Darden North, MD

www.gulfcoastnews.com/radio The First Annual Southern Expressions Writers Conference was held this past weekend (November 5 - 7, 2010) at the Mary C. O'Keefe Museum in Ocean Springs, MS. There were about 75 attendees with workshops offered in editing, marketing, agent querying, social media as well as in writing both novels and short stories. The workshops were conducted by facilitators from throughout the country. The event marked my first opportunity to serve as a workshop facilitator, teaching an hour-long workshop each in writing mysteries and book promotion. Fortunately, I was told that both were well-received! Philip Levin, Gulf Coast Writers Association president, plans to conduct the conference again next year, and I would encourage anyone looking for a bargain conference to put it on the calendar ... especially if you are within driving range of the MS Gulf Coast. It was a great educational and networking opportunity. I will post the dates for 2011 when announced. D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq4ZIVFIvBg Mystery and medical thriller author Darden North speaks at the Eudora Welty Library in Jackson, MS, September 23, 2010, at "Applause," the annual membership meeting for the Friends of the Jackson Library. North discusses his career as an author of three novels while practicing medicine full-time, then reads from his third novel "Fresh Frozen" with a preview of his fourth novel (work-in-progress), "Wiggle Room."

Medical Entrepreneurs: How to Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset By: MARTIN WILLOUGHBY Martin Willoughby: Darden North, MD, is a great example of a physician who has embraced these big ideas. Reprinted below from Mississippi Medical News Medical Entrepreneurs: How to Adopt an Entrepreneurial Mindset By: MARTIN WILLOUGHBY Why did you become a physician? This question gets to the heart of your life’s work. This same question could be asked of any occupation. In medicine, it’s particularly compelling because of the long road of training required to practice this profession. I’ve heard many physicians say they wouldn’t pursue this career path if they could do it again. They point to longer hours, less pay, burdensome regulations, liability, et cetera. Even though the compensation can be good, the stress is omnipresent. In addition to stress related to patient care, there’s also stress involved in operating a medical practice. The results of these stressors leave many physicians at the bri

Fresh Frozen North, Darden. Fresh Frozen. Jackson, MS: Ponder House Press, 2008. 344 pp. $26.95 (hardcover) Fresh Frozen is the author’s third mystery set in Jackson, Mississippi. Readers will be taken behind the medical scenes of the Van Deman Reproductive Center, a lucrative facility that provides advanced technology in the process of frozen embryos. The four main characters – Wesley and Carrie Sarbeck, Cheryl Choice, and Allyn Saxton – all are individuals who desperately want to have children and are turning to the reproductive center for help. Unfortunately, their desperation collides in a plot filled with murder, deceit, and even the larceny of frozen embryos. North does an excellent job of detailing the precise work behind human reproductive technology. Readers may find themselves comparing the book to today’s media attractions such as the Octomom, Jon and Kate Plus 8, and other celebrities who are seeking assistance from fertility clinics. The jargon is easy to read and, since

Darden North's third mystery and suspense novel, FRESH FROZEN , was recently reviewed by the Mississippi Library Association and is recommended for public libraries. This is the link to the published review: http://www.misslib.org/index.php/2009/09/29/fresh-frozen/