Anne Fraser talks on Medical Romances and Surprise Giveaway!

We have UK based Medical Romance writer Anne Fraser.....

Thanks first to Romance Reader for inviting me to blog.

 

For those who don't know me (and I hope after this more of you will!) I write for Harlequin Mills and Boon's medical series.

            My first medical romance,  Dr Campbell'sSecret Son was published in 2007. I chose to write medicals for two reasons; firstly because I trained as a nurse and secondly because my husband is a doctor and I knew it was unlikely that I would run out of medical scenarios any time soon. However if anyone had told me that five years later I'd be writing my nineteenth I doubt I would have believed them!

            They say write what you know and that's essentially what I do. Most of the medical background comes from  personal experience or from my husband who worked as a GP before becoming an obstetrician. When I left nursing I worked as a manager in children's services as well as a fertility unit and have written stories set in hospitals, in General Practice, in private IVF units and Harley Street.

             I was brought up in South Africa, and my second book Her Very Special Boss is set in the place where I lived with my husband when he worked in a rural hospital. Africa is a country very close to my heart and three of my other books are, at least in part, set there.

            That's not to say that I haven't written books where I have had no first hand experience and where I rely on research and my imagination. In Miracle:Marriage Reunited the heroine is a writer and has her own TV show,  and in Doctor on the Red Carpet the hero is a stuntman based in Hollywood.

            I often start with the setting and then put my characters into difficult emotional situations. I have had heroines with life threatening illnesses, bereaved heroines, heroines who don't know what to do with their lives and also traumatised heroes. The book I'm currently writing is partly set in Afghanistan during the current conflict.

            Sometimes the editors like us to write a book as part of a series. For example my latest US release, St Piran's:Daredevil, Doctor ...Dad is part of a series based around the fictional hospital of St Piran's. The series has two characters whose story runs through all the books, in this case Josh and Megan but my story centres around Mac a doctor who goes out on Emergency retrievals and Abby who works with him. I love writing feisty heroines and strong, heroic men and Abby and Mac certainly fall into this category.

            I could go on- and on but I would prefer it if you would ask me questions. So please, feel free to ask me anything!

            I look forward to hearing from you

 

            Anne

  Anne around the web:

Facebook            Twitter                Website       Author Page    


     

27 comments:

  1. In Daredevil, Doctor....Dad I was happy to see the couple Abby and Mac getting together in the end with their daughter. But I was entirely unsatisfied with Josh and Megan's story. It was just left up in the air. What do I have to do to get to the end of that story? Get all the St. Piran books?

    Series are fun and it's nice to go back to the same hospital again and see some familiar faces but the drawback of series I find is that you may not get closure on some aspects of the story. The book was great BTW...

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    1. Hi Maria

      I think they could make it a bit clearer when a book is part of a blog. I did get a comment from a reader who read Spanish Doctor, Pregnant Midwife that she thought I was just trying to use up words when I introduced two secondary characters! Does it put you off reading a book?

      Anne x

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    2. Welcome to Romance Reader, Anne and thanks for the giveaway!

      I agree with Maria, reading the whole set of St. Piran's books would give us full stories. And it is interesting about secondary characters- if they have their own happily ever after than I'm satisfied otherwise it leaves me unfulfilled!

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    3. No Anne, it wouldn't put me off. I just think that novels should give closure of all unanswered questions in the end. Besides, it is not the unsolved mystery that would have me going back for another St Piran's - it's because I genuinely like the atmosphere of the novel. That Megan and Josh story was a strong story and it was just left up in the air. I know the story of Josh and Megan is not your story, but still. No matter how good the novel is, a lack of closure leaves the reader unsatisfied and that's not good. There has to be other, more satisfying ways to bind books together in a series other than just unfinished business.

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  2. Hello Anne, I want to ask u why afrika is very close to your heart? Is something happen there? The setting 3 of your book part there, I hear rumors that afrika is difficult country, lot of disease

    Thanks for the giveaway

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    1. Hi Nana

      I write about Africa because I lived there as a child. I also worked there with my husband in a rural hospital. I have visited Zimbabwe and Botswana but would like to go to Namibia too! I still have family there and go back as often as I can.

      ps You're welcome for the giveaway!

