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The Crime CafeAuthor: Debbi Mack
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Interview with Jennifer Lycette – S. 12, Ep. 2
Saturday, 4 July, 2026
My guest this week on the Crime Cafe podcast is thriller author Jennifer Lycette. Check out her book titles: The Algorithm Will See You Now and The Committee Will Kill You Now. So … clearly a cozy writer? đŸ™‚ Nope, medical thrillers. Transcripts available for download to all free and paid Patreon members. Debbi (00:54): Hi everyone. My guest today is a doctor who writes medical thrillers with a high tech edge. Author of The Algorithm Will See You Now and The Committee Will Kill You Now. It’s a pleasure to introduce my guest, Jennifer Lycette. Hi, Jennifer. How are you doing today? Jennifer (01:14): I’m good. Thank you so much for having me. Debbi (01:16): I’m pleased to have you on. Believe me, I’m always pleased to hear from the medical community as well as medical writers, even though I can’t watch medical shows to save my life anymore. They just make me too tense. Thank you so much for being with us today. I get the feeling from the titles of your books that you might have the tiniest bit of concern about how technology could affect or is affecting the practice of medicine. Is that— Jennifer (01:45): Yes, I think that’s fair to say. I enjoy using fiction to explore complicated scenarios both from the technology and the ethical standpoint. Debbi (02:02): I can appreciate that. Yeah. The ethical standpoint is often a really great place to find those conflicts that you can use in fiction. The titles alone almost sell the books if you ask me, but they are so intriguing. What prompted you to start writing these stories in particular? Jennifer (02:24): Gosh, that’s such a good question. So I can’t really identify any one moment, but I started writing the first one, which was Algorithm about 10 years ago and I had started writing creative nonfiction as sort of a professional outlet and I’ve written some essays about that, like going through professional burnout and discovering writing as I think I’ve heard other authors on your show talk about, and for a lot of us, I think writing is in some ways some form of therapy. And so I was really enjoying that writing and connecting with colleagues. And then I had this idea that I wanted to reach people outside of medicine. And so I think like a lot of new authors, I didn’t know how hard it would be to write a novel, but I sort of grew up reading a lot of thrillers and medical thrillers, Robin Cook and all this, and I thought, well, maybe I could write a medical thriller. And so I just thought of the idea and started writing one day. Debbi (03:45): They just come to you. Yeah. Jennifer (03:46): Yes. Debbi (03:47): They really do. They both take place in Seattle, I noticed, but it’s not the same protagonist. Is it the same hospital or different hospitals? Jennifer (04:01): Yeah, so it’s different hospitals and different protagonists, but they are connected. So they each can be read as standalones. But the second book, The Committee is actually a prequel going back 30 years to tell the story of the antagonist in Algorithm. So I think just all the character work I did to develop her, there’s another minor character that as I was writing Algorithm, I just was like, I think these two had a relationship in the past, but that’s just one line in Algorithm. And so it just got in my head and I was like, I want to write their story. And so I went back and wrote, so they’re middle-aged in Algorithm. And then I went back and wrote when they were young residents in Seattle and just to tell more of the story of how the antagonist whose name is Dr. Mara Maddox, how she ended up being the person she is in Algorithm. Debbi (05:12): That’s really interesting. I love the way you went back and did backstory in a prequel. That’s fantastic. That’s an excellent approach because so often we get to know our protagonists better as we write. Jennifer (05:26): Yes. Debbi (05:26): Am I right? Jennifer (05:28): Yes. There was all this that didn’t end up on the page in Algorithm and I was like, I think I have an additional book here. Debbi (05:37): How I wrote the book of Algorithm. Jennifer (05:41): Yes. Debbi (05:43): This is what I went through. Let’s see. What is it about Seattle that made you choose that as a setting? Jennifer (05:53): That’s a great question. So I think a lot of it was just, it’s near and dear to my heart because that’s where I went to medical school. And I think also I wanted to write something a place I was familiar with, even though I don’t live there anymore. And I think also in a lot of audiences’ minds just because of some of the other media and shows and things, there’s kind of a link between Seattle and medical. Debbi (06:26): That’s right. I keep forgetting about that show that’s named after a book. So to speak. Yeah, I did a little research on you actually. I noticed that you are originally from Alaska. Jennifer (06:41): Yes, very true. Debbi (06:43): I thought it was fascinating. And you went to medical school at a school that would take students from places that did not have medical schools in their state. I thought that that was very unique and interesting. Jennifer (06:58): Yeah, that’s absolutely right. So I went to University of Washington Medical School, but they have a program called WWAMI that stands for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho. And so those