Writing Physical Abuse Survival into Your Plot Line with Teresa Watson

At the time that I was writing this blog post, I was in the middle of reading and enjoying Death Vetoes the Chairman by Teresa Watson. But it's a tough story line. 

AMAZON LINK

Teresa, Can you give folks an over view so we have a point of reference as we chat?

Teresa - 

Basically, the main character, Lizzie, meets an old friend of Jake's, who appears charming at first. But as the evening goes on, he manages to get her alone, and tries to take advantage of her. He's not a man who is used to taking no for an answer. So despite his bruised ego, a sore cheek and taking a knee to a sensitive area, he tries to go after Lizzie again a few days later in her office. This shakes her down to her core, because she's never been in this situation before. She's a pretty tough woman, but she doesn't know how to handle this.

But when he ends up dead, and they start investigating his past, they learn that this is a pattern of behavior that has gone on for a long time. It makes the suspect list very long. So they're trying to find his killer, and she's trying to deal with her emotions over what has happened to her.

Fiona- 
Was there something that made you want to write this novel? It's not your usual funny fair.

Teresa -
I didn't mean for this to turn into such a serious book. But as I started writing, it went in that direction. When I sent the first few chapters to my editors, one of them told me that they had gone through this in their life, and suddenly, I felt it was a story that had to be told. That's one of the reasons why it took so long to write this book. I wanted to make sure that I got things right, as far as Lizzie's reactions to the attacks and the harassment, as well as the reactions from her family and friends. I checked with my friend every step of the way, and she kept telling me that I nailed everything right. She didn't make me change anything. And since the book has come out, another friend, who works for a women's shelter, told me it was a very good book, and that I had gotten everything right. So to have two people who would know tell me that I had represented the situations correctly was a good feeling. This is just way too serious to get something wrong.

Fiona - 
Just to be clear, this is not something in your history, correct?

Teresa - 

Oh no, I personally have never experienced anything like this in my life. 

Fiona - 
What kinds of things surprised you as your were researching your book?

Teresa - 

• The statistics are staggering. According to www.rainn.org: on average, there are 293,066 (age 12 and older) who are victims of rape and sexual assaults each year. That's 1 every 107 seconds. 
• 68% of sexual assaults are never reported. 
• 98% of rapists never spend any time in jail or prison. Just those little things right there should be a major signal that there is something seriously wrong with our judicial system.

Also, this is not limited to women. Men are also victims of domestic violence. A lot of people do not realize that. People usually assume that it is the men who are the abusers, because they are bigger and stronger than a woman. But men are just as likely to be a victim as a women, but they will not report it. It's not a stigma that men want known, that they were beaten by a woman. But it does happen.

When the police show up, they see the injuries on a woman, and sometimes assume that the man was the aggressor. But those are from the man trying to defend themselves from a woman who is coming after them with some kind of weapon, etc.

Fiona - 
Those are staggering details. 

As I think through my friends, there are very few of my women friends who have not experienced some kind of physical assault. 

Writing this book correctly must have felt daunting. How did you check to make sure you had the reactions correct? (Recognizing that reactions are individual and any survivor's response is absolutely correct and does not need to fit into a box.)

Teresa -
I knew that one of my editors had been in an abusive relationship, so I did give her a head's up. But I did not realize the extent of her situation until she told me. Having never been in this situation myself, I had no idea how I would react. So I tried to think of it through Lizzie's eyes, and I would think: "Okay, so if this was happening to me, how would I react?" I was really just feeling my way through it. 

I would ask my friend if I wasn't sure, and she would tell me that was exactly how she had reacted. So I knew I was on the right track. I've never been through this myself, as I said, but just writing these scenes would leave me an emotional wreck. I would literally be sitting at my desk, crying. This book is way more emotional than the other Lizzie books, not just because of the subject matter, but because of my personal life. I lost my grandmother on January 29th, and very unexpectedly, my dad on February 4th. So there was a lot of grief on my end, and I poured that into the book.

Fiona - 

I'm sorry for your losses, and hope the writing was cathartic - it certainly rings true as I read.

In your book you gave Lizzie a gift when she first told someone that she had been assaulted: people believed her. Can you talk about why this is so important - to Lizzy in the story and also to real life survivors?

