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The defibrillator implanted to save the life of Dr. Kate Downey’s beloved Aunt Irm has misfired in other patients with disastrous consequences.
Efforts to protect those with the device are thwarted by its inventor, focused on the impending sale of his technology.
When Kate’s cardiologist friend disappears and deaths mount, Kate and her colleagues uncover a larger plot of revenge and greed.
Seemingly random events come together, the misfires are attacks, and Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment.
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PRAISE FOR MISFIRE - TAKEN FROM MISFIRE'S AMAZON PAGE:
“From surgery to suspense, Tammy Euliano knows the worlds she writes of. Misfire is a first-rate medical thriller—the kind that leaves you thinking that was too close!”—Michael Connelly, New York Times best-selling author
"A medical thriller meets domestic suspense meets serial killer terror
all rolled into one page-turning extravaganza. You will read Misfire for the plot, but absolutely stay for the characters. I miss them already." —Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times best-selling author
“Medical suspense as sharp as it gets. Euliano is off to a good, no, a brilliant start.” —Kathy Reichs, New York Times best-selling author
“This is terrific—delicious suspense, done-that authenticity, and a
great main character in Dr. Kate Downey . . . We want to see more of
her.”—Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author
“Fatal Intent rings
with thrilling authenticity. Tammy Euliano writes with convincing
authority, immersing us in a world only a doctor truly knows.” —Tess
Gerritsen, New York Times best-selling author
“Tense and fulfilling, there’s plenty of sizzle and emotional clout in
this stirring debut. And, even better, it’s all written by someone who
knows what she’s talking about. A wonderful beginning and I’m looking
forward to more.” —Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author
“[Fatal Intent has]
an intriguing plot with wonderful twists and turns and all kinds of
dangers—devious and frightening! A wonderful debut for this talented
author!” —Heather Graham, New York Times best-selling author
“Heartbreaking and searingly realistic, this terrific debut will have
you turning the pages as fast as you can. Only a true medical insider
like Tammy Euliano could concoct this riveting and authentic look inside
the medical community’s life and death decision-making process—and the
fragile patients whose lives are tragically changed. A tale of high
stakes and shocking manipulations, the tension will keep you holding
your breath until the very last page.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today best-selling author
“Euliano, herself an anesthesiologist, brings authenticity to this
chilling medical thriller. Readers will look forward to her next.” —Publishers Weekly
“An inherently compelling page turner of a read from cover to cover, Fatal Intent showcases
author Tammy Euliano's impressive talents as a narrative driven
storyteller with a deftly ability for creating memorable characters and
unexpected plot twists.” —Midwest Book Review
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MORE ABOUT MISFIRE:
A device that can save a life is also one that can end it.Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure—causing the heart rhythm problem it's meant to correct. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device—her beloved Great-Aunt Irm.
When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm's cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate's aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.
The misfires continue as Christian O'Donnell, a friend and lawyer, comes to town to facilitate the sale of MDI. Kate and Nikki are drawn into a race to find the source of the malfunctions, but threats to Nikki and a mysterious murder complicate their progress. Are the seemingly random shocks misfires, or are they attacks?
A jaw-dropping twist causes her to rethink everything she once thought she knew, but Kate will stop at nothing to protect her aunt and the other patients whose life-saving devices could turn on them at any moment.
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INTERVIEW WITH TAMMY EULIANO:
ON WRITING:
How did you do research for your book?
I’m fortunate to be a professor at an academic medical center and therefore have access to the medical professionals to ask questions and gain ideas. Also, I co-developed some medical devices over the years and have been through the patenting and licensure process so it was fun to include some first-hand knowledge, and to pick the brains of other scientists with whom we’ve crossed paths.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
My inspiration comes from life experiences—working in academic medicine, talking with people in technology and healthcare industries, and reading both fiction and non-fiction, and of course the news (preferably science news, not all the other stuff).
What advice would you give budding writers?
Find a supportive group of other early career writers, read, take classes that provide professional feedback, attend a writers’ conference if at all possible, develop thick skin, write what you love, consider writing some short fiction for an earlier win.
Your book is set in north central Florida. Have you ever been there?
