EMBRYO [Kindle Edition]

J.A. Schneider (Author)

Book Description

"This was definitely one of the most intense books I've read in a long time." The Indie Bookshelf

"Readers will absolutely love it!" Literati Literature Lovers

"Maria Moran's first inkling of trouble was the coppery taste in her mouth. It came suddenly, a rushing whoosh of something that made her gag, and when she reached to wipe her mouth, her hand came away smeared with blood."

So begins this thriller about a young intern, Jill Raney, determined to investigate tragedies and terror at a famous fertility and genetic engineering hospital. When two pregnant women die and a fetus is delivered with severe chromosomal abnormalities, Jill's superiors - including handsome, smitten-with-her resident David Levine - insist there's no common link.

But her suspicions deepen with the grotesque murder near the hospital of another pregnant woman - her belly drained of amniotic fluid. And when a woman miscarries in the hospital and then disappears, Jill frantically searches for her - following a terrifying path that seems to link all the victims: Is someone playing with life...and the structures of human life itself?

An unforgettable tale of suspense with a shocking denouement, Embryo takes you deep into the mind of malignant genius.

.    .    .    .    .    .    .

The heart-stopping ending of Embryo creates a new crisis in its sequel, Embryo 2: Crosshairs

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

About the Author

J.A. Schneider is a former staffer for Newsweek Magazine. EMBRYO is her first ebook. Its sequel, EMBRYO 2: CROSSHAIRS, has just been released (March 29) in what will become a series. She's been married for decades to a physician who enjoys explaining medical concepts which she interweaves as she writes. They live in Connecticut and have two adult children.

What created the idea for Embryo?

The idea came like a lightening bolt when hearing a conversation between J.A.'s husband (who did OB before switching to Cardiology), and an Ob/Gyn friend who was excited about IVF and its advances in curing diseases in utero. As an author who had already published fiction and non-fiction, J.A. thought about all human discoveries - from fire to atomic energy - and the fact that they can be either good or very bad if they fall into the wrong hands. It was a thought that wouldn't let go.

Product Details

• File Size: 350 KB
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0081CUVIU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,945 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wild Ride!! August 1, 2012

By VStrawmier

Format:Kindle Edition

When this book is described as a "wild ride," that is no understatement! If this were a movie, you would never take your eyes off the screen! The story line was intense, action-packed and completely engaging. There is no sense waiting for a page when you'd be willing to put the book down because it's just not going to show up. Every moment is exciting and you'll be amazed at the twists and turns J.A. Schneider has given her readers. This is one addition to your library that you will read over and over, just to make sure you didn't miss anything. I highly recommend it!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Embryo by J.A. Schneider July 30, 2012

By rose crochet

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Excellent. I enjoyed this book immensely. One of my favorite reads this summer. Very well written, fast passed, interesting characters. The only problem with this book was the fact that it was so hard to put down. I found myself staying up reading/riveted well past bedtime. I highly recommend Embryo for anyone who is looking for a action filled love/medical/mystery. EMBRYO

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stayed up Late Last Night to Finish Embryo! September 26, 2012

By Nancy Doris

Format:Kindle Edition

I was first attracted by the cover -- after the first few pages I was hooked! I "knew" J.A. Schneider could write after reading a few pages. I skipped to the back of the book to read her background. The story unfolded. I couldn't wait to read each page...sometimes I actually had to physically cover my Kindle page with my hand so I couldn't read ahead. Exciting story with many twists and turns. Not too much time spent on the "love" interest (which I liked). I could see what what was happening as she was explaining it.....I was walking down dark corridors and seeing what Jill was seeing. I can't wait to read the sequel.

More About the Author

J.A. (Joyce Anne) Schneider is a former staffer at Newsweek. Words and story ideas are always teeming in her head - "a colorful place!" she says. She's a wife, mother of two adult children, and loves thrillers, medical thrillers, and mysteries. Once a Liberal Arts major (French and Spanish Literature), she has become increasingly fascinated with medicine and forensic science. Decades of being married to a physician who loves explaining medical concepts and reliving his experiences means that there'll be medical angles even in "regular" thrillers that she writes.

EMBRYO is her first ebook. Its sequel, EMBRYO 2: CROSSHAIRS, was released in early April 2013. She and her husband live in southern Connecticut.

