Welcome To The Campfire, Linda O'Connor

​Happy Saturday, campers! I'm so glad you could join us today. With so much going on in the world it's nice to be able to step back for a few minutes and enjoy the simple things in life. Things like friends, old and new. Things like a fire in the pit and conversation. Sharing refreshments and laughs. We'll be hunkering down this weekend at home. Maybe play a game of dominoes with friends Saturday. My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by the storms and fires. I know next week's guest has been evacuated to higher ground. My husband and I will be out in 2Hoots next weekend and also looking forward to his retirement trip in the Northeast. I hope to keep the ability to post pictures and share my trips with you, internet can be sketchy when camping. However if you sign up form my http://bit.ly/2YtI1XO_newsletter you'll get a monthly update and chances to win prizes. 
Now, without any further ado...

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​Today I’m welcoming Linda O'Connor to the Campfire. What’s your preference, coffee, tea, cocoa, wine? The camp fridge is like the Starship Enterprise, you speak it, you get it.
I’d love a hot chocolate – with a dollop of decadent whipped cream.
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Excellent choice. Here you go. Now we all want to know if you"ve ever camped, or as I call what I do, Glamp.
I love camping in a tent – especially wrapped in a warm sleeping bag on a cool night, listening to the sounds of the crickets and the wind through the trees, out in the fresh air. When the kids were really little – like 6 - 8 months old, we would bring one of those low-sided Rubbermaid containers for them to sleep in (without the lid, of course :D). Otherwise, they would wiggle around too much and end up on the other side of the tent, with all the blankets, by morning.

You nailed the filling of sight, sound, and feeling. LOL! I'm imagining the containers with little ones in it. Tell us about your latest project. What book are you talking about today and what’s on the horizon.
This month, I’m celebrating the release of the third book of the Dr. Brogan Corkie Matchmaking Doctor series, Don’t Unravel the Past. Dr.Corkie is semi-retired and has upgraded her M.D. from medical doctor to matchmaking doctor. The doctor-turned-chef is cooking up romance and love. 
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Congratulations! That's a wonderful accomplishment. Do you have a tagline? Life Motto?
Laugh every day. Love every minute.

I love it. One of the first things someone asks me about writing is "How long did it take you from conception to publication?" What about you?
9 months (but it wasn’t as arduous as birthing a child)

Ha! Literally a book baby👶 Linda, so many opinions differ on my next question, what does literary success look like to you?
Lots of sales. :D The thing that really keeps me writing is feedback from readers. Readers who leave a review or write to tell me how much the story meant to them – how they related to it, how it made them laugh, how it helped them escape reality for a bit – and that they’re looking forward to the next book – that’s what defines literary success to me.

What a great answer. Success is measured by more than on thing. Do you have any Life Hacks for Authors. Tips, tricks, or anything you specialize in that you would share with others? 
I write medical romance. A tip for others who want to write about doctors: they cannot/wouldn’t ever date their patients – unless they want to lose their licence to practice medicine. I know that readers are sometimes asked to suspend reality when reading fiction, but a doctor hooking up with their patient makes me cringe. It’s so unprofessional. Something else I’m often asked about – outside of a clinic or medical facility, doctors can pretty much only do First Aid and CPR like any other bystander. Not many doctors carry around a stethoscope, medical equipment, or urgently needed drugs on a date!
 
Here that medical writers. Big no-no patient dating the doc. I’m also interested in how you have been managing your life and writing with COVID-19.
How did I cope with COVID-19? I embraced change. Deep down, I don’t think this will be a permanent change (after all, life went back to some semblance of normal after the Spanish flu), but for now, it really helped to accept that I needed to do things differently or be left in the dust (or end up in a casket). I was already wearing a mask at work when I saw patients because inevitably they would cough just as I was taking a throat swab, and wearing a mask saved me from getting infected, but now I wear a mask whenever I go out. I was also a frequent hand washer, but now I actually do sing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” twice while lathering. Also new was all the protective gear I had to wear at work, interacting with patients virtually instead of in-person, limiting who I saw and where I went, and grocery shopping every 7 - 10 days (no popping out for one ingredient). I focused on what I could do – go for walks, spend quiet time writing and reading, interact with others on Zoom or on the phone, make larger meals so there would be leftovers, so I didn’t have to cook every day. I’m very grateful that I have a lovely, peaceful home that I enjoy spending time in, and I’m at a stage in life with my job and children that makes it easier to cope. 
 
