Hey Everyone!I'd love to introduce you to Nicki Edwards, who has just released her second book.
Nicki Edwards is a city girl with a country heart. Growing up on a small family acreage on the outskirts of Geelong, she spent her formative years riding horses and pretending the neighbour's farm was her own.
After spending three years in a regional city in New South Wales, her love of small country towns was further developed. One day she plans to escape to the country with her husband Tim and live on land, surrounded by horses, dogs, cows and sheep. Until then she lives vicariously through the lives of the characters in the rural romance novels she loves to read.
In 2006, when Nicki's youngest child started school, she returned to university, juggling full time study, part time work and raising four small children, to achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. Always a voracious reader, Nicki's other dream was to be an author.
Nicki writes medical rural romance for Momentum and when she isn't reading, writing or dreaming about rural life and medical emergencies, she can be found working as a Critical Care Nurse in a busy Intensive Care Unit, where many of her stories and characters are imagined.
Nicki and Tim reside in Geelong, Victoria with their four teenage/young adult children. Life is busy, fun and at times exhausting, but Nicki wouldn't change it for anything.
Her debut novel, "Intensive Care" was released in January 2015 with Momentum, the digital imprint of Pan Macmillan Australia. Her second novel, "Emergency Response" comes out in October 2015. The third and fourth books in the 'Escape to the Country' series, "Life Support" and "Critical Condition" will be released in 2016.
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Guest Post
“Every man dies – Not every man really lives.” ~ William Ross
“The only people who fear death are those with regrets.” ~ Author Unknown
Around nine years ago, I woke up with the realization that my life was about to change dramatically. My youngest of four children had just started school and I was faced with the daunting prospect that without something new to focus on, I was going to be bored. I had an aversion to playing social tennis (I can’t hit a ball) and drinking coffee in cafes is not my thing (I don’t drink coffee). Plus, I had a list of places I hoped to visit and a frighteningly negative bank balance. Without something dramatic happening like winning Tatts (I never enter), I needed a job. But I didn’t want any job. I wanted a career. Something I could be proud of achieving.
So I decided to become a nurse.
It took me almost six years of study, but I now work as a critical care registered nurse in Intensive Care. And I love my job.
For a while (a few milliseconds), I contemplated another two years of study to obtain my Masters in Nursing. Hubby had other ideas and suggested I just forget study for a while and actually do what I’d been trained to do – nurse.
So I did.
I lasted around four months before getting this weird twitching sensation and a sense I wasn’t doing enough in my life.
After watching the (very ordinary) 2007 movie, "The Bucket List" about two dying old codgers who set off on adventure to achieve a list of things before they kick the bucket, I decided I needed a bucket list of my own.
In case you haven’t seen it, Jack Nicholson plays an enormously rich and very unlikeable man who has more money than he knows what to do with, and a year to live. Morgan Freeman pays the not-so-rich man, also dying, with the list. Nicholson’s character embraces the idea of Freeman’s character’s bucket list and treats him to an all-expenses-paid-around-the-world trip to tick off the items on the list.
As a side note, if I had all the money in the world, I’m not sure I’d spend my last days on earth ticking off the items on my bucket list.
Anyway…I needed a list—a list to remind me of what’s important in life for me. The objective of creating my bucket list wasn’t because of a race against time or death. It was about ensuring I maximised every moment of my life, living it to the full. There’s a verse in the bible that says “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” I didn’t want to perish or waste away because I had no vision, no goals, no plans. No bucket list.
Coming up with a list has added a new layer of enthusiasm to my life because I never know what’s in store up ahead. It’s a reminder of all the things I want to achieve in my time here on earth so that instead of pandering to pointless activities, I direct my attention, (my vision), towards what’s important to me.
Number one item on my list was I wanted to write a book.
Fast forward 18 months and I’ve since written and published two books (Intensive Care and Emergency Response) with another two books due for publication next year (Life Support and Critical Condition).
Have you ever thought about having a bucket list?
If not, there’s not time like now to get started.
Emergency Response by Nicki Edwards
Running away didn't solve anything ... at least, not the first time.Intensive care nurse Mackenzie Jones is no stranger to running. As a teenager she fled her family home, leaving tragedy and loss in her wake. Now, after fifteen years alone in Sydney, with the strain of working in a city hospital wearing her thin, she's tempted to run again.
