Spotlight: Sandra Olson and Books

I love to support authors who write clean stories. It seems like I discover more and more every day and there are so many great books out there! I recently learned about an author who writes clean medical thrillers. They all sound so good. I hope I'm able to find some time to read some of them soon. I'm excited to introduce you to author Sandra Olson.

 

I'm a retired Reg. Nurse who loves to write. I have 7 published novels; 3 medical thrillers( Rebirth & Murder by Proxy, Behind Prison Bars) 2 romantic thrillers (The Turquoise Cross & Connections) and 2 mysteries (Toxic Blood & Finding the Lost Ones). My books are available as soft cover and e-books through amazon.com.
I write about my own experiences as a nurse blending actual fact with fiction to create page-turning stories. I have worked in hospitals in Obstetrics & NICU, at a women's prison, at a dialysis clinic and have taught at a nursing school.
My stories do not contain graphic sex as I want my granddaughters to be able to read my works. They do contain mysteries, love stories, murders, mayhem and excitement.

My novel "Murder by Proxy" has been added to the recommended reading list for nursing classes at the Univ. of Arkansas. I'm flattered!

Here's more information about the books she's written:

Rebirth 

Paperback, 198 pages

Published June 29th 2009 by Xlibris Corporation

What is the value of a human life?
In our modern hospitals, the ethics of choosing who will live and who will die becomes a daily drama between patient, family and doctor.
If someone you loved was dying, and you had it within your power to save them, would you?
Even if it meant someone innocent had to die to do it? That is the dilemma facing Dr. David Franklin.
Elizabeth Franklin is dying of the same rare genetic brain disorder that killed her mother. He has the money and medical knowledge to obtain the stem cell tissues needed for the experimental surgery that could save her.
But does he have the right, even if the embryos are created solely for that purpose?
When does the cost become too high?

The life of an innocent infant hangs in the balance, as one nurse struggles to prevent Dr. Franklin from killing her to save Elizabeth.
When experimentation becomes murder, how much are we willing to excuse?

Murder by Proxy 

Paperback, 272 pages

Published June 1st 2011 by Publish America 

Joyce Lattimer is thrilled when she becomes a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at a large Boston hospital, but while caring for the sick infants she discovers someone deliberately causing their deaths. When the nurse responsible is uncovered the Hospital Board refuses to believe that one of their own would murder babies and they merely move Martha Ryan, an LPN, out of the NICU, but allow her to work in Pediatrics.
Sinister phone calls from a man cause Joyce to wonder if Martha knows the truth about what is happening. Who committed the murders, Martha or an accomplice or both? Why would anyone want to kill such defenseless innocents? As Joyce struggles to protect the hospital's smallest patients, she is threatened and her friends and family become targets. How can you stop something that no one else believes is happening? 

The Turquoise Cross: A Romantic Thriller 

Paperback, first, 266 pages

Published May 2012 by createspace

When she returns to France for the reading of her grandfather’s will, Marcie Fields has no idea how it will change her life. The castle she inherits includes a family mystery. During World War II her grandmother’s disappearance crushed her grandfather and has haunted the family for over ten years. Are there still clues she can uncover?
And finding the man of her dreams, Pierre Jardin, starts of chain of events that not only threatens her life but that of her twin infants. As a vindictive woman from Pierre’s past plots to kill Marcie, her ultimate revenge is to sell their babies to a man running a black market adoption ring. While a brave nurse, Nadine L’Orange, tries desperately to protect the infants, time is running out.
Set in post-war France this novel of romance and intrigue gives the reader a vivid description of the landscape and culture of this wonderful country.

