#DFRAT Guest Author: Julie Rowe

For a long time I resisted getting an ereader. I love paper books. I love the feel of them, the smell of then. I love how the paper yellows over time, especially if it’s a book I re-read often (and I re-read a lot of books!). I even love how the spine gets lined and cracked and the cover gets dog-eared. Books, for me, are part entertainment, part escape and part inspiration.

If you want to really punish me, don’t give me a fine, jail time or take away my car. Take my books.

Then I got a Kindle for Christmas a couple of years ago.

I’m sure my husband regrets that purchase more than any other in his entire life.

Why?

Because I discovered how easy it is to buy books for my kindle. I don’t have to get into the car and drive to the book store any more. I can do it from home or where ever I am. I no longer have to pack 15 books into my luggage when we go away on vacation. All I need is my Kindle. When I go to the doctor/dentist’s office, my trusty Kindle is there in my purse to help me while away time in the waiting room.

As of today I have 444 books on my kindle. 95% of them were NOT free.

I haven’t given up on paper books. More often than not, I buy books by my favourite authors in paperback AND Kindle.

So, when I got the call from Angela James, exec Editor for Carina Press saying they wanted my book, I was a happy camper. I was going to be part of the ereading world. A world I completely enjoy and believe has unlimited potential. Unlike paper books, digital or ebooks are always available. There’s no need to wait for them to come in, just download and start reading. When I find an author I like, it’s easy and fast to get their entire backlist. My library loans out ebooks, too. When I find a book I like through the library I usually go ahead and buy it anyway (so I can re-read it again at my leisure).

The digital revolution has created more opportunities for writers too. Carina Press, for example, is an imprint of Harlequin books. Unlike the majority of Harlequin’s imprints, Carina Press publishes much more than romance. They also publish horror, thrillers, mysteries, fantasy, and science fiction. Their tag line really says it all: No great story goes untold.

It’s an exciting time to be a reader and/or a writer. I’m seeing books by authors that were out of print for years available again as ebooks. There are also more books available by new authors than ever thanks to the exploding ebook marketplace. Storytelling has taken on new life and I’m glad I have a chance to share my stories with the world.

I have two books out with Carina Press, ICEBOUND which came out in Nov, 2011 and NORTH OF HEARTBREAK which came out on April 16, 2012. My next release, SAVING THE RIFLEMAN – a medical romance set during WW1, is set to release on Oct 8, 2012 from Carina Press.

Here is an excerpt from NORTH OF HEARTBREAK

Chapter One

“I can’t wait, Jason,” Willa Hayes yelled into the radio handset. “I’ve got a compound fractured femur here. I need a plane. Any plane.”

Willa flashed an urgent palm at Tommy Inqulactiuk, who held two splints in place on either side of his uncle Joe’s leg. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor and she prayed the splints would keep the broken bone stable enough to travel. The nearest hospital able to handle an emergency like this was a long ninety-minute flight away. She feared he’d bleed out before she got him there.

“The plane isn’t the problem,” Jason Reynolds replied, his voice distorted by the radio, as if he was yelling at her from the bottom of a deep well. “I’ve only got one pilot available. He’s brand new and has never flown a MedEvac.”

“I don’t care if he’s still got a price tag attached, I need a MedEvac now.”

A long painful silence followed, broken only by the heavy breathing of her patient.

“Roger that, Med-One. ETA of your MedEvac is ten minutes.”

Willa had to stop herself from sounding too relieved. “Thank you, Tundra Air. Med-One out.” She dropped the handset, letting it dangle by its cord. “Tommy, can you shift this way a bit without moving Joe’s leg?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tommy answered with a short nod, moving without letting go of the injured limb so she could squeeze around him. The gurney Joe lay on had been jammed between the room’s bed and the counter, leaving her with less than a foot in which to maneuver.

She took several large pieces of gauze and layered them around, but not over, the tip of the bone protruding from her patient’s thigh. Then, starting from his groin and working her way down, she wrapped a tensor bandage around his leg and the splints, carefully avoiding the jagged bone end.

“How are you doing, Joe?” Willa asked, giving him a sharp glance.

“Okay,” the white-lipped Inuit hunter said, his eyes fixed on a spot on the ceiling above him.

She secured the end of the bandage then pressed down on the injured man’s toenails, watching as the pale flesh beneath his nails returned to its normal warm pink. “His blood flow is okay and his leg’s as stable as we’re going to get it. Watch his breathing and keep an eye on his radial pulse for me, Tommy. I need to write everything down.”

“Sure, Willa.” He moved his fingers over Joe’s ankle. “Pulse is good,” he reported.

She stopped writing in her notebook for a second to smile reassuringly at both men. “Your uncle is going to be fine thanks to you. You did everything right. I’m looking forward to reporting this to Emergency Services.”

His round face turning a dull red color, Tommy stared at the linoleum beneath his feet. “I just did what the first-aid instructor told me to do.”

“Exactly. Good job.”

Tommy shrugged then asked, “Do breaks like this usually bleed so much?”

“No, but a compound fracture, especially one involving the leg, can be dangerous. That’s why I want Joe flown to a fully equipped hospital as soon as possible. They’ll be able to set his leg, repair any damage to the muscle and transfuse him with blood if he needs it.”

“The pain isn’t that bad,” Joe said, the pinched look on his face refuting his words. “Don’t waste a plane ride on me.”

Willa put her hand on his shoulder. “Your leg needs to be set properly, Joe. It’ll require surgery.”

Joe and Tommy snorted in unison.

She stared at them then rolled her eyes and muttered, “Men. Why do I bother stocking morphine? I haven’t had to use it once in the last six months.”

Tommy shrugged.

“Pain tells me I’m alive,” Joe said. “If I didn’t feel pain right now I’d be worried.”

“Ever the pragmatist.” Willa shook her head again then checked Joe’s vitals and the bandages only to find that blood had seeped through to the outer layer. A trickle of sweat ran down her back and she struggled to keep her shock and fear off her face.

He shouldn’t be bleeding this much.

Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!” A double Golden Heart finalist 2006, Julie has two books out with Carina Press: ICEBOUND and NORTH OF HEARTBREAK. Her third book with Carina Press, SAVING THE RIFLEMAN – a romance with medical elements set during the first world war, is due out on Oct 8, 2012. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest (Canada), and Canadian Living. She currently facilitates communication workshops for her local city college. You can reach her at www.julieroweauthor.com or on Twitter @julieroweauthor .

Related Posts