Great insight. I remember working medical during the HIV/AIDS situation in the early mid 80's. We learned more about universal precautions. Now I guess it will be universal precaution add respiratory protection. Do you have a special object like a piece of jewelry or keepsake of some sort? Can you tell us what makes it special to you?
I love miniature knick-knacks. When I was about nine years old, on one of my family’s annual road trips – hitting KOA campgrounds all around Ontario – we stopped at a museum. I can tell you, my parents never bought souvenirs, in fact, we rarely went into gift shops. With four kids, it just wasn’t in the budget. But that day we did, and I fell in love with a little key chain. Attached to the ring was a tiny clear rectangular box with a little “fish” swimming inside. I didn’t ask for it, but from the amount of time I spent making the little fish swim, it was obvious that I was enamoured with it. My mom shepherded us back into the car, and my dad lingered and came out with a small paper bag. He slipped it to me through the window before getting in the driver’s seat. When I opened it, it was the keychain delicately wrapped in tissue paper. My dad passed away of cancer when I was sixteen. That keychain has gone everywhere with me, and I still have it in a place of honour on a little picture shelf in my study.

Oh my! That is such a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it. What is your favorite mug or teacup if neither T-shirt with graphic or Meme?
I have a mug that my husband had made with a picture of me and our two oldest sons, when they were three and four years old, out on a walk at a local conservation area. It’s the cutest thing ever.

Teach me something I don’t know in two sentences.
When you send away your spit in a direct-to-consumer genetic testing kit, the information can be sold to a third party including pharmaceutical companies and government agencies. The labs aren’t necessarily accredited, the results aren’t standardized, and because of a host of factors, even if the test is positive for a disease, it doesn’t mean that you have it (or that we can treat it) – are you really sure you want to know about it?

WHAT! Geez, nothing is private anymore. Duly noted. Do you have a favorite cartoon and why?
Zits. I swear the creators have a secret camera in our house – it’s so realistically funny about raising a teenager.

My hubby and I love Zits even though our son is long gone and onto a family of his own. What's your favorite candy, cookie, pasta?
Skittles (although a Crunchie bar is a close second), warm chocolate chip cookie, penne with a lemon infused oil and light balsamic vinegar dressing tossed with red peppers, fried zucchini, mushrooms, and capers.

Linda, thank you again for coming and spending time around the campfire. Your interview has been very enlightening. But before you go, can you leave a bit more about your book (s) and where interested readers can learn more?

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Don’t Unravel the Past
 
Dr. Brogan Corkie is happily semi-retired from medicine and now has time for other hobbies. Her passion for food is second only to her skill at matchmaking!
 
Years ago, Dr. Jay Landon kissed a sexy stranger with violet eyes. He was instantly enamoured – until he saw the engagement ring on her finger and the angry-looking dude by her side. She walked away with a piece of his heart.
 
Dr. Brenna Locket is in Mapleton for a conference and plans to stay for a six-month sabbatical to write a book. Her colourful past has prepared her well for a job she loves as an obstetrician-gynecologist with a special focus on sexual health. If her vivacious personality, natural empathy, and expert knowledge didn’t set her apart, her violet eyes and curly black hair certainly would.
 
Brogan doesn’t know their history, but the spark between Jay and Brenna is undeniable. She’s intrigued…and a matchmaking scheme is hatched. Now, if only Brenna could leave her past behind. Because unravelling the past might just derail the future.
 
Buy link:  https://www.amazon.com/Unravel-Brogan-Corkie-Matchmaking-Doctor-ebook/dp/B08C8MHGYL
 
Excerpt
The doorbell rang and Brenna tugged on her T-shirt and ran a hand through her hair to subdue some of the wayward curls before opening the door. She stilled and her smile froze in place. Her recollection was swift – steel blue eyes glinting behind a goalie mask, a stolen moment, a fleeting kiss. He hadn’t changed much in seven years, although his eyes seemed bluer and his shoulders broader. He certainly hadn’t lost that cocky smile.
Jay stiffened and then his smile slowly widened. “Well, if it isn’t Doctor Sniper/Cheater.”
“It was a good goal, Doctor Sore Loser. I couldn’t help it if I was more talented than you.” Brenna leaned against the door frame. “It’s been a while.”
“Indeed it has.” But he’d recognize those violet eyes and curly hair anywhere. If truth be told, he was a complete sucker for them. They’d haunted his dreams since the moment he’d met her, even if she had just scored the winning goal. She’d robbed his hockey team of a spot in the final and stolen his heart in one fell swoop.

Bio
Award-winning author Linda O’Connor started writing romantic comedies when she needed a creative outlet other than subtly rearranging the displays at a local home décor store. Her books have enjoyed bestseller status. When not writing, she’s a physician at an Urgent Care Clinic. She shares her medical knowledge in fast-paced, well-written, sexy romances – with an unexpected twist. Her favourite prescription to write? Laugh every day. Love every minute.
 
Website www.lindaoconnor.net
Twitter twitter.com/LindaOConnor98
Facebook www.facebook.com/LindaOConnorAuthor
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Linda-OConnor/e/B00S7CNLEA

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