Connections 

Paperback, first, 218 pages

Published January 2nd 2013 by createspace

Over twenty-two years have gone by since Reverend Forester sent men out to “hunt” for wives. Now with all the single young men in his snake-handling church congregation ready to start families, he organizes another hunt.
But times have changed in twenty years. The men aren’t prepared for the way the world outside their sheltered community does things. And when one man finds and falls in love with a spunky Mormon girl, his world is about to be turned up-side-down.
***
It has been five years since Elizabeth Franklin’s lifesaving brain surgery. The connections she shares with her adopted family fill the void in her life since the murder of her father. But the bond she shares with five year old Melinda Lakes borders on the mysterious.
***
Everyone has connections in their life; be it family, friends, religion, work or madness; it influences and directs our actions. 

 

 

Behind Prison Bars: A Medical ThrillerPaperback, 368 pages

Published October 25th 2013 by Createspace

Samantha Owens applied for the vacant position offered by the State of Texas prison officials for a Registered Nurse with obstetrical experience to work in their OB clinic. After her somewhat frightening orientation what she actually ended up working was the night shift position making her responsible for over 900 inmates in the women’s correctional facility. Facing the challenges of triaging pregnant inmates and those with multiple medical issues was daunting and often dangerous during the minimally staffed night shift.

For Amy Graham who was incarcerated for writing hot checks, the challenges ranged from simple embarrassment and loneliness to the horrors of being a relatively innocent victim of the dangerous women around her.

Although this novel is a work of fiction and the characters’ names have been changed to protect the author, Samantha Owens’ experiences are based on actual incidents that happened to the author when she worked as a nurse in a women’s correctional facility. 

 

 

Toxic Blood: Introducing James Ford Detective 

Kindle Edition, 311 pages

Published May 5th 2014
High-tech medical dialysis equipment can keep a person alive even after they have reached complete kidney failure; but the process of hemodialysis is complicated. The machines must be set up properly, tested and monitored during the hours-long treatments by skilled staff or the treatment itself can become deadly.
Patricia Barker left Massachusetts and the job she loved working in obstetrics to escape the man who was stalking her. She accepts a nursing job in the Bentonville Dialysis Center but no idea how much skill it will require, let alone how dangerous it could be for the patients if she makes a mistake.
Brittany Combs, the clinic's Head Nurse, doesn’t know that the man who was stalking Pat has now decided she is a more appropriate love interest. Her life becomes a tangled and dangerous web as he draws her into his world by threatening her vulnerable patients if she doesn’t give in to his demands. His vicious plot turns deadly hanging her life in the balance. 

Review: Betrayed by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen with Giveaway

 

Betrayed by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
272 pages

Published 2015 by Covenant Communications

Source: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Description:

1851: Niagara Falls, New York The evidence has been well hidden—the Thayers were confident that it was safe from the clutches of the ruthless Murphy Gang. But it has all been in vain. The lawless group is closing in on the family homestead, and seven-year-old Penny is given only one instruction: Run. After two long years eagerly anticipating her fiancé’s return, twenty-year-old Julia Barrett is ready to make a fresh start with Adam Wolcott—even if it means putting her dream of traveling west with the Mormons on hold. But when Adam’s return is overshadowed by the unexpected arrival of a young orphan girl in desperate need of help, Julia is drawn into a dangerous mystery that will threaten all she holds dear. Charged with the protection of little Penny, Julia quickly finds herself relying on the help of Tom Harrison, an endearing young man who has long admired her from afar. Torn between two suitors, Julia soon uncovers a shocking trail of corruption and deceit—a discovery that pulls her inescapably into the race to locate telling evidence that Penny’s family gave their lives to protect . . .  

My Review:
This story instantly captured my attention. First of all, the setting is very intriguing--Niagara Falls, NY in the 1850s. The story goes back and forth between two families. Penny is a young girl who encounters a sad situation when a ruthless gang attacks her home. She escapes and hides, wtih help from an old Indian. I loved little Penny. She is such a sweet girl who has endured too much, yet she doesn't let it change who she is--it all makes her stronger.

