My Books With Links update 12/11/12

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Writing on Prozac

Well kids, I have avoided using a computer for seven whole days. Part of my computer purity and detox program. Apparently, there is life away from writing … though I miss writing.

So as I drove to work and nearly slammed into a huge truck with a Prozac ad brandished on the back, I came up with a little Prozac pitch for writers:
Writing on Prozac; no characters died … but a clown cried.

Maybe it’s a poem?
Oh, I do miss writing.

Tania L Ramos, Author Unmedicated
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Happy Nurses Week: That’s Me

This week is nurses week in the good ol’ U.S. of A. What does that mean for me as a nurse? Not much.  What? I’m not talking books or writing today? Not today, because my career as a nurse is what pays for my career as an author . . . or should I say, the writing career that sucks all the money from my nursing career. yeah, I need a real job to support the everlasting dream.  Why? Because I’m a single mom, running an entire household, putting food on the table, and handling business on my own. Is there a single mom’s week? And if there was what would you get a single mom? A cook and maid would be nice.

Back to nurses week! What is happening during this fine nurses week at my job? Not much. I worked yesterday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m.  Count those hours and it amounts to SIXTEEN hours at work, and what did I get for it? Zip. Zilch. Nada. No, “Happy nurses week,” or “We appreciate your time.” Nope. Of course I did get double time, but after taxes I’ll owe more than I actually get.  Hearing the words, “Happy nurses week” would’ve been nice.  Of course, all my nursing friends have blasted this all over Facebook and Twitter, but we are in the trenches with other, so it should sound more like, “Hey buddy, we survived another year!”

Now here is what truly irks me about the nursing stereotype.  One, I really don’t mind if a guy thinks of a nurse as some sexy woman with wild hair pulled back under a small nursing cap, wearing a short and tight white scrub dress and white fish net stockings.  Why don’t I mind? Because I’d rather be thought of as hot and sexy rather than, “Please tell me that is chocolate on your gloves.” If you could see me at two a.m., you wouldn’t elect to have your appendix removed and then have me as your nurse. *shivers at the thought* It’s not a hot look, unless dark circles under the eyes, hair pulled up into a sloppy bun held together by a syringe, and dried tear stains (from when I silently cried in the corner at a one a.m. moment of delirium) is sexy to you. It’s not to me.

What do nurses do? I tell you this so you can get a better understanding at the fact that we don’t sit around the counter, passing around food, and gossiping all day.  Trust me, if you ever see that happening then the apocalypse has surely begun! And yes, it does occur, but mostly we are comparing notes and trying to maintain our sanity by venting to other staff. What do nurses do? We are the consummate multitaskers, and given the opportunity would love to take the time to get to know our patients better.  But we can’t, and that’s not your fault.

Healthcare is a broken system, and not just because of the insured or the uninsured, but because it is not run by doctors and nurses, it is run by CPAs and bureaucrats. Not your fault, but not mine either. So if I can’t spend more than five minutes getting to really know a patient, it’s because we now wear many hats. CNA’s, LVNs, aides, techs . . . they are all being slowly phased out.  Now a nurse has to take vital signs for all patients, cleans beds, dole out the gambit of meds, hunt down your doctor to clarify his orders, then reclarify the orders with pharmacy only to discover the new medication is not in our system.  Track down doctor–who is now livid–reclarify order, recall pharmacy and wait! It is a vicious cycle.  Now add that a patient needs to be prepped for surgery which can take a good two hours if all the labs and ancillary workups aren’t done. Heaven forbid another patient needs a blood transfusion which now requires the nurse to sit at the bedside for half an hour to ensure there is no allergic reaction.  Don’t get me started on the one hour process to admit and the two hour process to discharge.  It’s all about the paperwork and the need to cover your ass (CYA), or more-so, to cover the facility’s behind and in the meantime the family of our patients are yelling at our blatant neglect of their loved one. Arghh!

