SEELIE KAY: Postcards from The Ledge: This week in The Loft: Canadian author Linda O'Connor!

Joining me today in The Loft is award-winning and best-selling author Linda O'Connor. A physician at an Urgent Care Clinic, Linda writes romantic comedies that draw on her medical training and experience. Her stories are fast-paced, with an unexpected twist. When not writing or working, Linda enjoys cycling, cross-country skiing, skating, and dancing. The mother of three grown sons, Linda is married to a surgeon. Her favorite prescription? Laugh every day. Love every minute.

Author Linda O'Connor

S: Welcome to The Loft, Linda!

What do people get wrong about writing romance?

L: I specifically write medical romance and here are three things that authors may get wrong when their main characters are doctors. Physicians cannot and would not date their patients-- unless they want to lose their license to practice medicine. I know that readers are sometimes asked to suspend reality when reading fiction, but a doctor hooking up with their patient makes me cringe. It’s so unprofessional. If you want to write a romance with the doctor as the hero or heroine, their love interest could be a colleague. Generally, the rules about dating a fellow hospital employee aren’t as strict as they are in the corporate world. Something else I’m often asked about with respect to the scope of practice outside of a clinic or medical facility-- doctors can pretty much only do First Aid and CPR like any other bystander. Not many doctors carry around a stethoscope, medical equipment, or urgently--needed drugs on an outing! Gone are the days of old when a doctor, usually a surgeon, stereotypically a neurosurgeon, goes around throwing out arrogant orders to the doctors-in-training or nursing staff. That is no longer tolerated. Doctors are expected to maintain a level of professionalism-- on and off the job. A couple of years ago, a doctor was reprimanded by the College of Physicians and Surgeons for swearing at another driver after a minor motor vehicle accident. It wasn’t medically related at all, but it was deemed that the doctor’s behavior was unbecoming to the profession.

S: As a former lawyer, I want to scream every time a lawyer in a book or film does something that would not fly in real life. Sure, it's fiction, but the public doesn't know that.

If you were suddenly transported back to Victorian England as a member of the aristocracy, would you be thrilled or appalled? Would you be willing to stay there permanently?

L: I would be appalled. A female physician in Victorian England was pretty much unheard of, and the practice of medicine was very different. The use of anesthetics, antibiotics, and even basic sanitization practices were all still evolving. I would be anxious to be transported back to today.

S: I have to agree. Back then, women were in a very subordinate position.

What attracted you to your current partner?

L: His smile. We have a lot of things in common, but it was his smile that made me want to get to know him better.

S: Is true romance--the wooing, courtship, passion, seduction, the little gestures of affection--dead?

L: I don’t think so, at least not in my heart. It’s the little gestures of affection that carry the relationship forward. The wooing and courtship allow you to get to know someone and develop trust and respect. They build the foundation of affection and attraction, and the passion and seduction have to wait until your heart is ready. That foundation, in my opinion, has to be in place for a long-lasting relationship.

S: What’s the best thing that has ever happened to you as a writer?

L: The best thing is when a reader tells me they love my book. It’s not just the words, but the sparkle in their eye or the laugh when they recount a scene. Sometimes, they haven’t finished reading it yet, so I can’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil the ending. But that genuine enjoyment is so uplifting to me as a writer.

S: What inspired "Love and the Hidden Hockey Clues?"

L: My latest release, "Love and the Hidden Hockey Clues," is the first in a new series, Laugh-out-Loud Hockey Caper Romance. It’s about a doctor who finds a tin box hidden between the studs during renovations of her home. She thought the items were random hockey mementos but realizes they are clues and enlists the help of the captain of the local pro hockey team to help her sort out where they lead. I’ve always thought it would be cool to find a hidden treasure during renovations and that sparked the initial idea. I also love escape rooms with the challenge of clues to decipher and puzzles to solve. I thought I’d weave that type of white-collar crime mystery into a romance. Add in a smart, sassy doctor and a swoon-worthy professional hockey player, and the stage is set for a fun, clever hockey caper.

S: Is there anything special you would like people to know about "Love and the Hidden Hockey Clues?"

L: This is the first book in the series and all of the stand-alone stories will have an element of white-collar crime--like a cozy mystery without murder. I also decided to make these stories sweet with the feel of a sexy romance--sweet with heat.

Here's the blurb--

When she was younger, Dr. Abigail Clark dreamed of playing professional hockey, but the world wasn’t ready for a female player. That stung. She skated as far away from hockey as possible--until she lands a job in the emergency department of a hockey-crazy town and buys the house of the late beloved Zamboni driver. A tin box is discovered during the renovation of her new home, and Abigail brushes it off as a time capsule left by the previous owner--that is until someone tries to steal it. Turns out, the odd collection is more than just sentimental hockey memorabilia.

Abigail inadvertently embroils Del Braebury, captain of the local pro hockey team, into helping her sort it out. Her history with hockey players is rocky at best, but he comes in handy when she needs to access parts of the rink that are off limits. Del is happy to be tangled up in the clues of the hidden hockey loot. In the process of solving the mystery, he hopes to win Abigail’s heart!