Crisis Team #3
By Candace Calvert
Nurse Sloane Ferrell thought she'd finally left her past behind just as she'd left her last name Wilder behind when she left San Diego from LA. The only problem with leaving the past behind the memories stay with you - and Sloane has some really bad ones.
Sloane is determined to be a new person - she's avoiding alcohol, after work socializing, and anything to draw attention to herself. But when she sees a young woman in trouble she's determined to help her, bringing her to the attention of LA Hope's assistant director of PR Micah Prescott.
Convinced that Sloane is the possible face of compassion that the hospital needs to portray Micah makes an effort to get to know the private and passionate person who puts patient well-being above everything -- even her own comfort.
But when the past comes knocking Sloane finds herself at a crossroads does she give up all she has gained in LA and run once more or does she stay where she is and fight to keep her new life? But she carefully concealed secret is about to become known and it could cost her everything - including her chance at real love.
This is the third book in the Crisis Team series, the second in which Sloane is in. The difference in Sloane from Step by Step to Maybe It's You is interesting to observe. This is a story of second chances and forgiveness. Sloane's crisis brings to light how one's forgiveness is based on one's own prejudices - and true forgiveness can't be enjoyed until we have extended it to another.
This is a series that should be read in order, especially the last two books. The books are each set in a different location but there is a character that carries over from one book to the other and that is Sloane along with her cat Marty in these two books.
And a special added bonus was Gibbs and McGee two adorable doxies - Gotta love the doxies! My 13 agree it was the highlight of the book.
Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary review copy of this book with no expectation of a review positive or otherwise. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Book:
ER nurse Sloane Ferrell escaped her risky past—new name, zip code, job, and a fresh start. She’s finally safe, if she avoids a paper trail and doesn’t let people get too close. Like the hospital’s too-smooth marketing man with his relentless campaign to plaster one “lucky” employee’s face on freeway billboards.
Micah Prescott’s goal is to improve the Hope hospital image, but his role as a volunteer crisis responder is closer to his heart. The selfless work helps fill a void in his life left by family tragedy. So does a tentative new relationship with the compassionate, beautiful, and elusive Sloane Ferrell.
Then a string of brutal crimes makes headlines, summons responders . . . and exposes disturbing details of Sloane’s past.
Can hope spring from crisis?
Q and A with Candace Calvert
1. Maybe It’s You is the third installment in your latest trilogy, the Crisis Team series. What is the background on this series?
The Crisis Team series features the selfless and compassionate work of volunteer community chaplains—true heroes, in my opinion. The stories are set in my native California, this one in the “City of Angels,” Los Angeles.
2. How do you expect this series to resonate with your audience? What are you most excited for your readers to experience through reading these novels?
I love that my readers agree crisis responders are very special heroes. Because these selfless men and women are volunteers, it’s fun to show how their day jobs differ from what they encounter when they pull on those volunteer jackets. The hero of Maybe It’s You is the hospital’s public relations guy: coat, tie, media-speak, very different. As with all of my series, the Crisis Team stories are hospital based. Readers will feel as if they’ve been dropped into the adrenaline-infused action of the ER, experience team camaraderie, taste that day-old coffee—and glimpse the good hearts behind the stethoscopes and badges.
3. Crisis teams are becoming increasingly vital and active in the world today. How would you describe their role, and how can we learn more?
Crisis responders are trained to assist survivors of tragedy, whether it be from a major disaster (weather-related catastrophes, fires, bombings, mass shootings, etc.) or of a more personal nature like the sudden death of a loved one from a heart attack, accident, suicide, homicide, sudden infant death, or other unexpected cause. These volunteers work alongside other community service personnel (fire, police, rescue) offering support, a compassionate ear, and resources to folks trying to cope in the wake of an incident that will forever change their lives. In creating my stories, I’m grateful for the assistance of U.S. Crisis Care.
Here is a link: U.S. Crisis Care
4. As a former ER nurse who has had crisis chaplain training, what has been your most rewarding or memorable experience in the field?
