Jennifer (JL) Lycette is an award-winning medical thriller author. Her books are known for their heartfelt storytelling and unflinching examination of timely themes.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, JL spent her early years exploring the Land of the Midnight Sun during summers. During the dark winter months, she stayed up way too late most nights, reading with a flashlight under the covers to devour books as sustenance. After coming of age, she moved to sunny California, earning a degree in Biochemistry from the University of San Francisco. She then moved to Seattle for her Medical Degree and later to Boston for her residency training in Internal Medicine. Then back to the Pacific Northwest to Portland, Oregon for her fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology.
Mid-career, she discovered her inner writer, writing her way back from physician burnout. Initially, she penned personal essays focusing on her medical experiences. But eventually her fiction muse took over, and she began writing short stories and novels.
Her debut novel, ‘The Algorithm Will See You Now,’ garnered instant recognition, including named a Kirkus Reviews Indies Worth Discovering and a Best Medical Thriller of the 21st Century by Best Thrillers.
Her sophomore novel, ‘The Committee Will Kill You Now,’ won a 2025 Indie Reader Discovery Award (Socially Conscious Fiction category). International Thriller Writers’ The Big Thrill selected it as a featured Recommended Read (November 2023)
JL’s work explores themes of grief, hope, humanity, and forgiveness, inspired by her own experiences and the stories of those she’s met along the way. Her short fiction and essays have been featured in The Intima and other medical journals. Beyond writing, JL is passionate about promoting mental health awareness for physicians, nurses, and medical trainees.
Her first speculative short story/flash fiction can be found in the anthology And If That Mockingbird Don’t Sing: Parenting Stories Gone Speculative (Alternating Current Press). A little story about motherhood and cyborgs…
One of her speculative fiction short stories close to her heart was published in The Intima Fall 2022: No Human Bias Involved. What will healthcare look like when treatment decisions are made by AI? A nurse learns the painful truth in this timely futuristic tale.
In addition to her published fiction, she has contributed to nonfiction medical anthologies. Learn more about all her books here.
Her many published essays can be found in Intima, NEJM, JAMA and other journals; as well as online at Doximity and Medscape.
She is a member of ITW (International Thriller Writers) and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association. She is also an alumna of the 2019 Pitch Wars Mentoring program.