The other part of the story covers the Barrett family. They are preparing to go West and join the Mormons when Julia's fiance returns home after two years. He's changed, yet she is determined to make it work. I think Julia is a fantastic character. She's brave and doesn't make decisions too quickly, but she is a little too trusting. Adam, the fiance, is a trickier man to understand. He's definitely got secrets, but who doesn't? Julia has a lot of hard decisions to make. I love her grandma, Nana O. She's at the point in her life where she just says what she thinks, is very accepting, and extremely wise.

Tom, a magician and a friend of Julia's brother's, comes to help the family in their journey. He's a stable force in the story. He's very persistent, but he really seems to see the bigger picture and knows what he's doing.

Secrets are uncovered and mysteries are solved--but at a high price. I really enjoyed the way these two stories intertwined. By the time I was about 3/4 of the way through, I could hardly turn the pages fast enough--it was very intense. Things didn't seem to wrap up completely, so I'm hoping there's a future book in store.

Content: no language; mild-moderate violence (murders, abuse)--non-graphic; mild kissing; mild religious elements (vague mention of religion, one-lined prayers in times of peril)--not preachy at all. Clean!

  

About the Author:

 

Ronda Hinrichsen, also writing as Kathleen Marks, is the author of Romantic Suspense and Speculative novels, as well as THE HEROES OF THE HIGHEST ORDER chapter book series. She has traveled throughout the world in search of exotic settings and intriguing characters, and loves introducing them to her readers through her stories. 

 Check out other reviews on the tour:

*http://www.iamareader.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/

*http://ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com/,http://www.charissastastny.com/

*http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, and http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/

*http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/ 

*http://minreadsandreviews.blogspot.com/, http://www.ldswomensbookreview.com/wordpress/, and http://www.wishfulendings.com/

* http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/

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Review: So Many Miracles by D. Ann Nadeau

 

So Many Miracles: One Woman's Conversion to Mormonism: Her Humor, Her Journey, Her Gratitude by D. Ann Nadeau

Kindle Edition, 84 pages

Published July 6th 2014 by LJM Publishing, LLC 

Source: I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

Description:

Everyone who knew D. Ann Nadeau would have bet the bank she would never, ever join the Mormon Church. Everyone would have lost that bet.

This humorous Mormon story tells about D. Ann's ‘before and after’ lifestyle and the "Fluffy" Mormons who became a part of that story. D. Ann’s background as a standup comedian engages the reader in exploring the miracles which occurred during and following her conversion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints both in the author’s life as well as the lives of family and friends.

How could a field trip to New York City with 11 teenagers instill a testimony in the adult teacher leading the group?

How could something as small as a wink or two simple words affect thousands of people including strangers in a foreign land?

So Many Miracles will make you laugh and cry, likely at the same time.

You need not be a Mormon - or even want to ever be one - to enjoy this short read. 

 
My Review:

I think it's fun to hear about someone's conversion story and this one was full of humor and miracles. I enjoyed reading the stories and experiences that related to the author's discovery of a religion that changed her life. She really had to make some big life changes and did so with so much faith. The way things came about in all of these instances really show the reader that the Lord's hand is in all things. I came away with a feeling of hope. Ms. Nadeau has a strong testimony and isn't afraid to share it with the world.

 

Amazon  *  B&N
 

About the Author:

D. Ann Nadeau is the best-selling author of So Many Miracles and The Legend of Abuela Rose, Pirates and Legends Book One.

The recipient of a four-year acting scholarship, D. Ann Nadeau attended Suffolk University where she won multiple awards including the Helen Hayes Award. As a performer, she has appeared in such productions as The Glass Menagerie (as Amanda) and Annie (as Mrs. Hannigan). In addition to stage, D. Ann has worked in movies including the award-winning short Retirement Rehearsal for The American Film Institute.

Believing humor is the best medicine, D. Ann studied at L.A.'s famed Groundlings School and performed stand-up at venues including The Improv, Catch a Rising Star and The Comedy Store.

Her favorite job has been that of wife, mom, grandma and teacher. D. Ann and her husband, Jerry, divide their time between Arizona and Ecuador and enjoy traveling.

Facebook  *  Website  *  Amazon