Teresa - 
Lizzie is a strong woman who doesn't suffer fools gladly (even though she lets Gladys, her archenemy, get under her skin still). She's also pretty open about how she feels about things. Suddenly, she finds herself in this horrific situation where she's been assaulted twice by the same man, and she doesn't know how she let that happen. She's never been in this situation before. She's humiliated and embarrassed, and she doesn't want to talk to anyone about it. I mean, her mother is on her honeymoon, and Lizzie doesn't call her to tell her what's happening. I think she got to the point where it was just so overwhelming that she was afraid she was standing on that proverbial cliff edge. It was just too much for her, so she opened up to a very unlikely person. Those feelings of not wanting to tell anyone are the same for real life survivors. Often, abuse continues, leaving a victim feeling helpless, vulnerable, and afraid. 

To tell someone is to open yourself up to rejection from your family and friends, because they may not believe you. Sometimes, the only way your family believes that it is actually happening is if they see it for themselves.

Fiona -
I saw that you put a caution statement in the front of your book. Often on my articles, I will give a "trigger warning" where I think it's warranted. What made you decide to do this? Do you think authors should consider doing this for their books, as well?

Teresa -
Sexual assault and sexual harassment are not easy topics to talk about. In today's society, sometimes we take the "if we bury our heads in the sand, we don't see it and we don't know about it" view about these types of situations. I made sure that there weren't any graphic and gory details in the book (my head editor, aka Mom, would make me take it out if it was too graphic!). I didn't want to upset any of my readers that may be going through this right now, or have survived this, without giving them some kind of warning. 

And I do have some readers who are young adults, 19 to 20 years old, who have been reading my Lizzie stories since 2011 (when they were in high school).

Fiona - 

What resources are available for victims who might help a writer write it right?

Teresa - 
There are so many resources available for victims. The problem, believe it or not, is getting that information to them. You have to be careful about getting help, because you don't know if the abuser censors their mail, their emails, their phone calls, etc. But there is:

•  the National Domestic Violence Hotline www.thehotline.org,1-800-799-7233 FREE 1-800-787-3224 FREE (TTY)
• www.ncadv.org 
• www.loveisrespect.org 
• the National Center on Domestic Violence www.ncdsv.org
• www.domesticshelters.org. 
• Talk to a local pastor 
• The police; they have resources available that will help you.
•  The shelters have all kinds of resources available to victims. They will assign you a victim's advocate, who will help you with the legal process, as well as help you find counseling, a job, a place to live, whatever you need to get out of the situation you find yourself in. But there is help, and there's nothing to be ashamed of. You are a survivor!

Make sure you are in a safe place before you call. Make sure you erase the number from your phone history, or erase the web address from your browser history, so your abuser doesn't know that you are trying to leave.

That is one thing that all of them specify. Be safe when you reach out. And for family and friends, be supportive. Don't push them to leave on YOUR timetable. They have to leave when it's safe for them to do so, and not before. And it may take them several times of trying to leave before they actually do. They need your love, support and understanding. There are things you can do to help them, and that information is on the websites that I provided.

Fiona - 

Thank you. 

At ThrillWriting we're always curious to know the story behind your favorite scar.

Teresa - 
Which one? I have so many! LOL My nickname is Queen Klutz, for crying out loud! I'll pick the first one I got. When I was in the fourth grade, I was playing a game called Swing the Statue with some kids in my grandmother's neighborhood. Basically, you swing a person around by the arm, and let them go. They have to freeze in whatever position they land in, like a statue. Well, I was swinging a girl who was in the 9th grade. When I let go of her, I was the one who fell instead of her. I landed on an uneven section of the concrete sidewalk, broke my arm in two places. I have two small white lines on my arm from where I broke it.

And I'm pretty sure the doctor is still deaf in his left ear after I screamed bloody murder when he set my arm. LOL

Fiona - 

A big thank you to Teresa for sharing her insights. If you want to read Teresa's other ThrillWriting article, it's here: Death Grows in Your Garden

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Is Death Growing in Your Garden? Information for Writers with Teresa Watson

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The hazard symbol for toxic/highly toxic substances.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

DISCLAIMER - This site is geared to help writers write it right. I am presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes: this is for informational purposes only to be used for your fictional stories. The information is just a tiny bit about poisonous plants that is available. There is so much more that you can learn with a simple search. But this needs to be taken seriously, especially to protect your children and pets. These plants, while beautiful, are DEADLY, particularly to children and pets. Just licking some of these poisonous things can quickly CAUSE DEATH. Always check the toxicity of a plant before you add it to your
garden or home.

