Pharma Girl: how my drug company experiences shaped my writing
For good or ill, I got to see pharmaceutical launch meetings from both sides. As a meeting planner, I learned what goes on behind the scenes; as a drug rep during the 1990s heyday of Big Pharma, I saw up close both the decadence and the drudgery that characterized your average product launch.
It was a perfect perspective for writing Meeting Murder. My original inspiration (which takes such a deadly turn!) came from a pharma exec who showed up (having slept through both his alarm clock and the hotel wake-up call) literally minutes before a speech.
Added to that, I was able to draw on my experiences of overcrowded district breakout meetings, yawn-inducing workshops, and the dreaded role plays (drug reps out there will know what I’m talking about!) that make events like the theme dinner featured in Meeting Murder such a relief.
I’m grateful to have had both worlds to inform my writing – and to all the drug reps out there who’ve had deep sea fishing excursions cancelled on launch meetings, my apologies! (Read the book and you’ll see what I mean… believe me, you’ll understand…)
