Tag Rick Novak

THE ALMANAC COVER STORY ON AI IN MEDICINE AND RICK NOVAK’S NOVEL DOCTOR VITA

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On June 5, 2019 the Almanac, the home newspaper for the California communities of Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside featured a cover story on Rick Novak and his novel Doctor Vita.

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by Angela Swartz / Almanac 

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Dr. Rick Novak poses for a portrait at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, May 23. Photo by Magali Gauthier/The Almanac

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Between his time in the operating room, teaching, and raising his three sons, Atherton resident Dr. Rick Novak has found time to write three novels. 

Novak, an anesthesiologist at Stanford University Medical Center and the Waverley Surgery Center in Palo Alto, the novel “Doctor Vita,” a story about artificial intelligence in medicine (AIM) that goes awry.

It’s a science fiction novel that explores how technological breakthroughs like artificial intelligence and robots will affect medical care — and already have.

This is the link to the Almanac article.

DOCTOR VITA IS “SPLENDID AND TIMELY,” GRADY HARP, AMAZON HALL OF FAME REVIEWER

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Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame Reviewer

The invasion of Artificial Intelligence into the workforce, education, and medicine is upon us. Rick Novak’s 2019 novel Doctor Vita predicted and predated the union of robotics and AI in medical care.

Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame Reviewer, wrote:

“Once again Rick Novak serves up a virulent novel that addresses an ongoing change in medicine that worries most of us – the growing dependence on robotics in surgery and the dehumanization of medicine: doctor-patient interaction is altered by EMR and IT reporting of visits to insurance companies and the warmth of communication suffers. Rick takes this information to create a story about the extremes of AI in the form of a glowing globe that is Doctor Vita and the struggle computer scientist/anesthesiologist Dr. Lucas assumes as he tries to save medicine from the extremes of the ‘new age’ called FutureCare. As expected, Rick’s recreation of the tension in the OR and in interaction of the physicians is on target: his own experiences enhance the veracity of the story’s atmosphere.

“Rick Novak writes so extremely well that likely has answered the plea of his readers to continue this `hobby.’ He is becoming one of the next great American physician authors – think William Carlos Williams, Theodore Isaac Rubin, Oliver Wolf Sacks, Richard Selzer, and also the Brits Oliver Wendell Holmes et al. Medicine and writing can and do mix well in hands as gifted as Rick Novak. Highly Recommended.” Grady Harp, April 19, 2019.

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Doctor Vita available on Amazon.

Synopsis: Silicon Valley transforms American medicine with the invention of Doctor Vita, the world’s first artificial intelligence physician module. Medical care is streamlined, automated, consistent, and costs are controlled. Enter Dr. Alec Lucas, a young computer scientist and physician who perceives serious flaws in the FutureCare System. Patients are dying. When Lucas makes his concerns public, he’s persecuted as an unsafe outlier of antiquated and flawed human medical care. The FutureCare System attacks his quixotic bid to halt the revolution in medical technology, and Lucas strives to solve the dystopian motives behind Doctor Vita.

As George Orwell’s 1984 portended the future of communism and war in the 20th century, Doctor Vita predicts the future of medical care in the 21st century.

THE MILLIONS article about Hibbing Minnesota authors: Bob Dylan (Chronicles), Vincent Bugliosi (Helter Skelter), Bethany McLean (The Smartest Guys in the Room), Rick Novak (The Doctor and Mr. Dylan)

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A street sign in the childhood hometown of Bob Dylan, winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, is seen in Hibbing, Minnesota

Marie Myung-OK Lee, a staff writer for The Millions, successful novelist, creative writing professor at Columbia University in New York, and fellow native of Hibbing, Minnesota, discusses the proliferation of writers from Bob Dylan’s hometown in this article “What is it About Hibbing?” on The Millions website. For a village of 17,000, Hibbing produced the writers Bob Dylan, Vincent Bugliosi, Marie Mug-OK Lee, Bethany McClean, Kathleen Novak, Patrick McGauley, and myself.

Hibbing is indeed a remarkable town. In addition to the authors above, Hibbing was the birthplace of Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Roger Maris of the New York Yankees, and the hometown of Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Kevin McHale of the Boston Celtics.

Note the yearbook photo (Hibbing High School Hematite, 1959) for graduate Robert Zimmerman, i.e. Bob Dylan:

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Bob (Dylan) Zimmerman’s photo from the Hibbing High School Hematite yearbook, in which he hopes “to join ‘Little Richard.'” For a future winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, his resume of Latin Club and Social Studies Club belie his pending fame.