The following article was written by Teresa Watson.

Growing Death in Your Garden 

We all know the familiar nursery rhyme:

Mary, Mary quite contrary

How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells,

And pretty maids all in a row.

      But do you know just how deadly little Mary’s garden really is? Cyanide was a particular favorite of Dame Agatha Christie. In her mystery And Then There Were None, the first death was from cyanide poisoning. And who can forget those lovely aunts from Arsenic and Old Lace, who used arsenic, cyanide and strychnine in the elderberry wine to kill their gentlemen callers? (I highly recommend you watch the movie with Cary Grant and Josephine Hull; it’s one of my favorite movies!) In the 1962 movie Dr. No, the cab driver, after a fight with James Bond, kills himself with cyanide in a cigarette rather than tell Bond who he worked for. But not all victims who use cyanide die. Such is the case with Raoul Silva from the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall. Silva’s suicide attempt by hydrogen cyanide failed, and it burned his body internally, forcing him to wear a prosthetic face to hide the disfiguring injuries.

It was suggested to me that I use poison to kill off a character in my next novella, and I was shocked to discover just how toxic the plants are in flower and vegetable gardens. Take a look for yourself; I guarantee you will be totally surprised. I’m going to mention just a few in this article. I’ll talk about which parts of the plant are toxic, how toxic they are and the symptoms. At the end, you’ll find general treatment for these types of poison. 

Water Hemlock/Spotted Parsley

English: Cowbane or Northern Water Hemlock (Cicuta virosa) a. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Let’s start with what the USDA rates as “the most violently toxic plant that grows in North America”:

Water Hemlock/Spotted Parsley (Latin name: cicuta maculata). It doesn’t look deadly, with its tiny white flowers and umbrella-like appearance. You’ll find it growing near the edges of your property in pastures

and meadows.


Toxic parts of the plant:

 The whole plant - especially the roots of early growth. 

How toxic: 

Deadly to take by mouth or to apply to the skin. Death occurs within a matter of minutes, depending on the dosage.


Symptoms: 

* The first symptoms include drooling, nausea, vomiting,

   wheezing, sweating, dizziness, stomach pain, lethargy, and

   delirium. 

* More serious symptoms include trouble breathing, convulsions,

   heart problems, kidney failure, coma, and death.


Foxglove (Latin name: Digitalis purpurea)

English: Foxglove Foxglove in hedgerow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m sure you all recognize the word digitalis. Doctors use digitalis to strengthen the heart and regulate the heartbeat. The most commonly prescribed drugs are digitoxin and digoxin, and patients using these medications are carefully monitored by their doctors to make sure they suffer no ill effects. In your garden, they are tall, thin plants, with white, pink and purple bell-shaped flowers.


Toxic parts of the plant: the entire plant, especially the leaves of the upper stem.


How toxic: 

As mentioned above, it is used for medical purposes. But, if you need a quick, effective way to kill off a character, a high dose of foxglove will effective dispose of them.


Symptoms: 

Blurred vision, confusion, depression, disorientation or hallucinations, fainting, headache, irregular or slow heartbeat, lethargy, loss of appetite, low blood pressure, rash or hives, stomach pain, vomiting, nausea or diarrhea, weakness or drowsiness.

 (***Children have been known to die by sucking on part of the plant.)





Hydrangea (Latin name: hydrangea macrophylla)

Hydrangea macrophylla (Bigleaf Hydrangea, Hortensia) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My mother grows these in her garden in the front yard, and I think they are beautiful. They grow so big, and the flowers in colors of pink, blue or white are simply gorgeous (hers are blue). So I was shocked to discover that they are poisonous!


Toxic parts: 

The entire plant, especially the flower buds.


How toxic: 

Think cyanide.


Symptoms: 

* Itchy skin, vomiting,

   weakness, sweating. 

* More serious symptoms

   include shortness of breath,

   dizziness, fainting, rapid pulse,

   a drop in blood pressure that

   can cause convulsions and death.


