Guest Blogger Debby Giusti: How Authors Translate Fact To Fiction

UPDATE: The contest is closed. The winner of a copy of PROTECTING HER CHILD is Sharon A. Lavy. Please email you physical address to contests@knightagency.net.

PROTECTING HER CHILD by Debby Giusti

“WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BABY?”
Wealthy heiress Eve Townsend is close to death. But before she dies, she has to know: what happened to the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty-four years before? Did she inherit her mother’s life-threatening disease? Medical researcher Pete Worth is ready to find answers by tracking her down. And when he finally locates Meredith Lassiter, he finds her widowed, pregnant and on the run. The loan sharks who killed her husband want her dead…and Pete is the only one standing in their way.

Fact or fiction? Authors put themselves into their books.

Okay, I’ll admit it. In my case, it’s fact. Not that the story is always about my life, mind you, but my experiences, relationships and core values are often woven into the tales I tell.

No, I’ve never been widowed, pregnant and on the run like Meredith Lassiter, the heroine in my latest book, PROTECTING HER CHILD. Nor did I fall in love with a hunky medical researcher who would sacrifice his own life to save mine, but the story came to light because of a dear friend named Pat Rosenbach.

Years ago, Pat told me about her friend Eva who had Von Hippel-Lindau disease. (In the photo above, Pat Rosenbach (L) stands next to Debby (R) and holds a photo of Eva.) I’m a medical technologist so diseases fascinate me. Strange, I know, but it’s the way I’m wired. I did my homework and soon learned about tumors—actually clusters of capillaries—that appear sporadically in VHL patients. Initially, they attack various organs such as the retina or spinal cord or adrenal gland. The tumors must be surgical removed and sometimes result in debilitation, such as blindness or paralyses. While benign at the onset, once they attack the kidneys, the tumors turn malignant and can lead to death.

Throughout her lifetime, Eva had seven surgeries to remove growths in her body. Physicians at The National Institute of Health followed her and eight other members of her family who had the genetically acquired condition. Medical researchers believe that by studying VHL they will someday learn better ways to treat other cancers as well.

My friend Pat hosted a birthday party--a celebration of life party--for Eva shortly before her death. I met Eva that night and was struck by her courage and optimism in the face of such adversity. Eva’s heroic determination inspired me to write PROTECTING HER CHILD. I hope my fictional tale will increase awareness about the disease as well as honor Eva and all of those who struggle with cancer.

On a lighter note, I set part of the story in Savannah’s beautiful historic district as well as the rural Georgia coast south of the city. Whenever in the area, my family and I always stop at the Sunbury Crab Company, a rustic waterfront restaurant in Sunbury, GA, which was the Dock House Restaurant in my book. While feasting on buckets of steamed blue crabs pulled fresh from the ocean, we watch the sun set over the low country and reflect on how good life is in Georgia. Next time you visit that neck of the woods, head to Sunbury (http://www.sunburycrabco.com/) for the best seafood in the South. It’s a treat you won’t forget.

If you’re a writer, post a comment and share how much of you own life experiences are reflected in your books. As a reader, do you try to separate fact from fiction in the stories you read? If you leave a comment, you will to be placed in the drawing for a copy of my current release, PROTECTING HER CHILD. The winner will be announced in this post tomorrow afternoon by 12pm ET.
Happy writing! Happy reading!
Wishing you abundant blessings,

Debby Giusti

Visit Debby online at http://www.debbygiusti.com/, blog with her at http://www.ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com/ and http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com/.
Eva’s sister, Peggy Marshall, started http://www.vhlconnections.org/ as a source of information and support for those with VHL. To learn more about the work they do, contact Peggy at vhlconnections @ bellsouth.net (remove spaces).

Winner of the 2008 Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Suspense, medical technologist Debby Giusti writes spine-chilling Christian fiction for Steeple Hill. PROTECTING HER CHILD, her fifth book and the second story in her Magnolia Medical series, was released in May. CHRISTMAS PERIL will feature her novella YULE DIE in December, and KILLER HEADLINE will follow in February 2010. Her first three books, NOWHERE TO HIDE, SCARED TO DEATH and MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA are available in hardcover by Thorndike. In addition to full-length fiction, Debby has written articles for numerous magazines, including Southern Lady, Woman’s World, Our Sunday Visitor, Army and Family. For over twelve years, she served on the editorial advisory board of ADVANCE for Administrators of the Laboratory and wrote extensively on emerging infectious diseases for that magazine. For more information about Debby and her books, visit her web site at: http://www.debbygiusti.com/.