Good Morning, Booklovers!
We are hot, hot, hot in the Midwest, going from late winter temps to the 90s overnight. But I’m happy to say, we’re on the deck for the first time this year. Draw up a chair, and meet this week’s guest author, BJ Magnani, with her featured medical thriller/suspense novel, A Message in Poison.
Welcome, BJ. How do you take your coffee?
BJM: French vanilla roast, light with no sugar
Ally: While I fix our drinks, please tell readers something about your background.
Dr. BJ Magnani is on her 4th career. After college, she became a high school and college teacher, obtained an M.S. & Ph.D., worked as a scientist, and then returned to medical school to become a pathologist. Now, writing fiction is her primary passion.
The former Chair of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, MA, Dr. Magnani, is currently Professor of Anatomic and Clinical Pathology/Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and uses her knowledge of toxicology to create medical fiction.
Something unique/unusual that isn’t in your regular bio: “I have two Martin guitars. I bought one when I was in college and then bought another five years ago—the one I couldn’t afford as a student. I thought it would be sweeter, but the one I scrimped and saved for when I was young is still my favorite.”
Author Contacts:
Website: Home | BJ Magnani
@bjmagnani / Twitter
info@encirclepub.com
BJ Magnani | Facebook
Barbarajean Magnani PhD, MD | LinkedIn
BJ Magnani Books – BookBub
Ally: Who or what inspired your featured book?
BJM: All my stories are inspired by events I find in the news that could create catastrophic problems for the world if set into motion—mass poisonings, threatening missile launches, and control of geopolitical resources. I find these scenarios much scarier than traditional horror stories. My stories are in the realm of global possibilities.
A Message in Poison is the third novel in the Dr. Lily Robinson series about a Boston physician who doubles as an assassin for the U.S. Government and completes Lily’s personal arc, while taking on a new geopolitical mission.
The first book in the series, The Queen of All Poisons, provided the background to the characters who were first introduced in the short story collection, Lily Robinson and the Art of Secret Poisoning (initially, I was asked to write flash fiction for a scientific journal to educate readers on poisons, and I created Dr. Lily Robinson who has an encyclopedic knowledge of poisons.) The second novel, The Power of Poison, continued the story from the first book but with a new mission for Lily.
Ally: Are you self-published or traditionally published? How did you make the decision?
BJM: I am published by a small indie press, Encircle Publications, located in Farmington, Maine. I enjoy working directly with the publisher. Working with a company that knows the business helps new authors, and as an author, I get to provide input into my book covers and marketing, making it fun.
Ally: Do you use critique groups or beta readers? Do you find them valuable?
BJM: I’m lucky to have several beta readers. I ask these people for honest feedback—what works, what doesn’t work, what captures their emotions, and what they love about the new book. I take the feedback to heart. I see if it makes sense and then find ways to clarify and make the story richer.
Ally: Why did you choose writing as a career? Is it your only career, or do you have a “day” job?
BJM: I was a full-time academic pathologist when I started writing fiction seriously. I loved my job, but after chairing an outstanding department at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston for many years, I decided to step down and focus on writing fiction full-time. Life is short, and you should do what makes you happy. I’m happy.
Ally: What is your next writing project? Anticipated release date?
BJM: I am currently working on several projects: Book 4 in the Dr. Lily Robinson series, a stand-alone medical romance, and I’m enjoying writing The Poison Blog, which is posted on my website, The Poison Blog | BJ Magnani
There’s also a Lily Robinson story in an anthology, Eccentric Circles, that was released in February 2022. Eccentric Circles: Short Stories: Volume 1: Brackett-Vincent, Cynthia: 9781645993469: Amazon.com: Books
Ally: Which of the trivia questions did you choose to answer?
BJM:
- an item on your bucket list: Before the pandemic, I had a ticket to Iceland to see the aurora borealis, the Skogafoss waterfall, and Vatnajokull National Park. I hope to get there soon.
- favorite accessory (jewelry, scarves, shoes, etc.): Stiletto heels or any fashionable high heels. I love shoes.
- favorite comfort food: chocolate (what’s not to love)
- favorite quote: “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle).
- best place you’ve ever visited: the island of Bora Bora
Ally: I see our time is up for today. Thank you very much for visiting the blog, BJ. Before we finish, please show us you featured novel.
Genre: mystery/medical thriller/romantic suspense
Sparks fly as Dr. Lily Robinson, the brilliant academic pathologist and covert assassin for the U.S. Government, investigates two seemingly unrelated deaths alongside her lover, Agent Jean Paul Marchand, and D.C. Medical Examiner Dr. Logan Pelletier.
A U.S. Senator and the president of a developing nation are found dead in their beds. As governments thousands of miles apart react to the fallout and begin their investigations, no one claims responsibility, and no motives are clear.
Yet, the cause of death implies a link between the two—one that only a mind versed in poisons and politics can decipher. With her personal relationships teetering on the brink and her loved ones facing foreign threats, Lily must unravel the mystery and uncover a plot more calculating than anyone could imagine—but it may be too late.
A Message in Poison, the third part of the Art of Secret Poisoning trilogy (The Queen of All Poisons and The Power of Poison), continues with twists and turns as Dr. Lily Robinson travels the globe, stares down death, and finds herself at “another crossroad, another choice between life real or imagined…”
Buy Link:
Amazon.com: A Message in Poison: A Dr. Lily Robinson Novel: 9781645993254: Magnani, Bj: Books