About Me

The medical side: I'm a medical nerd by day. How do I know? I read medical textbooks for fun. I'm usually among those who answer medical questions and love the challenge of editing a medical scene. Why? I want them to be accurate. Why? I want to stay in the story and not be pulled out by a medical inaccuracy. Instead of staying in the story bubble, now I'm thinking about whether or not what the author has written is medically plausible and I've set the book down. As writers, we never want a reader to set a book aside to question details.

The fiction side: I'm a suspense novelist by night. I've published three medical thrillers. Proof (June 2012) finaled for three awards: Forward Reviews Book of the Year for religious fiction, an INSPY and ACFW's prestigious Carol Award. The second book in the Bloodline Trilogy, Poison, released February 2013 and the final installment, Peril, released September 2013.

This blog is designed to help both historical and contemporary authors learn methods to write medically accurate fiction. I'll field medical questions, analyze medical scenes, and post on topics that can increase the tension and conflict in any story. No one person can be an expert in all things so I'll also be hosting medical experts in other areas: EMS and obstetrics to name a few. Historical authors who have done research in a particular medical area such as civil war medicine will also be featured.

I'll be posting on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. If you have a medical question or medical scene you'd like me to take a look at, send inquiries to jredwood1@gmail.com. If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, it will be the best way to learn about upcoming topics.

What makes me a medical expert? I'm an RN who has worked in either the emergency department or the intensive care unit for the past twenty-one years. I teach advanced resuscitation courses to anyone who will listen. I've lectured extensively in the area of pediatrics to all levels of medical providers... from EMT's to physicians.

The proof will be in the information provided. Check it out...