Oh, the Horror!

With just four years of experience under her belt, paramedic Anne Griffith recently completed her first novel: Mortal Gods, a horror story set within the world of Albuquerque, NM EMS, where she works.  Griffith agreed to sit down with EMS World to discuss how she utilized subject matter so close to her own reality to help formulate a tense, and oftentimes grim, story about a serial killer who has an unusual method for targeting victims, and the different emergency response agencies that work to stop him before his next kill. 

Your book deals with an Albuquerque paramedic who helps a detective find a serial killer who targets pregnant women—pretty dark subject. Where did you get the idea for your first novel?

The first thought of writing a book came to me because I was becoming frustrated with the entire societal mindset that 9-1-1 is a taxi service. I began writing down the daily happenings of how people would abuse the system. I thought it would be good therapy. But after a few days I realized it was making things worse and I was becoming more frustrated. So I decided to turn it into fiction (smiling) and kill off characters that bothered me.

Do you think you found it harder or easier to write a book set in the world of your real-life profession?

Our profession is jammed with scenes straight out of prime-time TV. It is provocative and alluring just by its very nature, so the subject matter I knew would be interesting to the average reader.

The main character Lillian is a paramedic working in the Albuquerque EMS world, the exact same as you. How much of Lillian is based on you?

About 98%. The other 2% is based on how I WISH I could react if I was given a chance to view the situation as a non-biased bystander… you know… think before you speak.

Your biography describes a really scary situation that happened to you before you got into EMS.

It does. In 2007 I was driving home from work when a young male shoved a rifle into the window of my car. I remember looking down the barrel of the gun in disbelief. I can’t remember having any rational thoughts or feeling any sort of emotion… only waiting for an orange flash that never came. I don’t know if Lillian would have done anything different, but something inside my imagination thinks she might have.

Your book is one of the most detailed and realistic I’ve read when it comes to describing what actually happens in the back of an ambulance. However, one thing I try to always teach new paramedics is not to speak to their patients in “medical jargon.” How did you walk the line between trying to keep the sense of realism throughout the book—without losing your reader in medical terminology?

It’s funny you should ask me that. I’ve received some feedback that the book was a little heavy in medical jargon while others have said that it was not confusing at all. I agree with you 100% about not talking to patients with medical words they won’t understand, but I also think that being a teacher for over a decade before this helped me to better explain things… plus I like to talk and use lots of adjectives (smile).

You’re a mother of two young boys with a full time job as a 9-1-1 paramedic; where did you find the time to sit down and write this book?

I wrote on my days off while my kiddos were with their dad.  Mortal Gods was easy to write; as a matter of fact, it sort of wrote itself. But my next novel is taking a bit longer than I originally expected and my personal schedule has really cut into my writing time. I just try to grab time when I can.

Without giving too much away—is your next book also set in the world of EMS?

Yes. I’m currently working on a book called The Harvest, which is a sequel to Mortal Gods. However, due to the nature and progression of the story there will be only a few things in The Harvest related to the EMS world. But… I already have an idea for another book (or two) that delves heavily into the EMS world… but that’s only chicken scratch on a napkin right now, so you’ll have to stand by.

Mortal Gods just received an award, did it not?

Yes, Mortal Gods received third place, the Bronze Medal for Fictional Horror in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest. I was told there were over 300,000 entries in 70 categories. The contest was open to all types of writers, new, old, famous; in fact, Eric LaSalle was one of the winners as well in a different category. I think Fictional Thriller.

So I guess the next stop would be Hollywood; any thoughts or plans for turning this book into a movie?

I would love to see Mortal Gods on the big screen. I think it would be awesome to collaborate with others and see my characters come to life.

Who would you cast as Lillian in the movie?

Oh, you are cracking me up, Paul! I actually had this discussion with my boyfriend and we both decided on Jodie Foster. However, I’ve often described Mortal Gods, as well the rest of the books I have planned for the series, as a combination of the movies Identity, M.Night Shyamalan’s The Village and The Others. If anyone is interested in making it into a movie, send me an email—especially you, Mr. Shyamalan.

Once your first draft was completed, how did you proceed with getting it edited and published?

I broke one of the cardinal rules of writing and did everything myself. Since I used to be an English teacher, I edited the book myself. As far as publishing, my boyfriend is a musician who self-published his album through CreateSpace, an Amazon company, and I decided to go through them. I designed my book cover, and my book trailer video as well, and you can find them on YouTube or my website.

Any advice that you would give to someone sitting in their ambulance or working out in their fire station who might have the desire but not the knowledge of how to get started working on their first novel?

I was given some great advice while writing Mortal Gods. I was told not to tell ANYONE about your book until you are finished and it’s ready to be published. It helped keep me focused and kept me from giving up early on. Once your novel is finished, enter it into contests and interact with other writers on different forums. But the biggest advice of all: if you want to make it “big” as a writer, be prepared to market yourself as well as your book. It’s about 25% writing and 75% marketing. You are really trying to sell yourself and your book.

For more information on Anne Griffith, visit her website at www.authorannegriffith.com or search for  her book online through Amazon.com.

Paul Serino, AS, CCEMT-P is an 11-year medic who also works at Albuquerque Ambulance. He has an associate degree in EMS from Eastern New Mexico University - Roswell and a bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication from the University of New Mexico. This is Paul’s third published story with EMS World