blanks scrawled with ideas for my novels. But I do the majority of my writing in my home office.
Why do you write?
I write because I truly enjoy the bizarre stories in my head and I think (hope!) others may too. I also love to teach about medicine and healthcare. The challenge in medical fiction comes in doing so without sounding like a textbook. I’m also a stickler for accuracy with only a smattering of artist license thrown in for emotion and thrills. (And I love being mean to my characters in unusual ways). My ultimate aim is to write a gripping, plausible tale that leaves readers saying, “Wow. I never knew that could happen.”
How do you write?
One of the most frequent questions all authors get is “where do you get your ideas?”. My answer is “I go to work.” There’s serendipitous benefit in having to complete yearly continuing medical education as a health professional. First is, of course, keeping up for the health and well-being of my patients. Secondly, it gives me great fodder for entertaining my readers.
I am not really a plotter (one who maps out every step of the story) nor am I a pantser (one who writes by the seat of his pants). I’m basically a mix of the two. I’m a huge believer in letting the characters tell the story. So, I start with a premise (a cool disease, drug, fungus, interaction, etc.), then I create an exciting beginning and a plausible ending, knowing that A, B, and C that must happen somewhere in between. Then I start writing and let the characters take me for a ride.
Now you know all my author’s secrets.
DISCOVERY in ACTION
I set Premonitions in 1928 London because it was a landmark year for medicine. It was sometime around the first of September that Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered the penicillin effect while working at St. Mary’s hospital. But it wasn’t until ten years later that penicillin was finally isolated and mass produced. Up until that time, there was seemingly no way to combat lethal infections such as staphylococcus, streptococcus, clostridium, and all other deadly bacterial infections. In fact, in all wars leading up to WWII, more people died from infections than from bombs, bullets, and bayonets. Children were especially susceptible because of underdeveloped immune systems and poor hygiene of the period. London was especially hard hit because of poor sanitation, sketchy water sources, and extreme poverty in many areas. There were some alternative therapies available, but the medical attitudes about infections were stuck in traditional theories of miasma and the four humors. Acceptance of germ theory was still in its infancy.
Enter Helen Clarke. Raised in a poor family that struggled for day-to-day subsistence, they did everything they could to survive. When she had daughter Peggy out of wedlock, things rapidly went from bad to worse. Now, finding herself homeless and penniless, Peggy contracts what Helen mistakes as typhoid fever. Because Dr. Almroth Wright, the inventor of the typhoid vaccination at St. Mary’s, she seeks out his help, only to discover that Wright is semi-retired and Alexander Fleming is now department head. Dr. Fleming tells her that the vaccination only works if given before an infection. But rather than sending her away, he has Peggy brought to the Children’s unit of St, Mary’s, where Helen meets the young, handsome Dr. August Gardner, a newly licensed physician who is frustrated with the numerous limitations of contemporary medical practices and is willing to try new ideas. Premonitions is their story of discovery, trust, resilience, determination, love, and premonitions about Peggy’s future.
Here’s the link to Premonitions.
CONTACT INFO:
I truly enjoy hearing from my readers (especially if the comments are positive!) I have an author page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greggluke1 and a website at www.greggluke.com. Please stop by.