To dive deeper into Dylan’s Hibbing roots, click on the image below to reach the Amazon link to The Doctor and Mr. Dylan:

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KIRKUS REVIEW

In this debut thriller, tragedies strike an anesthesiologist as he tries to start a new life with his son.

Dr. Nico Antone, an anesthesiologist at Stanford University, is married to Alexandra, a high-powered real estate agent obsessed with money. Their son, Johnny, an 11th-grader with immense potential, struggles to get the grades he’ll need to attend an Ivy League college. After a screaming match with Alexandra, Nico moves himself and Johnny from Palo Alto, California, to his frozen childhood home of Hibbing, Minnesota. The move should help Johnny improve his grades and thus seem more attractive to universities, but Nico loves the freedom from his wife, too. Hibbing also happens to be the hometown of music icon Bob Dylan. Joining the hospital staff, Nico runs afoul of a grouchy nurse anesthetist calling himself Bobby Dylan, who plays Dylan songs twice a week in a bar called Heaven’s Door. As Nico and Johnny settle in, their lives turn around; they even start dating the gorgeous mother/daughter pair of Lena and Echo Johnson. However, when Johnny accidentally impregnates Echo, the lives of the Hibbing transplants start to implode. In true page-turner fashion, first-time novelist Novak gets started by killing soulless Alexandra, which accelerates the downfall of his underdog protagonist now accused of murder. Dialogue is pitch-perfect, and the insults hurled between Nico and his wife are as hilarious as they are hurtful: “Are you my husband, Nico? Or my dependent?” The author’s medical expertise proves central to the plot, and there are a few grisly moments, as when “dark blood percolated” from a patient’s nostrils “like coffee grounds.” Bob Dylan details add quirkiness to what might otherwise be a chilly revenge tale; we’re told, for instance, that Dylan taught “every singer with a less-than-perfect voice…how to sneer and twist off syllables.” Courtroom scenes toward the end crackle with energy, though one scene involving a snowmobile ties up a certain plot thread too neatly. By the end, Nico has rolled with a great many punches.

Nuanced characterization and crafty details help this debut soar.

HARVARD APPLICATION SHORT STORY: “THE AMAZEMENT OF ALL”

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 Hibbing High School

                   Harvard University

Rick Novak writes:

As a high school senior in the Northern Minnesota iron mining town of Hibbing High School, I applied for admission to Harvard University. As part of the application back then, Harvard asked for a “personal statement,” without any specifics regarding what the candidate should write about. As an aspiring writer at the age of 17, I chose to respond with a 700-word short story, “The Amazement of All.” I believed the story provided insight into the type of rascals who lived my unique home town, how they behaved and felt, as well as my own personal values and writing style. The story worked, as I was accepted by Harvard. In one of the significant crossroads in my life, I chose to pass on Harvard and enroll at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. At that time, at the age of 17, I had never traveled east of Duluth, I had never been on an airplane or a train, and I felt more comfortable staying in the Midwest where I grew up. 

I’ve always been proud of this, my first short story, which follows below:

                                      The Amazement of All

Zeke Johnson pushed through the door of the Corner Bar and peeled off his wool stocking hat and leather gloves. It was twelve degrees below zero in the Minnesota night he left outside. He welcomed the warm air, the smoky haze, and the beery smell inside his second home. “Cab Driver” by the Mills Brothers played on the jukebox. Zeke mounted a barstool and sang out, “Cab Driver, drive by Mary’s place. . . .” His drinking buddies Tony and Randy, already lined up at the rail and on their second beer, chimed in the next line in the chorus, “Doop doobie do, Doop doop doobie do.”

This was Zeke’s ritual each day. After his shift driving a 40-ton dump truck, hauling iron ore from the depths of the Hull-Rust Mahoning mine, he met up with fellow miners to drink, smoke, and raise hell at the Corner. He made fifty-seven round trips between the pit and the crusher today. It was time to reward himself with some frosty mugs of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

The bartender slid the first foaming glass across to Zeke, who chugged it down in one long draw—one of his singular talents. The Mills Brothers sang, “Cab Driver, Better take me home.” Zeke joined in with the next line and crooned, “I guess I’ll always be alone.”Tony said, “How’s she hanging, Zeke?”“Same shit, different day,” Zeke answered. “One day I’ll die on the job, with my monster ass melded into the seat of my monster truck.”

