Veterinarian publishes novel

Dr. Sarah Davis spends a lot of time reading, whether it be paperback, Kindle or audiobooks. "I love to immerse myself in fantasy and fiction," she says. In her work as a veterinarian, Davis spends a lot of time on the road too, and about five years ago she dove into a new kind of fiction.

The idea to write her own novel came to Davis about five years ago while she was driving. It included a set of identical twins with telepathic capabilities and an injured polar bear cub. Even more, the idea didn't go away. Davis began writing down notes on whatever she could and soon a story emerged.

In the novel, titled "Inside Voices," the main character Penny struggles with anxiety and depression. After experiencing a mass shooting that ultimately led to the death of her father, Penny suffers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. She has just left her home in Los Angeles to participate in a polar bear study in Alaska, where she happens upon an injured polar bear cub who needs her help. When a string of murders begin to unfold, Penny turns to her inside voices to help solve the crimes.

"Inside Voices" has been five years in the making. Davis created space to write the novel while working full time and raising a family. She advises that the first thing any aspiring writer has to do is get the story on the page. "At first I got really caught up in "how" to write, but then I learned it really is about putting one word after the other," she reflects.

Sometimes in the effort to find the right words, Davis would turn to research or work on character development. She says her favorite research time was spent watching videos of a polar bear who had a bond with his caretaker at the Berlin Zoo. This not only offered insight into polar bear behaviors but also helped inform the writing process.

When it came time to publish, Davis thought about going the self-publishing route. She had submitted her manuscript to publishers and agents and heard very little in return. Then she took a chance on a Twitter #PitMad pitch event where writers tweet a 280-character pitch for their completed, polished, unpublished manuscripts in hopes to get noticed by a publishing house. Davis recalls it was a daunting moment when Darkstroke Publishing responded to her tweet with a heart, meaning they were interested in publishing "Inside Voices."