Time of Death or The Life Of A Resident: A Memoir

It's been a while since I have written something in here, so with a new book in the works, now seems like as good a time as any.

That's right. The new book manuscript is getting worked at the publisher, and now we have a cover.

Time of Death is work that is a long time coming, but due for release FALL 2020. It's a bit of a departure from the young/new adult paranormal fantasy realm. Instead, this is a stand-alone novel that plunges into a dark mystery, and much of it was inspired by my life as a medical resident in Chicago. Not an autobiography, by any means. But some of these things happened. The rest is a writer's delight.

This tale started back in 2006, during the first half of my senior year as an OBGYN resident. Everyone has at least seen or knows what Grey's Anatomy is about, and let me tell you, it is nothing like real life in a hospital as a physician-in-training. Consequently, I despise shows like that because none of them touch on the reality that is far more interesting and deep (except Scrubs, but that's a discussion for another day). During the final year of training, I was named Chief Resident and had the duty of supervising the other residents, coordinating schedules between clinics, and shuffling a lot of other duties within the residency to help ensure that the residents were trained properly. The four years I spent in Chicago were exhausting but rich with experiences.

Between all the residents, we did rotations each month that placed us in different training modalities (eg, a month spent in the emergency room, a month or two spent with general surgery). One of those months is all nights, from 7pm to 7am six days a week, and we all covered nights individually multiple times during the residency. At night, we cared for all the obstetrics patients that came into labor and delivery or anything gynecology related that might come through the emergency room. And in Chicago, it could get very busy, but it was also unpredictable.

One of those particular nights, it was thankfully a little slow. Labor and delivery was relatively quiet, with just the women staying that had delivered earlier in the day. A handful of nurses were available to take care of those women. I studied in the resident lounge at one end of the labor and delivery unit, all by myself in a room with a little TV running in the background just for noise.

And then I got a weird phone call from the nurse's station. One nurse, we'll call her Jane, called to tell me that the patient in room 2, a postpartum woman who had delivered a baby that morning, had called her husband at home at 3 a.m. and she was terrified. So he called the labor and delivery desk to ask if someone could check on her. The nurse went to the patient's room and the patient relayed a story that she was watching television because she couldn't sleep. She had just finished breastfeeding and put the baby away in the bassinet. When she rested back in bed to watch TV, she said the bathroom door opened and a man came out, stepped up to her bedside and began to yell at her in a language she didn't understand. She panicked and tried to ring the bedside buzzer, which alerts the nurse's station, but it didn't work. She turned away to get her phone to call her husband, and when she turned back the man had disappeared.

The nurses didn't know what to do, but they knew I was on and that I didn't back down from weird stuff like this. So they called me to come check out the room -- by myself while the rest of them huddled outside the room and waited until I came out. The patient had already been moved to a different room. She was fine, just a little shaken (and she went home the next day without any problems, by the way). Of course, I got right over there and inspected the room. There wasn't anything exciting to say about it at this point. Just the fact that this happened.

That was the point where the nurses and I started talking and they told me dozens of stories from around the hospital, stories of things they had experienced or stories that they had heard over the years. They talked about closed units that they tried to avoid, call rooms they didn't like going into because the cabinet doors would open on their own, or hallways where they heard whispers or felt "creeped out".  So many of these stories were related by other nurses that I spoke to at other times. Things they all had independently experienced.

And that was the moment I came up with Time of Death, a paranormal fiction with just a touch of autobiography hidden between the lines. I had originally started in in 2006 but shelved it when it was only about 1/3 of the way done because I graduated from residency and then life became extremely busy in medical practice. I had gotten far enough away from it that I wasn't sure it would ever be completed, even though I knew exactly what would happen and how it would end. Other books came out of me instead, and a publisher picked them up.

Then, I turned back to the manuscript, read what I had written so long ago and wanted to get back into it. The final edits were eventually completed in winter 2020, just at the start of COVID-19. So many terrible and tragic things happened in my life in the beginning of this year, but completing Time of Death came as a good distraction to help in the healing process. This might sound a little odd, given the subject matter of the book, but it's really the act of writing that is therapeutic.

There is much more to come, so stay tuned for more tales and the breadcrumbs of information about the story line, release dates, and more.

