Doctor has another story to tell

One night about five years ago, Dr. Joan Lehmann had a very vivid dream.

It was about a man running for his life through the snow while carrying a young child.

The images stuck with her and became the basis for her new novel, "Heaven Below." The 371-page, self-published book came out about two months ago.

It tells the story of a Pennsylvania coal miner named Sean O'Connell (the man in the dream looked like Sean Penn, she said, so she used his first name) and his Depression-era journey to life on the water in Shady Side.

Lehmann wrote the bulk of the book in a furious spurt between Halloween and New Year's Eve of 2005, then spent the next several years editing and researching the tale.

"I'm very happy with the product," said the 46-year-old mother of two who works in the emergency room at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. "I don't think I'd ever put myself in the ranks of Hemingway, but I think I have earned the right to say I'm a writer now."

And Lehmann said there are parallels between her two careers.

"The best physicians in the world are still artists," she explained. "Things are subjective - the look of a rash, if a patient looks ill or not by reading body language ...

"I think when you're a doctor you work with so many people you're a student of humanity, and that's important in writing. Doctors are exclusive people watchers."

Lehmann is currently marketing the book and keeping busy with her family and her fight to curb obesity in this country. But she's not done writing. The Pasadena resident has an idea for a second book, which is a good thing because fans are already hungry for more of her literary work.

"I really liked it," said Dr. Elizabeth Fronc, pediatric hospitalist at BWMC. "I found it very enjoyable and readable. I can't wait for (her) next book."

For more information on "Heaven Below" and upcoming book signings, visit the Web site at www.joanlehmannmd.com.