Cassy's Corner- The Incredibly Generous D.P. Lyle, MD

Folks: Today we have a real treat! Joining us is D. P. Lyle, MD. He is the Macavity Award winning and Edgar Award nominated author of the non-fiction books, Murder and Mayhem, Forensics For Dummies, Forensics and Fiction, and Howdunnit: Forensics as well as the thrillers, Devil’s Playground, Double Blind, and Stress Fracture, the first in his new Dub Walker Series. His essay on Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island appears in Thrillers: 100 Must Reads.

Doug has worked with many novelists and with the writers of popular television shows such as Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Diagnosis Murder, Monk, Judging Amy, Peacemakers, Cold Case, House, Medium, Women’s Murder Club, 1-800-Missing, and The Glades.

He is a practicing cardiologist in Orange County, California. Please jump in and first enjoy the interview and then ask questions or leave comments.

Cassy: Doug, you are a cardiologist. What led you to become both a writer and a fantastic medical resource for other writers?

Doug: I grew up in the South where everybody can tell a story, so I always had the ability to spin a yarn. Of course putting it on paper is much different than sitting around the fireplace telling tales. I always said that when I retired I would write. Then about 15 years ago I said to myself, “If not now when?” So I took some classes at the University of California, Irvine and joined a couple of critique groups and just begin writing.

As for answering questions for writers, as a physician if you go to a cocktail party people want to talk about their cholesterol and their gallbladder, but if you go to a writer’s conference they want to know about poisons and gunshot wounds. I first began answering questions in a monthly column for Mystery Writers of America that appeared in several of the regional newsletters. After that I set up my website and begin receiving questions from writers all over the world. Everywhere from Enid, Oklahoma to Bangladesh. It’s been fun and I’ve always said that I learn as much from the questions as I hope the writers learn from my answers.

Cassy: You have written both non fiction and fiction, all with either a focus on helping writers understand medical phenomena or using it yourself to craft a gripping tale. Do you have a preference for either in your writing?

Doug: I like writing both fiction and nonfiction. Each is challenging but in slightly different ways. With fiction, you first tell the story and then go back and get the facts and the writing correct. With nonfiction, you first gather all the facts and double check them and then begin the writing process. I usually have at least one fiction project and one nonfiction project going at any time.

Cassy: You are an incredibly generous person with your time and knowledge. I see your postings all over the loops to which I belong. Your responses to questions posted by writers on all sorts of medical issues are always to the point and very informative. Two days ago there was a posting on the SinC loop (I think it was that one) by someone seeking your contact information for she had heard you were the go-to guy for a murder she was plotting out. I have two questions stemming from this:

1) How does it feel to becoming one of the nation's most recognized resources for murder and mayhem?

2) What kinds of reactions have you had from your patients who learn you consult and counsel on all sorts of ways to kill people?

Doug: Well, I’m not sure about being one of the most recognized resources but I do have quite a few people who ask me questions on a recurrent basis. My patients love the fact that I write. They’ll bring my books in for me to sign all the time. I like that. It adds another connection between me and the patient, something outside the often dry and straightforward medical arena.

Cassy: Know I'm grinning here asking these kinds of questions. I'm a former nurse (if there is any such thing) and the mother of a medical student who is about to become a pediatrician most likely specializing in cardiology (!).

We've had many discussions on this blog about time management. Writing is time intensive. Well, a cardiology practice is too. On top of that, as I've already said, you donate huge amounts of time to answering questions from those of us who are trying to get it right. Any hints on how you put it all together?

Doug: The simple answer is to get a couple of cats. We have a Bengal named The Bean who is noisy and nocturnal to a fault. He usually starts about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, demanding attention and food. So our day around here usually begins around that time. I also stay up late, at least until 11 PM or midnight. I’m lucky in that I only need five or six hours of sleep a night and I’m okay. So I have plenty of time to get things done.

Cassy: Do you take individual editing or consultation clients? As I've said, you are very generous with your on-line time, but if someone wants your specific comments on a scene, do you offer that as well?

Doug: Yes, I do what I call manuscript consulting. I do charge a fee for that, however. I have helped people plot their stories, work out involved medical and forensic issues for them, read manuscripts and screenplays for veracity and storytelling, and in general offer whatever help I can and whatever help the writer needs to create a sellable manuscript.

Cassy: Stress Fracture is a change of direction for you. This is the fiction-side of your writing I mentioned above. How did it feel to be writing something so different than the other works you have done?

Doug: Actually I have two other novels out in my Samantha Cody series. Sam is a sheriff’s deputy in a small high-desert California town as well as a professional boxer. The first in the series is DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND, a horror thriller, and the second is DOUBLE BLIND, a medical thriller. My new series is the Dub Walker series and the first installment STRESS FRACTURE came out in April of this year.

Cassy: What led you to Dub Walker (the main character in Stress Fracture)? Are we going to see more of him?

Doug: Dub is a forensic and criminal behavior expert and consults on crimes that are unusual or particularly difficult. He has a knack for looking at the evidence in unusual ways and making connections that others might miss while at the same time understanding how the criminal’s mind works. All the stories are set in the South, in particular Huntsville, Alabama, my old hometown, and yes you will be seeing more of him. The next in the series is completed and will be out next June. Its title is HOT LIGHTS, COLD STEEL and it deals with robotic surgery.

Cassy: I know you attended Thrillerfest. Are there other conferences coming up where we can seek you out?

Doug: A couple of weeks after CraftFest/ThrillerFest I will be part of the faculty at the annual Book Passage Mystery Conference in Corte Madera, California. This is a great conference in that it focuses on the craft of crime writing. The attendees are mostly published and unpublished writers who are focusing on developing their craft. After that I will be at Novelist, Inc.’s Brainstorming on the Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida in October and then Bouchercon in San Francisco.

People can keep up with where I’m going to be through my website:

http://www.dplylemd.com/

And my blog: http://writersforensicsblog.wordpress.com/

Cassy: Doug, we thank you so much for joining us today. I am beyond impressed with all you offer to the writing community.