It’s where I’ve lived since undergrad. Though not Gainesville by name, and certainly not the University of Florida, the book is set in the area, including Paynes Prairie where we’ve gone on long walks, and Jacksonville, which we visit on occasion. It’s a great place to live and raise a family, with springs and beaches nearby and (often) excellent collegiate sports to cheer for.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
I’m a physician, an academic anesthesiologist specializing in obstetrics. For 20+ years I’ve taught, performed research, and cared for patients at the University of Florida’s hospital system. I’ve now backed down to 60% so I can focus on writing…it’s never enough!
What is your next project?
Besides finishing up the third in the Kate Downey series, I’m working on a stand-alone that links the Salem Witch Trials to a modern medical mystery. It’s based on a short story I published a few years ago and I’m having fun plotting it out.
What genre do you write and why?
I write mysteries and thrillers, mostly because it’s what I like to read. I enjoy trying to make the plot complex and yet clear in the end. I also enjoy adding morally complex questions to make readers think, like end-of-life and medical technology.
What is the last great book you’ve read?
In non-fiction, 4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman. In fiction, Desert Star by Michael Connelly. I’m currently reading A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny, my favorite series!
How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
We started out quite alike as far as careers go, but she lacks my idyllic backstory with a charmed childhood and parents and husband very much alive. She’s also way cooler than I am!
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
For the first in the series it was long, full of rejections, self-doubt, learning, and more rejections, and finally extremely rewarding! Misfire was the second in a two-book deal, so far more straight-forward.
Which authors inspired you to write?
Harlan Coben, Louise Penny
ON RITUALS:
Where do you write?
I am blessed with incredible writing environments. I have an enormous screen and a wall-size whiteboard at home with a view of our backyard. We have a lakehouse where I have an incredible view, if a few distractions, and I often use a stand outside for my laptop where I can pace, write, throw the ball for the dogs, write, chase down the ball that my golden can't seem to bring directly to me, write, repeat.
What is your writing schedule?
That's a tough one. If I'm not working at the hospital, I write on and off all day. It all depends on whether I'm in the flow or not. If not, then I outline, or expand a mind map on the whiteboard, or go for a walk. Often my best writing times are in the evening after dinner. No timers, just write until I can't keep my eyes open, or something else becomes more pressing (like staying married :-))
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
I use Scrivener, but when I get stuck, I use pen and paper to write in a character's voice about themselves.
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FUN STUFF:
Favorite travel spot?
I love the mountains (said the Florida girl), especially hiking and downhill skiing. We’ve been so blessed with incredible travel opportunities to all the major national parks in the US, Costa Rica, the Galapagos, Europe, even New Zealand. Probably my favorite would be hiking in Wengen, Switzerland.
Favorite dessert?
Hmmm, my husband’s home-made fruit crumbles with ice cream. Cookies and cream ice cream with my dad. Who am I kidding – most ice cream with most anyone.
If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you?
(1) the entire Louise Penny Gamache series squished into one book cover, (2) an encyclopedia, (3) The famous double book: “How to Make a Boat out of Sand, Salt Water and Coconuts” and “The Joy of Cooking Without Actually Cooking”
Any hobbies? or Name a quirky thing you like to do.
My husband and I met playing flag football in college, taking turns at quarterback due to the rules for co-ed sports. Now we still enjoy sports, but also seeking active experiences while traveling – via ferrata, canyoning, rappelling down waterfalls, etc. We also follow the Gator football team, though they’re trying our patience lately.
If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?
That I’m a physician-turned-author who highly recommends reassessing your path and goalposts at regular intervals. It’s not quitting, it’s pivoting to something better/different/more suited to you today.
What is your favorite thing to do in winter?
Snow skiing with friends in Utah. If it’s going to be cold, I’d better have skis on!
What is a favorite Christmas tradition (or memory)?
Each year I write a humorous letter highlighting our year to go along with a photo card. I’ve now laminated each of these going back to 1996 and they are hung throughout the house at Christmas providing great memories.
Also, when we travel, we collect Christmas ornaments. The tree is now covered with these and each one reminds us of a great family trip.
What is something that made you laugh recently?
The book, This is going to Hurt by Adam Kay. It’s an irreverent (and sometimes crude) recap of his training as an obstetrician in the UK. At one point his colleague is convincing a patient that “natural” doesn’t mean safe. He points out that apricot stones contain cyanide and that sitting under a certain plant in his garden for just 10 minutes would kill you. Later he’s asked what plant that is. “Water lily.”