Zeke felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a hunchbacked old fellow curled over the bar rail on his left. The man wore a faded yellow Minnesota Vikings cap pulled down and shading his face. Bloodshot eyes peered up at Zeke from beneath the brim. The man hadn’t shaved for days, and gray stubble armored his chin. A single tooth sprung from his lower jaw, a solitary pearly stalagmite in a gaping cave. His breath smelled like rancid bologna. Zeke had never seen the man at the Corner Bar before, and had no interest in looking at him for another second. He turned back toward Tony and Randy.

The tap on his shoulder came again. Zeke fired up a Marlboro, inhaled deeply, turned, and exhaled smoke into the old man’s face. “What’s up, Mac?” he said.

“No faith,” the man said.  

Zeke’s eyebrows shot up, and he laughed out loud. “No faith? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Listening to you. Watching you. You’re down. No hope.”

“I just got done hauling 2,000 tons of rock so some asshole in Pittsburg can make a million dollars off it, and all I can afford is a barstool in this shithole, sitting next to a jerk-off like you.”

The man’s head rocked left and right. “Your anger is misplaced. You have a job. You are young, and probably healthy. You’re blessed.”

“Blessed? Maybe the last time I sneezed, somebody said ‘Bless you.’ That’s as close to blessed I’m gonna be.” Zeke turned back to his buddies, who joined in laughter with him.

“God is with you,” the old man said. “I see it. I know it. You need to see it and know it too.”

“God never did nothing for me,” Zeke said. “and all I want to see and know is when you’re going to crawl back into the hole you were hatched from.” 

The old man shook his head again, and reached into the breast pocket of his threadbare denim shirt. “God is with you,” he repeated. “I’m going to show you.” He pulled a quarter from his pocket, and held it out in his open palm toward Zeke, Tony, and Randy. He turned the quarter over from side to side and said, “Heads there’s a God, and tails there’s no God.” Without another word, he flipped the coin high into the air. 

Zeke, Tony, and Randy craned their necks to trace the parabola of the coin’s path as it rose, spun, and descended through smoky air. To the amazement of all, the quarter reached the surface of the bar and landed in the most peculiar way. 

The coin stood balanced on its edge. 

BOOKPLEASURES INTERVIEW: “UNVEILING THE MEDICAL THRILLER OF THE YEAR”

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AN INTERVIEW WITH RICK NOVAK discussing CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE 

Love, Law, and Lethal Anesthetics: Unveiling the Medical Thriller of the Year.

Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest, Rick Novak MD. Rick is a distinguished Stanford physician, holding board certifications in anesthesiology and internal medicine.

His expertise and dedication extend to his role as an Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine at Stanford University.

Beyond academia, he serves as the Medical Director at the prestigious Waverley Surgery Center in Palo Alto, California, and is a valued member of the Associated Anesthesiologists Medical Group in the same region.

Rick is not only a distinguished medical professional but also an accomplished author. He has shared his talents with the literary world through several captivating novels, including The Doctor and Mr. Dylan, Doctor Vita, and his most recent literary endeavor, Call From the Jailhouse.

Norm Goldman: Welcome Rick to bookpleasures.com and thanks for taking part in our interview. Can you share specific instances or experiences from your medical career that directly inspired or informed the content of your book, Call from the Jail House?

Rick: Call from the Jail House is a romance, a story about relationships. The two main characters are busy professionals, a doctor and an attorney, who are recently divorced but still have feelings for each other. The divorce rate in physicians is high (24%). I’ve been divorced myself, and I’ve experienced the enormous swings in emotion a failed marriage imparts on every phase of your life. These emotions drive my Call from the Jail House characters into predicaments they could never have imagined when they said “I do” to each other.

The second experience that drives the plot of Call from the Jail House is that the intravenous anesthetic drugs I’ve administered in my career are potent and wonderful, but when stolen from a hospital, they can kill an individual in minutes, in a fashion that would revolt and fascinate readers.

Norm: Sam Vella’s character undergoes a significant transformation from a beleaguered anesthesiologist to an accused murder suspect. Can you elaborate on the process of developing multi-dimensional characters like Sam in your writing?

Rick: Sam’s dilemma is a common one in America today—he’s an honorable young physician saddled with Herculean debt, with no easy way to repay it. He lives in Silicon Valley amidst astounding wealth, and when presented with the temptation to tap into that level of wealth, he surprises himself by pondering deeds never condoned in the Hippocratic Oath.

Norm: Cicely Vella, Sam’s ex, grapples with her role as a defense attorney torn between professional instincts and personal emotions. How did you approach creating her character and portraying this internal conflict?