Mistletoe (Latin name: Phoradendron flavescens)

Mistletoe berries in Wye Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We all know what mistletoe looks like: a cluster of green leaves with white berries. A popular holiday decoration, all couples in love want to get caught standing under it for the kiss. But beware, looks can be deceiving, and enough mistletoe could give you the kiss of death.


Toxic parts: 

All of it, especially the berries.


How toxic: 

It depends on the dosage. Drinking anything containing mistletoe, or munching on the leaves, berries or shoots will, at the very least, cause abdominal pain and diarrhea (I’ve never tried mistletoe tea, but apparently people do drink it.)


Symptoms: 

Stomach irritation, intestinal irritation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, reduced blood pressure, slowed pulse, nausea, vomiting, slowed heart rate, cardiovascular collapse, and seizures. 

(***This is VERY potent for pets, so keep this away from them!)


Lily of the Valley (Latin name: Convellaria majalis)

Convallaria majalis cv. Plena (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How could something with a name that sounds like it should be in a song be so deadly? They are very sweet smelling, and look like tiny white bells.


Toxic parts: 

The entire plant, especially the leaves.


How toxic: 

Even the water you put the flowers in will contain

deadly traces of toxins. 

One bite will give you a

headache, hot flashes, hallucinations and irritability (sounds like menopause!). Enough of the toxins will slow your heart rate down, potentially leading to coma and even death.


Symptoms: 

Besides the ones mentioned above, symptoms could include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, confusion, fatigue, dizziness, and reduced blood pressure.


Nightshade (Latin name: Atropa belladonna)

Atropa belladonna or Atropa bella-donna, commonly known as Belladonna, Devil's Berries, Death Cherries or Deadly Nightshade (Solanaceae), Flower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 I've personally never seen

 a nightshade plant, but I

 have heard of belladonna. Mostly found overseas, it can now be found in North America, especially in areas rich with limestone. The berries are various colors of red, orange and green, and when they bloom, the flowers are purple with green pollen bulbs.


Toxic parts: 

The whole plant, especially the berries, roots and leaves.


How toxic: 

A single leaf can be fatal to an adult. You probably won’t even have time to call for help.


Symptoms: 

Unable to speak, respiratory problems, intense digestive distress, and violent convulsions. 

Antidote/Treatment:

* CALL 911 or Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. 

* Try to find out how much poison the victim ingested and their

    weight. 

* DO NOT make the victim vomit unless instructed to by

   emergency personnel.


An antidote depends on the type of poisoning, and with all the medical advances that are happening every day, an antidote could have been discovered as I write this. General treatment is aggressive supportive care by paramedics in the field, and then by hospital personnel. Depending on the severity of the poisoning, treatment could include:

* Activated charcoal

* Gastric lavage
* Blood and urine tests
* Breathing support
* EKG
* Fluids
* Medication to treat specific symptoms.


Quick treatment improves your characters chances. But even then, the symptoms could last 2-3 days. The important thing is to get treatment for your victim as quickly as possible. But since this is for fictional writing, it might be better to let them die…

Fiona - 

That was very interesting, Teresa. You put your research to work for you in your new Novella, can you tell us about your story?

Teresa - 

It's time for the county fair, and things are heating up for the coveted "best pie" blue ribbon. But two competitors, Gladys Norwell, and Durlene Snodgrass, are disqualified the day before the fair. 

During the pie eating contest, Gladys' husband, Harold, falls face first into his blueberry pie, and Gladys is the prime suspect. Did our beloved Gossip Queen kill her husband, or is someone setting her up? It's up to Lizzie, her beloved dogs Babe and Mittens, and the rest of the gang to

sniff out the truth before the Queen

is dethroned...permanently.

Fiona - 

Very fun! You know here on ThrillWriting we always like to ask about the story behind your favorite scar. Would you share yours?

Teresa -

Known to my friends as Queen Klutz, my scars (and casts) are many, but the favorite scar story belongs to my son. 

When he was 18 months old, he wanted juice one night before bedtime. I told him no, and went upstairs to get his pajamas. Alas, my son has his mother’s stubborn streak. The one time I had to buy a glass jar of juice was the time he decided to pick it up. I heard a crash, and came racing down the stairs. There was a trail of blood from the kitchen, across the living room, ending at my recliner, where my son sat on the floor. A bloody handprint was on the seat of the recliner. I grabbed the phone and a beach towel, wrapping it around his right hand as I called my parents. After I hung up, I looked at his feet, and noticed a pool of blood under his left foot. Another beach towel went around his foot. 