What is your go-to breakfast item?
High protein oatmeal or cereal. Something I can make quick at work between cases.
What is the oldest item of clothing you own?
Intramural sports championship t-shirts from undergrad. We were the geeky honors dorm kids who crushed everyone else by planning ahead with football plays printed out using the earliest version of drafting software…oh, and not being drunk at game time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tammy Euliano writes medical thrillers.
She's inspired by her day job as a physician, researcher and medical educator.
She is a tenured professor at the University of Florida, where she's been honored with numerous teaching awards, nearly 100,000 views of her YouTube teaching videos, and was featured in a calendar of women inventors (copies available wherever you buy your out-of-date calendars).
When she's not writing or at the hospital, she enjoys traveling with her family, playing sports, cheering on the Gators, and entertaining her two wonderful dogs.
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MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
How I came to become an author in my 50's:
Once upon a time…I had been teaching medical students about anesthesia for many years and recognized a need for better reading materials at an appropriate level for them.
So I asked my mentor and he said, “Let’s write one.” So we did, just the two of us, and had an amazing time.
After, neither of us wanted to end the collaboration so he suggested we start a mystery novel. Sadly, he fell ill and passed away before we made much progress, but he’d lit the spark and the stories began to flow.
Except I quickly learned that academic writing resembles fiction writing about as well as my Pictionary version of a cow resembles any living creature (not at all).
Though I loved to read, I’d never considered the craft of the books I love, which of course is the author’s intent. Point-of-view and head-hopping and passive voice and wow, the world of writing is no less dense than medicine.
I went to trusty Amazon to find a book to teach me to write a book, which seemed kind of meta, and discovered there were pages and pages of great-sounding titles, and whole books on setting and character and theme…oh my, what had I gotten myself into?
Using K.M. Weiland’s Outlining Your Novel I came up with an outline for the book that had been in the back (and often front) of my mind for several years, a book about a mercy-killer for hire and the surrounding implications.
The idea of managing the end-of-life has fascinated me since way before any kid should think about such things, with a debate in my 5th grade class about the fate of a young woman in a persistent vegetative state. Medical technology and the ability to keep the body alive has far out-paced our ethical ability to deal with the implications.
The characters of Fatal Intent took up residency in my head, invading my sleep, and even my waking hours.
It was time to give them a voice. I resigned my time-consuming administrative positions, wrapped up my ongoing research projects, handed off most of my teaching responsibilities to up-and-coming faculty who needed it for their resumes, and dropped to part-time at the hospital so I could begin my “encore career.”
Now the characters have continued into book #2 Misfire and are still talking me into a third in the series. I’ve also written other books seeking a home and having a blast doing it.
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Where do Characters Come From
I’m frequently asked where my characters come from.
My protagonist, Dr. Kate Downey, started as a white-washed me and morphed into her own person.
It’s such an odd thing. More advanced writers teach that the characters have a life of their own and will “tell you” if you’re trying to have them do something out of character (so to speak).
To which I thought “You’re nuts.” Until it happened to me. I’ll try to write a scene and it just won’t work. The dialogue won’t flow, etc. Then I’ll have Kate, or another character, write me a letter in their own voice about how they feel about what’s going on.
It’s so strange for my hands to write (I do this in long-hand) words that seem to flow without me really thinking about it. A different brain compartment maybe? Except my doctor self knows that doesn’t work (shut up, doctor self, it’s a cool analogy).
Many readers’ favorite character is Kate’s German, idiom-challenged Great Aunt Irm. She was a character my mentor, Dr. J.S. Gravenstein, wanted to use in a mystery we began years ago, before he fell ill and passed away.
It was his own Great Aunt Irm from his childhood in pre-World War II Germany. I met her only through his stories, and mostly I elaborated from my experiences with him. She’s become quite vivid in my head. Her friend, Carmel, is my own Great Aunt Carmel.
Various people in the hospital are combinations of people I know, EXCEPT for the bad guys of course, they are all completely fictional…completely. Just like the hospital.
University Hospital in a small town in North Central Florida is definitely NOT the hospital where I work.
The similarities in descriptions and location are purely coincidental.
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Website: http://www.teuliano.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teuliano
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teuliano
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teuliano/
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Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3Chdv7t
Goodreads link: https://bit.ly/3Z8GTqu
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