An Update on a Change

Just a quick update!

I really suck at updating this blog but here you go. By recommendation of the publisher, we worked hard and came up with some great ideas when we needed a cover and title change. So you will no longer find The Secret of the Hooked X, but rather it has been reworked as The Key, The Outlaw, and The Treasure. Same great story and a new and improved cover!!! I did the artwork myself (pats herself on the back).

So enjoy!

Historical Fiction: Welcome "The Secret of the Hooked X"

The end of the year is looming.

So I guess that it's time for a new release. How about some historical fiction to whet the appetite for new reading? That's where "The Secret of the Hooked X" comes in. Do you loveThe Goonies? What about National Treasure? Maybe with a little True Grit sprinkled in. Then you will love The Secret of the Hooked X. If you want to get it now, here's a link for you:
The Secret of the Hooked X by C. Merrill—Murder and Templar Treasure

A little different from the Angel Blade series, it's a tale set in the 1890's and is an epic adventure across the country. It's a story about 16 year old Anna Holloway. Her father was murdered in the streets of Boston, and she must leave with her family to join her uncle John in the New Mexico territory. But when she discovers a hidden map to a buried treasure, she learns that her uncle might not be the benefactor that her family believes he is. Her suspicions are confirmed when a stranger appears in a search of the map and takes Anna's brother, William, hostage. Now she must find him and run with the map to keep him away from her family, or he will kill them all to find the treasure for himself.

And you are all in for a real treat. I will include the first chapter right here . . . IN THIS BLOG!. You guys are so lucky.

Now, as a side note (because I know many of you are simply dying inside after reading Archangel): Yes, Book 4 of the Angel Blade series will be coming out in 2018. And it will be the final story of the series (insert weeping and wailing here)

Without further ado, here is chapter 1 of The Secret of the Hooked X. Enjoy! And, as always, keep reading.

Chapter 1

Anna stood at the entrance of the mineshaft, the two great doors open beside her and the rusty hinges creaking in the breeze. The heavy, dank air breathed from the depths of the tunnel before her. She held her breath and tried to steady the lantern in her hands but the glass rattled inside the metal casing and echoed like chattering teeth against the rock walls of the cavern. Her eyes followed the two iron rails that started at the mouth of the tunnel and disappeared into the dark, well beyond her small circle of light.

            She had wanted to enter this place from the moment she first saw it, but now she wasn’t so sure. The lantern light glinted off the iron rails and beckoned her forward. This place had been abandoned for so long; there couldn’t possibly be anything or anyone in here. There was nothing to worry about. Right?

            With a trembling breath, she steadied her lantern-holding hand and stepped across the threshold of the mine. The damp air tickled her shins just under the long skirt. The heel of her boot tapping against the rock echoed back to her with each step. Gold light fell from the lamp and circled at her feet, lighting the way as she stepped further into the tunnel. The thick rails guided her path forward into the blackness ahead. She glanced back as a little voice in her head urged her to leave this place now. Daylight burned bright just outside the opening of the tunnel, around the heavy gates that she had pulled open to reveal the mouth of the mine. She could still go back there, to the warm sunshine and back to the farm where her mother, brother and uncle stayed, safe and unaware that she had kept this little secret. There was still time to turn around, shut the doors, and never think of this place again.

            Just as she thought it, she knew it would never happen. The intrigue of the abandoned Appleton Silver Mine would plague her forever unless she continued onward. And what if her little brother William found it? He would most definitely enter the mine without any supervision and probably get himself hurt along the way. She could only imagine what her mother would say to her then. Why didn’t you stop him?  How could you just let him go in there like that?  You are old enough to know better. At sixteen, Anna was practically his second mother.

That settled it:  she had to go on further. She turned away from the door and started along the mine tracks

            It didn’t take long before the comforting light of the entrance was too far distant to be of any help. She swallowed against a dry throat and continued to follow the tracks further into the cavern. Each step echoed louder down the curving tunnel. Her eyes squinted against the light, trying hard to peer into the inky darkness ahead, but only her small circle of lantern light was all that she could see. The mine forbade her from seeing any further.