Picking him up, I went outside, holding him in my arms while I waited for my parents to show up. When they did, my mother got out with tea towels and a box of Band-aids because she thought I was overreacting. When she saw me standing there with him in my arms, she immediately opened the back passenger door so I could get in. Three hours later, seven stitches in his hand, and five behind the toes of his foot, we were back home. The middle finger of his right hand is slightly bent because of scar tissue, and is a reminder of that night.

Fiona- 

Before we end, could you tell us a little about you?

Teresa -  

Teresa Watson

I’m the daughter of a retired Methodist minister, so I moved a lot when I was a kid. Familiarity with small towns and the people in them have helped me with writing my stories. There are plenty of characters to draw from for inspiration! I’m a wife of a wonderful man, a mother to a hard-working, sweet, kind and caring 20-year-old son, a granddaughter to an awesome 95-year-old woman who is the basis for a character in my new series, a daughter to two wonderful people who have been so supportive, a sister to a few, and a friend to many.

Fiona - 

Thank you so much, Teresa.

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Crime Scene Plotting Gems: Info for Writers w/ USA Today Bestseller Jamie Lee Scott

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USA Today bestselling author, Jamie Lee Scott joins me today.

Jamie, as you know, I love to learn how to write it right. And, like me, you like to get down and dirty with the learning process. I know that for your novella you went out on a ride along in Thibodaux, Louisiana thanks to our fellow author Police Chief Scott Silverii. And we were in classes together at the Writers' Police Academy, recently.

Before we get started sharing some of the crime scene plotting gems that you picked up, can you tell us about yournovella?

USA Today Bestselling Author, Jamie Lee Scott

Jamie Lee - 

Sure.

Uncertain Beginnings -
When Sergeant Wyatt Burke goes to the house of one of his officers -  after the man doesn't check back in for duty after his dinner break - he finds him face down on the floor at the foot of his stairs inside his house. What first looks like an unfortunate accident, soon becomes a murder investigation, and takes Sergeant Burke into darker shade of blue.

Though my novella, Uncertain Beginnings, is the first in my "uniformed" police procedural series, I've written six private detective agency novels prior to this series, and I've used the information I've learned from law enforcement and crime scene investigators to write both the P.I. novels and the police procedurals.

Fiona - 

And of course we know that when you said a darker shade of blue, blue refers to cop culture. Would you say your novella is a police procedural?

Jamie Lee - 
Yes, a police procedural. I incorporated what I learned riding with Scott's cops and CSI to catch the killer in my novella. In this case, it's what you can't see that may be the evidence that solves the case.

The seed that started this series was a 12 hour night shift with the Thibodaux police. I watched, followed and listened. It helped to get the details of how cops interacted with the public and how the public interacted with them.

Fiona - 

And today we are going to be sharing gems from your CSI class.

One thing that doesn't show up in many books is that there is a series of hand offs in a criminal death (or an unexpected death).

1) The police have to give the okay that the area is safe before the

     EMT can go help someone.

2) The EMTs go in and help the injured person or declare the

    person deceased and give them a time of death. The official

    time of death is when the EMT makes the declaration and has

    nothing to do with the actual time that the person died.

3) The EMTs hand the scene over to the medical examiner or their

    representative. The ME takes pictures and conducts specific tests

    on the body that will help them to make a determination about

    whether an autopsy is required.

4) The ME hands the scene over to the detective - but the body is in

    the custody of the ME

But that's not always true.

Jamie Lee -

In my CSI class at WPA, I learned that not all states have an ME who comes to the crime scene.

The CSI unit works in tandem with the detectives to be sure the scene is processed properly and that the evidence isn't contaminated.

Many CSI investigators aren't police, they are hired companies. The CSI is a trained layperson. In this case a layperson means that they have not taken a police officer's oath.

When the detective determines there's been a crime, they call in the CSI unit, who then comes in with their gear, completely suited up. They expect anyone on the scene to be suited too. This includes booties, gloves, hair nets, white suits (Tyvek).