Rick: Cicely is an outstanding litigator who rarely loses. She’s become wealthy beyond her dreams. But again, the powerful emotions of being newly divorced have driven Cicely to make success her only love. Sitting on her metaphoric pile of cash, no amount of money is filling the emptiness she feels since she divorced Sam. How can she become whole again? In her mind, the possibility of saving Sam from a life in prison looms as both a gigantic career leap and a relationship mending opportunity.

Norm: The story delves into a high-stakes murder trial filled with desire, wealth, intrigue, and scandal. What challenges did you face while crafting the courtroom scenes, and how did you maintain the tension throughout?

Rick: The first time I was cross-examined by an opposing attorney when I was serving as an expert witness in a courtroom, I held my hands together on the table in front of me. I could feel the pulse in my wrist, and my heart rate was topping 180 beats per minute. Outwardly I maintained a calm countenance, but inwardly I felt fear and confrontation unlike anything I’d felt in an operating room. The courtroom is a battlefield where words are weapons. Attorneys are on their home court. Everyone else—defendants, witnesses, experts, jury members—are involved in this war of sentences. As my career as an expert witness progressed, I became more comfortable with managing inner demons in the courtroom, but I’m well aware of the peril of the unprepared individual on the witness stand. Writing the courtroom scenes was the easiest part of this novel. These scenes were like movies I’d imagined for years.

Norm: Scarlett is an enigmatic character in the novel. What motivated you to include her in the story, and how did you explore the intricacies of desire and temptation through her character?

Rick: Can a dynamite-looking sexy young woman control the men that surround her? Yes, definitely. Anyone who denies this fact has never met a woman with Scarlett’s skillset. I fell under the spells of beautiful women more than once in my life, and I find the power of a gorgeous female one of the most interesting forces on Earth. Helen of Troy owned a face that launched a thousand ships. Like Helen, Scarlett inspires passions that can drive a vulnerable man to his doom.

Norm: The novel is described as a must-read for legal thriller fans. What do you believe sets Call from the Jail Houseapart from other books in the genre, and what unique elements did you incorporate into your storytelling?

Rick: Call From the Jailhouse is a romance novel with elements of a noir legal thriller and a medical mystery. The novel culminates in courtroom drama based on true medical facts and possibilities that only an anesthesiologist with a knack for telling suspenseful stories could describe. I love the writing of John Grisham and Scott Turow, but neither of them could pen this story of medical crime.

Norm: The relationship between Sam and Cicely is central to the plot. How did you approach writing their interactions and exploring the dynamics of their complicated past?

Rick: I chose to begin the novel with Sam and Cicely already divorced. Their backstory is revealed piece by piece. I see both Sam and Cicely as good people, outstanding in their professions, but inexperienced and uneducated in the abilities necessary to solve marital conflicts. After Sam’s call from the jailhouse, they both begin to rekindle the attraction that originally brought them together. Can Cicely save him? Even if she could, would Sam be willing to give their relationship a second chance? You have to read the book to find out.

Norm: Sam’s downfall from the mainstream anesthesia field to administering ketamine in dental offices is an important moment in the story. What inspired this particular plot point, and how did it affect the overall narrative?

Rick: The reason for Sam’s downfall from mainstream anesthesia is held out as a secret until the trial. His eviction from hospital medicine is credible. Physicians make mistakes—some of them medical, some of them emotional. Either one can have dire consequences. Sam’s fall from grace was critical for several reasons: it led to his divorce, it led to him driving around in a Chevy Tahoe with a tacklebox full of anesthesia drugs, and it led to his inability to earn the money he needs to pay his educational debt. Enter Scarlett, and remarkably there’s a new pathway toward all his dreams coming true.

Norm: Where can our readers find out more about you and Call From the Jailhouse?

Rick: Ricknovak.com  reveals more about me and my writing. My second website, clicked on over 2.8 million readers, is called The Anesthesia Consultant —and it contains 300+ essays which aim to inform both laypeople and medical people on anesthesia topics.

Norm: What is next for Rick Novak MD?

Rick: Back to the operating room every week. Back to the courtroom several times a year. And back to my MacBook Pro, which tempts me to set fingertips to the keypad, bringing the next set of fictional characters to life in situations no one’s ever dreamed of.

Norm: As we wrap up our interview, can you offer any insights into your creative process while writing this novel, and what can readers expect from your next literary masterpiece?

