New Resource: The Writer's Forensic Blog

I've been following Dr. Lyle's blog for awhile and have found some of his posts pretty interesting. D.P. Lyle is a medical professional who also blogs about medical accuracy. He will tend to have more of a forensic focus and has published a couple of resources in this area. Recently, someone posed a medical question I thought would be of interest to my historical authors. The question was: In 1863, could an autopsy accurately determine the cause...

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Soderlund Drug Store Museum

  Kathleen joins us again this Friday for an interesting piece on her trip to Soderlund Pharmacy Museum. A Charming Historical and Visual Resource for WritersWriting about a character who’d been a pharmacist in 1901 small town America presented a challenge and sent me searching. After all, this gentleman was practicing his craft prior to the passing of the Pure Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1907 and national legalized standards for the...

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Fractures: General Guidelines

Fiction, particularly the thriller genres, generally require a character to sustain an injury. These can run the gamut from minor to life-threatening.Today, I'm going to focus on a couple of general guidelines if you injure a character with some type of fracture.Remember, if you leave a comment this month, you'll be eligible to win a copy of Brandilyn Collins novel, Over the Edge.Though it may be hard to break a bone, sometimes it seems the...

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Medical Question: Bleeding after Delivery

Don't forget, just a few days left to be eligible to win Brandilyn's book. Leave a comment this month for your chance to win Over the Edge.Carol Asks: A woman has a baby in a major US city. Right now I've got her basically bleeding to death when they can't stop post partum hemorrage. I don't know why she's hemorraging [and in the text I've left it at 'we can't stop the bleeding'] and the doc takes her to have a hysterectomy [which her hubby is told...

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Plants: Poisons, Palliatives and Panaceas

Plants: Poisons, Palliatives and Panaceas Part IIKathleen continues her four part Friday series. Today, she concludes this portion on plants. Next Friday will be her trip to Soderlund Pharmacy Museum. Foxglove/Anne BurgessFrom the Middle Ages onward, medicinal plants grown by wives and mothers for their families were referred to as “simples”. One of them, foxglove, had been used to treat many maladies, even tuberculosis. By itself, ingesting a...

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Are You In This Cup?

Redwood's Medical Edge has been around for about six months now and I want to hear from you: lurkers, subscribers and purveyors. This blog is for you: the writer/the reader. The historical novelist. The contemporary author. I'm so very thankful for each and every one of you and I want to take time to check in to see what you like and don't like. But first: Is your name in this cup? This is my very official prize cup. This is the cup from where...

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Researching Burn Injures: Carrie Turansky

I'm please to host award-winning author Carrie Turansky today as she discusses how she researched burn injuries for her novel Surrendered Hearts. Welcome Carrie!As I began brainstorming ideas for my novel, Surrendered Hearts, I read an article in my local newspaper about a gas pipeline explosion that destroyed several homes. The explosion and fire that followed injured many people. I decided this would be the difficult by perfect back-story...

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Plants: Poisons, Palliatives and Panaceas

I’m very pleased to host Kathleen Rouser as she guest blogs over the next four Fridays about her research into historical pharmacy. She will begin this Friday and next with a series on plants and how they’ve been used throughout history to treat illness. This is excellent information for both the historical and contemporary writer. I know your plot wheels will turn with this information. Welcome, Kathleen!Plants: Poisons, Palliatives and PanaceasPart...

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Heidi Creston: Infant Abduction

Heidi Creston, our nursing expert in the area of OB/neonatology, is back today to discuss the plausibility of kidnapping an infant from the hospital. This will increase the accuracy of any novel that takes on this source of high conflict. Don't forget, leave a comment this month and be eligible to win a book on June 1, 2011. Kidnapping, with a special emphasis of snatching a newborn from the hospital, seem to be a high interest for writers.  After...

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Haz-Mat Decontamination

Dianna's back for her monthly blog post. Today, she focuses on HazMat Decon (otherwise known as cleaning gross stuff off of you that could kill you). I particularly love the photos she included to help aid the writer with those accurate descriptive details. Don't forget, leave a comment this month and be eligible for Brandilyn Collin's book Over the Edge. Winner announced June 1, 2011.This is amazing fodder for any author to add conflict...

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This Crazy Lyfe: Kristen Gasser

As a writer, getting a feel for how people manage crisis is often best served by reading first hand accounts. After all, reading a diary by someone who lived during Civil War times will give a different insight than a history book written over a century later. Earlier this week, I posted an interview with author Brandilyn Collins. Her novel, Over the Edge, centers around a woman who has been infected with Lyme Disease. Don't forget, leave a...

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The Lyme Wars: Part 2/2

We're concluding our interview with author Brandilyn Collins. Today, we focus on healing, what medical professionals can do to improve the care for those affected by chronic illness and what's next on Brandilyn's writing schedule. Remember, leave a comment this month on this blog and be eligible to win a free copy of her novel and another special surprise. Winner announced June 1, 2011. Jordyn: You’ve been open about God healing you during your...

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