            The walls closed in tighter as she moved further down the tunnel, the small bubble of light keeping the darkness from completely swallowing her. The light about her now trembled with the shaking in her hand.

            She stopped and glanced back. The curves of the tunnel had now obscured the entryway and she was surrounded by black. It occurred to her that if she were to get confused somehow, that she would never know which way to go to escape to the outside world. But only a coward would turn back now. Whatever lay in the dark of this place would be hers to find, her secret alone.

            A secret that she could have shared only with her father . . . if he were still alive.

            She never would have thought that she would be here, like this right now. Only six days ago, she was just leaving Boston. Six days was all it took for her to find herself on this kind of adventure.

Doctor Evil is in

Well, it's been a while since the last blog, and so much has happened on this side of the computer. A move and change of practices has kept me busy. And so has submitting my latest manuscript. Book 3 of the Angel Blade series is now in the hands of my publisher and now we must wait for release later this spring. So you have something to look forward to when Archangel arrives.

In the meantime, I have been frequently asked by other writers for assistance in writing an appropriate "medical" scene. I appreciate any writer in his/her endeavor to get it right. There are so many books and shows/movies that simply get the scene wrong, and that really turns me in the wrong direction. For me, it is difficult to continue reading or watching something where the writing was clearly not intent on doing it correctly.

For example, how often do you see the dramatic scene where someone "flat-lines" and the medical personnel whip out the old "shock paddles" and apply a profound jolt to someone's chest? Exciting, yes. But wrong. First of all, we don't call it "flat-lining" (it's called asystole -- A-cyst-o-lee) and it's not treated by a shock to the chest. Appropriate resuscitation is done with IV drugs and CPR. But just think about it: how often do you see or read that? All it would take is for one writer to ask anybody with knowledge of cardiac life support how it should really go.

And further more, nobody uses the massive chest paddles anymore. AED (automatic external defibrillators) are found in every ambulance, ER, and almost everywhere else these days. They are composed of a digital device connected by two sticky pads that are applied to the patient's chest. The device reads the rhythm and provides the appropriate shock if and when it is needed. The giant paddles are so 20 years ago!

If you are a writer, please don't hesitate to ask if something is right, no matter what it is. As a doctor myself, I am always willing to help out and answer questions when it comes to a medical matter. You can just message me right here. I'm also available on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. I want you to get it right!!!

As always,
an apple a day tastes good!

Daemon is on its way

Well, here we go again. Book 2 of the Angel Blade series is getting closer and closer. Working on the edits right now. The cover is getting processed as we speak. It's an exciting time. So for any fans out there, I wanted to give you a special gift from the depths of my heart.

I know so many of you have been hanging on with white-knuckle grip to see what happens with Nikka after the events of Angel Blade. So, behold, I give you Chapter 1 of Daemon, the thrilling sequel to Angel Blade (don't say I never gave you anything).

Also, I plan on keeping you updated about release dates and stay tuned for a COVER REVEAL! That's one of the most exciting parts when anticipating these things.








SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
(this means if you haven't finished Angel Blade, you may not want to proceed quiet yet; that means, caution, here there be monsters!)

What to expect in Daemon:

Abaddon has fallen and Nikka and Jason go into hiding as the rest of the world makes sense of the chaos that had occurred in the battle. But as Nikka struggles to face the impact of the events that took Gideon from her, she receives a disturbing vision about the end of the world.

Now, with Jason at her side, she must find another ally foretold in her vision and fight to stop the demon horde from bringing about the final Apocalypse.

Chapter 1

Jason

A

t first he only heard the sound of rocks crumbling around him, one after another. The smell of fire and char made him open his eyes, but everything was so blurry, like he was caught just under the surface of a murky pond.

He forced his hand to move, to try and clear his eyes, and that was the moment he realized that he could do it himself. For months, he had no control of his own body. But now, his arm moved at his command. The other voice was no longer present, whispering those vile and disgusting things into his brain.

He blinked his eyes, and the murk cleared just a bit, but only for a moment. Everything around him was so dark.

But then he saw an angel. At least, that's what he thought, because there was no other way to explain the woman before him. Her face was perfect. He had seen her before in a painting or a book or something. He couldn't remember where. He only knew that he longed to look at her and never turn away.

