JJ Renek Author Spotlight

One of the things I love most about being part of a writing community is getting to know my fellow authors. JJ Renek is a fascinating author who belongs to one of my writing groups, Sleuths' Ink Mystery Writers. I was thrilled when she agreed to be featured as an Author Spotlight here on Ozarks Maven.

JJ Renek is the pen name of retired physician Dr. Janna Trombold.

Pivoting from a major in English literature, she pursued a career in obstetric nursing and holds both a BSN and MSN in that field. A decade and two children later, she returned to medical school and received her M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. During that time, she collaborated on several creative projects including faculty roasts and writing for the annual, irreverent senior video produced, in turn, by her medical school class.

Since retiring, she has penned eight medical suspense novels, and a collection of short stories across various genres. JJ makes her home with her husband, minus any wild pets, in the ‘Show-Me State’ where she writes full-time, or pretends to.

You can follow JJ on Bookbub, Amazon, or Facebook at jjrenekauthor. Or to learn more about her and her books, visit her website at: www.jjrenek.com. While there, consider joining her newsletter group to receive updates and stay in the loop. 

Interview

For those readers who are unfamiliar with you, please tell us a little about yourself.

Sure… I’m a retired physician. Originally, I planned a degree in English literature and pivoted from that to Nursing after a summer job in a large hospital as an X-ray escort. That piqued my interest in medicine and nursing. I graduated with a BSN in Nursing from the University of Kansas. After that, we spent three years in Utah while my husband pursued his fellowship in pulmonary medicine. While there, I worked labor & delivery at LDS hospital and completed my master’s degree in perinatal nursing at the University of Utah.

With our first baby son in tow, we then migrated to Texas for a practice opportunity, and after our second son was born, I entered medical school and earned my MD from UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. I completed my residency in internal medicine in Kansas City at KU Medical Center and have practiced in Kansas City and Wichita before retiring and moving to Missouri. So, we’ve moved around a bit for educational and career reasons. I haven’t run my husband off yet, and now we’re both retired, enjoying our grown kids and watching our grandkids grow up…. so fast!  

What kinds of writing do you enjoy?

I enjoy writing novels, shorter novellas, and short stories, particularly flash fiction, which generally means fifteen hundred words or less. I find it sharpens my writing to tackle the shorter pieces. Economy of words is crucial with that form of writing.

What do you enjoy most about the writing process?

Honestly, all of it. From corralling the ideas when they come, developing characters and their conflicts out of which flows the plot, and getting the story out of my head and ‘onto the page.’ I even enjoy the re-writing and editing process, honing the prose and the story arc. And particularly seeing how my editor responds. Then it’s back to work, again.

When did you start writing?

During my high school years, as I recall. At that time, and in my college English classes, I was encouraged to continue writing. And I did, up to the point when I pivoted from that to Nursing. But… there remained the need for expository writing in my nursing courses along the way, and of course, writing my master’s degree thesis. I did not take any creative writing courses in college, although, looking back, I realize I approached all those writing assignments in a creative way… to avoid sounding boring and to entertain myself, I suppose.

Then in medical school, I wrote for our faculty roasts which the first- and second-year students produced, and the irreverent senior video which each graduating class, in turn, wrote and produced. Ours was a spoof of the 15th anniversary of the Saturday Night Live show. That format included all manner of humorous skits and ‘commercials’ poking fun at the medical school experience. Our theme encouraged numerous faculty members, and our entire class, to participate in the project, which was received well when it premiered in Dallas. All that was great fun and reignited my creative juices which medical study and training can certainly drain.

How have your past experiences impacted your writing?

That’s a very broad question. Personal – family, marriage, children, grandchildren – and professional experiences have all had a huge impact. I’m far enough along in life to have posted more than a few experiences, all of which have informed my perspective on the human condition and life. Dealing with or absorbing outcomes I didn’t expect or couldn’t have predicted. Those accumulated experiences help inform character development and conflict, in particular.  

How have your past experiences impacted your writing?

That’s a very broad question. Personal – family, marriage, children, grandchildren – and professional experiences have all had a huge impact. I’m far enough along in life to have posted more than a few experiences, all of which have informed my perspective on the human condition and life. Dealing with or absorbing outcomes I didn’t expect or couldn’t have predicted. Those accumulated experiences help inform character development and conflict, in particular.  

What are some jobs that you have held?

As mentioned above, I was an X-ray escort for two summers in college and was ‘promoted’ to dark-room tech on demand. I also signed up for a ‘library proctor’ position in high school and found myself unexpectedly enrolled in a one-hour library science course. That was interesting and forced me to master the Dewey Decimal system and learn how to be an effective reference librarian. That was probably one of the hardest courses I had taken, for so few credit hours, up to that point. Then came obstetric nursing and so on from there.

Does your past employment experience ever make its way into your books?

Oh, yes. Topics, situations, and predicaments, but never in a way which compromises people’s privacy.

What made you decide to write about the subjects or themes of your books?

I have a passion for improving what I can and educating people – readers – about the changing landscape of medicine. Particularly issues we, or our families, face with our health care. It’s challenges, its joys, the prospects for its future. I chose to use fiction – it’s more engaging – to explore those issues.

What is the most difficult part of writing?

The indie publishing process – handling the numerous tasks involved, including staying on top of tech advancements and changes, and creating or fostering brand visibility. Overcoming anonymity. Balancing all that while protecting good writing time.

What writing advice did you find most useful when you were honing your craft?

Writing advice is out there everywhere – some beneficial, some not so much.

Basically, learn the fundamentals of the writing process and the publishing industry. Keep writing. Don’t jump to publishing right away.

So, I’d say, reading and listening to credible, experienced ‘authorities’ on various subjects. People such as Jane Friedman, who leads in the area of publishing ins and outs, and trends. Jane Cleland, a superb teacher of craft, particularly point of view issues, and mastering plot twists. I’ve read her books on craft and taken several of her webinars through Writers Digest. Agent Donald Maass is also another well-known, excellent teacher of craft and perspective on the writing process. His book, Writing the Breakout Novel, is a great source for writers. And the advice of my excellent editor Laura Taylor whom I met at a writers’ conference. She has been so generous with her time and advice – I couldn’t have done without it.

Do you have any new work just released or coming out soon? If so, would you please tell us a little about it?

Yes, I just released my third book, Adverse Events, a medical suspense novel.

Readers meet Rachel Quinn, a nurse educator who teaches patients how to use their injectable medications, records their reactions, and suffers swift consequences. She, with the help of an acquaintance who re-surfaces, uncovers a conspiracy involving big pharma and big government. One things leads to another, and Rachel finds herself in an interesting position as it all sorts out. There’s suspense, romance, and renewal, which creates a satisfying end.

Can you tell us a little about your current project?

Yes. I am revising and preparing my fifth suspense novel, Proscription, which addresses issues in long-term acute care – the ‘twilight zone’ between hospitalization and either rehab or home. It’s a model of care intended for individuals who cannot yet be weaned from ventilators or other essential acute care, but who are dismissed from the usual hospital setting. I developed a conspiracy plot involving the issue of keeping ‘heads in the beds’ for corporate financial gain. There’s an unexpected entanglement between the two main characters which adds conflict, spice, and chaos to the whole scene. A few twists emerge here and there which, I hope, will satisfy readers in the end.   

https://amzn.to/3REwHDC

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