Rick: I’m a busy guy. I work as an MD from Monday through Friday, and I’m a single parent to three sons. I ponder ideas and scenes for future fiction every day.  I’ll set those thoughts into print by and by.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your endeavors.

Rick: Thanks for your time, Norm!

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CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE: NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON LINK:

Call From the Jailhouse

Rick Novak’s first novel, THE DOCTOR AND MR. DYLAN

Rick Novak’s second novel, DOCTOR VITA

FROM OPERATING ROOM TO COURTROOM

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A new Call From the Jailhouse review from the Canadian website BookPleasures:

From Operating Room to Courtroom: A Physician’s Thrilling Journey

In his latest novel, Call From the Jailhouse, Rick Novak masterfully crafts a captivating legal thriller that delves deep into the intricate dynamics of love, ambition, and the blurred lines between justice and personal desires. 

As the narrative unfolds, readers are introduced to Sam Vella, an attractive anesthesiologist who has recently experienced a divorce from his gorgeous and brilliant Cicely Jackson Vella, a prominent defense attorney based in San Francisco. Cicely has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard, a law degree from Yale, and a former title of Miss New Hampshire. 

The story takes off with a frantic phone call from Sam to Cicely, delivering the astonishing news that he finds himself incarcerated in San Mateo County jail, facing a murder accusation. 

After some self-reflection, Cicely agrees to help Sam, and her decision marks the onset of a thrilling legal drama where justice and love intersect in a precarious dance. 

The story rewinds and takes us back six months to Sam’s life, unexpectedly veering down a new and consequential path, which we soon realize has profound consequences. We delve into how Sam was caught in a passionate yet forbidden affair with Scarlett, an alluring, married woman whose husband is a billionaire. 

The narrative turns dramatically in the novel’s final chapters, zeroing in on Sam’s unexpected entanglement in a high-profile murder trial. The story delves into the complex web of a multi-million-dollar double homicide case infused with desire, wealth, intrigue, and scandal. And as the pages unfold, we find ourselves immersed in riveting courtroom proceedings, where the stakes are high, and the tension is palpable. And just when you think you’ve seen it all, be prepared for an unexpected and jaw-dropping twist that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Novak skillfully explores love, ambition, and the complex interplay between justice and personal desires. The central characters Sam and Cicely undergo profound transformations. Sam’s journey from beleaguered anesthesiologist to unjustly accused murder suspect showcases Novak’s talent for crafting multi-dimensional characters. 

Call From the Jailhouse is a must-read for legal thriller fans, offering emotional depth, intricate character development, and surprising revelations, leaving readers eagerly anticipating Rick Novak’s next literary masterpiece.

CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE REVIEW: “I LOVED HOW THE BOOK WAS CRAFTED.”

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Yes, you can read entertaining fiction and learn more about medicine at the same time.

CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THIS AMAZON LINK:

Call From the Jailhouse

Rick Novak’s third novel, Call From the Jailhouse, a 5-star review from the San Francisco Book Review, is now available on Amazon:

FROM THE SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW:

Call From the Jailhouse

By Rick Novak
Extasy Books,  331 pages, Format: eBook and paperback

Star Rating: 5 / 5

Author Rick Novak, MD, does an exquisite job of crafting a scenario in which a man is accused of murdering his lover and her husband and brings it all the way into a full jury trial. Call From the Jailhouse introduces readers to top defense attorney Cicely Vella. Cicely is a savage in the courtroom and is able to present to the jury all the reasons why they should acquit. Cicely’s marriage to an anesthesiologist named Sam Vella ended in divorce almost a year and a half ago, although there were certainly times when she missed him. When Sam calls Cicely from the county jail and tells her he is being accused of murder, Cicely knows she must defend him. Although their marriage didn’t work out, Cicely knows Sam didn’t kill anyone.

I loved the way the book was crafted. It starts with the phone call and then goes back in time six months to tell the readers about how Sam meets his married lover, Scarlett. The story is carefully told, with no important detail left out. As a San Francisco Bay Area native, I loved that I knew where so many of the referenced places were, including the Pacific Athletic Club (now The Bay Club), the Stanford Dish, and Kings Mountain Road. I admit that I looked up the Mahogany, where Sam meets Scarlett, and as I guessed, there was no such place listed. It seemed like it could have been modeled after the Rosewood Hotel in Menlo Park.

Call From the Jailhouse moves at the perfect pace. As Sam and Scarlett’s secret relationship starts to bloom, Sam finds himself falling in love with her even though she treats him like she owns him. So, how does Sam find himself accused of murder?