The angel's lips moved, but she made no sound. There was only the muffled noise of a voice in water. Why couldn't he hear her?

Jason blinked again, and her face grew clearer. Then the pain of a dozen bruises pulsed and ached throughout his body.

The angel still looked at him, but her eyebrows creased together in concern. Her eyes glistened with the reflection of a blazing fire somewhere around him.

And he realized she had no hair on her bare scalp. He had definitely seen her before.

She was no angel, but she might as well have been one.

"I know you," he said; the words felt like hot tar in his throat. He could hear his own voice now. "You're real."

"Yeah," she said. Her voice was no longer lost in murky water, but clear and crisp, and it was a voice he recognized. He had heard it so many times before through his hijacked ears.

No. He was sure she was no angel now. An angel never saved his life, but this woman did. He remembered the pain of it as her hand plunged into his chest, burning white light tearing into his soul. When it happened, he thought that he was going to die. But then she freed him. She took that spirit—or whatever it was—right out of him. After that, everything was just dark smoke and haze. For weeks he had prayed to the thought of her in his memory, begging her to not let him die. And she must have heard his prayer.

"I remember you," he said. He felt his lips moving and words pouring from his mouth as though he couldn't stop himself. His head cleared just enough to hear himself say, "I think I was in love with you."

Shit. Why did he just say that?

Her hand grasped his. She was small, but definitely not a waif. Her grip was strong as she helped him to his feet.

He wasn't sure that he was quite ready to stand, but he opened his eyes again. Every sound came sharp and crisp to him as his ears cleared from the dull and muffled noise that he had first heard. He now saw the source of the smoky smell, and turned to face the crumbling walls of the monastery.

He had done this. All this destruction had come through his hands.

No. Not his. Abaddon. He hadn't actually done any of this, but he distinctly remembered being there when it happened and feeling helpless to stop it.

Jason glanced back to the woman that had saved him. Nikka. Yes, that was her name. She stood strong before him, her face and arms dusted with a layer of ash and blood.

Well, that's it for now, Bladers. Keep checking back here and on the website (carriemerrill729.wix.com/author) for more details. 

And, as always
Stay Evil!

"Stay true to the story" or "Why Deadpool worked"

It has been a busy couple of months since Angel Blade was released. Very exciting stuff. A northwest book tour with a stop at Emerald City Comicon and Lilac City Comicon was totally fun and I got to meet so many wonderful people. And I just love cosplay! I can't say it enough!

Today's post is mostly based on some comments I received during some of my appearances. Upon telling people what my book is about, so many have stated, "that would be a great movie!". I agree, but then somebody said "sometimes it's better if just left as a book".

I have said it before: I am not a book purist. Even as an author, I understand that there are certain liberties and interpretations that must be made when a book is turned into a screenplay and then into a final film. And if the author is happy with the final product, then I'm okay with that.

Up to a certain point.

I bring you exhibit A. The Harry Potter books were so popular for a reason, and the movies brought out what was so special about the books. Sure, there were some changes. Remember, I said that certain liberties and interpretations must be made. You can't expect to see the same exact thing, word for word and action for action, otherwise the movie would be like 4 hours long! Nobody is willing to sit through that (unless it was a Star Wars remake by JJ Abrams; I would sit through that!). The film makers for the Harry Potter series understood the elements of the books that readers loved, and thus it was successful and memorable.

Now, exhibit B. I loved the book "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". The movie was, to say the least . . . meh. Why? Because the film makers made a completely different story. They changed too much of it, and the final product was only a vague reflection of what the readers had enjoyed about the original material.

And finally, exhibit C. DEADPOOL. Granted, this film was based on a series of comic books, but the philosophy still holds. To understand this concept, we must go back and discuss the first Wolverine film. Now, I really liked this movie (don't hate, I know so many didn't). This is where I am not a book purist, because as a stand-alone film, I felt that it worked and told a good story. But the haters have a point: they hated it because it had completely changed the source material. This was also the first feature-length adaptation where me get to see Deadpool for the first time. As a fan of the Deadpool comics, I have to say that what they did with the character in that film was despicable. Fans of the character saw nothing of the original creation in that film.

