Drama, Romance – It’s a Natural -- Jacqueline Diamond

In an act of faith, our older son gave us the DVDs of four seasons of “House” for Christmas. That’s the TV series starring Hugh Laurie as a grumpy doctor who manages to be brilliant, obnoxious and even sometimes lovable.

What makes this an act of faith? My husband doesn’t like medical shows – especially the graphic scenes of surgery – and I’d watched only one episode of “House” and found it a bit downbeat for my taste. But our son loves that series, and he believed we would, too.

So we started watching. And, as you might guess, we got hooked. Me more than my husband, but that crabby MD and his hunky colleagues grew on us both.

There’s an enduring appeal to medical settings, because they involve emotional fundamentals: birth, death, heartbreak, exhilaration, friendship and determination. The situations are naturally filled with suspense as we root for the patient to recover.

Medical settings work wonderfully for romance novels, too. This month, Harlequin American Romance launches my series-within-a-series, Safe Harbor Medical, with the romantic comedy/drama The Would-Be Mommy.

The overall idea for the miniseries is that a reporter‘s mistake identifies Safe Harbor Medical Center with California’s Safe Haven law. Believing there’s a special connection, distraught young mothers come pouring in to relinquish the newborns they can’t keep.

The hospital staff has to help the moms and, when budget cuts hamper local social services, find temporary homes for the infants.

In The Would-Be Mommy, my heroine is the hospital’s public relations director. Jennifer lost her own baby years ago and she finds herself falling in love with the little girl she’s caring for. But there are shadows on her past that might blot out the future, especially if that sexy reporter – the one who caused all the trouble – finds out.

In August, Harlequin will publish the second book in the series, His Hired Baby, followed in December by the third book. No title yet.

Just as I’m hooked on “House,” I hope you’ll enjoy my latest venture into the world of the hospital (I’ve written quite a few doctor books, as you can see on my Web site, www.jacquelinediamond.com).

And here’s the big news: my editor just offered me a contract for three more Safe Harbor Medical romances! Secondary characters involved in the first three books are fervently living out their own stories, and insisting that I write about them.

I can hardly wait!


Bio:
The daughter of a physician, Jacqueline Diamond has always been fascinated by medical subjects. She’s sold 87 novels, including romance, mystery and fantasy, and is a former Associated Press TV columnist and reporter.