We do this twelve hours a day, and in some instance like mine, twelve can easily turn into sixteen (once it was twenty) hour shifts. And at two a.m. there is still a family member screaming over the phone at how they are going to call the CEO and file a report.  ”I understand,” is all I can say at that point, and still, I sit patiently by the patients bedside and ensure he/she is not in pain, spoon feeding ice chips, putting dentures back in their mouth, and changing a soiled diaper, all the while ensuring the patient who is apologizing for being so helpless that this is my job, and that he/she is my main concern.  Meanwhile, I am being reported by family to a department manager for being uninformative, or something equally as assanine.

Let me explain this: It isn’t that I don’t want to field a million questions, it’s that for every minute I spend defending myself and my actions to a distraught family member, is minutes I am taken from my patient.  So, yes, sometimes I’ll opt for being reported.  I am an advocate for your family and sometimes for you if you are a patient.  My loyalties lay with you.  This is my job.  It is my oath. Even when you scream and yell at me, I ensure you receive perfect care.  Even when you are rude and condescending toward my abilities in my chosen profession, I ensure your safety.  Even when you poop your pants, I console you and say I am doing my job and not to worry, I’m not judging you.  Even when you degrade me for forgetting something off my ever growing list, I apologize and sincerely mean it.  Why? Because I’m a nurse. I’m about as tough as nails as it could ever get . . . and still, I care.

HAPPY NURSES WEEK

Tania L Ramos, Author and Recovery Room Nurse

When I’m Wrong, I’m Wrong: I Was Right

A few posts ago I declared that I would take a hiatus from writing due to life and the way it interferes with my love of writing.  To put it in perspective, when I love to do something I want to do it all the time and I want to do it well.  Between working, raising children, running the WritingApocalypse.com website, book shows (it’s that season again) and all the other surprise things that life doles out, it became difficult to find time to write.  And because I was staying up until all hours of the night trying to sneak in a few chapters only to wake up three hours later for a full twelve hour shift of nursing at the hospital, it felt like I was starting to despise my true passion.  And because of that, I knew it was time to take a break.

Let me say this: So many of you wonderful bloggers and authors immediately sent me well wishes and gave me the thumbs up to take a break.  I thank you all for that. It felt like a huge relief to know I am not the only author who needs to get off the boat and take a side excursion for awhile.  You all eased my guilt trip a bit, though I still feel like I’m missing something when I’m not writing . . . so I know i’ll be back.

Since my short break I have so far: worked in my yard and planted numerous flowers and fruit plants. Made the call to fix the pool. Updated the WritingApocalypse.com website. Wrote out my reviews.  Caught up on emails. Started to get the desk organized. Finished reading a book. And just sat down to hold random, useless conversations with my friends.

Alas, taking a hiatus has been good for my soul and sanity.  Still, those grungy teens full of hope and life have sat patiently and silently by.  I know they are there awaiting their story to be told.  I hope they hang around a bit. The more rest I get, the more I feel a welling of courage to write that next book. I was right in taking some time off. Then again, I’m usually right  :-)

Tania L Ramos, Author Taking A Siesta

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Lost In Infinity: Review & Book of the Month

Writing Apocalypse    *    WritingApocalypse.com    *    info@blackbirdlsd.com
Book: Lost in Infinity
Author: Travis Besecker
@finallyhesleeps

Lost in Infinity
Travis Besecker

Review generated through WritingApocalypse.com.  We give honest reviews whether positive or negative.

Déjà vu? It’s the feeling that something has already happened before.  Did I read that before? Lost in Infinity had me asking this question on more than one occasion.  Following the story of a troubled youth suffering insomnia and a fear of infinity seemed like plot enough, but the fact that my brain was toyed with and strung along through this story only thrust me in further.

What is infinity? Imagine floating through space, gazing into the wide span of darkness and tiny specs of light that create an abyss without beginning or end.  The mere thought causes a powerful reaction: racing heart, surge of electricity pulsating through veins, exasperated gulps of air.  It’s apeiraphobia, a fear of infinity, combine that with insomnia, a strange inner voice and The Shadow Man and a child can go stark raving mad.  Did this child go mad?

The story runs haphazardly between recollections, rantings, and current events causing the reader to shake his head and try to make sense out of it all.  Does this work? Stick with the story, stick with the facts no matter how often they are repeated, stick with the character despite the constant feeling of déjà vu to find the plot is not at all what was expected.

