We’re in the early stages of launching a new fiction series, which may just be my favorite part of my job (I know, I know. I say that about everything. What can I say? I like my job!)
This series revolves around four nurses at a very special hospital. These men and women are caring, qualified, and compassionate, and they are also inspired by their faith to make sure that every patient gets the best possible care.
I was talking to the author of the first book in the series today, and brainstormed ideas and talked about plot points. As we talked, I was struck by the fact that I really had no idea what it’s like to bring a hospital setting to life. I’m thankful that I haven’t had to spend much time in hospitals personally, but in this case, when it came to figuring out how nurses work (Who do they report to? Do they all work together, or do they have specialties? Do they have desks? How do they interact with doctors?), I was lost.
I know that we have a lot of caregivers out there, and I want to make sure these books are authentic and pay tribute to the work that they do, mostly unsung, every single day, but I had no idea how to do it! What does a book editor know about nursing?
Lucky for me, our authors are so much more knowledgeable than I am. This author knew exactly what to do—how the hospital should look, what the nurses would be doing, how they would react to situations. Talking to her, I felt so much better about this series, because I was reminded, once again, that it doesn’t really matter how little I know, because God has given us all different experiences and opportunities, and he has once again managed to pair me up with someone who has exactly the right skills and talents to do the job before us. It’s never felt better to be reminded how little I know.
Beth Adams is the creator and editor of GUIDEPOSTS’ Home to Heather Creek fiction series.
