Author’s Choice with Millicent Eidson

Please welcome Millicent to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie? I have no idea how I will complete 26 novels within the next decade.

Truth or Lie? It takes me 18-26 months to write, edit, and publish each novel.

Truth or Lie? I’ve been publishing one novel per year.

Eight Quick Questions

Now for some fun insight into today’s author. Here are eight forced choice questions.

1.          First draft: longhand, keyboard, or dictation? Keyboard: My handwriting is so bad, even I can’t read it.

2.          Plotter, pantser, or plantser (that chaotic middle ground)? Chaotic middle ground: I research like a disciplined scientist, then my characters grab the steering wheel and shout “Surprise!”

3.          Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? Edit as I go: My critique groups get polished chapters, then they still find lots to fix.

4.          Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat"? Mixed nuts, like my mashup of the medical thriller, suspense, climate fiction, and women’s fiction genres.

5.          Writer's block: push through, step away, or "it's not real"? I sprint for my computer every morning like it’s giving away free chocolate. With 26 alphabetical medical thrillers planned, I don’t have time for writer’s block—I’m only on “H” and the alphabet isn’t getting any shorter.

6.          Social media for authors: necessary evil, genuine fun, or absolutely not? I love chatting with readers and Substack has been the most fun.

7.          Reading your own work aloud: love it, tolerate it, or would rather eat glass? Essential. Listening to my draft as the computer reads it gives me new insights on valuable edits.

8.          Happy ending, bittersweet, or gut-punch finale? All three: I deliver a gut-punch climax, sprinkle in bittersweet reflection, and still end with hope.

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. "Let me navigate life at my own GPS-guided pace, okay?" Dr. Millie and I have a constant tug-of-war—she wants roller-coaster drama and I want her to stop scaring me.

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. Public health heroes—including veterinary epidemiologists—can uplift and inspire us as they battle zoonotic diseases, those from animals.

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. What makes you want to write books? What got you started in writing medical thrillers-with-a-twist? Public health communication during my CDC and state health department years was challenging. Now I get to explain science through fictional outbreaks, quirky characters, and veterinarians solving mysteries in the mountains and deserts instead of hospitals.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is I have no idea how I will complete 26 novels in the next decade. Publishing one novel per year may seem incompatible with my glacially slow 18-26 month process, but I work on multiple books at once. This year I’m writing my “G” (Guinea worm) and “H” (Henipa) novels simultaneously, aiming for June and December 2027. Switching to twice-a-year releases means I can finish all 26 novels in the next decade without sacrificing my painstaking research and editing rituals.

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find Millicent's latest:

Book Blurb for Fasciola

Overheated planet. Parasitic liver flukes. Invasive snails.

A perfect storm sweeps across farms worldwide—no one knows how fast Fasciola is spreading. Haunted by earlier outbreaks, veterinary epidemiologist Maya Maguire plunges into a global hunt for answers. From Norway’s mossy meadows to Bolivia’s peaty wetlands, Maya wades through academic turf fights and political unrest to stem the tide.

[Universal Link (Books2Read)]       [Bookshop.org (Indy Bookstores)]      [Amazon] 

Want to know more?

For more information about Millicent Eidson https://drmayamaguire.com/