Dr. W. D. “Dwight” McComb, a board-certified internal medicine specialist and medical director of wound care services for North Mississippi Health Services, had the audience laughing and leaning forward Thursday afternoon at the Starkville Public Library’s monthly Books and Authors event. Between anecdotes from his childhood and the trials of writing, McComb shared how he went from aspiring chemical engineer to physician to award-winning author.
“I always wanted to write when I was a little kid,” McComb said. “Back then, my mom was the only one who would read it… and she probably still has it in a folder somewhere.” After years of balancing a medical career, family, and coaching youth sports, he said the stories he had been mulling over finally took shape around 2015.
That year, he began writing “The Truth That Lies Between,” the first book in his Case for Truth trilogy, a coming-of-age series following three friends as they navigate life, mystery, and moral dilemmas in the fictional Mississippi town of Amberton – a combination of the real towns of Aberdeen, Amory, and Hamilton. “Somebody once pointed out that Amberton is all three of those places rolled into one,” McComb said. “And I told them, ‘I didn’t even realize I did that.’”
“I wanted to write something that a middle schooler could read, but also my mom and grandparents wouldn’t be embarrassed by,” he said. “It’s realistic, clean, but still has all the challenges and adventures that shape the characters.”
The first book follows the trio as teenagers who discover skeletal remains on a local farm. Instead of going straight to the authorities, they try to solve the mystery themselves, leading to unexpected trouble and life lessons along the way. “Anatomy of Truth,” the second book, draws from McComb’s own experience in medical school, including his first day in gross anatomy, while “Truth on the Brink” (2024) follows the friends as adults confronting a high-stakes mystery involving a football player accused of a serious crime.
During the event, McComb read an excerpt from “The Truth That Lies Between,” giving the audience a taste of the series’ central themes of friendship, trust, and navigating the gray areas between right and wrong. “Most of the time, the line between right and wrong is crystal clear,” the passage read, “but sometimes the line between them is so blurred, you can’t tell the difference. That’s when you must seek the truth that lies between.”
McComb credited much of his success to his editor, Jennifer Cross White, who helped him polish the trilogy while staying true to his voice. “You think you’re a good writer, but then the red pen shows you all the work you still have to do,” he said.
A lifelong Mississippi State fan, McComb lives in northeast Mississippi with his wife and “whichever of their three children happen to be home at the moment.”
“I hope my books reach readers of all ages,” he said. “I want them to enjoy the story, but also to recognize the value of friendship, loyalty, and the bonds that carry us through life.”
Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library System Director Phillip Carter said events like these connect the community with the literary world. “Bringing authors like Dr. McComb to the library allows readers to engage directly with the creative process and celebrate the rich literary culture in Mississippi,” Carter said.
Signed copies of “The Truth That Lies Between,” “Anatomy of Truth” and “Truth on the Brink” were available for attendees following the discussion.
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