In my role as a CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) peer counselor, I was part of a team that ministered to fellow medical team members affected by work-related tragedy. We responded to (and conducted debriefings for) hospital staff after situations involving infant and child death, mass casualties, personal assault, and accidental death (or suicide) of fellow team members. One of the more heartbreaking situations I dealt with involved a hospital ER team caring for a critically injured youngster—who was the child of their favorite trauma surgeon.
5. What was your inspiration for Maybe It’s You and the main characters, Sloane and Micah? Interestingly, I never intended to feature Sloane Ferrell as the heroine of Maybe It’s You. In Step by Step, she is the nemesis teammate to the story’s heroine. She’s cynical, troubled, and dare we say unlikable? Probably. And rather mysterious, too—for very good reason. As an author, crawling inside Sloane’s head was a challenge. It raised more questions than answers. I suddenly needed to know why she was the way she was. And what it might take to change that. As this third story opens, Sloane has a new name, new zip code, new job, and a life-and death need to keep a low profile. But the opening scene puts our reluctant heroine in the media spotlight and at serious odds with Micah Prescott, the hospital’s equally determined PR man.
6. What lessons or truths will your readers find in the pages of this novel?
The unifying message in Maybe It’s You is one of forgiveness and healing, brokenness and worth—that no matter our mistakes, we are loved by God. Saved by grace.
7. As an author, what did you particularly enjoy about crafting this story?
I have been known to randomly invite readers into my stories—as characters. It was especially fun, this time, to feature the husband of one of my readers as hospital worker/handyman Jerry Rhodes; from what I’d learned of him on Facebook, he seemed a perfect match. My reader and I had a great time getting the details right, and in the end, I also “borrowed” her adorable doxies, Gibbs and McGee, her dear, elderly mama—and then I invited this generous reader to make a cameo appearance of her own. I think you’ll agree they were a great addition to the story.
8. What are some of the unique challenges of writing contemporary romance in a medical setting?
I think the challenge of the medical aspect is to provide realistic (and accurate) medical detail without talking over the heads of readers, but not talking down to them either. Because of the popularity of medical TV drama and the opportunity for people to google their way into medical jargon, symptomology, and treatment adjuncts, readers are far more savvy these days. I try my best to sort of parachute my readers into the medical scenes, allowing them to feel as if they are part of the team. As far as the romance aspect goes, while it’s true that teammates working in life-and-death situations often develop strong (and sometimes romantic) bonds, I can guarantee there are no TV-type trysts going on in hospital storage rooms!
9. Have you received any feedback from your fans on the Crisis Team series? How are they responding?
The response (I’m grateful) has been very positive; readers love these compassionate crisis responders. And of course, I’m so honored that Booklist chose this series’ first story, By Your Side, as a Top 10 Inspirational Book of 2015.
10. What is the best advice or encouragement you have received either personally or professionally?
I often receive e-mails (and even handwritten letters) from my readers. They are always a blessing. One that particularly stands out was a note from a young woman after her Alabama town was devastated by a tornado. She wrote from a shelter, exhausted, after finally getting her child to sleep. She’d picked up one of my books for a few moments of escape—and found unexpected comfort, hope. Her words, in part: “During this time of chaos and confusion . . . Thank you for providing shelter in my storm.” No better encouragement for any author.
11. What are you most proud of in your writing career?
I feel really good that I’m a trailblazer when it comes to medical romance in Christian fiction—I love being called the author of “medical hope opera.” That my long years as a nurse are now the basis for stories that touch readers’ hearts, offer hope, and perhaps even healing, seems so right, God’s plan, for sure. I’m definitely proud of my publishing team—Tyndale House is beyond awesome.
12. What are some future projects you’re working on?
After completing these three books (and now three medical fiction series), I’m currently enjoying some R and R: gardening, traveling with my husband, and volunteering in our granddaughters’ classrooms. I’m a “Sight Word Buster,” a program that boosts reading skills. An author shaping new readers—how cool is that?
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