Hello Redwood’s Fans!

Ready for Halloween and all the spooky movies about to release? Or, would you rather read great books instead?

If it’s books– then I have good news for you. The e-books of my entire trilogy (Proof, Poison and Peril) are going on sale this coming week! I hope you’ll take advantage of it– particularly the first few days when each title is a mere $0.99!!

For you this week . . .

Tuesday: Death by bee sting. Is it possible? Is there a drug that could mimic this?

Thursday: What types of suicide attempts can lead to a traumatic brain injury?

Have a great week!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been? Did you miss me last Sunday?

What happened?

The medical musketeers!  Richard Mabry, MD, me, and Candace Calvert, RN.

I was recovering from ACFW (the American Christian Fiction Writers Conference) and my daughters birthday party. Yes, six girls twelve and under overnight. I know parents who have been through this know why I slept all day Sunday!

For my fellow writers– a few nuggets from ACFW.

1. Amish is supposedly on its way out. I’m sorry to my fellow colleagues who are Amish authors but evidently your reign is over. This, however, I do find hard to believe since the CBD catalog still has several full pages of Amish books whenever I get it. It does warm my suspense heart to think this might be true but we’ll see if it happens.

2. No more YA dystopian books but more YA dealing with “real” issues. One editor explained that she was straight up getting Twilight, Divergent and Hunger Games books with just new characters. Down to some of the same exact scenes. Honestly, I don’t understand the audacity of someone even trying to do this. We’ll see how the whole YA, NA trend continues to grow.

3. Indie is definitely in! As traditional publishers continue to discontinue and narrow fiction lines, previously published and debut authors have little choice but to at least try the indie road. Big names in inspirational fiction (Dan Walsh, Jenny B. Jones) are doing the indie road. Some are going hybrid but the stigma of going indie, I would say, has all but disappeared.

For you this week:

Tuesday: An author question that deals with how many infants a woman could sustain just breast feeding.

Thursday: The Justin Ross Harris case. Do you think it was homicide by hot car?

Have a great week! I’m LOVING this fall weather.

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

Today, I’m traveling back from the annual ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) conference. This year, it was hosted in St. Louis. Hopefully, next week I’ll have some exciting stuff to report and here’s keeping my fingers crossed that I didn’t get pressed into medical service by some medical emergency (which has happened before!)

For you this week . . .

Tuesday: Did you know there’s a mysterious humming noise in certain parts of the world heard by a small portion of the population? We’ll take a closer look at this phenomenon.

Thursday: Just how long does it take for a DNA test to be done for a criminal case? Author and forensic expert Amryn Cross stops by for details.

Have a GREAT week!

Jordyn

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How are you? Has autumn started where you’re at yet? I. Cannot. Wait. I am ready for all things pumpkiny and scary. Caramel apples. All the holidays. The leaves changing color.

Do you have a favorite autumn thing you enjoy?

For you this week:

Tuesday: The case of Kelli Stapleton who is accused of trying to kill her autistic daughter. Is this a potential case of a parent behaving badly or does it speak to something wrong with our mental health care system.

Thursday: Author question regarding X-linked disorders.

Have a great week!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been? Mine? Good. I finally feel like I’m getting caught up on some writing tasks now that the kids are back on school.

This week we’re focusing on plants. I’m certainly not a botanist by any means but plants are getting kids into trouble. Particularly plants laced with a chemical similar to the active component in marijauna. New Hampshire is having a hard time with some Spice overdoses. Do you think synthetic/designer drugs become more palatable when their counterparts are legalized?

Do you think all drugs should be legalized?

For you this week:

Tuesday: A curious case of mushroom ingestion. What does Poison Control need to know?

Thursday: The New Hampshire Spice Overdoses. Why is it so hard to keep this stuff off the streets?

Have a great week!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

It’s back to school week! At least for us . . . which means business at the pediatric ER will be picking up. That’s good for us but not great for kids. But why is that? Well, kids are now in close proximity with one another which allows for germs to be transmitted. Kids, in general, aren’t super awesome hand washers and allows for another vehicle of transmission for both viruses and bacteria.

I find pathogens fascinating. Did you know that we’re currently seeing the largest Ebola outbreak ever? There’s so much about this current Ebola story that is fiction worthy. It’s the first time Ebola has been on U.S. soil. How do you feel about that? An experimental treatment called ZMapp was given to two patients– Caucasian patients– some find that ethically questionable considering how many contracted the virus before these two were infected. Can you give informed consent for treatment if you’re dying or think you will die?

All these are very interesting issues I’ll be exploring in this weeks post. It’s all about Ebola.

Dare to enter the Hot Zone?

Have a great week!

Jordyn

Hello Redwood’s Fans!

How has your week been? Mine? Fascinating as always.

I did survive my husband’s 50th birthday party celebration.

Note to self: a 9 year-old may not be the best option to serve as a lookout.

My husband basically walked in unannounced! But, it was all good in the end. We did surprise him. It’s always good spending time with family and friends. There was enough food and liquor for everyone and also great to hear from so many that live out of state who sent cards.

Thank you all.

Then, when I think I’ve survived all of that, the dog (yes, you read that right) comes down with what I’m going to call strep throat. That was a hefty vet bill but what are you to do when they don’t eat for two days?

There is no rest for the nurse on the home front.

For you this week!

Tuesday: Author Martha Ramirez stops by Redwood’s Medical Edge to discuss a very personal story of her diagnosis of congenital heart disease and how it inspired her to write a children’s book.

Thursday: Book review of Things That Matter by Charles Krauthammer. If you don’t know much about Charles’s life, it’s pretty interesting. He became paralyzed from a diving accident while in medical school. Even though he had this devastating injury, he recovered, and was allowed to finish medical school. He even discovered a new type of psychiatric illness. He’s very smart and his thoughts on current day medical issues is pretty interesting.

Hope you have a great week!