The last half of the book is dedicated to Cicely defending Sam in court. All evidence seems to lead to Sam, even though most of it is circumstantial. They say, write what you know, so Novak’s extensive knowledge in the medical field allows him to cleverly insert medical references, such as a medicine used to paralyze patients to allow doctors to insert a breathing tube. It’s details such as this that give the readers a full understanding of the events that take place in the book.

The court case is my favorite part of the book. This is also where there is a huge twist in the plot that gets uncovered. Cicely is a fantastic attorney who has integrity, grit, and grace all rolled into one small Black woman. Sam is a romantic at heart who finds himself in a black widow’s web. Call From the Jailhouse has fabulous characters, beautiful backdrops, and a plot that will pull you closer with every page.

Reviewed by Kristi Elizabeth

OUR STAR RATING SYSTEM  5 stars: Reviewer considers the book to be something that everyone should read. Reviewer would definitely read it again.

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CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE excerpt:

Chapter One: The Call

Cicely Vella’s receptionist announced, “Ms. Vella, your ex-husband is on line one. He says he’s in jail. He wants to talk to you.”

There are mileposts in life—moments that alter the future in earthshattering ways. The sudden change can be terrific or tragic. Cicely used to think her defining moment was the end of her marriage, but instead her defining moment occurred when she picked up line one and said, “Sam, what’s going on?”

His voice came through pressured and loud, so robust she had to hold the phone six inches away from her ear. “There’s been some kind of mistake,” he said. “The police arrested me. I’m in trouble.”

Cicely was shocked. Sam had never called her since their divorce, and she’d never heard this tone in his voice. He’d always been cool, calm, and controlled, even in the most stressful times. Cicely couldn’t hide her alarm. “Arrested you for what?”

“Murder.”

Cicely almost dropped the phone. “Murder? You’ve got to be kidding. Where are you right now?”

“The San Mateo County Jail. I need a defense attorney. I need you. Please help me.”

Cicely pictured Sam Vella sitting alone in a jail cell, and her response surprised her. She leapt out of her chair, ready to go to him. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” she said. “And don’t answer any questions from anyone until I arrive. Got that?”

“I won’t. And thank you so much for doing this for me.”

“I haven’t done anything yet.” Cicely hung up the phone, feeling the room spinning around her. This wasn’t possible. Sam was a smart guy—an altruistic medical doctor who simply couldn’t kill anyone. He’d been a flawed husband, a man who never quite got used to his overachieving wife’s career eclipsing his, but he wasn’t wired to commit violent crime. Cicely grabbed her purse and car keys and headed for the door. A petite Black woman, Cicely wore a gray wool pantsuit and a Brooks Brothers white cotton shirt. Her androgynous attire was her statement that, in the male-dominated world of litigating attorneys, she had the power to match up with her masculine opponents. Her business—the world of defendants and their alleged misdeeds—was a grim reality of treachery, deceit, ruses, and lies. Cicely didn’t see her vocation as a quest for truth, but rather a competition in search of victory. It was her job to conjure deception. Her joy came from constructing any reasonable alternative to the allegations of the prosecution. Every new case was a puzzle with a yet undiscovered solution. Finding that solution was the most enjoyable pastime Cicely had ever discovered. The money was good, but she knew in her heart she might even have done it for free.

It was that fun.

As Cicely exited through the waiting room, her receptionist said, “I overheard your conversation with Sam. Are you going to defend him?”

“Hell, yes. What kind of defense attorney would I be if my ex-husband spent the rest of his life rotting in prison as a convicted murderer?”

“You’ll be center stage if you defend him.”

“I’ll be center stage whether I’m his lawyer or not. We share a last name. We share a past. I’m going to the jail. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” Cicely’s thoughts were in turmoil. Her divorce was fresh—only one year old. After five workaholic years as man and wife, she and Sam painted themselves into two distant corners—a sad California career-trumps-love divorce. She’d pulled the plug on their marriage and concentrated on climbing to the pinnacle of the legal world. Cicely had only seen Sam twice since the divorce, and each time she felt the same two opposing emotions―a strong attraction to his physical presence, and sadness that the man who had once been her best friend was a stranger to her now.

Cicely knew the drive from her office to the jail very well. She met most of her clients for the first time within those very walls. Minutes later she sat face-to-face with Sam in a windowless white-walled room. He wore an orange jumpsuit with the number 71427 scrolled across his chest. His hair was parted in the middle, lanky and wet, as if he’d just stepped out of a storm, and his gaze never left Cicely. Her heart raced to be sitting so close to him again. He looked as vulnerable as a lost puppy and as breathtaking as any man she had ever set eyes on. Cicely skipped any pleasantries and started with the obvious question, “Who are you accused of killing, Sam?”