She invites you to follow her on Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/JoyceSchneider1
or Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/7fm44mk
or Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5832782.J_A_Schneider

MORE info about Joyce on Laura M. Talley's wonderful blog at http://www.lauramtalley.com/interviews/ja-schneider-writing

A warm welcome to Joyce Schneider, author interview today! She has some great tips, and be sure to check out her exciting new novel, Embryo.

1. What is your writing process like?
Now that my children are grown, I can finally be an afternoon and late-at-night person. There's so much "busy stuff" that needs to get done earlier, or it will bug me, prevent concentration. Output varies. Some days it's lots of pages, especially in the first draft where I just spew. Then, in the re-writing, it slows down. Way down.

2. How do you keep from procrastinating or giving up?
I never give up. I just know that IT will get done, somehow. Procrastinate? Sure I do...but I don't fight it too much because I know that the subconscious is always busy, auditioning ideas, characters, conversations. Stephen King calls it "the guys down in the steam room." They're always working, even when you think you're not.

3. Tell me about your recent book, Embryo.
The idea just...came, like a light bulb going off. Then it took about ten months to write, with my patient physician husband explaining the medical stuff which I'd weave in. I'd been traditionally published twice before, but suddenly (the economy) editors were getting laid off and production had slowed, taking up to a year to get a book out. Crazy! Simultaneously the ebook revolution had taken off, so I just uploaded to Kindle and that was it! I love the independence!

4. What gave you the idea for Embryo? Any other projects in the works?
EMBRYO's sequel is coming. The original idea came when hearing a conversation between my husband, a Cardiologist, and our OB/GYN friend who was excited about IVF and its advances in curing diseases in utero. I thought about all human discoveries - from fire to atomic energy - and the fact that they can be either good or very bad if they fall into the wrong hands.

5. Do you write full time?
You mean eight hours a day? No, but the subconscious does. Those wheels are always turning.

6. What is your #1 tip for aspiring authors?
Believe in yourself. Often, THAT is the hardest part, especially if you're just starting out. Plus LIFE and all its obligations intervene, often obstruct! When my children were younger, naturally it was harder, and those earlier, harder books showed my lack of confidence. But here's a tip: when conversations and busyness get too mundane, boring, I've developed a second track of my mind that just...goes away, back to the book. Oh, I seem to be there, nodding and smiling sweetly, but the wheels inside are churning away. The guys down in the steam room are always at it. Even while you sleep.

7. What are some of your favorite books/authors?
Agatha Christie's "Death on the Nile," and Ira Levin's "Boys From Brazil," "Rosemary's Baby," and "Stepford Wives."

I am fascinated by writers who in few words can say it all. News comes that's sad or terrible, and a character just says..."Oh?" In one word that character has revealed indifference, shallowness. Writers who excel at this are Agatha at her best, and the ultimate master, Ira Levin. I am fascinated by Levin's ingenious brevity. Scenes that have influenced me hugely are, for example, the scene in Levin's "The Boys From Brazil," where the female former warden in a concentration camp is about to be brought from her German prison cell for Lieberman, the Nazi hunter, to question. Lieberman is just dying of apprehension, feelings boiling with emotion, wondering how he'll react to her. Finally, her lawyer brings her. The door opens. Lieberman's heart is in his mouth...and out simply comes a drab old woman with "a disappointed mouth."

"A disappointed mouth!" This person's entire life summed up in four words! And we see her...much better than if Levin had gone on and on about her pallor, sunken features, and depressing prison uniform. He could have done that, but he didn't. With those four words we see that woman so clearly that it hits us emotionally.

8. Tell me something random about yourself.
I'm talkative and a goofball who loves being silly. Silly is good. You know, playfulness and laughter and making others laugh. I also love gardening; will spend hours struggling out a small boulder if it's where I want to plant a shrub, and I have the world's ugliest hands. Husband Bob says not so, but they're all ropey and scarred because we also grow rambler roses that reach the second floor of our house. Pretty in June, but I spend a lot of time on a ladder, and prefer winter to summer because it's better for writing.

ABOUT JOYCE: J.A. (Joyce Anne) Schneider is a former staffer at Newsweek. She has published FLORA TRISTAN and DARKNESS FALLS (Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books); EMBRYO is her first ebook. She is passionate about reading & writing - especially thrillers and medical thrillers. Decades of being married to a physician and patient explainer means that there'll be fascinating medical angles even in "regular" thrillers that she writes. She canNOT fall asleep without reading a favorite book...even after a long day of writing.

GOOD LUCK AND LOVE TO ALL!