Dr. Maria Simbra is featured in this month’s Q&A. In addition to writing memoirs, non-fiction, and scholarly works as Maria Simbra she writes contemporary fiction using the pen name, Em S. A’cor. After meeting and getting to know Maria, I was curious about her alter ego, so I decided to read one of her books. After you read her Q&A, you’ll be curious, too.
Twitter Crush is a medical romance by Em S. A’cor.
Marisol is a widowed dermatologist with twin daughters in college. She and her husband were supposed to grow old together. Death was not in the playbook, but Marisol copes by making her daughters a priority.
One of the holiday traditions she establishes with her daughters is to come to Pittsburgh and cook for them during finals. The girls are attending the University of Pittsburgh where Marisol and her husband met and fell in love during medical school. It’s fun for the girls to be pampered during finals week and a pleasant trip down memory lane for Marisol.
This year is a little different. Marisol has a crush on a dermatopathologist she follows on Twitter. He does research at the university and will be giving a lecture while she’s visiting her daughters. Since her husband’s death, Marisol hasn’t really dated or even considered dating. She’s not considering it now, but there’s something about Dr. Greg Kaczmarek she can’t stop thinking about.
Marisol is an older Gen X. Greg is a younger Gen X. He’s brilliant, handsome, and seems charming. She’s commented on a few of his work-related Twitter posts and his responses have been positive. He’s a man she’d like to get to know, but their friendly exchanges have been professional with the exception of the occasional photo he’s posted with his sons. She doesn’t know anything about his personal life, but that’s okay because it’s only a harmless crush.
When Marisol attends the lecture, she finally meets her crush. He’s more handsome in person and equally brilliant. She knows him, but he doesn’t seem to connect her face with their banter on Twitter. She’ll grab a coffee after the lecture and laugh about it.
Fate steps in, and she unknowingly chooses the same coffee shop Greg frequents. They bump into each other. There’s an instant connection, but where can this lead? She lives and practices in West Virginia, and his life is in Pittsburgh.
Marisol is fifty-five. It’s an underrepresented age in most contemporary romance novels. Along with feeling out of practice in the romance department since losing her husband, Marisol is dealing with the changes brought on by menopause. She also takes an anxiety medication that can interfere with her libido. Greg also takes an anxiety drug and is similarly affected by it.
Em S. Acor delves into realistic relationship problems often faced by men and women nearing or entering middle age. We know sex doesn’t always resemble the beach scene in From Here to Eternity, and we’re worried about where that sand is going to go. We’ve also met gravity, and we’re not strangers to its effects. Though they seldom are in romance novels, first encounters can be imperfect and messy. Kudos to A’cor for addressing these problems and giving her characters the wisdom to work through them.
She also tackles the difficult questions about careers and planning. How desirable is long distance? Can successful professionals afford to risk seniority, tenure, or their pension plans to relocate for love? Who makes the sacrifice? How will their families react? These are all questions touched upon without weighing down the budding romance.
Her characters are witty and interesting, but well-grounded. They’re also much luckier on Twitter/X than I’ve ever been.
Find Em and her romance novels and novellas at bit.ly/3R54swf
Books by Maria Simbra
Just a Moment of My Times: Memoirs of a Reluctant Doctor, TV News Convert, and Unusual Mother – for Kindle Vella
The Facts of Life: Friends with Tales -for Kindle Vella
Scoop M.D.: The Doctor’s Guide to Media Interviews and Opportunities – for Kindle Vella
Books by Em S. A’cor
Twitter Crush: a holiday, Gen X, medical romance
Greg and the Weddings: a medical romance, novelette prequel
Greg and the Jill of All Trades: A Gen X, May December, doctor romance, short story prequel to Twitter Crush
You can follow Maria on social media:
Facebook: By Maria Simbra
Twitter (X): @byMariaSimbra
Instagram: by_maria_simbra
Learn about her writing workshops and mentoring services at https://www.ironedwordsproductions.com/