He shook his head and dropped his stare toward the table separating them. Then his eyes flicked upward for a second, partially hidden below thick hooded brows, and he said, “It was this woman I was dating. They claim I killed her. And they claim I killed her husband, too.”

“Two murders? Good God.” Cicely exhaled mightily. “Tell me what happened, starting when you first met this-this woman.” Cicely balanced her pen over an 8.5 X 14-inch yellow legal pad and prepared to chronicle Sam’s story.

“Her name was Scarlett,” Sam said. “It all started one rainy January night last winter…” 

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CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE: NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON LINK:

Call From the Jailhouse

Call From the JailhouseCall From the Jailhouse

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Rick Novak’s first novel, THE DOCTOR AND MR. DYLAN

Rick Novak’s second novel, DOCTOR VITA

COMING SOON: RICK NOVAK’S NEW NOVEL, CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE

THE ANESTHESIA CONSULTANT Leave a comment

Litigator Cicely Vella’s ex-husband is arrested for a double murder, and asks her to be his defense lawyer. Cicely rarely loses a case, but her extraordinary record is in jeopardy when she chooses to defend Sam Vella, the only suspect in what appear to be two indefensible crimes. 

Cicely is living the dream life of a young professional. She’s bright, beautiful, Black, and successful, but she harbors one weakness—lingering feelings for Sam, the husband who got away. 

Samuel Vella is a physician with high intellect, striking good looks, and a proclivity for making poor decisions. In the aftermath of his split from Cicely, Sam initiates an affair with Scarlett Lang, a free-spirited married woman, and their liaison lands Sam behind bars. 

After receiving Sam’s call from the jailhouse, Cicely feels the triple lures of her emotional attachment to her ex-husband, the opportunity to redeem the Vella name in the courtroom, and her zest for fame in this sensational high-profile trial. Nothing in the world but this court date could make Cicely and Sam sit elbow to elbow, day after day. 

The odds of a divorced couple remarrying the same person are 6 in 100, a statistic Cicely is both aware of and wary of, as she’s drawn back into Sam’s life. 

*

*

CALL FROM THE JAILHOUSE excerpt:

Chapter One: The Call

Cicely Vella’s receptionist announced, “Ms. Vella, your ex-husband is on line one. He says he’s in jail. He wants to talk to you.” 

There are mileposts in life—moments that alter the future in earthshattering ways. The sudden change can be terrific or tragic. Cicely used to think her defining moment was the end of her marriage, but instead her defining moment occurred when she picked up line one and said, “Sam, what’s going on?” 

His voice came through pressured and loud, so robust she had to hold the phone six inches away from her ear. “There’s been some kind of mistake,” _he said. “The police arrested me. I’m in trouble.” 

Cicely was shocked. Sam had never called her since their divorce, and she’d never heard this tone in his voice. He’d al-ways been cool, calm, and controlled, even in the most stressful times. Cicely couldn’t hide her alarm. “Arrested you for what?” 

“Murder.”

Cicely almost dropped the phone. “Murder? You’ve got to be kidding. Where are you right now?” 

“The San Mateo County Jail. I need a defense attorney. I need you. Please help me.” 

Cicely pictured Sam Vella sitting alone in a jail cell, and her response surprised her. She leapt out of her chair, ready to go to him. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” she said. “And don’t answer any questions from anyone until I arrive. Got that?” 

“I won’t. And thank you so much for doing this for me.” 

“I haven’t done anything yet.” Cicely hung up the phone, feeling the room spinning around her. This wasn’t possible. Sam was a smart guy—an altruistic medical doctor who simply couldn’t kill anyone. He’d been a flawed husband, a man who never quite got used to his overachieving wife’s career eclipsing his, but he wasn’t wired to commit violent crime. Cicely grabbed her purse and car keys and headed for the door. A petite Black woman, Cicely wore a gray wool pantsuit and a Brooks Brothers white cotton shirt. Her androgynous attire was her statement that, in the male-dominated world of litigating attorneys, she had the power to match up with her masculine opponents. Her business—the world of defendants and their alleged misdeeds—was a grim reality of treachery, deceit, ruses, and lies. Cicely didn’t see her vocation as a quest for truth, but rather a competition in search of victory. It was her job to conjure deception. Her joy came from constructing any reasonable alternative to the allegations of the prosecution. Every new case was a puzzle with a yet undiscovered solution. Finding that solution was the most enjoyable pastime Cicely had ever discovered. The money was good, but she knew in her heart she might even have done it for free. 