Fiona - 
When they enter the crime scene can you go through the CSI unit's priorities?

Jamie - 
The scene is first photographed, long distance, to get an overall picture of the scene, then middle distance, gives objects relationship to one another, then close ups.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nothing is touched until ALL photographs are taken, and CSI is satisfied.

After the initial photos, and possibly video is taken:

* Numbered tents are placed

   for possible evidence

   pieces. 

* Items are again

   photographed. At this

   time the evidence may be

   collected. There are

   different types of 

   collection containers. 

* The containers are usually paper, 

   but may be hard plastic, in the

   case of a container for a knife.

Patti Phillips, photographer "Grab the CSI Kit"

Fiona - 

What are some details that you found surprising about the packaging?

                                                               Patti Phillips, photographer "Grab the CSI Kit"

Jamie Lee - 

* All wet evidence is dried before packaging, and rarely is plastic

   bag used unless there is zero % chance of mold.

* DNA is packaged in paper.
* When the evidence is sealed, it is taped. 

* The information is written across the tape, so that if there is

   tampering, it will be evident. 

* All evidence bags have handwritten Incident Report #, 

   Date sealed, Time, Initialed, #items, and new opening each

   time the package is opened.

* The information is written on the package every time it's opened,

   and the new info is again written across the tape.

*  Only CSI can touch the contents. Lawyers can look at it, but not

   touch, but then no one wants to touch if they don't have to.

* Each time the evidence bag is opened, it must be opened from a

   different side, so the original seals are never disturbed. 

* Once all of the openings are breached, that package will be put in

    a new container, to start over with the original seal.This helps

    with chain of custody.

* All evidence is kept indefinitely until released by the courts.

* There are warehouses of evidence from cases that have been

   cleared by the courts, but the statute of limitations hasn't cleared,

   so the evidence is kept.

Fiona - 

Tell us about any evidence collection that was new to you - surprising. 

Jamie Lee - 

When hands are covered for evidence, they are covered with paper bags, to avoid sweating, as that will ruin any evidence.

Fiona - 
On a dead person or on the way to the hospital?

Jamie Lee - 
Any person who was at the scene and may be a witness or a suspect.

Fiona - 

Alive then - who knew!

Jamie Lee - 

We can talk about "swabbing the log"

Fiona - 

Yes, let's do that. what is it?

Jamie Lee - 
When looking for DNA evidence, you need skin.

English: Overflowing toilet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have nothing, you can wait for your suspect to take a poop. Then you "swab the log" because there will likely be some skin shed in the process of eliminating the fecal matter.

The matter itself is worthless, but the skin cells that may have been deposited at the time of defecation can give detectives the DNA they need.

Fiona - 

Argh. So how do you stop them from flushing? And how do you swab a log?  - So awesomely gross!

Jamie - 
I'm not sure how they get the fecal matter in the first place. But if they aren't letting the suspect out of their sight, they may have them go in a facility that they've clogged, or somehow if there are "skid marks" that may hold some matter. 

Swabbing the log would consist of the same protocol as swabbing the inside of a cheek. Only I'd think they'd try very hard to swab the entire surface, as to not miss a chance at getting skin cells.

Fiona - 

And this is why I write about CSI but don't actually do CSI.

Other gems?

Jamie Lee - 
Interesting: GSR, gun shot residue will show on anyone in the room when the gun was fired.

GSR is also extremely fragile and must be processed within four hours.

The most important thing is that ANYTHING can be evidence.

Fiona - 
Give me a "for instance".

Jamie Lee - 
A person who put in a job application on Monday may come back and rob the place on Tuesday. Now you have the robber's address.

My biggest surprise was learning that they use Mylar and a form of electricity to pick up prints.

Fiona -
Wait - how do you do that with a stun gun?

Jamie Lee - 

* They place the Mylar over the fingerprint, then make the

   electrical charge with a stun gun, which lifts the print into

   the Mylar,

* The static charge on the dust particles cause the Mylar film to be

   sucked into the surface.
* Then the air bubbles are rolled out with a fingerprint roller, and

   the print can be examined with a light. A flashlight will work. It's

   just to make sure you got the print before you affix it to a more

   secure surface. And it absolutely can't be in contact with plastic

   because it will remove the static charge.

