MEDICINE, MURDER & MAYHEM

As a doctor and author, Marina Auer has carved out an interesting literary niche for herself: the medical thriller. Think hospital drama with a hefty side of South African crime — abductions, a serial killer, corruption, a potential muti murder and even a stolen newborn.

- Liesl Robertson

When I first heard that Marina Auer was a practising doctor and an author, my first thought was, How? How do you juggle a demanding medical career and a flourishing career as an author? Where do you even find the time or the energy to do both?

‘The juggle is real!’ she admits. ‘In terms of the medical work, I have certain days where I'm scheduled to be in theatre.’ Marina is a GP, but she doesn’t sit in a consulting room, seeing patients and diagnosing tonsillitis; she works exclusively in a theatre environment, assisting various specialist surgeons at a private hospital in Hillcrest. ‘For the most part, I assist obstetricians and gynaecologists, so there are lots of Caesareans and gynae procedures. I also assist a neurosurgeon and a general surgeon.’

She enjoys tugging babies into the world. ‘A Caesar is an exciting surgery to be part of. And neurosurgery is obviously fascinating. Some days I wonder whether I should have stuck it out and specialised in anaesthetics as I'd intended, but there are also days when I’m only too grateful that I’m not the person the buck stops with. It’s a happy medium for me. To be able to do this, and also be around for my kids’ sports days and that kind of stuff, works well.’

Finding time to write is an ongoing challenge. ‘I try to best use the little bits of time that I have. I also don’t set unrealistic goals for myself. When I'm in a writing zone, I aim for about a thousand words a day. That’s enough to keep my manuscript on track and to keep my head in the game.’

Some days it just doesn’t work, she says. ‘I don’t push myself to try to do 2 000 words the next day. I keep it manageable. If I can only manage 500 words, then I take it. It’s a constant juggle, but the writing is something I do for me. It’s tough as a woman – you do feel guilty when you take that me-time. I'm not sitting at a spa getting my nails done, so it’s not a total luxury – but it really is