While chatting a few months ago to a neighbor I didn't know very well, I was delighted to discover that he was in the final throes of having his first novel published.

Ever attuned to the stories of physicians who have taken steps to find outlets for their creative drives, I begged for an interview, which he - Ken Corre MD - graciously agreed to.

During the interview, a short portion of which I will share here with you (it's just over 4 minutes long), he described how his journey to author had fared. When he reached 40, Dr Corre took a long hard look at his life and realized that if he was ever going to fulfill his dream of being a writer, it had to be then. Writing at all odd hours, having to interweave his writing time with ER shifts, family meals, kids' school activities and life as a spouse, he found it challenging to complete his first novel.

He did succeed, and his book is titled "The Victim Donor".

Then came the struggle to get published. Like many new authors discover, Ken learned that this is by far the most difficult part of becoming a novelist! The most viable option became to self-publish, with one of the companies that makes it possible these days to publish "just-in-time". This means that, instead of having to agree to and pay up front for a run of 1000 or 5000 books, which might sit gathering dust in his garage, he is able to have his book printed and shipped based on exactly the number of copies that are ordered at a time.

Ken is quickly learning the business of becoming a novelist - the publishing, and the marketing. His website went live a couple of days ago And judging from his website update, he's also on his way to learning the business of screenwriting!

The story itself is a thriller with the following description:

"Just when you thought it was safe to live the American dream, John Harris, a stockbroker and father of four young children, is kidnapped. He turns up alone and comatose in a motel room. He’s in perfect health except that he’s missing a kidney, the rogue surgery performed by a world-class talent. Urban legend becomes suburban reality and nightmare, but the obvious question is why a victim donor would be left to live? John and his family are about to learn the horrifying answer."