Kept Tears


I always knew I would write a book like Kept Tears, or at the very least one with a disabled veteran. Many moons ago, I had planned to pay for medical school by going into the military. Most of my family was military in WWII and Viet Nam era service. I wanted to be Air Force. Things didn’t quite work out that way. However, in medical school and in my residency, I did work at several Veteran Administration hospitals and clinics across the country. I loved working with the veterans. In the latest twist my life has taken, I’m still very active with working with veterans on campus and with our local V.A..

While I wanted to do a story about a returning veteran and about some of the challenges they face, I also knew I wanted it to have a hopeful theme. I don’t remember when I saw the DEKA “Luke” arm in a video, but I knew this was what I wanted to us. In the novel, it’s more of a generalized prosthetic arm because just in the time period it took to write this and get it to production, the Luke Arm sort of myoelectric prosthesis has made leaps and bounds, and I didn’t want it tied too closely to one type. Arms, however, were on the opposite side of the body than what I had made my practice, so I had a lot of studying up to do. This was harder than I thought, since these arms are still mostly in limited use experimental stages and the information is held close. Hopefully, between video links and Ohiolink’s professional journals, I’ve done a passable job with it, and any mistakes are my own. Also, if you’re interested in the Luke Arm, there are videos on Youtube. It’s fascinating stuff.

Enter Aaron Santori.  He was medical school bound on the Army’s dime, but long before that happened, he got called up as a Medic in the Middle East (a fate several in my medical school shared during Desert Storm). There he lost his left arm, and suffered damage and burns to his leg. The story opens a few years down the road, with Aaron back in grad school, this time dealing with the very type of prosthesis he wears. The myoelectric prosthesis is actually functional, and Aaron is still learning to use it. He’s still under psychiatric care to help deal with his loss and his PTSD, and is active with the Wounded Warrior project. Part of my goal with this novel was to highlight some very important veterans’ services, like the Wounded Warrior project. For all the magic and other realms to be found in this novel, I wanted Aaron’s life to be very real.

Aaron didn’t go to the steampunk party expecting to meet anyone, and he’s rather ill-prepared for dating Rhys. Aaron must deal with his fears of rejection over his damaged body and how self-conscious he is about his prosthetic arm. It is a path I have witnessed veteran patients and students walk, and I hope I have done it justice.

Thanks to Michael for having me over on his blog. I appreciate it.


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