The Romance Reviews

Thursday 15 March 2012

Medical Romances

Why do I write Medical Romances?
I always wanted to write novels. In the culture of achievement in which I was raised, writing novel constituted a nice hobby, not a sustainable job and certainly not a career for an A student. “You will be a doctor,” my father repeated daily. I didn’t mind. But fate decided differently.

First I fainted while watching a doctor poke and clean an abscess on my sister’s elbow. The doc had to leave his patient to rescue me. Still, Dad continued the brainwashing and I joined premed. When we had to dissect a rabbit in the anatomy lab, I started crying. The poor thing was so cute. With the scalpel in my shaking hand, I spent the whole session sobbing and staring at the adorable rabbit, and failed my lab test. Dad gave up.

Many years later as a writer, I decided to grant my Dad his wish. I would be a maker of doctors through my books. I had a lot of help from the nine doctors in my family.

My daughter, a neonatologist, inspired and helped with the medical cases of BABIES IN THE BARGAIN and Rx in RUSSIA.

BABIES IN THE BARGAIN is now a bestseller at Amazon.com. It was voted BEST ROMANCE NOVEL at Preditors & Editors Readers Poll 2009, and won 2010 BEST CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE NOVEL at Readers Favorite.


With only one year left to complete her medical training, Dr. Holly Collier vows not to let anyone mess up her sacrosanct schedule. Especially not Dr. Marc Suarez. The heartthrob of the hospital who used to collect sports’ trophies and nurses’ kisses broke her heart seven years ago. When a tragic accident transforms the carefree playboy into a dedicated, but novice father to his nephew, Holly gives in to her maternal instincts and turns her structured life upside down for the orphaned preemie. But can she learn to trust Marc again and believe in true love? 


My sister, a psychiatrist, gave me two books of cases to read. Interesting and quite funny. You can’t believe the nutcases in the world. I used some real cases in NO MORE LIES.
NO MORE LIES is now a bestseller at Amazon.com.
2011 EPPIE Award Finalist
2010 Best Contemporary Romance ~ Readers Favorite



A lie that brings a smile... or the truth that draws tears?
Dr. Olivia Crane lives a quiet life. When the visiting physician from France strolls into her office, with open arms and a confident smile, her perfect control is about to crumble. He can't be Dr. Luc George, the man she loved ten years ago? Should she return his scorching kisses, or should she lock her door before he digs into her many secrets?

Secret daughter, secret friend, secret enemy. Had Luc really known his sweet Olivia back then? He wants her back, but he wants the truth, too. Now, Olivia has to face her past before she can grab her second chance.


A nephew who is a surgeon corrected the surgery scene in RIGHT NAME, WRONG MAN.
Most of my medical mentors complained I made medicine sound too easy or too funny, but the surgeon, who fell in love with his nurse and married her, loves all my medical romances.
RIGHT NAME, WRONG MAN is now a bestseller at Amazon.com
A romantic comedy novel set in France:  What’s a girl to do when she whispers another man’s name in her fiancĂ©’s arms?

 When forbidden dreams about the sexy French Dr. Yves Malroux assail her at every turn, Mary-Beth puts her wedding plans on hold. The man would probably not even remember the plump nerd she was three years ago before she lost her illusions faster than her pounds. Regardless, to be able to marry her fiancĂ© without reservations, Mary-Beth needs to confront her past and flies to France for a summer training program in surgery with Yves.

But Yves never forgets an organ he removed from a patient or a woman he dated. And he never forgot the pretty student of Harvard Medical School who has turned into a stunning beauty and seems in serious need of coaching about spicing her serious life with some fun and passion. 
Only yesterday I was at the hospital for a procedure and I told the nurses I wrote medical romances. They laughed and said, “So you write about all the divorces and affairs we see here.” Before I had time to ask for details, they put me to sleep with an anesthetic. Darn!

Mona Risk can be found at:
www.monarisk.com
www.monarisk.blogspot.com
Twitter : MonaRiskS
Facebook: Mona Risk Author

13 comments:

Lindsay Townsend said...

Mona, your writing talent is amazing and what an astonishing family you have! All those experts just to hand...

I don't think I could have dissected the rabbit, either.

Congratulations on your writing success.

Have you been tempted to write for Mills and Boon medical romance?

Kristina Knight said...

medical romances are some of my favorites of the genre! Good luck with all your releases...I'm headed over to glom some of your backlist now. :)

Cynthia D'Alba said...

Having spend 20 years in the medical arena, those affairs the nurse was laughing about are real!

Congratulations on your past successes and mega wishes for many more!

Mona Risk said...

Hi Lindsay, I worked with Mills & Boon for three years. Babies in the Bargain was edited by M&B. My editor told me just before Christmas, they had a slot for it. The next week she was transferred. I was assigned a new editor who said to put Babies in the Bargain and No More Lies aside, and write a new story. I wrote Right Name, Wrong Man and worked with her for a year. Then heard she left M&B. Then I wrote Rx in Russian for a new editor who didn't like it. I gave up after that.

Mona Risk said...

Kristina, my medical romances are on sale at Amazon for 99cents, except Rx in Russian that is still sold by TWRP.

Mona Risk said...

Hi Cindy, too bad the nurse put me to sleep before I heard more material for new novels.

Maggie Toussaint said...

Mona,
I've enjoyed reading all your medical romances. You may have disappointed your dad by not going into medicine, but you've made so many readers happy by your choice of subject material. And the fact that they are so authentic is earning you praise and fans from the medical community. That's a win-win in my book!
Maggie

Keena Kincaid said...

Hi, Mona. Dissecting animals in class is always tough. It grossed me out (we did frogs) but I also was fascinated by everything I saw. I had no desire to be a doctor though. Researcher, maybe, but I didn't want to deal with patients. LOL!

Lynne Marshall said...

Hi Mona!
As someone who has read both Babies in the Bargain and No More Lies - I understand why they are best sellers!
I'm glad you chose medical romance as your genre in romance because your love for medicine shines through. Lucky you to have relatives guiding you on scenes. I love the bit about your surgeon nephew loving medical romance because he met and married his nurse. Ah - nothing like a good doctor-nurse story.
from one medical romance writer to another - wishing you all the best, Mona!

Mona Risk said...

Hi Maggie, my Dad didn't live long enough to read my books, but he was always very proud of his daughters and their achievements in life.

Mona Risk said...

Hi Keena, I can relate to dissecting frogs. There was a poor thing we injected with Strychnine to study its convulsions effects. Poor frog!

Mona Risk said...

Lynne, I love medical romances. I read so many of yours.

Jenny Twist said...

Very entertaining post, Mona. I remember plotting to rescue all the poor mice that were held captive in the science labs, waiting to be sacrificed,