Embryo 2-Crosshairs by J.A. Schneider-A Review and Interview with the Author

Embryo 2: Crosshairs by J.A. Schneider

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About the Book: Release April 2013

They thought the nightmare was over. Intern Jill Raney and the man she loves, obstetrical resident David Levine, barely escaped death at the hands of a madman on the steep roof of an old part of the hospital. The awful scene, captured by overhead news choppers, became a media obsession, run horrifyingly over and over. Jill and David are now reluctant “celebrities” – and the targets of every wacko who wants to share in the attention.

Including a killer. Someone who begins venting his fury at their “fame” by his hideous assaults on women – assaults which Jill and David discover are also death threats to them, and to a 6-month-old baby who has yet to be born.

Their predator is clever. Haughty. Leaves cryptic “clues” to taunt them and the police, who are at a loss. He knows how to leave no physical evidence behind. No prints, no fibers, no eyewitnesses.

Jill and David must still return to their exhausting hospital duties, knowing that any psycho can just walk into a hospital. Friends beg David, who is a crack shot, to carry a gun, but he doesn’t. “What’s the use?” he asks. “A doctor’s back is always turned.”

Instead, Jill and David join forces to become detectives on their own, helping the police in ways that even forensics experts never imagined; working frantically to uncover an unspeakable secret that dooms their fate and that of a sweet-faced, unborn child…unless they can put an end to an obsessed killer’s twisted quest.

Review:

What to say…..what to say…………I am as a rule, normally, a romance reader. So, when I was approached about reading and reviewing this book, I was a bit skeptical when I realized that it is a suspense-thriller. Well, a lot, actually. But, I had already agreed to read it, so off to read I went…………. And, holy hell, what a read it was. Both this book, and the first, start from the first page and DOES.NOT.STOP……….. The suspense is continuous, to the point where I had to walk away for a bit. The subject matter is pretty brutal and, in my humble opinion, not for the faint of heart. Some may find it hard to read, due to said subject matter, BUT, if you can convince yourself (as I did) that this is FICTION, you will fly through the story.

Schneider has written her characters so well, that I felt that I actually knew them. Jill and David make a great team. The supporting characters are great as well, but to be honest, I did find myself getting a little confused as to who was whom and what they had contributed earlier, or if they had at all. I think that in itself may be a testament to how realistic this story seems. Having lots of friends and family that are doctors, nurses, etc., the scenes at the clinic and hospital played out before my eyes as I read the story.

As I said, some of the book is tough to read. But, I for one am glad that I did. I look forward to the next installment!!

ORDER links:
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Copy supplied by the author

Reviewed by Vickie M.

TRC: Hi J.A. and welcome to The Reading Café. We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

FOLLOW J.A: Website / Goodreads/ Twitter/ Facebook

J.A.: I’m a former staffer at Newsweek. Words and story ideas are always teeming in my head – a crazy colorful place! I’m a wife, mother of two adult children, and I love thrillers and mysteries. Once a Liberal Arts major (French and Spanish Literature), I’ve become increasingly fascinated with medicine and forensic science. Been married for decades to a physician who loves explaining medical concepts which I interweave as I write. EMBRYO is my first ebook. Its sequel, EMBRYO 2: CROSSHAIRS, was released in early April 2013. We live in southern Connecticut.

TRC: Your bio states that you were a exchange student in Russia. Have you ever been back for a visit? If so, how have things changed since your days as a student?

J.A: Haven’t been back, but I know things have changed a lot. Actually I was part of a student exchange between the U.S. and Russia. It was fascinating, but the desire for return visits was stronger to France and Spain. I love both, the people of Spain especially. So warm!

TRC: How did a French Literature major with a minor in Spanish and Russian develop a love for writing medical mystery novels?

J.A.: Life evolves. French I started in the fifth grade, so, being lazy, I opted for a French major because it was familiar and I’d taken all those AP courses. THEN marriage, and decades of hearing medical talk, and the fact that amazing advances in medicine are made constantly… I became fascinated. Have always, always peppered my husband Bob with questions, getting increasingly fascinated. Have also done much volunteering in hospitals.

The idea for the first EMBRYO came like a lightening bolt when hearing a conversation between Bob (who did OB before switching to Cardiology), and an Ob/Gyn friend who was excited about IVF and its advances in curing diseases in utero. As an author who had already published fiction and non-fiction, I thought about all human discoveries – from fire to atomic energy – and the fact that they can be either good or very bad if they fall into the wrong hands. It was a thought that wouldn’t let go.

ORDER links for EMBRYO: Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Barnes and Noble /

Speaking foreign languages is nice, but static. It doesn’t involve the always-new-discoveries excitement and fascination of something like medicine and forensic science.

TRC: Embryo 2 is your April 2013 release. Would you please tell us something about the premise of the story (series)?

ORDER links for Embryo 2:
Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Barnes and Noble

J.A: I realized that the ending of Embryo created a new crisis…

In Crosshairs, that new crisis was “fame.” Embryo’s heart-stopping final scene has turned Jill and David into reluctant “celebrities” – and the targets of every nut job who wants to share in the attention. Awful, especially since any psycho can just walk into a hospital…

Including a killer. Someone who begins venting his fury at their “fame” by his hideous assaults on women – assaults which Jill and David discover are also death threats to them, and to a 6-month-old baby who has yet to be born.

