Q&A with Daniel Hurst

  

 

 

Daniel Hurst is the author of the new novel The Doctor's Widow. His many other books include The Doctor's Wife. He is based in the UK. 

 

Q: Why did you decide to write The Doctor’s Widow, a sequel to your novel The Doctor’s Wife?

 

A: Mainly because the first book was so well received with readers. The Doctor’s Wife went to #1 in the UK Kindle store upon its release, and that popularity made it clear that readers were really responding to these characters.

 

I quickly realised there was still a lot for Fern, the main character, to do and once the idea of her as the devious widow was in my mind, the story for the sequel just flowed!

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the novel, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I relied a lot on my experience of visiting doctors and how it felt being in their presence. The types of questions they would ask, how they made you feel when you went to see them, the environment and atmosphere in their office as they sat you down and got you to discuss your symptoms.

 

We all trust a doctor with our health, so I really wanted to make Drew, the doctor in these books, seem like a good guy, though as readers will know, he is far from it in secret!

 

I do also know a couple of doctors in my personal life, so that made it easier to write and differentiate the personal life of Drew from his professional one. But I will make it clear the doctors I know are nothing like the doctor in this book, thankfully!

 

Q: Do you think a reader would need to read The Doctor’s Wife before turning to this new novel?

 

A: The sequel is written in a way that would allow a reader to understand and enjoy the story without necessarily having read the first book.

 

But of course, ideally, you will be fully up to date with events for maximum enjoyment, but it’s not vital. It may even be fun to read the sequel first and then go back to read The Doctor’s Wife, revelling in the knowledge of what is to come for these poor characters!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I have recently finished writing a trilogy called The Hunt Family Series, which is now available on Kindle and paperback via Amazon.

 

The first in the trilogy is called I Want Your Family and it tells the story of what happens when a woman called Luna takes a serious interest in a particular family. She decides she wants to take the place of Sadie, the wife and mother in the family, so sets about concocting a dangerous plan to do just that.

 

Considering that the second book in the trilogy is called I Stole Your Family, you might be able to guess how the story develops!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Fern, aka The Doctor’s Wife, is my most popular character with my readers, not necessarily for all the right reasons. She is cunning, unpredictable and often outrageous, so if you are looking to read a memorable character who does all the things that none of us normal people can get away with in real life, read about Fern and her life as a Doctor’s Wife/Widow!

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Daniel Hurst.