Lost in Infinity creates the ground work for one story but leads into the path of another.  It seems repetitive and redundant at points, but stay with the story to discover why these feelings of déjà vu are so important.  Definitely not a book for everyone, but for those who enjoy a good insanity based book and don’t mind a sadistic twist in plot, this is a must read.  Its Shutter Island meets One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and the author makes it work, leaving the reader to grasp at straws wanting to know if the cycle ever ends.  What cycle? Read the book!

We are pleased to feature this quality book on WritingApocalypse.com.  We are also pleased to announce that out of the four books we read last month, this one is our new May Book of the Month.

The Staff at Writing Apocalypse

{review was a content paid review.  Content reviews are given to the author solely. Book reviews are posted for public viewing}

When the Siren Calls: book review

Writing Apocalypse    *    WritingApocalypse.com    *    info@blackbirdlsd.com

Book: When the Siren Calls
Author: Tom Barry
www.tombarrywrites.com
@TomBarry100
https://www.facebook.com/WhentheSirenCalls

When the Siren Calls
Author: Tom Barry

Review written from the staff at WritingApocalypse.com.  We give honest reviews whether positive or negative.

A posh Tuscany setting at a swanky timeshare resort playground for the rich and famous is where Isobel has her sights set to take up a leisurely residence.  But spending time at the establishment isn’t all about the scenery; there is the matter of Jay Brookes, investment tycoon extraordinaire who saved Isobel from a scary situation in town.  There is a definite attraction in the air, but with both people married, this attraction becomes a sticky situation.  Couple that with Jay setting up an elaborate rouse to get Peter, Isobel’s husband, to become a major player in investing in the timeshare, and you’ve got one elaborate plot to not only take Peter’s money and run, but also to take his wife.

The story runs through an elaborate investment scheme, marital infidelity, and a brilliant double cross.  Will Isobel find love? Will Jay get his woman? Run through this brilliant story as it sets up deceit and affairs drenched in money and opportunity.

The set-up of the story is sometimes quite detailed, and runs through the thoughts and emotions of each character so quick it is sometimes difficult to keep up.  There are many characters, many names, and I was eventually forced to write down the names to keep track.  However, each character was distinct and the author was able to give each one a personal voice.  The language flowed well and setting was enough to whisk me off to a faraway place and get lost in the adventure and lies.  The world of high profile tycoons has become so much more fascinating after reading this book and we absolutely love the professional quality of this cover, which was what led us to pick up this book.

4/5 Stars

Review was generated through Net Galley and we are proud to feature this as a top quality book on WritingApocalypse.com.

The Staff at WritingApocalypse.com
Facebook.com/writingapocalypse
@WritingApocalyp

{this was not a paid review}

Hello Goodbye

Life is exhausting! It is downright, sometimes, just painstaking to climb out of bed in the morning. The earlier I try to get to sleep, the worse it seems to get.  I’m an episode of Scooby Doo where he is trying to run forward but is remaining in place.  That’s me; stand still motion in a forward motion world.

So several things have come to fruition and not all of them positives.  In fact, when I initially thought of writing this bit on Monday about giving bad news, I was handed some bad news.  Word hit me that a good friend of mine took his own life Sunday afternoon while his wife and kids were at market.  This is a very young man and amazing poet.  In hindsight, his poetry sometimes left stepping stones into the torment he felt, but he masked it in pretty words.  Sometimes blue simply means blue, and sometimes it really is a metaphor.  Friends and family–and myself–wish we would have read between the lines.  What if? I get tired of that question, it is the one that haunts the longest and burns the deepest, always leaving a crater in my soul.

What was my original blog supposed to encompass on Monday? Two things: bad reviews and self defeat.  I’ll start with the first.  Unfortunately, not all books we read for my website WritingApocalypse.com are top quality, and so we must write letters of rejection. Boy, do we hate that.  Seriously, it tears at our gut, especially when people tell us this book will be life changing or is going to be the best we have ever seen. And it isn’t. How do you tell someone that without feeling some sense of sorrow. I hate getting bad reviews, but hate giving them more. It’s part of the job we tell ourselves.  It’s part of writing.  ”Why can’t all books be good,” one reader stated.  What is the answer to that?  We wish they were.  So comes the point where have to write a tactful letter and say goodbye to a book that will not make the website.

