#FiveOnFriday with Linda O’Connor
I’m often asked about what inspires me to write. I thought I’d share 5 sources of inspiration for my stories:
1. The reaction from people when they find out I’m a doctor – It makes me chuckle when people are surprised that I’m a family doctor, and it’s very interesting to see how their attitude changes. Flattering, but honestly, I think there’s more heart and soul (and worry) that goes into being a stay-at-home mom. The fact that my character is “secretly” a doctor has shown up in a couple of the Perfectly stories.
2. Helping out in an emergency – I’ve attended the delivery a baby, washed sand out of a child’s eyes at the beach, and provided care on an airplane. Medicine is rarely nine to five, and my characters are jumping in to help out whenever they’re needed.
3. How I want to weave medicine into my stories – There’s something medical thrown into every story. It may be subtle information like the fact that an eye infection, conjunctivitis, and pink eye are all the same thing or acknowledging how difficult a pregnancy can be, but one of my goals is to empower readers to learn something – and laugh along the way!
4. Snippets of conversation I hear – In the grocery store one day, two teenagers were stocking the shelves and talking about the differences in their friends. I overheard one say, “We’re all different . . . not by much, just enough.” I’ve used that philosophy, if not that line, in my stories. 
