‘A Magnificent Misunderstanding’: Woman’s commute to work as doctor leads to path of becoming author

Raske (L) reading her book to an audience of children and parents on November 3 of this year at a local bookstore in Wisconsin. She loved getting feedback directly from children.

Raske (L) reading her book to an audience of children and parents on November 3 of this year at a local bookstore in Wisconsin. She loved getting feedback directly from children.

Millions of people commute to work every day in the United States. Passing the time while driving or sitting in traffic looks different for most every driver. For Molly Raske, who was raised in Kettering, a commute in “horrible traffic” while she was working in St. Paul, Minn. in 2011 ended up inspiring her to write her first book.

But Raske’s road to becoming a published author wasn’t a straightforward one, though she has always loved reading and writing. Born in 1973 on a farm near St. Paris, Ohio, she moved to Kettering at the age of 4 after her parents divorced.

“My grandparents lived in Kettering, and we wanted to be closer to them,” Raske said. “I really loved growing up there.”

Raske’s high school years at Fairmont were spent playing volleyball and participating in student government. She also excelled at science and loved literature. After she graduated in 1991, Raske headed to college at the University of Wisconsin, where two of her cousins had enrolled before her.

“I majored in biology in college,” Raske said. “I always had medical school in the back of my mind but also enjoyed doing artistic things.”

Raske had an opportunity to film a video documentary in high school and loved it. So she took film production classes in college and minored in film. Still undecided about her future career, Raske also considered a career in public health. By the time she finished college, though she still loved making movies, the pull of medical school was strong.

“I have an aunt and cousin who are both doctors,” Raske said. “But I wanted to take time off before deciding what to do next.”

After college graduation in 1995, Raske moved first to London and then to Argentina to teach English to local businesspeople. She was there for four months before returning to London, where she worked in a bookstore. She stayed in London until 1996.

“I knew I wanted to go to medical school, and I needed to take organic chemistry before I applied,” Raske said. “I came back to Dayton in May of 1996 to take the course work I needed.”

She started medical school at The Ohio State University in 1997 and graduated in June of 2001. Undecided about her field of specialty, Raske did her residency in ear, nose and throat (ENT). During that time, Raske discovered what she loved most about becoming a doctor was and still is taking care of patients.

Raske (L) at her graduation from medical school in 2001. She is shown with her aunt Dr. Susan Laessig (middle) and cousin, Dr. Katherine Laessig (R) both of whom inspired her to go to medical school.

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“I didn’t really like the idea of operating on patients, and I had a crisis moment that I had chosen the wrong field,” Raske said. “I decided to take an entire year and switch to a new specialty every three months.”

Ultimately, Raske discovered radiology and found a residency at the University of Washington in Seattle. She did a fellowship in pediatrics and five years later, she completed the program and became a doctor of pediatric radiology.

“I find so much meaning in my work and truly enjoy caring for pediatric patients and teaching the next generation of doctors,” Raske said.

A few years later, while commuting to her job in St. Paul, Raske found herself uninterested in listening to music or audio books. Instead she would daydream about writing a book.

Raske with her newborn niece, Kathryn Tracanna, who inspired her to write her first children's picture book "a Magnificent Misunderstanding."

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“My niece, Kathryn, was living in Cleveland and was 5-years old at the time,” Raske said. “She loved everything about princesses. So I came up with an idea for a character that would rival any princess but have more qualities.”

Raske ended up storyboarding the book in her head during her daily commutes and at home while walking her dog and developed her main character, Georgia, who is an heiress. She shared her idea with her husband, Mike, and her friends.

“Everyone was extremely supportive of the book,” Raske said. “But after I sent it to a few agents and didn’t get any bites, I shelved it.”

Now working at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Raske has returned to her college town. But she never forgot about her book and eventually connected with Little Creek Press in nearby Mineral Point. She was introduced to an illustrator — Matthew LaFleur — who loved the story. In the spring of 2023, Raske and LaFleur started working together, and “A Magnificent Misunderstanding” was published in June of this year.

The cover of Raske's first picture book, "A Magnificent Misunderstanding," published in June of this year.

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“This wasn’t something that just popped up in a day,” Raske said about her first children’s picture book. “There was just something about working with kids and watching my 5-year-old niece that inspired me.”

Local bookstores near Madison have been helping to market the book. Raske also did a reading and loved hearing from her readers — the children.

Raske has begun writing notes for a second book and said it’s more about finding time to write it. And getting herself mentally where she needs to be.

“I’ve made a start, and I hope to daydream a bit more and flesh it out,” she said.

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