Ann Colbert

Ann Colbert MD grew up in Michigan where her father was a warden and the family lived in a mansion on the prison grounds. She attended medical school in the Upper Peninsula, completed her family practice residency in Rochester, New York and finally settled in Kentucky to practice medicine. Seeing a need for palliative care in the community, Dr. Colbert became board certified in Palliative Care and Hospice after studying in Wales, UK. In 2016, she went to Belize to be a long term volunteer medical director at Hillside Clinic. Upon return she finished her Masters of Public Health from Western Kentucky Univ. and has worked in public health and medical care for the underserved since.

Ann began writing for personal use in college but started a public blog while working in Belize. She continued posting commentaries while volunteering at a migrant clinic at the US/Mexico border and those pieces spurred enthusiasm for a migrant support group in Morehead that is still providing services. In retirement from clinical practice, Dr. Colbert has continued to write both creative non-fiction and fiction. One of her pieces on the opioid crisis will appear in an upcoming academic work.

"Ava Finds Time" was her first novel followed one year later with publication of "The Mantra of Lucy Watts" in April of 2025 Both books are part of the Doctors Reading Taber's series. She lives in eastern Kentucky in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains with her partner and her dog.

Here is a recent interview about Dr. Colbert's latest book:

What’s the story behind the story? What inspired you to write The Mantra of Lucy Watts?

I started reading Taber’s Medical Dictionary a few years ago for fun, not for work, and began to write commentaries about the words I found, especially as related to the incongruities and absurdities of medicine. One day, it occurred to me that I could write a novel about a female doctor, like me, who read Taber’s. That first book started the series “Doctors Who Read Tabers”. I wanted to write this second book, “The Mantra of Lucy Watts,” to show the life of a wanderer, another female doctor who reads Taber’s. And while it is not as autobiographical as the first, this book reflects debates I have had with myself over selfishness and selflessness. I also tried to explore the many facets of wanderlust and the perpetual travelers who have always intrigued me.

If you had to pick theme songs for the main characters of The Mantra of Lucy Watts, what would they be?

The theme song for Lucy Watts would be “Nowhere Man” by the Beatles. For the other major character, Sophie, I would pick “Come Sail Away” by Styx.

What’s your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write?

My favorite genre is literary fiction, but depending on my mood and concentration, I like to read sci-fi by women authors. I like to write non-fiction editorials and commentaries, but when I write fiction, yes, literary fiction or women’s fiction is my favorite.

What books are on your TBR pile right now?

1) Scissors, Paper, Rock by Fenton Johnson 2) The Trial by Kafka 3) Too Close to the Flame by James Ingle 4) My Friends by Fredrik Backman 5) Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner.

What scene in your book was your favorite to write?

Two scenes stand out as pleasurable. They both involve water. The first was describing the feeling of swimming in the university’s Olympic-sized pool. While I wrote the scene, I could feel the buoyancy of the water and the freedom of my body. The second scenes were the moments when Lucy is sitting on her porch in Belize watching the sea. Imagining those times, I could hear the sound of waves crashing on the rocks and the unique ocean birds and rainforest animals. They are sounds I don’t hear living in a forest.

Do you have any quirky writing habits? (lucky mugs, cats on laps, etc.)

This isn’t so quirky, but when I start an idea, I print my words on a composition notebook with wide rule lines using a Pilot Extra Fine Point pen and skip every other line. As if I intend to make corrections between the lines.

Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by?

I believe I learn something from everything I do and everyone I meet.

If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading your book, what would it be?

To think about the question “Doing good or looking good?”. This is a theme that the main character struggles with, especially related to her volunteer work, and I believe many readers may think of it.