Adventure in firefighting
I’m often asked
how I come up with ideas for my books. My latest one is called Rescue Me about
a firefighter and a gal on the rescue squad. That one was easy since my hubby
served over four years on a volunteer fire department. He was also the head of
emergency services for a while. We were both very involved in the department.
The women’s auxiliary was active in helping the firefighters on long calls by
bringing coffee and sandwiches.
There was a lot of
fun stuff too. We competed in water ball (two teams shooting water through fire
hoses at a keg strung on a heavy wire. Sort of like tug of war in the
opposite), there were open house festivals to support the department, the women
always threw a Christmas party for the children of the firefighters, and we
loved to celebrate with holiday parties.
One particular
party was going along so well and we were all having so much fun, when the call
signal came over all the pagers strapped to the belts of the volunteers. All
talk in the room ceased as the emergency tone echoed around the room, the
dispatcher announced the location and the incident, then the entire room
cleared out so fast leaving the spouses sitting there. It was quite a sight.
There were so many
fire and rescue calls to draw upon for ideas for the book. And personalities.
In the story, there’s a character named Troy who tends to be overzealous in his
actions. True stuff. I did have to imagine the calls taking place in Colorado
rather than in Minnesota where we lived at the time. But with all the exploring
we did in the state once we moved there, it wasn’t hard.
The department also
had practice burns. Someone would basically donate an old house to be burned
down so the volunteers could learn the techniques first hand. It was amazing to
watch how fire can eat away at a house so fast.
One particular fire
call, a real one, had my hubby on the nozzle of the hose, first man in. His
team on the balcony of the home and were hitting the fire from that side. One
of the many dangers is a flashover where the fire blasts out an opening so hard
and fast that it literally can knock you over. Which it did to my hubby.
Thankfully, the next firefighter on the line, a female by the way, held him
fast and they were not thrown off the balcony and were able to help get that
fire out.
So writing Rescue
Me involved a lot of discussions and walks down memory lane with my hubby. We
had so much fun brainstorming different scenarios of what could happen with
Steve and Ronnie. Throw in some romance, a personal struggle deep in a heart
and you have for a great story.
Firefighters and
rescue personnel go through a lot. If you see one, thank them!
Bio:
Sandy Nadeau loves to go on adventures, photograph them and equally loves to write about them. She and her husband did a lot of four-wheeling in the back country of Colorado and shared those experiences with others by taking them up in the mountains. Her writing experience includes a community news column in a small newspaper for twelve years, magazine articles and two novels with adventure, mystery, romance, but most importantly sharing God’s love. She is currently a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and has two books out. Married for a whopping 40 years, she and her husband are loving life as grandparents to their three grandchildren after the big move to Texas. Travel is their favorite thing to do and they don’t get to do it as often as they’d like. Adventure awaits around every corner, over every hill and mountain.
Links:
@sandynadeauCO
Blurb:
First Responder Ronnie Spencer has a no-dating firefighters rule. She lost her father to a fire, and won't risk the heartbreak of losing someone else. But when Steve McNeal returns, Ronnie's heart is tested. How can she swear-off dating a firefighter when she has to work with the one man she used to love?
When the unthinkable happens, Ronnie has doubts. How can a loving God allow tragedy to stalk her life again? As her faith wavers, Ronnie must decide. Will their blossoming relationship be quickly extinguished by the very thing she feared, or will Ronnie trust God and allow her heart to be rescued—even if that means giving it to a firefighter?
Risking her life to save him is easy. Risking her heart to give him a second chance is impossible.
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2 comments:
Thank you for featuring Sandy Nadeau. Rescue Me sounds like a intriquing read with family members who are professionals in the same professions.
Hi Marilyn. I hope you get a chance to read it. It's an emotional ride-along with Fire & Rescue, but some fun along the way.
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