Their predator is clever. Haughty. Leaves cryptic “clues” to taunt them and the police, who are at a loss. He knows how to leave no physical evidence behind. No prints, no fibers, no eyewitnesses.

Jill and David must still return to their exhausting hospital duties. Friends beg David, who is a crack shot, to carry a gun, but he doesn’t. “What’s the use?” he asks. “A doctor’s back is always turned.”

Instead, Jill and David join forces to become detectives on their own, helping the police in ways that even forensics experts never imagined; working frantically to uncover an unspeakable secret that dooms their fate and that of a sweet-faced, unborn child…unless they can put an end to an obsessed killer’s twisted quest.

TRC: How many books do you have planned for the series?

J.A.: Three. A trilogy. Then I’ll begin a Raney and Levine series which will continue with the same wonderful characters. Jill Raney and David Levine become physician-detectives (they already are in Embryo 2), like an updated Holmes and Watson. How so? In this post-CSI era, bad guys again have the advantage. They know how to leave no physical evidence behind. No prints, no fibers, no eyewitnesses. But Jill and David find ways to help police in ways that even forensics experts never imagined.

TRC: How much research (logistical, historical, medical etc) was involved in the writing of this series?

J.A.: Two previous trad pubbed novels involved a lot of research. They never felt “native, organic” to me, so they came out showing the strain. With the two Embryo books, however, it was easy and a joy. Bob is always near to ask questions as they arise. We both enjoy the process. Every conversation gives rise to another idea or exciting plot point (google Pseudomonas aeruginosa…yeeow). So the research was detailed, and often I’d hit the med books and research more deeply, but it basically was easy and helped the stories flow. I’m also very familiar with hospitals and the life, having accompanied Bob on his rounds, and volunteered.

TRC: Do your storyline characters speak to you and tell you the direction of the story or do you direct the characters?

J.A.: Oh, the characters lead! Especially Jill. She’s reckless and determined in addition to being smart and deeply caring. Her dangerous, against-orders ideas sometimes surprise even me, which is why I don’t use an outline. David and Jill bounce off each other, actually. There are places in Embryo 2 where David gets an idea and it terrifies Jill. So they bicker, but the interplay between them fuels the story – and is sometimes even funny.

TRC: I guess this question would be for your husband – what is his overall interpretation of the medical drama television series currently on the prime time line-up? Reality or closer to fiction?

J.A.: Closer to fiction, sometimes ridiculous and wrong. Actors mispronounce, hold their stethoscopes and X-rays backwards, their EKGs upside down, on and on. Similar to cop shows. Ask any cop how he feels about cop shows… “It’s not like that, I can’t watch that stuff!” they’ll say. Doctors don’t watch doctor shows, and cops don’t watch cop shows.

TRC: If you could virtually cast the major characters in this particular storyline, which actors or models would represent your ideal image?

J.A.: Hmm, someone gorgeous and sexy for David. Jill, I don’t know…

TRC: Many authors face challenges in writing or getting their books to publication. What are some of the difficulties your have faced in your writing career?

J.A.: In the past, with traditional publishers, I had a non-fiction book orphaned by first one editor and then her replacement getting laid off. The economy has decimated publishing houses, including their publicity people. I love the freedom of indie publishing. The one challenge remaining is promotion, but that now applies to trad pubbed authors too. The big houses just don’t promote any more. Except I see them on Twitter too; what a hoot.

TRC: How do you handle (the combination of) the pressure and stress of a deadline and, family life at home?

J.A.: It used to be very, very hard when my children were small. Now that they’re grown and adults out in the world, life and writing are easier. (See? All you have to do is wait twenty years.) Other things still intervene, interrupt, but it’s still hugely easier. And with indie publishing there really aren’t any deadlines, except self-imposed, right?

TRC: What five things would you like to accomplish in the next ten years?

J.A.: Just keep writing, faster and better than ever. I’d love to see a “Raney and Levine” TV series.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

J.A.: Embryo 3

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

J.A.: One of my favorite quotes from the book: A surgical resident friend tells David, “Take the gun! Even cops can’t depend on cops!” That surgical resident is from Houston, where a resident was shot and killed in the E. R. He’s obsessed, correctly, that no cop or hospital security guy can shoot until after violence happens.

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food :Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!

Favorite Dessert: Anything chocolate

Favorite TV: Show Dexter

Last Movies You Saw: “The Fugitive,” “Air Force One,” and “What Lies Beneath.” ← Oooh, scary! Love that one.

Dark or Milk Chocolate: Dark

Favorite Flower:
Roses. I grow climbers and ramblers which the deer can’t reach, yay. Favorite one is called Laguna rose. Some climbers (they’re shorter, 6-10 feet) bloom June to November. The ramblers are thugs, climb 30 feet up to our house’s second floor. Gorgeous in June-July, but I spend too much time on a ladder. Their thorns are the size of bird-of-prey talons and tear right through my shirtsleeves. People see my scratches and ask if we keep big cats.

TRC: Thank you J.A. for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on the release of Embryo 2. We wish you all the best.

J.A.: Thank you so much!! Love to all!!