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    2. Hi Nana!

      All the best in the giveaway!

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    3. Wow.... Anne...you're awesome...

      Thank you


      Haloo Nas, thank you for the welcome

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  3. Hi, Anne,
    That's a lot of stories to have written! Bet you have fun putting them all together. Pretty cool that you get to write the stuff you're an expert at.

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    1. Hi J.L.

      I do have fun writing them- and one of the best parts is deciding on the location. I travel a lot- I was in Greece this summer, will be back in SA in December and am going to Portugal In January. I'm thinking of setting my next book in Greece- it's such a romantic country.

      Anne x

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    2. Ohh...I like the sound of future books from Anne!

      Thanks for commenting and reading, Joy!

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  4. I can see you're writing what you love. Congrats on so many books!

    Hi, Nas :)

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    1. Thanks, Carol. I never thought I would be the author of eighteen books! I know some of the authors have written many more, but Gee, eighteen!

      Anne
      x

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  5. Hello Anne,

    You are one of my very favorite authors and I am very proud to say I love the books of a author that lived in South Africa ! I live in Roodepoort Gauteng South Africa!

    I have not yet read her very special boss but is sounds fabulous and WOW it is set in SA ~~SO COOL !

    Thanks for sharing your post with us.

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  6. Hi Desere

    I knew there was someone out there who lived in South Africa! You're on my facebook right? My sister lives in Gauteng (I went to school in Pretoria) and I visit her there when I can. My Very Special Boss is set in Gauteng in a place that used to be called Lebowa. Do you know where it is? Quite near the border with Zimbabwe. Miracle Marriage Reunited is also partly set in SA and The Doctor and the Debutante is in another unnamed part of Africa. I love it that you live there and thanks for being so kind about my books.

    Anne x

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  7. Hi Anne,
    Yes I am on your facebook ! I do know where it is I have never been there but I have heard about it.

    I am glad to know that you like me living here it is a really nice place to be! How often do you visit your sister if I may ask?

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    1. Hi Desere!

      Thanks for the lovely review you did of St.Piran's:Daredevil, Doctor...Dad!

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    2. And of course, thanks to Maria too for her review!

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  8. Oh Yes, Desere, I meant to say thanks for the lovely review! I visited my sister in March and am going to SA in December. I try to go to SA at least once a year. Sadly I won't be going to Gauteng this time, but she and her husband are going to visit me in Cape Town. I will be trying to keep my facebook page up to date while I'm there although my house there doesn't have internet! I'm off to Edinburgh but will log in from there. (I hope- I'm not the world's best techie!)

    Anne x

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  9. Your very welcome Anne I hope you have a amazing time in Cape Town.And if your ever in Gauteng for a book signing perhaps ,please let me know so I can have my Anne Fraser books signed!

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  10. Nineteen of them! Congratulations!
    I like the idea of a series set in the same location. Sometimes it's fun to run into characters you recognise from previous stories.

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  11. Hi Deniz

    Came back from Edinburgh last night then straight out to dinner. Found your comment when I got up this morning. So thanks for taking the time.

    A lot of readers love books that are part of a series. Like you, they like meeting the same characters again and following their story. I think I might get frustrated personally of the series went on so long that I had to wait months to find out what happened to the continuity characters. I like them best when they're about four books long.

    Anne x

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  12. You're right, Anne - I remember how glad I was that I discovered Outlander later, as I didn't have the agonizing wait between books, for the first five at least.
    Hope you had a lovely time in Edinburgh!

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  13. I love it when I find a new writer and they have a back list that I can whizz through!

    Edinburgh was great. It's an amazing city with so much to see and do. I trained there and didn't appreciate it at the time. Still it's only an hour away by train or car.

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  14. Congratulations to Nana Alcelinia! Your name came up as the winner for this giveaway! Please email me and I'll send an eCopy of Anne Fraser's Spanish Doctor, Pregnant Midwife!

    Thank you to all our friends who came to chat with Anne and thanks to Anne as well for being here and for this giveaway!

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