Fiona - 
Affixed with superglue?

Jamie - 
It is photographed immediately.

That photo is an electronically-lifted print

I know your readers enjoy video quick studies. Here's one I found on Electrostatic Footprint Lifting with Dr. Shaler. In this film he:

* Shows the film

* Shows the electrostatic lifter

* Step by step procedure including using a brayer to get rid of air

   bubbles
* Electrostatic print can be lifted from paper, carpet, almost any

   surface. But the print can not be made with water. It must be

   made with dust.

VIDEO QUICK STUDY (5:41)

Fiona - 

Very fun stuff! Thanks so much Jamie Lee for stopping by ThrillWriting to share. Before you go, we always like to hear your favorite scar story.

Jamie Lee - 

I have a scar on my face, under my nose on the left side, and everyone always thinks it's a pencil mark, if they see it at all. I was in a car accident when I was 5 years old. 

My dad was driving our Riviera on a raining night, we were coming home from my grandfather's art gallery on Cannery Row in Monterey, CA, and he tried to pass a motor home. The motor home sped up, and my dad lost control of the car and hit a tree head on, I went through the windshield. Yes, I had a seat belt on, but in those days it was only a lap belt. 

The cut was on the left, and my body was black and blue on my right. I have no recall of the accident, or several days after, nor do I have any memory of my life before the accident. I'm probably one of the few kids who has no memory of kindergarten. 

Fiona -
Thank you Jamie 

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• Cops Gone Bad: Information for Writers with Police Chief Scott Silverii

Code Blue: Information for Writers with Sarah Clark

______________________

_______________________________

A CODE BLUE is defined a cardiac or respiratory arrest.

Here to help us understand what

happens during a CODE BLUE is Sarah Clark. 

Sarah spent 29 years as a nurse. Her positions included: ICU, Emergency Department, Med/Surg, telephone triage, long-term acute care, and teaching at the nursing school. For the last 3 ½ years, she has been the simulation coordinator for hospitals.

If you are writing a crisis that begins outside of the hospital, most likely the patient will be arriving in an ambulance.

Prior to arriving at the hospital the EMS will have sent a bullet-ed report to the CHARGE NURSE. 3-5 minutes before arriving they will encode – this is the report/notification.

At the beginning of the shift, the charge nurse will have assigned rooms within the Emergency Department. Emergency is now called E.D. not E.R. by hospital staff. 
* Your lay person would probably still call it the E.R. 
* It would be a mistake to have the doctors and nurses call it that
   now. 
The charge nurse is on the radio and manages the room flow. The charge nurse will assign the case to a room. 

When the EMS unit brings the patient in, they go straight to their room/nurse.

If they coded on the scene or in the ambulance, several things are already in place for the hospital staff.
· The patient will have pads already in place (often, one on back
   and one on front) for performing shocks and be on a backboard,
   facilitating CPR compressions. 

· The patient will be intubated
· The patient will (when available in that locale) have a LUCAS
   unit in place. A LUCAS will perform chest compressions for 
   CPR, leaving the health providers hands free for other things. If
   the LUCAS is in place, they will most likely leave it at the
   hospital until the patient is no longer in need. It has a battery and
   can operate for around three hours without be connected to a
   power source. It can be plugged in and many ambulances have
   electrical plugs. 

· The patient will have an I.V. line in place.

If the patient comes in with vital signs, then as a writer, you need to decide which of the above you would like to have in place.

Let’s pretend for a moment that a patient presented at the E.D. with signs of a cardiac event. While in the E.D., he codes. Immediately the team goes into action.

Here are the players:

· Medication R.N.
· Airway Manager
· Person Performing Chest Compressions
· Code Cart Manager
· BLS Team Leader - this is the PROVIDER. They no longer call

  the person making the decisions “doctor” with the lack of 

  physicians the provider could be a physician, physician's assistant,
 or nurse practitioner
· Documenter
· Family Guide 

MEDICAL RN stands on the right hand side of the patient. 

· Check for IV access, patency (the quality of being unblocked)
· Establish IV if none present.
· Prime tubing with 1 liter NS (normal saline)
· Administer ordered meds
· Communicate when med has been administered
· Protect the IV site. This is IMPERATIVE. That IV is the patients

   life line in an emergency. If the nurse can not find a vein they

   will place the line in the bone with an IO or intraosseus line. T
   The nurse will say “Drill ’em.” This method is fast and relatively
    safe. 