states don’t have their own medical schools. So they basically have a certain number of applicant spots for each of those states because they want to hopefully encourage graduating doctors to go back and practice in those states or in more rural environments. So yeah. Debbi (07:38): I can’t help but be reminded of the show Northern Exposure. Did you ever see that? Jennifer (07:46): I never watched the whole series, but yes, I’ve seen some episodes back some time ago, I guess now. Debbi (07:55): Yeah, that was a very amusing look at Alaska and somebody who is from a very non-Alaska place as I can speak to from experience having lived in New York. Oh boy, going to Alaska from New York would be quite the shock. Jennifer (08:14): I think so. Debbi (08:14): Yeah. And for a while you had a rural medical practice in Astoria, correct? Jennifer (08:22): Yeah, that’s correct. So I didn’t end up going to practice in Alaska, although I did do some clinical rotations up there when I was in training, but I did practice for some years in rural Oregon. Debbi (08:43): Yeah. So that must’ve been quite an experience dealing with rural medicine. I mean, some of the stuff in the things that you talked about in your interview were just like, yeah, that’s the way it is out there. Not everybody has equal opportunity, equal access to good medical treatment or know the right way to take care of themselves. Jennifer (09:10): Yeah, I think that certainly influenced my book idea with Algorithm because I had previously worked in a metro practice and even though I grew up in Alaska, I grew up in Anchorage, which is a fairly moderate size city. And so I think I was a bit naive about some of the limitations of living in non-urban areas and talking with colleagues about, like you said, equal access and even equal access to technology. I don’t want to necessarily go into any deep dives about AI or anything. I think people are probably a bit tired of that. But even just, for example, I had many patients who didn’t have internet, so even checking the patient portal to check their appointment, they didn’t have that. And so just really basic things that I think maybe when at least I know for me, living somewhere where that’s taken for granted, that just experiencing that and how we need to make sure we’re still making sure everybody has equal access and equity. It’s not as straightforward as it at first seems, I think, even in the US. Debbi (10:46): Yeah, definitely. And now you’re in British Columbia and you have a medical practice there, I assume? Jennifer (10:56): Yes, I am still practicing. I’m a medical oncologist, so I still practice. And so yeah, a lot of writing happens on weekends, but— Debbi (11:09): I was going to ask you about your writing routine. Do you have a set number of hours you like to write or a time you like to write? Jennifer (11:21): I would say not typically. There are times when I’m drafting that if I’m really on a good streak, I will try to just hold myself to a thousand words a day. But the reality is just there are some evenings I come home from work and I have enough energy to write and then other times I don’t. And so I just have to tell myself that’s okay. And then I just write on the weekends. So I tend to be someone who just might do a really big chunk on one day and then not anything for some days. So I’m probably not a good role model. Debbi (12:04): Oh, I always figure everybody has their own way. Some people are cranking out 20,000 words a day and then other people are just like, I write whenever I can. Jennifer (12:16): Yeah. Debbi (12:17): So it’s like whatever works for you works for you. What sort of books do you tend to gravitate toward reading? Jennifer (12:27): Oh gosh, I actually read pretty much across all genres except I will say I don’t tend to like horror and I like thrillers obviously, but I don’t tend to like real violent or serial killer types. But often I actually, unless I’m reading for writing research, I tend to actually gravitate these days toward lighter cozy fiction. Debbi (13:09): I get it. Yeah, I can kind of get it. Yeah. I’ve been reading some very funny mysteries lately. It’s like, oh, these are relief, relief from the stress of everything. Jennifer (13:24): Very true. Yes. I find that, too. Debbi (13:28): Okay. I have to ask, are you a big fan of The Pitt? Jennifer (13:33): So it’s so funny you would ask that. Debbi (13:35): Is it as good as everybody says? Jennifer (13:38): So like you kind of mentioned a little while ago, so I will admit I don’t watch medical shows because for me it’s like being at work. So I have family members that are huge fans of The Pitt. And back when I was in training and ER was the big show, I did watch that. That was probably the last one I watched because then as I got farther along in my training, like we were just talking about with reading, I don’t actually watch a lot of shows. So if I make time for a show, it’s usually something just kind of like comedy or light. So I feel like I would be a fan of The Pitt if I watched it and I know I’d probably immediately get sucked into it as my family members try to get me to, but I’m just like, “Oh, I just had 12 hours of that today.” Debbi (14:39): That’s right. Yeah, this is too much reality. Well, that’s a change for television actually. I’m not sure whether that’s good or bad, but yeah, I keep hearing wonderful things about it. Jennifer (14:55): Yeah, me too. Debbi (14:56): Are you working on anything now in terms of