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DELAYED
DIAGNOSIS
June 2001
PRESCRIBED
DANGER
April 2002
DEADLY
REMEDY
February 2003
GRAVE
CONCERNS
January 2004
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Author's
notes
About the Rhea
Lynch, M.D. Series:
Each book in the Rhea Lynch, M.D. series stands alone, yet involves
some of the same characters. Their trials and relationships,
both broken, mended, and passionate, are a river that runs through
this series. Each novel can be read for itself, for its own flavor
and crisis and conflict. Yet, the lives of the Dawkins' County
citizens weave thorough.
The series currently
has four books. I hope you will eventually read all the novels
from first to last. Although the stories stand alone you may
find it more enjoyable to start with DELAYED DIAGNOSIS, first in the
series, and read through to GRAVE CONCERNS.
About Fictional
Dawkins County:
Most doctors who commute to the small county hospital where I
work, are scheduled for weekend coverage of the ER. Upon hearing
of the small population in the mostly rural area—about 50,000
people—they expect to experience a restful weekend with the rare
car accident and perhaps a sore throat or earache. Instead, they
find an incredibly high incidence of alcoholism, drug use, teenage
pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, heart and liver diseases,
unvaccinated children with childhood diseases not seen in this country
in decades, diseases acquired through contact with wildlife, farm
animals, and poor water quality in the few remaining well systems
in outlying areas, farm and industry traumas, people hit by trains,
and on and on. Most leave feeling shell-shocked. Long timers
like me just grin and say, "Wait till next week. It'll be
worse." And often heard phrase in the ER is, "Oh, Honey,
I could tell you some stories...."
About medicine:
Our knowledge of medicine is evolving so fast that even the finest
physicians have a hard time keeping up with the changes. When
you read any medical novel, many of the procedures used by the characters
will quickly become outmoded, outdated, and put out to pasture! I
hope you will keep this in mind when you read about Rhea Lynch, MD!
About Rhea:
So many of you have fallen in love with Dr. Rhea-Rhea. I
love her too! For me she is as alive as I am, as full of angst
and energy, pathos and joy. Though Rhea and I are nothing alike,
and she is fully fictional, I would recognize her if she walked into
the room. I have heard the same comment from many of you.
For those of you
who have asked, Rhea turned thirty during the series. And no,
I don't yet know how her romantic life will turn out! I am as
ambivalent as Rhea about the men in her life. And then there's
Ely, and that small problem of John, the ex-fiancée... the one-time
love of her life.
And yes, I pronounce
her name RAY, southern style, as in ray of sunshine, though she would
hate that comparison!
Enjoy!
Gwen
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