It was that fun. 

As Cicely exited through the waiting room, her receptionist said, “I overheard your conversation with Sam. Are you going to defend him?” 

“Hell, yes. What kind of defense attorney would I be if my ex-husband spent the rest of his life rotting in prison as a convicted murderer?” 

“You’ll be center stage if you defend him.” 

“I’ll be center stage whether I’m his lawyer or not. We share a last name. We share a past. I’m going to the jail. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” Cicely’s thoughts were in turmoil. 

Her divorce was fresh—only one year old. After five workaholic years as man and wife, she and Sam painted themselves into two distant corners—a sad California career-trumps-love divorce. She’d pulled the plug on their marriage and concentrated on climbing to the pinnacle of the legal world. Cicely had only seen Sam twice since the divorce, and each time she felt the same two opposing emotions―a strong attraction to his physical presence, and sadness that the man who had once been her best friend was a stranger to her now. 

Cicely knew the drive from her office to the jail very well. She met most of her clients for the first time within those very walls. Minutes later she sat face-to-face with Sam in a windowless white-walled room. He wore an orange jumpsuit with the number 71427 scrolled across his chest. His hair was parted in the middle, lanky and wet, as if he’d just stepped out of a storm, and his gaze never left Cicely. Her heart raced to be sitting so close to him again. He looked as vulnerable as a lost puppy and as breathtaking as any man she had ever set eyes on. Cicely skipped any pleasantries and started with the obvious question, “Who are you accused of killing, Sam?” 

He shook his head and dropped his stare toward the table separating them. Then his eyes flicked upward for a second, partially hidden below thick hooded brows, and he said, “It was this woman I was dating. They claim I killed her. And they claim I killed her husband, too.” 

“Two murders? Good God.” Cicely exhaled mightily. “Tell me what happened, starting when you first met this-this woman.” Cicely balanced her pen over an 8.5 X 14-inch yellow legal pad and prepared to chronicle Sam’s story. 

“Her name was Scarlett,” Sam said. “It all started one rainy January night last winter…” 

DOCTOR VITA IS “SPLENDID AND TIMELY”

THE ANESTHESIA CONSULTANT Leave a comment
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Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 Reviewer

Grady Harp

HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER

5.0 out of 5 stars

A splendid and timely novel

April 20, 2019

Once again Rick Novak serves up a virulent novel that addresses an ongoing change in medicine that worries most of us – the growing dependence on robotics in surgery and the dehumanization of medicine: doctor patient interaction is altered by EMR and IT reporting of visits to insurance companies and the warmth of communication suffers. Rick takes this information to create a story about the extremes of AI in the form of a glowing globe that is Dr Vita and the struggle computer scientist/anesthesiologist Dr Lucas assumes as he tries to save medicine from the extremes of the ‘new age’ called FutureCare. As expected, Rick’s recreation of the tension in the OR and in interaction of the physicians is on target: his own experiences enhance the veracity of the story’s atmosphere.

Rick Novak writes so extremely well that likely has answered the plea of his readers to continue this `hobby’. He is becoming one of the next great American physician authors – think William Carlos Williams, Theodore Isaac Rubin, Oliver Wolf Sacks, Richard Selzer, and also the Brits Oliver Wendell Holmes et al. Medicine and writing can and do mix well in hands as gifted as Rick Novak. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, April 19

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ALMANAC COVER ARTICLE: AI IN MEDICINE AND THE WRITING PROCESS THAT LED TO DOCTOR VITA

THE ANESTHESIA CONSULTANT Leave a comment

On June 5, 2019 the Almanac, the home newspaper for the California communities of Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside featured a cover story on Rick Novak and his new novel Doctor Vita.

by Angela Swartz / Almanac 

Dr. Rick Novak poses for a portrait at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, May 23. Photo by Magali Gauthier/The Almanac

Between his time in the operating room, teaching, and raising his three sons, Atherton resident Dr. Rick Novak has found time to write two novels. 

Novak, 65, an anesthesiologist at the Waverley Surgery Center in Palo Alto, recently published his latest, “Doctor Vita,” a story about an artificial intelligence (AI) physician module that goes awry.

It’s a science fiction novel that explores how technological breakthroughs like artificial intelligence and robots will affect medical care — and already have.

This is the link to the Almanac article.