Chekhov wrote, “Medicine is my wife, writing my mistress.” Twelve hour shifts, over thirty years in the emergency room, I create my livelihood saving lives, fighting disease. It’s fulfilling in so many ways, providing perspective and reassurance of the meaning of life. Yet I’ve always needed this something else, a drive to communicate my experiences and my dreams. A completed story is a thrill, like the joy of a special lover, in whose bosom I find tantalizing pleasures otherwise incomplete.

I come by my writing skills from both sides of my ancestry. My mother, Beatrice S. Levin, has published almost 20 books and thousands of articles. As well as being the author of scores of scientific works, my father, Franklyn K. Levin, edited the magazine Geophysics for several years, and still is frequently consulted for his editorial skills.

I’ve always been a writer. During college I edited the college newspaper. I paid much of my medical school tuition from articles I sold. During my residency in Corpus Christi, Texas, I was the associate editor and a main contributor to “Coastal Bend Medicine.” Those years also saw me complete the first draft of my mystery novel.

Raising my family and tackling my career were my focus, with few publications during my thirties and forties. Once the children were off in college, I settled down to learning the craft and submitting to contests and markets. I published “Inheritance” in 2007, followed the next year by my children’s photo-book, “Consuto and the Rain God.”

Much of my production now is in short stories and short articles. I published four stories in anthologies in 2009, and had several contest successes. I’m writing articles for the state medical journal and editing the writing group’s magazine “Magnolia Quarterly.” I lecture about writing, being the guest speaker in writing groups from North Carolina to Florida and throughout Mississippi.

As one can see from my website, I also love to document my travels with photography. I take medical missionary trips to Africa, South America, and Latin America, providing unique venues and perspectives. I’ve had a few prize winning photographs, but, like my writing, it is more for the fun than the successes.

I hope you have the opportunity to read a few of my stories, perhaps purchase a novel, or find a photo you love. Please contact me; talk about writing or photography, or maybe arrange for me to give a talk to your group. Consider joining our organization, Gulf Coast Authors at www.gcwriters.org.

My wife and I can host you in times of need, but it’s my mistress whose delights I’d like to share.

See my Publications