Mackenzie jumps at the chance to work in a mining town in the Western Australian desert – anything to lift her spirits. Though she barely dares to hope, she wonders if she might find the kind of love that can ease her loneliness.
In the outback, Nathan Kennedy is at a loose end. He's been making money in the mines for years, and pressure from his family to return to the east coast, settle down and get married is reaching fever pitch. The problem is, he hasn't met the right woman.
When Mackenzie turns up in town, there's an instant attraction between her and Nathan, maybe even true love. But tragedy's not done with Mackenzie Jones – the past is about to catch up with her in more ways than one. Can Nathan convince Mackenzie to stop running, or is this just another tragedy in the making?
Perfect for fans of Fiona McArthur and Melanie Milburne.
Hey! Here's my review.
This is the second book by Nicki Edwards and I enjoyed it even more than the first. I loved the combination of Australian outback, medical, sweet romance. We get a quick glimpse at what Kate and Joel are up to, but this book focusses on Mackenzie (who used to work with Kate) and Nathan (Kate's brother in law).
There were many interesting characters who presented at the emergency department in a remote locality hospital. I found it interesting to see how these cases were dealt with, and whether the diagnoses I came up with were correct (based on my vast medical training of reading rural medical romance novels).
I loved the dynamic between Mackenzie and Nathan, full of sexual tension but without graphic descriptions in the bedroom. I swooned at the rock pool and got all choked up on Christmas Day.
I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm looking forward to reading more from Nicki.
★★★★★
- Where: NetGalley
- Format: ebook
Purchase links
Excerpt
Almost eight hours after leaving Sydney, the plane touched down heavily on the tarmac. It screamed and shuddered as the flaps lifted and the engines slowed, causing clouds of dust to swirl around outside. Dread settled in Mackenzie’s heart. It was so barren and bright. And empty. Even the unexpected flash of color from the lone wildflowers along the edge of the runway did little to soften the blow of the harsh reality of the landscape. It looked like she’d landed on Mars.
The plane came to a standstill and the passengers stood to retrieve their bags from the overhead lockers. Not Mackenzie. She remained seated, staring in dismay out the window at the cream-colored tin shed, which evidently served as the airport terminal. It was much smaller than she had expected.
A blast of hot dry air engulfed her the moment she stepped out of the plane. The flight attendant standing at the open door near the cockpit smiled at her shocked expression. It felt like summer after the air-conditioned plane. She tore off her cardigan and stuffed it into her carry-on luggage. Making her way down the steps at the front of the plane, she was thankful she’d been smart enough to wear flat shoes. Nathan had told her the Outback was no place for heels and she was glad she’d given her few pairs away. She recoiled at the burning heat of the metal rail. If it was this hot in winter, how was she going to cope when the temperatures reached forty-plus degrees every day in the middle of summer? Mackenzie liked the heat, but this was ridiculous.
She dragged in a lungful of air and then coughed, trying to clear her throat of the fine red dust she’d inhaled. In the distance, past the sage scrub and seemingly endless stretch of desert, was a low-lying mountain range, although it may have been a mirage. Flat stretches of nothingness lay in every direction and for a split second her resolve failed her again. She glanced back toward the plane. Maybe she could just walk back up the narrow steps and let the plane take her home again. The question was, where was home?
As though sensing her hesitation, another flight attendant positioned at the bottom of the steps smiled at her. “She’ll be right, mate. Give it time and it’ll feel like home before you know it.”
Smiling her thanks, Mackenzie set her shoulders back and stepped purposefully across the shimmering black tarmac. She might be well and truly out of her comfort
zone, but she could do this!
Dragging her bags behind her, she shuffled slowly toward the shade of the terminal only to find it locked. A cold sweat broke out across her skin and she shivered even in the intense heat. What had the email from the nursing agency said? Was someone meant to meet her, or were they leaving a car for her to pick up? Was she supposed to collect the keys from someone? She drew in a deep breath and counted slowly to ten. She was not going to panic. Even so, the wide open space pressed in, crushing her. Doubts swirled around like the thick red dust. She ran her damp hands down the front of her pants. What should she do?
In the end, she made a decision and tramped round to the front of the tin building, dragging her cases with her. She gazed around. To her right, a number of dusty four-wheel drives wore a coating of red iron ore dust like a badge of honor. They looked nothing like their city cousins. Standing on the side of the road, she stared in both directions as she brushed the flies from around her face. No one seemed to be coming for her.
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Emergency Response by Nicki Edwards