books, projects? Jennifer (15:02): Yeah, so I’m a very slow drafter and reviser. So each of my books from concept to publication took about three years. So I’ve been working on something for the past few years and I am to the point where I think it’s getting close. So it’s not in this world, it’s something new. It is, I guess I’ll call it a speculative thriller, but it’s not necessarily a medical thriller. So I was maybe trying to write something a little more mainstream, but it’s almost there, not quite out there. So I feel like I’m not ready to put it out there, but maybe soon. Debbi (15:47): So a thriller that isn’t as medical or is somewhat medical? Jennifer (15:53): Yeah, so I would say it’s medically adjacent, the characters are not healthcare professionals or anything like that. Debbi (16:06): Interesting. Let’s see. So a lot of people would like to write but don’t know how to get started. What advice would you give to encourage these people to get started? What would you say to them? Jennifer (16:21): Yeah, so a couple of things, I guess. I guess the first thing would be just write even if it’s for yourself because unless you come from a background of writing, like for me, which I did not, you have to just dive in and then you’ll learn from your mistakes. And I think also getting a supportive community around you. I was very fortunate that after I had been writing Algorithm for about a year, I entered a contest that doesn’t exist anymore, but some people might remember it called Pitch Wars and I got assigned a mentor and then through that I met other writers and then some of them I’m still in touch with and we have an online writing group and I realized for that year I was just trying to do it on my own, how much better it is now to have the support. And then also when you connect with other writers like that, you realize that everyone else, even those who are successfully published, they go through rejections and doubt and all those things, so you don’t feel so alone. Debbi (17:48): Exactly. Jennifer (17:52): I think a lot of opportunities nowadays for online writing groups or a lot of local libraries have drop-in writing groups. It might be a way that you can connect if you’re just starting out of the blue like I did without really knowing anyone or knowing what you’re doing. Debbi (18:14): Yeah, it can often start with a local writing group or organization. I know that’s the way it started for me. Jennifer (18:21): Yeah, absolutely. Debbi (18:21): It really probably started with a class I took actually at a community college. That’s really where it kind of started and people in the class got together and formed a writer’s group, of course. Jennifer (18:34): Yeah, absolutely. Debbi (18:35): That’s what writers tend to do. They form these little groups. They prop each other up. Jennifer (18:42): Yes. Debbi (18:43): Let’s see. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever gotten? Jennifer (18:49): Oh gosh, that’s such a good question. I’ve got to think for a minute. I think probably the best advice which is not unique and I think out there a lot is just, which is really hard sometimes, but don’t get so attached. Sometimes one of the hardest things is if something isn’t working in your story, but it’s your favorite thing or maybe the thing that you thought was going to be the best thing and then it’s just not working and you just have to cut it and that’s okay. But I think that’s another thing with meeting other writers is getting that feedback and beta reading. And I think too, I guess this would be a second thing with advice would be when you get feedback, take some time to process it because I’ve found for myself so many times when I first read through it, everything feels negative I think just because it all feels so personal. (20:01): So then I usually will skim it and then I’ll set it aside and then I’ll come back a couple days later and I’ll look at it again and then it’s like your brain works better or something. Then I’m like, “Oh, well, this actually wasn’t negative at all. This was really positive. This is really helpful.” So I think just taking time to process that kind of feedback and knowing that I think a lot of our brains work that way as writers. We just tend to see the negative first. Debbi (20:35): Yeah, it is hard sometimes, especially, I don’t know what it is about screenwriting, but boy, that is a tough arena to impress anybody in. Let’s see. Is there anything else that you’d like to cover that we haven’t talked about? Jennifer (20:56): Oh gosh. Debbi (20:57): Is there anything you want to talk about? Jennifer (21:01): Not that I can think of. I just appreciate so much that you invited me on and it’s just so fun to meet you. Again, just I think the writing community is just one big, large, supportive community, which is so wonderful. So I guess to anyone out there who’s maybe feeling stuck, just keep writing. Debbi (21:26): That’s right. Write on. Thank you. Those are great words to end with. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate you being here, Jennifer. Thanks. Jennifer (21:35): Thanks again for having me. It was fun. Debbi (21:38): It was my pleasure, believe me. And to everyone who is supporting the Crime Cafe on Patreon and Substack, I want to thank you so much. To everyone who’s listening, thank you for listening. If you enjoyed the episode, please leave a review. They do help. Until next time when my guest will be Caleb Husmann, take care and happy reading. Be seeing you.
