Spring Scavenger Hunt – Stop #6

HOOAH! Welcome to Rapid-Fire Fiction, the home of Ronie Kendig, military suspense author. And welcome to the Stop #6 in the Spring Scavenger Hunt. There’s a lot happening and hopping on this hunt, so let’s be brief. Please note:

The hunt begins on April 4 at noon Mountain time.
The hunt begins and ends at https://www.robinleehatcher.com/scavenger-hunt-stop-1/
The hunt ENDS April 6 at midnight Mountain. You have all weekend to complete it, so take your time and enjoy each post. Remember:
Collect a clue in red at each stop, writing them down as you go.
Hunt is open to international entries— Prizes include a Kindle Fire HDX + $100 gift certificate and two runners-up will receive all 31 of our books
If you stumble upon a link that’s not working, check this list for the correct link! Sometimes strange things happen, and the links get funkified. Thanks for your patience! https://www.robinleehatcher.com/scavenger-hunt-participating-authors-stops/
SEPARATE GIVEAWAY – At the end of THIS POST, Ronie (yours truly) is hosting her own private giveaway, in addition to the main hunt. Please be sure to stop there and enter for a chance to win more prizes.

In case you find a broken link…

We have prepared a page with direct links to each author’s post in case a site goes down or a link gets broken. We’ll be working on getting all of the links prior to the start of the hunt, but sometimes there are still issues even after the hunt starts, so make a note of the URL for the Participating Authors & Stops page so you can check back and be able to complete the hunt.

And now it’s my pleasure to introduce medical romantic suspense author, Dr. Richard L. Mabry to you for this guest hunt post. When I lived in TX, I had the distinct pleasure of getting to know “Doc,” and I think you’ll enjoy meeting him too.

CRITICAL CONDITION BLURB:

What was to be a quiet dinner party becomes a nightmare for Dr. Shannon Frasier when a man is shot dead on her lawn, reviving emotions from a similar incident a decade ago.

Shannon struggles with fears that her sister may be back on drugs, is frustrated by her continuing inability to commit to her “almost-fiancé,” and feels her world crumble when her father reveals he is fighting cancer.

Could it get any worse? Then the first late-night threatening phone call came. “What did he say before he died?”

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT: A PREQUEL to CRITICAL CONDITION

Shannon Frasier’s First Day In Medical School

(a prequel to Critical Condition)

Shannon Frasier hadn’t known what to wear on her first day of medical school. In college, she’d dressed as casually as possible: jeans with holes in the knees if the weather was cool, shorts if not, either of them topped by tee shirts that often advertised rock concerts or events her pastor-father wouldn’t like. But for med school she decided she’d better start off conservatively.

She looked around her, reflecting on Dean Duncan’s welcoming speech, if one could call it that. “We didn’t ask you to come here,” he said in his rich English accent, “but we’ll be asking some of you to leave. Don’t get to be good friends with your neighbor. They may be gone tomorrow.”

The day flew by—lectures in anatomy, physiology, even biophysics. Then, in the afternoon, she’d covered her lab coat with a plastic apron, steeled herself, and stood with three classmates over a cadaver they’d spend that semester dissecting.

Thoughts of body lying before her led Shannon to reflect on the transience of life itself. She recalled a Scripture, although she couldn’t quote it exactly: “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Our body is an amazing machine. Our very life is a gift, although some, like her sister, seemed bent on squandering it. Megan was in rehab right now, and Shannon wondered if this would be her last stint, or just the first of many.

Shannon spent a long time in the shower, trying to wash away the smell of formalin that seemed to linger in her nostrils. She tried to ignore her fears after this first day in medical school. Was this what she wanted to do? Would she be good enough? Could she make it without disappointing her parents?

She was ready long before Todd picked her up. In her dreams, Shannon could see herself married to this handsome young man. They’d been sweethearts all through high school. College was tougher, but they kept up their relationship through emails, letters, and the occasional weekends back home.

As the couple walked arm in arm up the sidewalk toward the restaurant, Shannon wondered about this date. Was it to celebrate her first day in medical school, or was Todd ready to ask the question that had been increasingly on both their minds?

Todd paused outside the restaurant door, turned to her, and smiled. “Shannon—” Then the shots rang out, he slumped to the ground, and everything in her life changed…forever.

About Dr. Richard L. Mabry

Richard Mabry is a retired physician, past Vice President of the American Christian Fiction Writers, and author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel, finalists for the Carol Award and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award, and winner of the Selah Award. His latest, Critical Condition, is his seventh published novel. You can follow Richard on his blog, on Twitter, and his Facebook fan page.

THE SCAVENGER HUNT SKINNY

—I hope you’ve enjoyed your time here at Rapid-Fire Fiction, as well as this exclusive content from Dr. Mabry.

Before you move on to Stop #7, Dr. Mabry’s own site (https://www.rmabry.blogspot.com/), to pick up your next clue, be sure to write this down: Stop #6 clue: “ask him”.