UMC ALUM'S FIRST SUSPENSE NOVEL REFLECTS EDUCATIONAL, CLINICAL ROOTS

A young nurse is found dead floating in a bathtub. A distinguished physician drowns after falling from his deer stand. 

These are the suspenseful connections between characters in Dr. Darden North’s first published novel, “House Call.” 

North graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1978 and received the MD from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1982. He completed residency training in ob-gyn at UMC in 1986. Immediately thereafter, he joined Jackson Healthcare for Women in Flowood, where he remains a practicing physician partner. 

“There’s no question that my 21 years of practice, in addition to my full-time attendance at UMC, have provided me with insight into writing a knowledge-based medical thriller,” North said.

Many authors in the medical suspense genre have found great success fascinating readers but have not truly lived the experience or acquired the expertise to support the storyline. 

“In my first two novels, “House Call” and “Points of Origin,” I reach into my educational and clinical roots and validate what is happening with the characters while throwing in a fictionalized twist of some of my own personal experiences,” North said.  

Becoming an author took North nearly as much time as it took him to become a doctor.

“’House Call’ took about 10 years to write and publish,” he said. “My following book, “Points of Origin,” which injects a different storyline, took only a year and a half. I have found that it seems easier to write with practice because the method becomes more structured and methodical. This lets the process move along a bit faster.”

North is quick to point out that he is nowhere near ending his ob-gyn practice. 

“I’m into both careers for the long haul,” he said. “I write on weekends and downtimes – it’s my secondary passion. Bringing babies into this world and practicing gynecology are my first loves.”

He said the integral role the Medical Center had in his younger days helped create the firm foundation that enables him to write.

“I was the editor of the student yearbook, the 1982 Medic,” he said. “And on my upcoming third novel I have sought advice from Dr. Bill Cleland, reproductive endocrinologist and associate professor in the School of Medicine. Bill’s being in Jackson will be an invaluable research source as I complete my third mystery novel.”

Living in Jackson, North has been married to his wife, Sally, for 28 years. His son, William, will be attending the School of Medicine at UMC in the fall. His daughter, Anderson, has completed her freshman year at Ole Miss and is deciding between a major in broadcast journalism or nursing.

“Points of Origin” just received an award in southern fiction from the internationally based Independent Publishers Book Awards. For more information about North’s books, visit his Web site (www.dardennorth.com).

—Dani Edmonson (10-1-07)

2007-09-28 00:00:00 17376