So, enter Ryan Reynolds, an actor who truly understood the real character and its literary history. Reynolds believed in the "true to story" concept so much that he campaigned hard for a Deadpool stand-alone film. And, viola, we have the movie. To the date of this post, it has grossed over $700 million worldwide, was #1 all-time for opening weekends in February, #1 grossing for all X-men movies, blah blah more statistics. Why? Because it was true to the story of Deadpool. This was an accurate depiction of the character in every way. Reynolds understood that and had his hands deep into the production enough to keep it that way.

When will film production companies get the hint? Keep as true to the original material as possible and you won't piss off your core audience. If you want to make the box office rumble and keep doing those sequels, listen to me!!!

As always,
How about a crisp High Five!

Oh, the hauntings you will see

Welcome back to the Lair!

Another year has started, which also means more opportunities out there for some paranormal investigations.  With my book coming out, it warranted some research into belief systems of the supernatural throughout history and across the globe. So here I would like to give you some insight into the various kinds of known hauntings that investigators have witnessed as well as those documented through the ages. This if, of course, not an exhaustive list, but some of the most common. And most importantly, this isn't a list of explanations of why these things happen.  Here we go.

1) Residual Haunting: this is a fairly common type of haunting. It is best described as a manifestation of an entity going about some kind of task that gets replayed over and over again. It is often linked to a specific location where an event occurred.  The haunting might be as simple as just seeing someone walk up the stairs and then disappear.  The entity will not acknowledge the presence of any of the living around it. These are common around old buildings, and the entity may continue with the recurrent activity long after the location has been altered. One example of this is seeing a spirit walk down a hall and then turn to disappear directly into a wall. Upon investigating the history of the location, you may find that the area had been remodeled and there might have been a door there at one time.

2) Intelligent Haunting: another kind of haunting, and one that many paranormal shows try to capitalize on.  This type of haunt is characterized by very specific and intelligent interaction between an entity and the living. Spirit voices caught on tape or the feeling of being shoved when walking down an empty hallway are some examples. As an investigator, you can distinguish this from a residual by simply asking questions, but provide the spirit a way to answer.  Ask for a knock or a flash of a light on a K2 meter or your own flashlight.  Always keep a digital voice recorder ready for these interactions, because some of them won't be discovered until you research your evidence at a later date.

3) Poltergeist: literally translated as "noisy ghost", this type of haunting is characterized by frequent, and sometimes violent, displacement of objects.  There is often no physical entity seen and no intelligent interaction that occurs. This is the only haunting listed here where there has been plenty of scientific research to indicate that it may be caused by physical energy manifested by the living. It is not unusual to link this kind of activity to a home that has had some form of psychological upheaval (ie physical/sexual/mental abuse, one or more of the inhabitants entering puberty, high stress environments). There is still a lot of research that needs to be done on this kind of haunting.

4) Demonic: a haunting caused by a very specific and disembodied evil entity. I list this one last due to its rarity. I often have to add this clause when I perform investigations: just because a haunting may scare you does not make it demonic and it doesn't necessarily make it evil. Demonic hauntings are, thankfully, extremely rare despite what you may hear, but it doesn't make it any less possible either. These are caused by truly dark and evil entities that are usually called into being by one or more persons living at the property (and here is where I stand on my soapbox against the use of Ouija boards). The biggest problem with this type of haunting is that it is usually not the location, but rather the person that is haunted. It can be identified often with the feeling of extreme depression when around the entity, foul odors (like the smell of decaying meat), and the affected person will often begin to display significant physical or psychological changes. If history has taught us anything, it is to seek professional medical assistance for anyone that may demonstrate this kind of behavior before assuming it is spiritual in nature.

As with any haunted location, as an investigator, I always prepare myself ahead of time. Get a detailed description of the events that have happened, have the right equipment handy, and rely heavily on my religious beliefs to protect myself prior to entering any of these places. And that is why these things don't scare me.  I'm afraid of heights and ticks, but not ghosts.

BTW: get your copy of Angel Blade here! The fight between Heaven and Hell, and saving the world from demons.  http://christophermatthewspub.com/angel-blade/

Thanks for reading!

And, as always,
Who you gonna call?