Born in the mid-1950s in Jackson, MS, Darden North was raised in the Mississippi Delta as the only child of Evelyn and Bar North. While attending the seventh grade, North’s taste for the arts was seeded much like the surrounding cotton and soybeans. (Delta catfish farming came later.) Much to his mother's urging and against his initial argument, 13-year-old Darden North starred in the speaking and singing role of Louis in The King and I, produced by the Cleveland (MS) Little Theater. Without question, North's interest in writing and publishing sparked while serving as editor-in-chief of the award-winning 1978 Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi student yearbook, and continued while editing the 1982 Medic, the University of Mississippi Medical Center student yearbook -- both published in hardcover. The fact that both his wife and mother have been English teachers certainly encouraged his writing and publishing concerns.

After graduating magna cum laude from Ole Miss in 1978 with a BA in zoology and minors in both English and chemistry and induction into the Hall of Fame, he finished medical school and obstetrics/gynecology specialty training at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1982 and 1986, respectively. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honorary society. Darden North and his wife Sally met at Ole Miss and later married in 1979, remaining in Jackson since, where he practices full-time at Jackson Healthcare for Women, P.A.

2008 marked the beginning of North’s twenty-third year in active medical practice as a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist. After serving as chief-of-staff at two local hospitals, Darden North, MD, remains active in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Medical Association, the Mississippi State Medical Association, and the South Central Obstetrical and Gynecological Society. In July 2008 North was inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution, District of Columbia chapter.

Darden North has written and published three novels, House Call (hardcover 2005, paperback 2007), Points of Origin (hardcover 2006), and Fresh Frozen (hardcover 2008). Points of Origin was recognized in Southern Fiction in the 2007 Independent Publishers Book Awards and House Call was a Mystery/Suspense Finalist in the 2008 New Generation Indie Book Awards. Both works were nominated in Fiction by the Southern Independent Book Association and the Mississippi Institute for Arts and Letters.

Years ago North traded his golf clubs and tennis racket for a laptop but on occasion can be seen with a croquet mallet or garden shovel when he is not practicing medicine or writing. He has not given up hunting, not yet.

Darden North, MD, remains available for personal appearances and book signings and can be reached at darden@dardennorth.com where he welcomes reader comments.