Tell us about It’s Nothing Personal.
On a chilly January morning, anesthesiologist Dr. Jenna Reiner made her daily drive to St. Augustine Hospital, completely unaware that her life was about to change forever.  One of the surgical scrub technicians in her hospital has been stealing syringes and infecting patients with hepatitis C.  The battle against the thieving surgical technician was only the beginning.  Jenna Reiner was about to begin the fight of her life — the fight for her reputation, her pride, and her sanity.

Inspired by true events, It’s Nothing Personal is a suspenseful, riveting, and emotional thriller which chronicles the story of faith and fortitude when an innocent woman finds herself surrounded by corruption and greed.

What kind of thriller is it?
Medical/Legal Thriller Fiction.

What kind of readers will it appeal to?
Although the setting of It’s Nothing Personal is in a hospital, the overall theme of the book is good fighting to triumph over evil. Readers in the medical field will have an obvious attraction to the book, as it is always entertaining to read about your own world. Beyond that, It’s Nothing Personal has mass appeal to adult readers who enjoy identifying with a female character as they watch Dr. Jenna Reiner transform and grow.  Like most of us, Jenna has her share of vulnerabilities.  However, she soon learns to reach deep into her soul for an inner strength she never imagined she had.

Complete this sentence for us: if you like _________________, you’ll love my book.
If you like spaghetti, you’ll love my book.  Because who doesn’t like spaghetti, and that would be really good for sales.

On a more serious note, if you like Robin Cook, you’ll love my book.  We both seem to expose the darker side of medicine — the real side.

Have you written any other books that we should read next?
I am finishing my second novel, In Good Hands.  It promises to be much more chilling than It’s Nothing Personal.

What’s it about?
Dr. Amanda McGowen has it all — a prestigious career as an anesthesiologist at a county hospital, two adoring children, and an incredibly sexy and devoted husband.  Then, she is brutally attacked, and her life begins to spiral out of control.  Slowly, but steadily, Dr. McGowen slides down the proverbial rabbit hole and into a world where she enacts her own version of justice on less-than-desireable patients.  This is a gripping and terrifying journey into the world of anesthesia awareness.  It will leave you thinking twice about your next surgical procedure.

In Good Hands is scheduled for publication in June, 2013.

Come back and talk to us when it comes out, please. But in the meantime, tell us about yourself. Who is Sherry Gorman?
Sherry Gorman is a physician, specializing in anesthesiology.  In late 2009, Sherry was plunged into a painful battle in a high profile, medical malpractice suit.  The calamity that ensued nearly destroyed Sherry and her family.  After the suit ended and the wounds started to heal, Sherry was urged by close friends and co-workers to document her experiences.  The words flowed, and It’s Nothing Personal was born from Sherry’s journey through her temporary hell.

Sherry currently resides in Colorado with her husband and their beautiful daughter.  In her spare time, she enjoys running, writing, reading, and spending time with her family.  Her family vacations are always spent in Hawaii, a place that Sherry and her family hold dear to their hearts.  Having lived on Oahu while her daughter was young, Sherry and her family relish the day when they can return to the islands permanently.

So that’s why you say It’s Nothing Personal is based on a true story? Tell us more about your suit.
Absolutely.  In 2008-2009, Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado hired a surgical scrub tech by the name of Kristen Parker.  During Parker’s pre-employment health screening, she was found to be positive for hepatitis C. The remainder of Rose’s pre-employment screening was probably inadequate, for they failed to identify many red flags in Parker’s past that most certainly would have precluded her from being hired.

Parker was not only the carrier of a potentially deadly disease, but she was also an intravenous drug abuser.  According to investigative reports and Parker’s own testimony, it didn’t take long before she preyed on the weaknesses of the system.  After anesthesiologists had drawn their drugs up for surgery, Parker allegedly waited for the opportunity to steal syringes of fentanyl, a potent intravenous narcotic, inject herself with the drug, refill the syringe with saline, and replace it in the cart.  Anesthesiologists were none the wiser.  To the naked eye, fentanyl and saline look identical.

While suspicions apparently mounted among the hospital administrators, Parker purportedly continued her diversion activities for a period of 8-9 months, potentially infecting hundreds, if not more, patients.

In June 2010, the media story broke.  Patients were panicked.  The staff at Rose was demoralized and shocked.  Over 4,700 patients were offered free testing for the virus.  In the end, nearly three dozen were identified with a strain of the virus carrying a DNA sequence matching Parker’s.  It would be months before I would learn that one of those patients was under my care.

While of course my heart went out to all the patients, including my own, my attorneys forced me to remain silent.  Any apologies or contact with the patient could later be used against me as evidence of admissions of guilt.  I spent the next 30 months of my life besieged by ruthless attorneys, subjected to legal game playing, and living every day with the fear of the unknown.

The experience has changed me forever.  I will never be the fun-loving, witty, happy, and confident doctor I once was.  Sadly, I am broken.

How much of It’s Nothing Personal is true?
With respect to It’s Nothing Personal, the book is a work of fiction, but inspired by my ordeal.  Some parts lie closer to the truth than others.  The deposition scenes are very real.  So is the media blast of Dr. Jenna Reiner.  One thing that is very accurate is the raw emotion that I poured into this novel.  Many who have read it have been brought to tears at one part and to fits of rage in others.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
Yes, and I love visitors. My website is thewritemd.com, and my blog is thewritemd.net. My blog is a mixture of postings about a variety of medical topics that make their way into the news, satire based upon experiences in my own practice, and observations on life.

What about social media?
You can follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sherrygmd?ref=tn_tnmn

Or on twitter @sherrygmd

What’s next?
My current project is going into the writer’s cave and working on making In Good Hands the best it can be.  I’m somewhat a perfectionist, so I tend to perseverate over every word.  But, I really enjoy the process.  I love bringing something to life, if only in the mind of another.

Meanwhile, the gears in the back of my mind have been clicking away at a topic for my third novel.  I would like to make my next work edgy, but with more satire and dark humor.  But, we’ll see.