About the Author
Dr. Larry blends authentic emergency medicine scenes with harness racing action, drawing from his real-life experience as a physician and racehorse owner. This adds realism and depth that sets his book apart.
Combining Medical Expertise & Storytelling
Dr. Larry J. Kachik grew up in Western Pennsylvania. He obtained his premedical education at The Johns Hopkins University. He obtained his MD degree from Jefferson Medical College in 1979 and completed a residency in Family Medicine at Latrobe Area Hospital in 1982. His clinical career was spent practicing Emergency Medicine. During his clinical career he obtained and maintained board certification from The American Board of Emergency Medicine and The American Board of Family Practice.
He actively practiced emergency medicine for twenty-five years, with fifteen of those as the chair of his department. He also was appointed as the medical director of an acute care hospital. Upon completion of his clinical career, he transitioned to working as a physician surveyor for The Joint Commission. He felt it was, and still is, the preeminent healthcare accrediting body in the world.
Our Story
My wife Kathy was the heart behind everything I’ve written. She was an avid reader who started with romance novels and eventually grew to love action thrillers by authors like Nelson DeMille, David Baldacci, and Vince Flynn. Her passion for reading was intense—she loved the feel, the smell, and the ritual of opening a new hardcover book. She read each one with care and often multiple times. Kathy had a strong opinion on how books should be treated, and I quickly learned that dog-earing a page was a cardinal sin.
I wasn’t much of a reader myself—years of studying in medical school had burned me out. But Kathy changed that. She handed me a Vince Flynn novel, and I was hooked. It wasn’t long before I began to appreciate well-told stories and strong characters, just like she did. She always encouraged me to write, often pointing to the way I expressed myself in emails, which she fondly called “shitgrams.” Kathy believed I had the talent to write something worth reading.
When Kathy passed away from a brain hemorrhage on Valentine’s Day in 2015, my world shattered. We didn’t have children—it was always just the two of us. In the years that followed, I fell into a deep depression. Eventually, I found a small spark of healing in writing. I started with a private memoir called AK, short for Aunt Kathy, as a way to preserve her memory for our nieces and nephews. That project became a priceless gift for future generations.
In 2019, I began writing what would become my first novel, Dying Was Easy, and with renewed focus in 2021, I finally brought it to life. It was published in 2023, with a revised edition released in 2024. Writing the Zachary Zander series has been a joyful, unexpected journey, one I never would have started without Kathy’s loving push. Her belief in me lives on in every page I write. This story, and every story after, is for her. I assure you that none of this would have ever happened without Kathy’s urging. I love you Huns!
More About Dr. Kachik
Dr. Kachik became infatuated with harness racing while in college. Shortly after he began his clinical career, he embarked upon racehorse ownership. Over a span of greater than twenty years he owned interests in more than fifty horses. He remains an avid fan to this day. He even had his wedding reception at the winner’s circle of a horse racetrack.
The Author’s Gallery
