Writers Spotlight: Cliff Bacchus

Red took the coffee cake out of the oven and set it on the rack to cool. Out in the café, she heard men speaking in Russian. Ever curious, she rounded the corner to see Dr. Cliff Bacchus with a few friends discussing the cancer society and murder. It was time for her to find out about Do No Harm.

M3: Cliff, tell the M3 Readers the book jacket version of who you are.

CB: Originally from Guyana, Dr. Bacchus practices conventional, alternative and anti-aging medicine in the Bahamas, where he has been living for the past 37 years. He was a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians from 1977 to 2010, and a Member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

M3: Lots of pedigree, sir. Anyone you want to thank?

CB: I thank my mother, who often pawned her jewelry to pay for my high school education.

M3: A lot of your background is elsewhere, so where did you get your start?

CB: I studied medicine in Moscow. I had a Soviet Government Scholarship. Studies were in Russian. Also studied in Canada and the States. The first job was in Obstetrics/Gynecology, and ER. Started working as District Medical Officer in the Bahamas.

M3: You do think your day job is something the M3 Readers should care about, then?

CB: The day job pays the bills until you reach the crossroads. You then decide which way you want to go.

M3: Where, hopefully, you make the right choice. Do you have any advice for the newbies with manuscripts?

CB: Study the craft well before you start dreaming. Be steadfast. Be persistent.

M3: Slow and steady wins the race. With all you have going on, where do you find time to write?

CB: It’s discipline. If you want something done, ask a busy person. I write before clinic, and in between patients.

M3: That is definitely persistence. Has the state of the economy changed the way you perform?

CB: Never! People want to read. Readers need the escape from reality to be entertained.

M3: With all this drive, do you ever just unwind with a hiatus?

CB: Life does not operate on hiatus. The earth spins, and you must spin with it. If not, you lose momentum and the creative flow.

M3: I think you might be lost on vacation! Let’s talk about traditional publishing. Do you think the old school looks down on self-published material?

CB: There is some condescension, but they are beginning to understand that they must take off their coat and tie, and reach out to writers.

M3: Meet the producers where the material is made. So, you do not really have a bone to pick with the industry as a whole.

CB: Go Indie publishing. That way, you eliminate the hard-to-reach agent and distant publisher.

M3: I think a lot of people are giving and taking that advice. You are also tackling another portion of the Indie world with your own marketing. How important are your efforts to the success of your book?

CB: Very important. I’m the one who knows my work the best, and, with help from my publicists – Jennie and Jenifer  from Authors Solution – we will go places.

M3: I think some of the places you have been are interesting. Some of them could even be characterized as triumphs over the traditional publishing industry, right?

CB: Yes! Do No Harm is doing well in Canada, the States and the Bahamas, where $2.00 from every book purchased goes to the Cancer society. That’s my thank you to the universe and humanity.

Available in other formats via Cliff's blog

M3: Let’s talk about the book. What makes this book different from the other medical thrillers?

CB: It’s the first time that the subject of medical malpractice and insurance fraud is told from another doctor’s point of view. That makes me a medical heretic!

M3: With medicine being your profession, how is it this story is close to your heart?

CB: It’s a purging. It helps me pour out my gripes and grievances. It makes me go into a higher plane, and mingle with the people I create – and hear them talk back at me.

M3: We all get close to our characters. After admitting you talk to your characters, is there anything you really wish I would not share with the M3 Readers?

CB: That writing is not fun. It’s hard work to plot, characterize, to create dialogue, setting, mood, and consistency in theme and character. Cliff hangers don’t just happen. They are created.

M3: Your story does not write itself, which makes me wonder if you are working on something new.

CB: Another fiction: Terrorism and kidnapping.

M3: More nail biting. Sum it up. Tell the M3 Readers in 15 words or less why they should buy Do No Harm.

CB: It’s gutsy. It’s human. It informs and educates patients. It reminds doctors who do harm to stop the abuse.

M3: Good luck on your new book as well!

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 Darling M3 Readers,

Please take a few moments to check out Cliff Bacchus and Do No Harm. Visit Cliff’s blog to learn more about the author and his books. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on his upcoming book.

Thank you for your constant support of the talented M3 Coffee Shoppe authors. When you tweet and +1 this post, please use the hashtags #authors, #books and #WW.

Red.
M3

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(c) Ann Marie Dwyer 2012
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