And what of self-defeat? I’ve hit the topic a time or two, as it seems to really be creeping around the soul a bit more lately.  I love to write.  I love to write. I love to write.  At the same time, I love having free time to work in my yard, to workout, to hike, to walk, to sit and talk without remorse that I should be editing or writing, to enjoy reading a book for pleasure, and to enjoy my family. There is a story in my head, but it is difficult as I have no real map into this one, just bursts of colors like fireworks and hope that people will care to see the show.  Couple that with the fact that it will inhibit how I can distribute the book, and I’m doing a total face-palm. Should I take a hiatus from writing to catch up on life? Or is writing my life? Between a full-time job, part-time job, kids, health, home and writing, something has to give. I’m at a crossroads, as I do not want to say goodbye to any of them, but only one is truly able to be put off.

Monday was a day of mourning on so many levels.  I must say goodbye to a dear friend and with that I have no choice.  The team must turn down a book for inclusion on the website, and that is just a fact of life . . . they aren’t all winners.  Finally, do I also say hello to a goodbye of my own? I’ll sleep on it . . . perhaps jot down a chapter and see how easily it flows.  Until then, I say goodbye to “How to Save a Life,” which is finally finished and still in the working title stages.  At some time, I will find the time to finish editing.  Sometime . . .

I hope you found your sunset Matt. RIP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tania L Ramos, Author Hating Goodbyes

It’s Done Now What?

Many of you who follow the blog or any other of my various media sites are completely aware my book is complete.  It remains without title until something truly pops out at me, and also remains without a cover.  I’m not hurrying either one at this point; there is still plenty of time since I remain in editing for some indefinite period as life has a way of bombarding me with twenty other “due now” tasks. Ah, I know the back burner all too well . . .  and so the story without title remains on a nice simmer until I light a large flame under my . . .

As I sat on the couch at 2 a.m., deliriously staring at my associate, Daniel, working on an ad for Surviving the Writing Apocalypse (out soon in tradeback), I began to wonder, “Why am I awake at 2 a.m.? Do business meeting know no time frames?” Oh, because there is much to be done and I was busy watching Good Will Hunting, avoiding my duties.  If you ever suspect someone of procrastinating look no further, I am a suspect at large and my associate works best at 1 a.m., a bad combination.

Am I procrastinating the edit on my book? Nope. That’s too easy. I’ve all the time in the world for that one (out this Summer). I’m putting off something new; a thought lulling and slowly eating at my brain.  Oh, I remember when the stories came so quickly, and I used to write at least the first chapter when an idea would come.  Every idea was a possibility, but most never made it passed ten chapters and so I have a flash drive filled with ditched thoughts.

This book is done, now what? I’m at a loss. I feel my standards have been raised for what I will and will not write.  Each book has to be better than the last.  I’m on such a daily schedule of interviewing characters and telling them, “i’ll keep your resume on file,” yet haven’t found the one.  Scratch that. I have found the one, but know the cost of production would be insane as it would have to be printed in color and likely would never make an ereader format. This irks me, and so here I am: Sunday morning running on 5 hrs sleep on the couch, procrastinating, thinking of new characters and wondering if I’ve got another book in me?

Two characters are very antsy, sitting across from me with hands raised high, bouncing in anticipation, desperately wanting to be called on. Pick us. Pick us! And yet it is their story that frightens me.  I’ve said it before and I tell them again, “I don’t do indie teen drama! Go haunt someone else’s mind.” They smile, and I know they’re mocking me, because the answers to my question of it’s done, now what, are sitting across from me wearing Chucks, baggy jeans, hoodies, confident smiles  with wide doe eyes and hope.  I just don’t know about this one. I’m not certain, I can pull it off . . .

 

 

 

 

 

Tania L Ramos, Author Simmering on the Back Burner

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