   VIDEO QUICK STUDY Trigger alert. Graphic. (12:00)
* The IV line is most at risk when the patient is being moved from
   one stretcher to another. GURNEY is a term that is no longer in
   use.

Ambu Bag

The AIRWAY MANAGER :

stands at the top of the stretcher and is usually a respiratory therapist. This is NOT a nurse. A respiratory therapist has an associates degree – a two-year degree in providing respiratory aid.

· Open airway
· Ventilate with Ambu bag 

· Requests suction setup 
· 2 People: 1 to seal the airway and 1 to squeeze the
  bag 

  * An Ambu bag is 100% oxygen. 

  * During a code the patient is manually ventilated. 

· This person will often stand on the left, or if need be, they can get

    right up on the gurney with the patient. This person needs to get

    the chest compressed a full 2” or it is ineffectual. Most people

    will wear out after two minutes and need to be replaced. 

· Any qualified person can do the compressions. 

· They monitor/check for pulse 

· If the patient did not come in with EMS then they will place a

   back board and a Zoll pad (for shocks) there are 2 pads – one on
   the back and one on the front. They can cause fire (chest hair)
   They no longer use paddles.

· Two people can rotate responsibilities to give the person giving

   compressions a chance to rest. They must monitor the quality of 

   the compression.

· Stands next to the cart –  everything they will need during a

  code is in the cart. She will hand people things as they are 

  needed. 

· They must be a nurse, and it is best if they are familiar with the

   layout of the code cart
· They hand in:

  * Back board 

  * Zoll Pads

  * Set up for suction
  * IV tubing with one liter of NS 
· Prepare the Empinepherine 
· Hands in meds as ordered
· Operates Zoll defibrillator
· Communicates with the runner for needed supplies

So for example:
The provider will say, “Give an amp of Epi.”
Code cart manager replies, “Epi.” As she hands it to the medication

                       nurse.
The medication nurse says, “Epi.” Then administers the meds and

                       says, “Epi’s in.” 

BLS TEAM LEADER
· This is the provider (doctor/physician's assistant/nurse practioner)
· Stands at the end of the bed and does not do anything hands on to

   prevent tunnel vision. 

· Needs to be able to see everything
· Makes all decisions about the patient 

THE DOCULMENTER
· Ideally, this is the patient’s nurse – in reality it will be a newer 

  nurse. The documenter stands next to the provider.
· Charting – documenting everything that takes place
· Ensure participants sign the code sheet
· Timer – is UBER IMPORTANT!

“It’s been two minutes. Time for a rhythm check.”

EVERY TWO MINUTES:
· Check the rhythm on the heart monitor
· Check pulse in the femoral area of the groin. That would be here:

· Change out the compressor if they are human. 
· Decide if you are at a shockable rhythm
· Shock them.

“It’s been three minutes do you want another epi?”

EVERY THREE MINUTES:

· Epinephrine helps vaso constrict to shunt the blood to the heart 

  effectively – it is the first line drug to use in a code, and it can be

  administered every three minutes. 

FAMILY GUIDE
· Determines if the family wishes to stay
· Positions the family near the exit
· Answers questions briefly and honestly
· Reminds the team the family is present (tendency towards gallows

   humor to break the stress)
· Escort the family out if needed


In every hospital there is a RAPID RESPONSE TEAM. This is a pre-code team that includes an experienced nurse and a respiratory therapist. They identify the patient’s risk of coding and move him to ICU.

NURSES SAY “CRAP.”

When do they stop?

1) The patient is stabilized
2) The patient is declared deceased
    · Typically, they will call it if the efforts have not worked and 

       the patient flat lined for over twenty minutes.
    · If they were brought in with a flat line, it’s usually called – 

       because of the length of time they were down. 

    · If the spouse/parent is on the way, for example, they 

      will try to continue efforts until the spouse has arrived. 

    · Often it’s the family that asks the team to stop 
    · Sometimes they continue for longer than they normally would

       have to give the family time to come to the conclusion on their

       own. This helps with the grief process. 

And there you have it. 

A huge thank you to Sarah Clark  for her expertise.

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.